Can I help you if you are a Pheonix...

Tomorrow I'm flying to Pheonix tomorrow and I'm pretty excited. I don't know what the heck
I'm going to do in Pheonix, but I do know that I am escaping what might be the coldest
weekend in my state. It won't be warm enought there to use our hotel's outdoor pool, but it
might be warm enough to have a drink on a patio, or go hiking without a face mask.

Gus is running a half marathon there because he's crazy. I try not to say that too him too
much because I think people that run marathons really get off on our lack of understanding
of why...and I just don't want to give him that satisfaction. But I'm really proud of him
anyway. And I'll be waiting for him at check points or something or however that stuff
works - I've never watched one, and I'm not much of a cheerer, so it should be
interesting...I'll try not to hand him a cup of hot coffee. ; )

I might get to meet his religious grandparents - yikes!

Other than that, can't wait til we can drink after the marathon - hellsyeah!
This is our first real trip together with flight and hotel and everything. We've driven to
the mountains for a weekend together, but I feel like flying makes it more of a real trip.
I have heard it said (alright, maybe just read it in Cosmo) that you can tell a lot about
whether or not a relationship will make it based on how a trip together goes.
This makes sense, because you're taken out of your comfort zone, you are put in new
situations, you get to observe your partner in different situations, you learn about their
ability to prepare and think ahead and yaddah, yaddah, yaddah...

I've had many good trips with people with whom relationships didn't last. I've had some
awful vacations with people with whom relationships didn't last.

I've had some one complain on end about the hoops you have to get through to renew your
passport on short notice, the lack of understanding of the ticketing system on the trains in
Amsterdam, the way the weather was in a naturally gloomy European city, make me sob
uncontrollably with his bickering on a bench on a busy tourist street and wish I could fly
home early.

I've had someone carry my bags and skiis unconditionally, try to heroically find deals for
us in Mexico, ebrace the sense of adventure in doing things that are off the beaten path and
without paying for the expensive tours, handle the dirt and mosquitoes and cold of camping
for the first time in his life, and go out of his way to make sure I got what I wanted when
I wanted it when it seemed unlikely, or dare I say impossible.

Travelling is so much better without the drama. If anyone should be freaking out about
anything it should be me for not being able to bring my mascara on the plane, or breaking a
nail picking up my bags, or forgetting to pack my nail file, or worse yet, the one pair of
shoes that ties half of my outfits together, or getting my period in the middle of a flight
and knowing my trip will be rather sexless, or how much I miss my dog...
I'm going to miss you bish!