Me voy!

I’m sitting at my gate in the airport, ready to hop on the plane to Miami, and then wait six hours to hop on the plane to Ecuador! Looking out my window, there’s snow and people wrapped in parkas. In Ecuador, it’s currently 88 degrees. I have a long journey yet, I won’t actually be in Ecuador until early tomorrow morning, but I’ve been waiting so long for this already, what’s 16 more hours?

In the last week, everyone has been giving me advice for the upcoming trip: Don’t talk to people you don’t know, don’t go home with strange men, don’t offer to deliver a package (or a rug) for someone you don’t know, keep your head up, be smart in your decision making, etc. But the most important piece of advice that every single person has said: Have a wonderful time, be excited about your adventure, and don’t forget to write.

So here I am in the airport, trying to get through 150 more pages of my required reading, dreaming about what will soon be reality.

I decided to bring some little lucky items with me on my trip. Little keepsakes that I have had, or only recently acquired, to remind me of home. They’re all small and might be insignificant elsewhere, but for me they’re home.

1. Snake charm: found in San Antonio, TX in March 2011. I’ve had it with me ever since. 2. Mermaid statuette: lent to me by my father, who got it in Jamaica when he was a college student. He’s brought it on every trip he’s gone on. 3. PFF Charm: I always keep one of these on me, just to have. 4. Little stone: I got this in Toledo, Spain, this past summer. We were playing a card game and needed tokens, which are usually money. Since none of us had any money, we used little stones. I won that round, so I kept the stone. 5. Bottle cap: Someone gave me this bottle cap years ago, I can’t remember who, saying that I should live by this mantra, Good times are had when wearing plaid, and I certainly try to hold it true. 6. Guardian Angel: I’m fairly certain my mother gave me this charm, but I’ve always been given them from family members. It’s always nice to have someone watching out for you, and I know my family always is there, acting as guardian angels. 7. Little Tadpole: Also another charm given by a family member, but it’s cute and sweet and I love tadpoles.

I’ll probably acquire more charms while I’m off on my adventures to add to my repertoire. And if I do, you’ll hear about it here on Let’s Explore Mountains and Wine! (Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me humor there…)

Next stop, Miami.