Fasten Your Seatbelt While Seated

     Zip. My suitcase was ready before the tires hit the asphalt and I started on my way to Florida--where the old fogies Rome (at least that is where I shall be residing for a while--in my grandparent‘s secluded community of retired New-Yorkers, all usually within the ages of 60 and 95.) I love old fogies! One day I’ll be one too. That’s kind of hard to imagine right now…being like 40 years older…wrinkly. I mean, lines of character. With my luck I’ll probably be better looking in 40 years. Hm, something to look forward to?

    Flying @ night is weird. I highly recommend it to those of you who do not like traffic within the airport of dodging strangers, waiting in long lines to check-in behind people who do not know how to maneuver their luggage (or how to control their children), and/or being awake during a wrongly estimated timed flight. But, I do not recommend it for those who consume food because I was pretty much starving on my flight to Georgia without being offered a beverage or even a bag of free peanuts. (The keyword here is free). Lucky for them, I was too tired to complain or ask for anything. I conformed to their scheme, didn’t I? How much money can Delta save? That’s probably their undercover motto.
   
    Well, still, my hassle-free check-in was highly noted. My favorite part was walking into the star-treky machiny thing…you know, so they have on record that a  terrorist did not make it past the yellow protective ropes. They made me step into a plastic dome, separate my feet to be on top of the yellow foot prints stamped on  the ground, and hold my hands up. I became five again, caught stealing mints from my mom’s purse--an intense accusation. ( I never stole, but it sounded fun , didn’t it?)  I actually found it amusing and futuristic as I stood there.
   
    The gadget probably doesn’t even work. I mean, I hope it does, but, from being a plastic machine that really seems more of a toy than anything else I hold my opinion. The people that work there need some sort of entertainment, right? That’s where we come in, the suckers that actually pose in that ridiculous bubble: hands up, feet spread, inside a dome made of plastic. I knew how awkward I appeared, in fact, I was going for an interpretive dance pose--be a tree. As I stood inside my glass house,  I laughed about it--smirking the whole time as they “made sure” I was kosher to board. And, off course I was. I got my feet dirty to prove it true.
 

  As I journeyed to my gate in Salt Lake, I had to stop and take a picture. The salt and pepper haired couple behind me must have thought I just loved my Burger King because that’s what I took a picture of--an empty Burger King restaurant on my way to my gate. Stopping and trying to capture a moment from 2007, I just smiled and stood there. In May of 2007 I sat at one of those chairs by the tables and enjoyed a meal as Hermana Tartaglia, with Hermana Gilbert and Hermana Christiansen. An Elder Thomas, Elder Mayr, Elder Skousen and Elder Strout were there too, amongst two others Elders on their way to the Lima, Peru MTC. I was a Piura-bound missionary in this airport and at this airport restaurant. Sometimes I cannot believe I have experiences what I have and it only takes a certain location to bring back the reality of it all--emotions flowing.

    The moving side-walk quickened my stride as I continued forward.

    Window seat--how do I love thee? Can you imagine being in the middle seat? Where would I put my head? I can only imagine waking up to find that I have used the big, sweaty guy next to me as a pillow. That would be a health risk in a big dose that I do not want to take. Did I just jinx myself for my next flight? Diana in the middle. Joyous. -__________________-

    It’s Georgia. Right now, I am in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s cold in Georgia! Stepping off the plane, eyes red and crusty from a 5 hour flight of in-and-out slumber (ooooh in-n-out…I want some!), I realized it’s colder in Georgia than Utah! (how does that work out?) I am wearing the only sweatshirt I ever use…and that’s when I’m sleeping or in my room. This big, ox-blood colored cloth probably made my little kids in India is what keeps me warm and disguises me from the world. Oh, what a hoodie can do.  Thank you children. 5 a.m. in a terminal--

(Wait. I just checked the tag. Thank you children in the Philippines for my warm sweatshirt. Yay for the Philippines! That’s where Liva will be serving her mission! )

Do you know what bothers me? Wi fi not being free in airports. Really now, I just had to pay $25 bucks for

my tiny suitcase to go under the plane, why would I pay for internet? So much for researching if my 1st bag would cost me anything. My studies showed me that my first bag would be of zero charge, when I got there, they demanded my plastic greens…I need to go to Europe--then my first bag would be free of charge. The only place I have ever wanted to go in Europe has been Italy.
     I will run through a field of sunflowers before I die…yes, I know: amazing art, food, architecture, culture is there too, but--I am all about the fields of sunflowers. I should write a movie and call it--Field of Sunflowers. Do you think Kevin Cosner will consider a cameo role? I’ll give him a call. Ha.

    There have been a few moments within the last 24 hours that I have had to get out my camera phone, point, aim, and shoot.

I went to the public restroom in SLC and this thing spat at me!

Have you seen the movie Mall Cop? Haha, yeah:

In Atlanta, I made a pit stop…and I don’t know what is up but, check out the height of this bathroom tissue dispenser! I seriously had to crouch down and avoid my tissue touching the toxic-germ-infested floor. They did NOT think this through:

My grandparents and I went to Mario’s Market ( full of Brooklyn folk and quality Italian ingredients) and this guy talked about how to make the perfect Italian sausage…

Still in Mario’s…my Grandma asked me to pick whatever I wanted amongst the pastries, so I picked this cookie that looked like a Peruvian cookie called an Alfajor. Rico-suave!

After making my Alfajor look-a-like choice this little old lady was like Winnie the Pooh….”think, think, think”--she couldn’t figure out what to choose and even asked for help. So cute! Ten minutes later we were in line to pay, I looked back and she was still there and still decision-less:

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE. I was just chillaxin’ with the G-rents when I looked to my left as we were @ a red light and saw THIS: Look at what is in her basket....so weird! (ans: a chiwawa...how do u spell that?) After I took the picture she looked at me and I just collapsed forward and hid myself. Haha!)

My Grandma showed me the most recent picture of me that she owns. I sent it to her in 2004! She asked for a recent one and I laughed out loud when I saw what I had sent her. Oh yeah, I am so hardcore *eye rolling commences now*:

And this all occurred in less than 24 hours………………………………