A Vist to The East

I have a dear friend who lives in the eastern U.S. I've known him for about a year and a half, and although I've seen pictures as well as viewing him on a webcam, I've never seen him face to face. I will call him "F" in this entry, because I choose to protect his privacy.

So I've decided to fly east to visit F at long last. I purchase the plane tickets and make arrangements for a rental car. F has already said I won't need a hotel because he has plenty of room in his home. As I drive to the airport in Midland, I am so excited because I've dreamed of seeing him for what seems like forever. I have my MP3 player loaded with music because the trip will take several hours--first a flight to Dallas and then a connection to my final destination. F doesn't have a car, so I've already told him not to stress himself about picking me up, as it's easy to obtain a rental car.

Fortunately, my waiting time in Dallas isn't that long--only about an hour, which is just the right amount of time to get from one gate to another. My thoughts are all over the place as I board my second flight; I can barely sit still through its duration, even with my music. When the announcement finally comes that we are approaching the final airport, I can barely stand the wait; and then when we finally land, it's all I can do to keep myself sitting until I'm able to get up and leave the plane.

The luggage claim area as well as rental car section are both easy to find. Before long I'm in a nice vehicle equipped with a GPS system, and I call him just before leaving the airport to let him know I'm on the way. The GPS makes it easy to find his home, and in less than an hour I'm knocking on his door and then grabbed in a wondrous hug!

The next several days are absolutely wonderful. We're able to talk to each other and finally be able to look each other in the eye. We can share laughter and stories and cook together and loads of other things. The time of our visit flies altogether too fast and, before I know it, it's time for my return back to Texas. The beauty of it all is that he doesn't live too terribly far away so we promise that we will see each other soon--definitely within 3-4 months, if not sooner. The day of my return, after another long, scrumptious hug, I reluctantly get into the car and head back to the airport to embark on my return trip.

It is so cool to be able to visit friends I've made and yet never seen, and I can do it because I HAVE A ROOM FULL OF MONEY!