Well, I made my reservations!

[scaredycat05]

My husband and I were looking through some possible flights last night when we got to one we both liked-America West into Las Vegas-non-stop. I made all the choices, what seats, what credit card etc and hesitated over that last button-"Complete transaction" :( I stared for a long time at it but I finally punched the button. So now I and my hubby and 2 kids are booked for our flight on July 10. My husband hugged me and said I was brave (BRAVE??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??) My son (16) is happy :thumbsup: My daughter started to cry:cry:
I let her read over some of the posts, especially Kelley's. She read the post and saw the pics of the girls on the plane and she calmed down a bit. She still doesn't want to go but I am trying my best to put on a good face for her and make her excited. I just need to convince myself all is well.

I didn't realize it till after I logged off that the date we chose is the day my brother died in a sky diving accident 11 years ago. That doesn't mean anything does it????:eek: Just a coincidence, right??

Well, at least I got this far. I can do it. I don't think I can NOT do this. I am quite tired of being afraid!
Thanks for listening. It is a comfort to know you all are here. :tiphat:
Beth

[UGOBill]

Hi. I was glad to see you got your flights chosen. I thought it was sort of silly myself, but there really is something to you being in charge of this and making your own plans. What you wrote at the end where you said "tired of being afraid" really hits home for me, too. That was how I felt after years of avoiding talk of trips, looking up at planes or just living in fear that I'd have to fly. Getting past this fear is a liberating feeling and helps us in other areas of our lives. Hats off to you! Bill

[Passenger Mark]

I am quite tired of being afraid!


Do I know that feeling! When I finally went, I as very tired of worrying, tired of missing life!

Good going on booking the flight! And no, there is no hidden meaning with the date. We FOFers do that allot, get worried about particular dates, etc, we are worried that we are going to jinx something!

In reality is is just another flight on another day.

America West and the Aircraft they fly are great as far as safety goes.

[Passenger Mark]

Beth...

BTW... you are going to LOVE Vegas! Fun town!!!

I am still inspired that you jumped to it, and are doing this!

[WillFlyToDisney]

Way to go, Beth!

I can tell you from experience that your daughter is feeding her anxieties from you in some part so do your best to act calm and reassure her. It wont do any good to TELL her things are going to be ok if you dont act like you believe it.

Get your kids involved in planning what you will do when you get to your destination - Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Cirque de Soleil, etc... and dont obsess so much over the "getting there" part of the trip.

Good luck!

Kelley

[PositiveE]

I didn't realize it till after I logged off that the date we chose is the day my brother died in a sky diving accident 11 years ago.

I think that's pretty interesting that it worked out that way. I would take it as a message from your brother that he wants you to live your life free from this fear and be joyful :)

No wonder you have FOF if you lost your brother in a skydiving accident. Did you have a fear of flying before he died?


Also, I am extremely sensitive to the fact that your daughter is going through a difficult time. I was raised by a mother who was "highly sensitive" and had many fears and anxieties which I inherited from her. I love my mother dearly and she is a wonderful woman, but I wish that she could have been stronger in the fear department. It would have helped me tremendously. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but please try to not let your daughter see all of your anxieties. I know the fear will be there, but she doesn't have to see exactly how fearful you are. This will be a great learning and growing experience for her.

Good luck.

[pgal]

I also have the same mother. My mother is terrified of flying among other things too. She has not been on a plane in over 20 years. Everytime I fly she is very negative. It does not help me at all. I have worked very hard to get help for my FOF and when I take a trip she starts with all the negative comments about flying. I am flying to the Bahamas on June 22. She keeps asking me how long is the flight. When I told her it is only 3 hours her response is Oh my god! that is so long. I have flown to California and Vegas the past years and she still is so unsupportive and negative. I can't stand it. What do I tell her? How do I not let her get to me. Once she said to me when I got back from a trip she said she watched the news, didn't hear anything about a crash so she figured I was alright. Can you imagine I have to listen to this everytime I fly. I have 3 more weeks and this will just be the beginning. She will continue to make little comments. I guess she is afraid I will die and leave her all alone. But how do I not let her fear trigger my fear?
Thanks everyone.
Pgal

[PositiveE]

Hi Pgal -

Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to start a different thread on this subject.

[pgal]

Great idea. I thought of that after I posted my message to you.
Pgal

[scaredycat05]

You guys sure made me feel so good! I am glad I finally made the reservations. Now if I can do this, I can fly to Hawaii next year! :pompoms:

PositiveE, I thank you for the words about my brother wanting me to be happy and fly. He would tell me to stop being afraid and get on the plane. Heck, he was afraid of heights and yet he loved to dive. I never quite got that.

We are flying into Vegas but we are only staying one night. We are going to work our way up through to Yosemite and through Oregon to Seattle. I still have to book a flight home out of Seattle once I know how many days we will be driving. Still looking at that one. No non-stops we can afford.

Well, thank you for your words of encouragement. I have been putting a positive spin on things for my daughter. We are going out to buy the portable dvd player she has wanted and some dvds. We checked out the America West web site and looked at what the movie is and what kinds of things she can order on board (like drinks and food). We know where the bathrooms are in relation to our seats (how small are those potties anyway? I am not a small woman. Any chance to get stuck in there????:eek: ). Now if I could get her friends to stop telling her horrow stories! One friend told her how they were hit by lightening and had to land. I told her, "She's alive isn't she?".

Thanks again guys. You all are so uplifting! :thumbsup:

Beth