Johnny has enjoyed a remarkable summer, full of outdoor camps and time with family. He left today for a trip to the great state of Texas and my hometown of Dallas. There’s a posse of family waiting for good times with Johnny.

The prospect of his first solo flight left Johnny full of words. And me with my next post.

I recently told him about his upcoming trip to Texas. He asked how he was getting there. I told him that he would fly alone. Our conversation went from there.

Johnny: “You mean, no one is going with me on the airplane?”

Me: “Correct. You will wear a special lanyard and I will drop you at the gate. Mommo and Gramps will pick you up at the gate in Dallas. The flight attendants will take care of you on the plane.”

Johnny: “This is great! I’m taking candy. No supervision. No cameras. I will be blasting it out.”

Blasting it out?

Johnny: “Mom, I’m probably going to throw up.”

Me: “Let’s hope not.”

I told him that he would not be taking an entire bag of candy. He asked what he would do on the flight. I said he would take a bag with some books and games. And, after takeoff, the flight attendants would come around with some snacks and ask him a very important question.

Johnny: “What are they going to ask me?”

Me: “Well, they are going to ask you what you want to drink. And you can select anything off the menu on the card in the seat back pocket.”

Johnny thought of the universe of options and pre-selected his drink.

Johnny: “I’m going to order a beer.”

Me: “They are not going to serve you a beer.”

Johnny: “Sure they will. I’ll tell them that I’m a 25-year old midget.”

Honestly, part of me hopes that he places that order.

We arrived early and Johnny treated me to a running commentary on the entire experience. He desperately wanted to eat something at the airport. I acquiesced, figuring it was part of the whole experience. When we got to the gate area, Johnny walked up to an agent and asked where he could find a decent cheese pizza. She smiled and directed us to a Woodgrain Pizzeria. Surprisingly, the cost was reasonable and Johnny declared it delicious.

Johnny boarded the flight without any problems. He sauntered down the jetway, proud to be the very first passenger on the plane. When the gate agent returned, she had a huge smile on her face. She told me that he is very excited about the flight. However, he was slightly irritated that he had to sit in the front of the plane. Apparently, he thinks his chances of getting a drink first are better if sitting at the back.

Southwest Airlines has an open seating policy on all of their flights. If you happen to be on flight 3565 heading to Dallas, you might consider selecting the seat next to the 7-year old in a floppy hat.

It promises to be quite a show.