Adventures In Wonderland: Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

Let's see, where should I start? The beginning, I suppose, is most appropriate. Thursday was my last day at work, which I guess means I'm starting at the end. It felt amazing and weird at the same time when I turned off the lights in my office for the last time. I jumped in the car, turned up my music and smiled all the way home. That feeling helped me know that I had made the right decision in leaving. It's moments like that, when we turn our brains down and let our hearts speak to us, that we see the truth.

I went home and started packing for my trip to Washington D.C. for the Rally to Restore Sanity. Because of the timing and nature of this trip I didn't have time to over-think or over-plan, which for those of you who know me, know it's unusual. It was very freeing to barely know my itinerary and not care if I didn't pack perfectly. Anyway, I left Sacramento around noon Pacific time and arrived at Washington/Dulles at about 11pm Eastern time. Definitely a full day of travel. My iPad was a huge help on the flights. But more than that, I enjoyed the alone time. I could talk to an interesting fellow passenger if I wanted to, but could stick in my ear buds and close my eyes and feel completely alone as well.

I stopped in Las Vegas and Denver, but I actually like layovers rather than non-stop flights. Plus, if I hadn't stopped in Denver, I wouldn't have met one of the coolest 8-year-olds ever. Annika and her family were also flying from the Bay Area to the rally. When she sat next to me she told me her name and that she was "a big talker". Her poor father looked, well, like he had been flying with an 8-year-old all day, so I pulled out my iPad and let Annika play with it. We played games for about three quarters of the flight until I took a break to read a book. Her father nearly gave me a medal as I left the plane and Annika told me I was her new best friend. Oh, I failed to mention why Annika was so cool. She was going to the rally dressed as a zombie tea partier. How awesome is that? If she is the future of the country, I'm not worried.

I met up with my cousin Javan and his wife Karen at baggage claim at Dulles and then we waited to be picked up by our host, Liz. We all took over her house in Virginia, which was awesome. The icing on the cake was her dogs. I kept threatening to take Sergeant, the 14-year-old beagle home in my bag. My cousin tried to do the same with rowdy heeler Capone. After getting settled, we went to bed early. Early in the morning that is. Around 1am. Again, it was great to let go of how many hours of sleep I needed or what my schedule was. Liz and I talked much of the evening away and came to the conclusion that we were separated at birth. New city, new friends, new experiences, new priorities, new Meghan.