A Matter of National Security...

So as most of you know, yesterday I experienced my first time flying on a plane, ever! Well my experience is definitely one to laugh at later, one for the memory books, that's for sure!

First of all let me tell you, I wasn't at all nervous about the actual flight. I had already convinced myself that the landings and take-offs would just feel like a roller coaster ride. No, I was just nervous about getting my tickets, security (especially security), and boarding. When I landed I was most worried about getting my rental car and finding this training center. This simple training center that couldn't have been built in Boise is what started it all.

So Shane and I got up at 4:30 am in order for me to be able to be at the airport by 5:20. We said goodbye, I picked up my tickets without a hitch and headed for security. In security I stripped down my already bare accessories and placed them in the bucket. I only had my wedding ring, watch, cell phone, carry-on, and belt with me at the airport. I walked through security and beeped. Fantastic I thought. Walked through security again and the TSA's request and beeped the second time too! They moved me forward and had me stand and wait for someone to search me. By this time I'm so freaked out and nervous that by the time the lady with the wand reached me I didn't hear her say "Would you like to be strip searched?" I thought she was asking if I was ready for her to scan me so I said "Yes." She looked at me and said "Really?" I was like whoa what did you say and she kind of smiled and told me. Well I dodged the strip search catastrophe but I still had to be wanded down. My bra straps and under wire beeped and so here I am in the airport getting felt up so that they could ensure I wasn't stuffing my bra. Then when I thought I had been totally humiliated, my button on my jeans (the front button that is about the size of a quarter on these particular jeans) beeped and they made me fold my pants down in the front and pull them away from me and look down to make sure there was nothing there too! By the time I was finished I walked away, about ten feet, and started texting Shane while tears rolled down my cheeks. I sat and cried for about two minutes before calling Shane because I was too embarrassed to talk to anyone.

Boarding was no big deal, the only problem I had when I got on the plane was I had a window seat and the guy who occupied the aisle seat was already there. He didn't bother to stand up and so I had to climb over him and I felt like turning around and asking him if he wanted my boobs or my butt in his face since he was too rude to move.

I landed and did my training thing and then headed back to Portland to the airport. (My training was 25 minutes away in Tulatin.) Well traffic took me one hour to get back which is only 24 miles by the way, and then there was not one gas station on the way to the airport from the exit I took and so I had to pay extra for fuel. They charged me 6.99 a gallon!

You think at this point I've had all that I could handle, but no I'm not done! I get back to the airport and I'm in the bathroom so I can strip off my metallic top half so as not to have problems with security on the way home too, when I realized I've lost my tickets. (I didn't find out until I got home that I had stuck them inside my training manual and the person next to me ended up with my manual and I hers and so she has my tickets.) I called Shane and was freaking out. I was so frantic and had no idea what to do. I was in the bathroom throwing everything out of my backpack all over the floor looking for my tickets. Then thanks to Shane's suggestion and electronic ticketing now, I was able to get a reprinted boarding pass, get through security the first time, and then made it home. My next adventure on a plane will be in July. I'm praying for something a little less invasive and traumatic. All in all; however, it was a great experience. I'm already having fun laughing at it.

After I lost my tickets, I wanted something to be able to scrapbook with and so I took a picture of my plane.