This last year has felt different. It's as if there's a hole that has almost been filled by new experiences and new people, but there is a hole nonetheless. I think what's missing is travel. During 2007 and 2008 my family and I went to 13 Blue Angels airshows, meaning we were traveling, on average, every other month. I miss going places. I miss airplanes. I miss the excitement of stepping out of the airport or car into a place I'd never been before [even if it was as mundane as El Centro, CA]. I miss airshows and the thrill of feeling the power of the jet engines pulse through your chest. I miss the glimpses of Navy life on both the personal and official, governmental level. This time last year I would have been heading to Seattle in a couple of weeks, then Chicago a week or so after that.

I want to go back.



In August I'm going to Salinas with the Mannixes to see the Blue Angels for the first time since October. It will be strange to have Kevin on the ground with us now that he doesn't have the keys to the #1 jet. I have a feeling that, rather than appeasing my appetite, this airshow will only make me hungry for more. More planes [I like airplanes]... and more travel.


I want to go back