Finally, after all of the planning and plotting, packing and repacking, stuffing and sorting, trying to reach balanced bag nirvana, we are here at Gate 82 at SFO. After a gin and tonic and a crab and shrimp quesadilla, I’m starting to get that “on vacation” feeling. There’s always an element of grumpiness when we first set out on a trip. But, a box of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, squirreled away months ago, was liberated from my bag, creating a more celebratory mood. After all, today is our first wedding anniversary!

Now we are off to whatever security shenanigans await us, traveling through JFK on another anniversary: the attacks on the World Trade Center towers.