I’m waiting at DFW airport, all checked in and waiting for my flight to board. The hardest thing about starting any trip is saying goodbye to my two kitties, Buddy Boy and Sweet Pea. They’re both 16 now and doing great, but as those of you with pets know — especially those of you who are single with pets — they’re like my kids. It’s hard to think about not visiting with them each night.

But nothing to be done about that now. I’m off! And amazingly, all the way to the airport I was trying to think of anything I might have forgotten and I didn’t think of a single thing. I’ve been planning what to pack for a long time. Yesterday it all came together and I even have some extra room in my suitcase. Well, “extra room” to me means I didn’t need to sit on the thing to close it (!). If I can stuff anything extra in, no matter how small, I consider it not full.

I checked the big bag and am carrying a purse and backpack. This packing system from REI is really cool because the backpack will zip onto the suitcase when I’m carrying them both, so I won’t have to juggle a suitcase, backpack, AND purse. That’s the theory, anyway. We’ll see how it works in practice.

I have a video camera (Sony Handycam) and still camera (Canon S90) in my purse, in convenient pockets. My HP Mini netbook and all the cables, battery chargers, memory cards, and other assorted electronic necessities are all in the backpack. I was a bit concerned all that would be really heavy, but electronics today are getting smaller and smaller, and that means lighter and lighter. So it’s not too bad. Of course, I’m rested right now and not tired of carrying stuff around. Still, I think it’s a pretty good system.

So I’m at the airport and even though there’s a free WiFi, it’s not connecting to the internet. I’m making use of my wait time to type this so when I get connected I’ll be able to upload it quickly. Besides, I want to top off the charge on my iPhone for the flight, so I’m tethered to an electrical outlet anyway!

Once the flight lands at La Guardia, I’ll find the most reasonable route to JFK airport, meet up with the rest of the tour participants, and we’ll board our flight for Tel Aviv. To get a reasonable schedule affordably, I had to use miles for this DFW-LGA flight and on this leg I’m privileged to be in First Class. Woo hoo! I just noticed we actually get served lunch. I have a hard time remembering the last time I got a meal on an airline flight, so this will be fun. (On the way back, though, it’ll be back to coach and grabbling an overpriced sandwich at the airport — if I have enough time!)

The JFK to Tel Aviv flight is 10 hours. Luckily we leave at 7 PM Eastern Time, so it’ll soon feel like it’s time to sleep anyway. When I’m not sleeping, I have several books loaded into my Kindle (ah ha, another piece of the electronics suite), so I’ll be reading. Altogether, a good start — even though I’m not off the ground yet!

Later.

Airplane flight update. Perfect seating. I’m on the aisle in the first row. This makes it also the closest seat to the rest room. Yay! Whether or not I use it, somehow it makes me feel better to be close.

Lunch started with warmed nuts, then continued with a chicken enchilada with rice and black beans, a salad, and hummis with pita chips. About the time the plane took off, I had realized I was getting hungry, so the timing was perfect. I’m just starting one of the books Nancy and Olene recommended, “Desire of the Everlasting Hills” by Thomas Cahill (on the Kindle, of course). It considers the question of whether or not Jesus made a difference in the world. Ought to be interesting. Some time ago I read another book by this same author — The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. I found it very readable and insightful, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy this one, too.

This AA flight has WiFi on board. I was thinking of going online and doing the first update on the blog, but it costs $12.95 for a one-flight pass. I’m not in a hurry, so I’ll save the $$. More availble to spend on something else later, or just keep!

Ooh, just got a freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie. This First Class stuff isn’t bad at all!