The Wagnersons are fully recovered from our Alaska adventure and are heading to Italy.  We are only one day away from our departure for Italy 2018.  The itinerary is set, our bags are packed (except me, I haven’t yet started to pack), and our international driver licenses and passports are in hand.  The Wagnersons pretty much travel light every time.  We each take only a carry-on suitcase for extended trips.  In fact, for three of the four Wagnersons itching to leave, those small suitcases have been packed for days. (Okay, okay…I’m packing, I’m packing!)

When we leave tomorrow, we will be flying out of Seattle on Lufthansa Airlines, nonstop to Frankfurt, Germany.  This is a 9 hour and 45-minute flight.  After about a two-hour layover in Frankfurt, we take a short one hour and 45-minute flight to Rome.  The initial leg of our trip will provide a brand new experience for me, my first flight on the iconic 747.  The first 747 was built in 1968, when I was fifteen.  Over the past 50 years, my dad, Lynda’s dad, my brother-in-law Rocky and multiple friends and acquaintances have built and worked on this amazing aircraft.  Every 747 in existence has been built at the Boeing plant in Everett.  Apparently, the last commercial passenger 747 was built and delivered from the Everett plant five months ago in November 2017.  Although I never set foot on one during the 50 years they were being built commercially, I now finally get to take a ride on that Grand Lady of the skies, and I am excited about it.  I’m excited about Italy too.  However, I really hope the particular 747 we fly on is itself not actually 50 years old.  That might give me pause.  I remember how I felt when I turned 50 years of age…of course that was a while ago, but I know I sure didn’t want to be carrying a bunch of people around on my back.  We’ll see.