Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved to travel. I love packing, going to the airport, waiting in line to check-in and get my ticket, getting all settled in my seat with the necessities (trashy magazine, MP3 player, large bottle of water, journal and pen), looking out the window at the city below getting smaller and smaller. I love airline food, overpriced though it may be. I love chatting with the person beside me, though I rarely learn their name, but manage to know everything about their family and where they came from, where they're going, what their dreams are. I HATE the feeling I get right before landing, I clutch at the seat handles and close my eyes, breathing deeply, but the touchdown is so satisfying. I love baggage claim, seeing my pretty purple suitcase stand out among the black and brown and green bags of the other passengers. Renting a car, having no idea where the hell I'm going, but having the confidence in my sense of direction and my google map to find my way.

I love hotels. Free wi-fi in the room. Pillow mints. Stationery marked with the hotel logo that hardly anyone uses. I am always compelled to take it with me, at least the small notepad, as a souvenier to be used for random lists and ideas. I love the book with the area attractions, I can sit for hours planning all of the places to go and see, the t-shirt or postcards I will buy at each place.

My job with ET has allowed me to expand the list of states I've been to. It has also pushed me to develop the perfect packing plan and the ability to adapt to new surroundings quickly. During the past two years, I have had the privilege to visit Rhode Island, Tennessee, Montana, North Carolina (twice), New York City, Connecticut, Colorado (twice), and California. Some experiences were definitely better than others, but I walked (or flew or drove) away from each one knowing that I had done good work and made new friends. I also left each placing wishing I had been able to spend more time exploring outside of the hotel and it's immediate surroundings.

Of the places I've been, California is at the top of the list to go back to. I want to spend some time at the Albion and in Medocino as a guest and not an employee. I want to go to the vineyards and put my toes in the Pacific Ocean. I want to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, fog and wind be damned.

I hope that I am able to continue my bi-monthly trips. I know I probably won't be doing this on someone else's dime, so that part is going to be a bit of a hinderance. Getting away from not only Panama City, but my little log cabin, makes me appreciate what I have so much more. No matter how long I've been gone, when I come back, everything is just as it should be.