So, this whole blogging adventure is going really well so far, obviously. Someone (*cough*...Case) asked me how it was going, recently. Wow. I wasn't aware that anyone was actually paying attention (since I've done such a great job of marketing this blog's existence...ha)!
I guess I should start with the basics...how I got to travel to all of these places and experience all these amazing adventures.
How & Why I Have Traveled the World
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| My Dad & I |
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| My Mom & I |
It is because of these two amazing, loving, intelligent, and hardworking people that I have been able to travel all over the world (...and be alive in general).
My Dad, Jim, was a Captain for American Airlines for almost 26 years. A job that he truly loved. His passion for airplanes (any large machinery, really) has been one of the driving forces in his life. He loves planes so much that he built his own from a Mustang T-51 kit. It is a stunning work of art! He can be seen flying it over Eastern Tennessee, whenever the weather conditions are right.
My Mom, Cheri, was a therapist with her own private practice. She also traveled the world doing individual and group therapy for missionaries in the field (a movement which she pioneered for the Evangelical Covenant Denomination). In the beginning of my parents' marriage, She worked long hours to support my Dad while he was going to school to be an airplane mechanic, while logging many, many hours as a private pilot. Way to go Mom!
It is because of a combination of my parents' jobs that I have been able to travel and create wonderful memories.My Dad, Jim, was a Captain for American Airlines for almost 26 years. A job that he truly loved. His passion for airplanes (any large machinery, really) has been one of the driving forces in his life. He loves planes so much that he built his own from a Mustang T-51 kit. It is a stunning work of art! He can be seen flying it over Eastern Tennessee, whenever the weather conditions are right.
My Mom, Cheri, was a therapist with her own private practice. She also traveled the world doing individual and group therapy for missionaries in the field (a movement which she pioneered for the Evangelical Covenant Denomination). In the beginning of my parents' marriage, She worked long hours to support my Dad while he was going to school to be an airplane mechanic, while logging many, many hours as a private pilot. Way to go Mom!
How I Traveled
Thanks to my Dad's job, my family could travel anywhere American Airlines flies. Great job perk, right?! We would fly Non-Rev, which means we would get on the flight if there was an open seat. We had to wait until all the other passengers were done boarding the plane, then the gate agent would start calling out names. If your name was called, you had to get on the plane, stow your luggage and be seated, quickly. Finding room for my carry-on bag was always fun with the rest of the passengers staring.
Sometimes we would wait at the airport all day, watching flight after flight leave without us. Other times, we would get tickets that morning, when we would sign in to register for the first flight. That was like winning the lottery!
Traveling this way comes with its challenges...never knowing exactly when we would arrive or leave made planning a little hectic. We always tried to make the best of it! Even the time we got stuck in Denver for 2 days and ended up taking a train to Chicago. The time we got stuck in Costa Rica was a little more difficult....
Where We Stayed
A majority of my stories are based around trips that I took with my Mom, while she was traveling for work. I loved traveling with her! We would stay in houses with missionaries or at resorts where they were having conferences (rarely). It was a fantastic way to see the places we were and get away from feeling like a tourist. Hanging out with people who actually live in the area is the best way to see what the country is really like!
We didn't take many family trips, like you many think. By the time my Dad would have some time off, he wasn't too crazy about the idea of flying somewhere to be a tourist. A majority of our trips together were to Michigan or Florida, depending on which location my grandparents were staying at. But, we have been on a couple fun trips as a family, those stories and many more to come!
We didn't take many family trips, like you many think. By the time my Dad would have some time off, he wasn't too crazy about the idea of flying somewhere to be a tourist. A majority of our trips together were to Michigan or Florida, depending on which location my grandparents were staying at. But, we have been on a couple fun trips as a family, those stories and many more to come!
<3 Always,
Kat
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