I browsed the internet for a pithy quote that sufficiently sum up my dislike of travel, but alas.  The world is entirely too enthralled with the idea of moving rapidly from one place to another to share my grumpiness.

I didn’t post last week because I am never at my best the day of or after flying and, try as I might, I’m still too much of a pantser to plan my blog posts that far in advance.

Kevin and I are buying a house approximately 5,000 miles away from where we currently live and, as you might expect, this requires a certain amount of travel.  First we had to fly him out for a week (an experience neither of us were particularly adept at dealing with) then, a week later, we both went out for a week and half.  Now we’re home for a tragically short period of 3.5 weeks before we fly back out to complete the purchasing process, witness my younger sister’s graduation from college, celebrate Christmas and (part of) Hanukkah with family.  At the end of it all we’re fleeing to Disney World for a short, well-deserved break and birthday celebration.  Then, just about a month later, we move into our new house.  Aaah!

I am not a good flyer.  (Mild understatement.)  Technically it’s a phobia, but living in Hawaii one has to fly to get anywhere, so I’ve been undergoing unofficial exposure therapy while we live here, what with the multitudinous trips we’ve taken all over the world.  As a result, I no longer cry whenever we take off, but I still have to go through my rituals to ensure I can pretend I’m not a plane.  Progress!

I’ve decided that, for the month of December, instead of my regular Life/Writing alternating, I’m going to post each week about a different charity I like.  Giving to charities is a big part of my family’s Christmas tradition, so I’ve become pretty adept at researching which ones are most efficacious and which ones support causes that are important to me.  As an added bonus for you guys, I can do them mostly in advance so you’ll get regular weekly updates!

How are you about air travel?  Do you prefer train travel?  (I do.)  Are you going anywhere exciting this holiday season?  Got any tips for dealing with problematic relatives?  I’d love to hear about it!

P.S. My manuscript is at 57,875 words!