The adventure begins.

I can't believe we're doing this.  We're here at the airport, and it all feels very surreal.  Here are a few thoughts I've had so far:

• I feel so light and free.  I took Delta's policies on carry-ons ultra-conservatively and opted for my camera bag to be my only carry-on.  KJ is carrying all my little items that would be in a purse in his backpack.  I was walking through the airport with a camera backpack and my e-reader in hand.  That's it.  That's a big deal for mothers of little children, you know.
• I have butterflies in my stomach.  I can't believe we're going away together for two whole weeks to a place I've always dreamed of.  Have I mentioned we haven't been on a week-long vacation since our honeymoon?  My brain can't even fathom all of this uninterrupted time together.
• I love free WI-FI!
• I love that free WI-FI enables me to begin blogging immediately.  We still have an hour to wait for our flight.
• I love my children, but I'm glad we're not traveling overseas with them.  Watching the people in front of us with a little boy in a stroller hollering the way James would be if he was confined made me think all plane rides with children are several years down the road.  Ella would be great, though, of course.

We will arrive in London at 7:15 a.m. their time, which is 1:15 a.m. here.  Unless I am completely dead on my feet by the time we get to our inn, I will try to write a brief summary of our day.  We'll be doing so much that I want to write things down so I won't forget.  We plan to spend the day in London tomorrow, and Wednesday we will head to Brighton.  "Oh, I long to go to Brighton!"  "A little sea-bathing would set me up forever."  Name that movie.

a very dark airport picture

The goal was to get the airplane in the background, but you know.