Wanderlust

So, I've agreed with myself to do a little traveling. I've always enjoyed it. It's more than experiencing new places, new cultures, being a part of another world, another life (though it is so much all of these things). It's the absolute freedom I feel in an airport or a train station. I feel like I'm at the center of the universe, and could just walk in any direction and find an adventure. I'm a nexus where the very next moment could change my life. Change how I see everything.

It's like here, where I stand, is a place marked in a book, and standing in the middle of an airport terminal is like removing the book mark throwing the book into the air, just to see where it will open to when it lands. Or like stepping lightly away from the earth like Icarus, and becoming intoxicated with the magical feel of thing wings growing from your shoulders. The fetters are loosed. You step off the globe, and it spins beneath you, and when land, everything has changed. Washington Irving said it amazingly well. I quoted him a while back.

Anyhow. I've had a list for a long time of places I want to visit. Parts of America that I've never seen, and want to see. It's linked to the fact that I don't see myself staying in Houston long term. I want to hold a job for at least two years, because I've never done that. So I won't be walking away from the great job I have. But in a little over a year, if all goes well, I'll have met that goal. And then we'll see what we can see. And I've always wanted to go home to the Hill Country. But what else is out there? I've seen a good bit of New Orleans, and some more of Memphis now. I'm in love with that big river. I loved the mountains in Montana. LA is nice, but not really for me. So I think I need to see more of the country.

Right, the list. That's where the list comes in. Here are the places I plan to explore in the next year or so. If anyone can give me info on what I absolutely must see in these places, do let me know!

• San Francisco (hopefully crashing on Dave's couch)
• Seattle (so, Summer, besides *you* what should I see? :-P)
• St. Louis (another big river destination)
• Chicago (I've never been anywhere in the heartland, ya know, and they're going to have this exhibit on maps in November)
• New York (I don't think living here would be for me, but I've got to see it)
• Phoenix (It's a dry heat!)
• Alaska (I plan to take a cruise. And one of my life goals is to see the northern lights)
  

So, those are all my domestic destinations. But I'm kinda starting off with a bang. See, today I bought plane tickets to...

Italy!

ITALY!!!

I'm flying British Airways to Rome. I'll have about 4 hour layovers either way in London. I'll be meeting my friend Summer, who is studying abroad, there in Rome, then we go up to Siena in Tuscany. I'll be spending just over a week.

I am *beyond* excited! I booked the tickets, and the confirmation e-mail hit my inbox, and I started *crying*! I am sooooo thrilled, I can't even begin to tell it all, and I just want to twirl around the room and jump up and down and laugh and clap and shout and dance!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Happy!