#2882 wanderlust

I've had a bad case of wanderlust lately. Multiple trips to northern California are not the answer LOL. At this time last year, I was dreaming of time in Barcelona and of seeing Paris for the first time. Currently, I am dreaming of getting the house in Dixon cleaned up and seeing it get put up for sale in the late spring. Maybe, maybe when that work is done, I can figure out a small trip.

There is a trip planned in October. I will be going to the Liguria region of Italy for a week of creativity with Lizzie and  Jill the Artist. It will be similar to the trip to Greece, but probably with a little more structure, since the tour company has experience with these types of trips. MT and I went to three of the Cinque Terre towns when we cruised a couple of years ago, and I think this part of Italy is beautiful. Lizzie and I are planning to spend an extra couple of days in Milan before the workshop week begins. MT and I didn't go to Milan - we chose the Cinque Terre excursion instead. The trip is eight months away, so I haven't really started putting energy into research about what to see in and around Milan, although Lizzie and I did some quick preliminary checking. Maybe a day-trip to a nearby medieval village? A train ride to Bologna or Verona? Or maybe a visit to George and Amal's place at Lake Como? (teehee) I'd like to wander around Milan itself and see the Duomo and The Last Supper. Yes, I'm looking forward to all of it!

In the meantime, I will satisfy myself with photos and memories of previous trips. I'll play with my travel journal. I'll look at advertisements for cruises and resorts. Maybe my cousin Nicole will go somewhere and share pics of her travels on IG. 

It is cold and wet here tonight. It's not snowing, but it has been soggy and gloomy all day. I was glad to work from home so I could wear my fleece-lined socks and cozy sweats. After work, I took a nice nap. I've got a little bit of a cough that has come on this evening, and I feel tired. I may just get ready for bed and snuggle with the dogs while I read for a little while. 

#2836 mid-week check-in

It is Wednesday, and it is...

One of my very most favorite things to do is flip the calendar page. It's a simple thing, but you know, I always feel like a new month holds such promise for doing some cool things. Turning the calendar page kinds of symbolizes that for me, I guess.

I have four calendars in my house: one from the insurance guy that is in my office. It is nice national park landscapes, and it is just fine for this office room. Two calendars I bought for myself. There's a wee small one in the bathroom:

Adorable! Every morning after I put in my contacts and brush my teeth, I look at this little calendar and say the day of the week, the number, and the major points of the day ahead. I also name my daily intention. For example, today I said, "Today is Wednesday, March 1. I am working in the office today. T needs a ride to work at 1:30. The one thing I must do today is pick up my meds at Walgreens." It's a simple little ritual that is grounding and mindful. Plus I get to look at the super-cute paintings, and I think, "Maybe I could draw that, too." 

I bought a wall calendar for myself that hangs in my bedroom.

I bought this one, and the little one, off Etsy. This wall calendar is from SimplyKaty. I wanted a travel calendar with illustrations. There are many cool options, and this one totally captured my imagination. Katy does all her art on a Mac. I think it looks pretty; I like the colors, and the cities she has chosen for the 2023 calendar are great (including Barcelona!) Another thing I like about this calendar is that it is European style, which means it goes from Monday through Sunday.

The calendar that is hanging in the living zone of the house is the one Lizzie made for us. It is chock full of photos of my favorite people. I love it so much! 

March is T's birthday month, so he is in all the photos this month. I like that the spaces are big enough to write stuff in, too. It gives me a lot of pleasure to see the smiling faces of my loved ones on the wall.

Speaking of smiling, I watched some TV tonight. Lizzie told me to check out The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV. She specifically recommended the Costa Rica episode, but I was intrigued by the series, so I watched the first two episodes, Finland and Costa Rica, tonight. Both episodes are great. Eugene Levy is pretty relatable, at least for me, because although I enjoy traveling, I am not very adventurous, so I enjoyed watching his discomfort and eventual enjoyment of both places. The Costa Rica episode in particular was wonderful because he stayed in the same area where Lizzie and I stayed, near Arenal volcano, and he went into the town of La Fortuna. I yelled out at MT, "I've been in that park! I have seen that church! I walked on that street!" I especially understood Eugene's coffee epiphany, because I certainly had my own coffee epiphany there. Yes, I smiled a great big smile for a whole hour as I watched those two episodes. Six more to go. I am excited to watch them all.

Enjoy the rest of the week! Plan something enjoyable to do this month, won't you?

 

#2772 travel Tuesday: 20 days

Three weeks from today, I'll be flying across the Atlantic on the way to Athens via Frankfurt. 20 days until my adventure begins with my first travel day to LA. I remember Lizzie and I saying at the start of September that the month would probably fly by, and it kind of has. 

In trip prep land, yesterday we received our packets from Candice the Travel Agent. It was chock full of paperwork, including flight info, vouchers for transfers and excursions, hotel information, and the insurance policy. Today I picked up our euros from my bank, so we are set with money. We also got an invitation to a Zoom meeting on the 8th with our artist, Jill, and the tour operator, Carlo. Lizzie and I chatted this evening about weather in Athens, Chania, and Munich. (Soggy and chilly in Munich; mild and sunny in Greece.)

I'm trying not to be super-annoying about this trip, but I am excited, and yes, a little anxious, too. I get anxious about any trip. There are just so many things to think about! 

