Tomorrow will be a day of a few “firsts” for me. It will be my first time leaving for the airport at 3am so we can be there by 6am to get through security. I’ve taken early flights when flying home, but usually the airport is in the same city where I’m staying so it’s not as much of an issue. I’m not sure what we were thinking by booking an 8am flight out of Chicago when we live 3 hours away.

It will also be my first time visiting California. As far as western US states go, I have been to Nevada, Arizona, and Montana. We are staying in San Diego, so I will see the Pacific Ocean for the first time also.

It’s also my first time flying with my golf clubs. I hardly ever check a bag, but I’ll be forced to do so this time. I thought about using one of those shipping services like Ship Sticks or whatever, but flying with them doesn’t seem to be too inconvenient and it seems to be cheaper.

And speaking of flying, it will be my first time flying in first class. I was able to upgrade to first class for about $80, and I figure since the flight is just a little under 5 hours, it’s worth it to pay about $16/hr to get a bigger seat with more leg room. I’m still stuck in economy on the way home, but I’ll check to see what an upgrade costs when we get closer to departing.

I have my packing list made up, and I feel like I really don’t need to take a lot. Maybe I’m forgetting something. I always feel like I’m forgetting something. I have a couple GoPros and my Ricoh GR III that I’m taking with me to document the trip along with a bunch of different GoPro mounting options.

See you in California.