I'm leaving on a jet plane...

...and I really hope I'll make it back again!

Chris and I have decided to go to Ecuador, his home country, in April. And if you're anyone who knows me, you know I'm very excited but also very nervous.

To say I have a "fear" of flying would be an understatement. I don't know very many people who need a tranquilizer to give them the courage to get on an airplace. No one except for me.

The first time I flew, which was to Florida with my Mom, Dad, and brother Dylan when I was 17, was an absolute disaster. The trip was amazing, but the way there and back...I would have traded anything not to get on that plane. I remember at one point telling my parents to go without me... to go to Florida and have fun on Daytona Beach, Disney World, Universal Studios, Daytona Races, etc. without me. I fainted about 11 times and had consumed 8 gravol and one glass of wine. It was awful.

So the next time I flew, to Thunderbay when I was 18, my doctor perscribed me this wonderous pill, to which I have named my "plane drugs". A tiny white pill makes everything a little more loopy, a little more happy and a little more fun. Some require liquid courage, I require powder. Legal powder. My wonderful plane pills!

So the other day I called my Ontario doctor to get more, because I only have two left and lets get real here, Ecuador is a million miles away. I mean, if it's not a million, it's got to be pretty close.

We fly from Grande Prairie to Calgary, Calgary to LA, LA to San Jose Juan Santamaria (Costa Rica), Coasta Rica to Guayaquil, Ecuador. We leave April 19th at 4:20 PM and arrive on April 20th at 3:00PM. That's over 24 hours of flights with four flight changes. If I survive, it will be a miracle.

I am really excited to go to Ecuador, though. Regardless of the fact that I won't be able to communicate with anyone except for Christofer. Chris has me totally freaked out about all the weird foods there that are going to make me sick, and the bad water and how I am going to stick out like a sore thumb. Which is why when he told me to try to "blend in" I proceeded to go out and find the biggest sunhat I could find. It screams tourist. I love it.

We plan to stay with his aunt, who lives in Guayaquil (you know, just a city I can hardly pronounce) and will visit his mom and grandma once or twice. They live in the country.

My birthday is April 21st, so somehow, I managed to squeeze myself on to another Spanish beach for my birthday. Last year, my parents took my brother and I to the Dominican in the spring, which also landed on my birthday. I told Chris I don't care what we do down there, as long as I am on a sand beach for my birthday! :)

We will also be celebrating one and a half years together while we're there, so we'll likely go to one of his favourite restaurants. He keeps talking about this boat/ship cruise that goes along the harbour, a party boat, so we might go on that for a night of dancing.

...If I don't get off the plane in Calgary and give up, that is.