The other night in another hotel I started thinking about how many different airplanes I have been on this year. Last year turned out to be the “year of the drive”. I literally drove across the country four and a half times, in over 30 states. This year it has turned out that I have spent more time in the air and I was curious about the numbers.

There were several times where we would fly one place and then change planes and catch another flight, so I knew those would have to be counted as two flights, so I knew the number had the potential to be pretty high. So today, on yet another flight, I flipped through my schedule from the past year and started counting.

So far including the few flights that I will be on to finish out the month with Shaun, it looks like will total 87 flights. 87 flights in nine months. 87 seatbelt and oxygen instructions. 87 tiny cups of cranberry-apple juice. Countless flips through the SkyMall magazine, and 87 times that I have gone to 30,000 feet in the air and back down safely. I think it will end somewhere around the 95 mark by the time this year is over, and that can’t come soon enough.

I know there are several people out there that travel more than that, and I feel bad for them about that, but for me this has been a pretty busy year. I thank God for keeping my family and I safe and still connected through it all. I have a pretty amazing wife to support this madness, and it does nothing but make me appreciate her more.

Just something I was thinking about today.