A long list of firsts

I am officially a businesswoman now because--wait for it--I am on a business trip. In San Diego. While this type of thing is pretty standard for most people in the business world, my first 12 hours has brought some interesting (to me) firsts to add to my store of not-so-worldly knowledge.

• Catching a plane on my own. Actually I didn't do this entirely on my own. Fortunately for me, my dad had to catch a flight this morning too, and his left about 20 minutes before mine did. And, our planes were right next to each other, so after he boarded, I walked 20 feet to my portal and waited until my turn to board. So basically, he drove me to the airport, guided me through the shuttle and security checkpoints, and showed me where to board. And then I joined up with two people that I work with. So most people wouldn't say that I traveled by myself. But for the record, I found my seat all by myself and I sat by a bunch of strangers. And I figured out where to get my bags. AND I didn't grab the guy next to me whenever the plane so much as wobbled. I'm quite proud of myself.
• My own hotel room. While I didn't get the room with the bunkbeds, I am still pretty stoked that I have 2 tvs, 2 beds, and a couch all to myself. I am the boss of this room, and the fact that we're in a sort-of ghetto hotel doesn't really bother me too much.
• FREEDOM!!! As long as I show up to work, I can pretty much plan my own schedule. (Granted, that only gives me a few hours of "freedom," but I don't have to be supervised all the time.) But, I pretty much just follow people around like a lost puppy because I don't want to get lost and it's no fun to hang out by myself anyway.
• Eating out with alcohol drinkers. Yes, I've lived in a bubble my entire life, so it was really weird when people actually contemplated the alcoholic beverages for real and went through a couple of glasses.
• Spending more than $25 on a dinner. The world of money is entirely foreign to me, so when I opened up my menu and saw that it would cost $45 for a steak meal, I almost had a heart attack. And that wasn't counting the drinks, appetizers, side dishes, or dessert. True, it wasn't MY money I was spending, but I felt so guilty nonetheless that I couldn't really enjoy my meal. And it took 3 hours to get through. Yep, I've definitely been living in a bubble my entire life.
• Hanging out with people I don't have much in common with. Oh wait, this isn't really a first, but it's one thing that's stuck out to me. I can no longer assume that everyone is Mormon, that the people around me love books and music, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is . . . I'm the oddball here. I'm one of the younglings, I've never done a trade show before, I haven't been anywhere, and I have very different interests than most everyone who came up with us. It's made for a very intruiging people-watching experience.

Yep--as you can see I am reaping up stores of worldly knowledge. My ascent into adulthood continues to roll forward.
I am going to exercise my "freedom" now by going to bed. In the bed of my choice.