It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Kimberlee!

Let's talk about one of the best days in my life. 

It started when I met this incredible woman named Maggie. She is truly a badass woman, and she is super nice. She is a pilot and flight instructor. I never anticipated that she would ask me if I'd want to go on a flight, but she did, and of course I said yes.

Flying over my hometown in a tiny plane has been a bucket-list item for me for a while, but I thought it was something I would experience later in life, if ever. I am so lucky. 

I had never even been to our small airport before. We met in the parking lot and I followed her in my car out to her hangar (how cool is that? She has her own hangar!). She helped me into the plane and gave me the rundown on what we'd be doing, and so it began. 

She went through a whole flight checklist and started the engine. She had warned me beforehand that the plane might not start right away because it's old and also might need to warm up. It sounds a little sketchy, but it started right away. Next thing I knew we were on the runway and then in the air.

So many people have told me they would be scared, but I wasn't at all. I was just excited. 

We flew over the mountains and saw a nearby town, and I could not believe how many trees there were everywhere. Thankfully we have had some rain this year, because everything was lush and green. It was incredible. After that, we flew to the coast and saw a lighthouse, and followed the coast up north a bit. The waves were crashing into the bluffs and we tried to spot whales out in the sea (we had no luck).

The weather was perfect, and the coast looked beautiful. I started recognizing places I had been, and it was so cool to see it from that perspective. After the coast we headed back home over the mountains, and I saw one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen. How lucky am I to live in California. Sometimes I forget that. 

What I saw was a familiar town to my left, a smaller town ahead, and my town to the right. In the foreground were mountains and trees, and in the background not one, but two lakes. All of these locations familiar- my home. I hadn't realized how close together everything was. While I could see all of these places ahead, I could turn my head and still see the ocean behind me. I cannot even put into words the feelings I was having. I was in awe. 

After an hour and a half of flying around, we came back. Just before landing, we flew over my house. It was the perfect end for the flight. For the rest of the day I was riding an emotional high. I am so lucky to live this life. I am so thankful to know so many wonderful people like Maggie. I cannot thank her enough for that experience.

You'd think that is where the fun ended, but then I went on a date and got Thai food (yummmm). It was the perfect day from start to finish. Good food, good people, fun adventures. I couldn't ask for anything more.