Mama is Hittin’ The Road #FordNAIAS

So any time that I venture outside the perimeters of our property is pretty much cause for some kind of announcement and perhaps even a celebratory dance.  There are few things that cause me to leave here voluntarily – we pay pretty crazy property taxes – we can’t really afford to go very far.  But there are a few things that will get me out of the house.  Gazing at pretty shiny new cars and trucks from the warmth and comfort of a heated building would definitely be one of them.  That’s right folks, you guessed it – I am going to be a guest of Ford Canada at the North American International Auto Show, to be held in Detroit, Michigan.

So, for your amusement, I thought I’d make one of those nice little lists of things that I will and won’t be doing this weekend (in case you were vaguely interested)

• I will be getting up in the middle of the night.  My flight leaves our local airport at 6:10 am.  This means I will have to be up around 4 am to catch a cab and be there enough ahead of time so that all 20 of us can get checked through and the plane can leave on time.
• I won’t be getting a whole lot of sleep.  Between getting laundry done, my bags packed, and triple-quadruple checking to make sure I have my passport and boarding information, I just don’t see it happening.
• I will be nervous about getting to the right plane on time.  I have to change planes in Chicago.  I have never been to O’Hare Airport nor have I ever flown on my own.  I have something like two hours to figure out how to get from one terminal to another – wish me luck.
• I won’t be packing my heels.  Cobo Hall, where the Auto Show is held, is ENORMOUS.  If running shoes could be considered ‘business casual’, I’d be sporting those.
• I will be making new friends this weekend – and I won’t have to do any baking to do so.  I am travelling with an incredible group of media delegates – some I know and some entirely new to me.  Surely I will find someone there with whom I can share my love of useless facts.
• I won’t even pretend that I plan on getting to the gym or pool.
• I will pretend to be interested in the football game that they promise us will be showing in the Ford Media Lounge.  At least long enough to rest my feet, grab a canapé, and head back out on the showroom floor.
• I won’t be worrying about my diet or nutrition or any of that stuff. Mainly because…
• I will be wearing my Fitbit.  Heck, if I’m going to walk all those miles, regardless of what type of footwear, I want the intrinsic credit for it!
• I won’t leave any evidence of my salivating on the new Ford vehicles, particularly the new Anniversary Mustang.  If it’s shown in the Competition Orange, I’m a goner.

I am sure there will be other things I am doing while I am there, including being eternally thankful that the airport and hotel in Michigan are connected (whoever that genius was needs a MASSIVE bonus).  Feel free to follow along on my adventures via Twitter and Instagram.  Check out all of the different angles and exploits of my fellow travellers by following #FordNAIAS.