#2748 three things: coastal grandma, a new podcast, and a mini-break

 

1. Coastal grandmother aesthetic. Do you remember during the early days of the pandemic when most people were staying home and getting back into “simple things” like baking bread and gardening? At that time, there was an aesthetic on Instagram called #cottagecore. There were lots of photos of cute, hairy cows in sun hats, baby goats, and girls wearing flowing dresses sitting in fields of wildflowers. There were photos of successful, and unsuccessful, baking or cooking results. There were photos of gardens and new decor. It’s still out there, but certainly not as prevalent as it was. 

On NPR the other day, (which is where I heard about cottagecore, by the way) I learned about the latest aesthetic that is making the rounds. The name is what caught my attention: Coastal Grandmother. Think or Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give, or Meryl Streep in  It’s Complicated

Mostly, I see this as neutral tone clothes in forgiving silhouettes, clean and simple. Of course, in those movies, these female characters have fabulous homes that are beautifully, elegantly furnished and it’s all pretty fabulous. I also think of this aesthetic as Rich White Woman, but I admit that I really loved Diane and Meryl in those movies, and yes, I coveted their clothes and their homes, and pretty much every cool thing they had going on - but none of the dumb stuff. Here’s a little article I found about the Coastal Grandma scene. Maybe it will make you roll your eyes, and maybe it will make you smile a little, too. I know I want to re-watch both of these movies now!

2. Single Mom Budget Travel podcast. Speaking of Instagram, a couple of years ago or so I started following a person with the handle SingleMomBudgetTravel. It is a woman, maybe in her mid to late 30s, who lives in New Orleans (that’s how I found her originally), who travels all over the world with her young son. The boy is 14 now, I believe. When I started following them, they weren’t traveling much because Covid, but she posted photos of trips they had taken, and I was interested in what they were doing. Now, she and her son have just started a podcast. I listened to the first episode today, and I liked it a lot. They gave their background and laid out topics that they want to cover in the podcast. Very cool. I love their Instagram. They are traveling again now, and earlier this year, they went to Italy, and other places. One of the places they visited was the Cinque Terre and that’s where I first found out about

Il Gigante in Monterosso.

I don’t necessarily travel on a budget currently, but since I’d like to travel more, getting some tips on saving some money would be pretty great. Also, they go to cool places and I like to see what people are doing, and hear about it, too. I’m looking forward to the next episode. If you are interested, here is the link.

3. Taking a break

Not that I have been all that great about writing here this month, but I’m going to take a little break while I go visit Mom and Lizzie for a long weekend. Yay! I leave tomorrow and get back on Tuesday, then I have concerts at RBG on Wednesday and Friday, so I probably won’t write here again until the 31st. Hopefully when I return I’ll have some cool photos and stories to tell.

Peace!

#2692 travel Tuesday: vacation semantics

MT has a client who categorizes vacations. He says that if you are going to museums and sight-seeing, you are “traveling”. If you are going to a beach or a place for relaxation, you are “vacationing”.  If you are going backpacking or camping, you are on an “adventure”. 

I’ve been thinking about these terms for a few days, and I think there is some merit to these classifications.  I don’t know if I’ve ever referred to a stay at the beach as anything other than a vacation. People often say they are traveling to Europe. When I was younger and we went to Spain to visit family, that was a vacation. This upcoming trip to Europe is more travel because we’ll be in cities, looking at churches and museums. MT and I have both wondered if there will be any relaxing time on this trip, other than the two days at sea, because we want to see lots of things while we are on the continent. 

We are now 29 days away from our trip! MT and I have booked excursions from the ship for Marseille, Genoa, and Livorno. We are in the process of listing “can’t miss” things to do in Barcelona and in Rome, and then figuring out what days to do those things. MT suggested something that kind of surprised me: he wants to do a food tour in Rome! It’s kind of like a guided pub crawl, except you go to several different restaurants and have a course at each place. We are looking at a tour in the Trastevere neighborhood that would be cool, maybe something like this one.

In the meantime, we have started buying some clothes and shoes to take along. I made a reservation for the dogs at the doggy hotel. I’m making a list of things I need to do, like trading dollars for euros here in SLC. Research and planning is a fun part of vacation for me. I like to know where I’m going and what to do while I’m there. I would not like to go somewhere unprepared, then get home and read more about a place and realize that I missed out on a cool experience.

I truly don’t understand how a person could not be curious about where they are going. I know a young  woman who was going to California with her fiancé for a wedding on his side of the family. I asked her whereabouts in California she was going and she said she didn’t know. It was her fiancé’s family, and he was making all the arrangements and she was just going along. Even now, it just stuns me. Another woman I know was telling me about a cruise she was going on with her boyfriend and his family. I asked what ports she would be visiting and she had no idea. I just don’t get that mindset! 

Maybe I go overboard (no pun intended!) with my research and insatiable curiosity about the places I plan to visit. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though. Whether I’m going on an adventure, a vacation, or traveling, I want to know where I am and the awesome stuff to do there!

#2603 travel Tuesday: one month from today

https://www.kimkim.com/c/tips-for-visiting-costa-rica-during-the-green-season

A month from today, I will be on vacation! I just booked my flight to the LA area. I am a couple of weeks behind; I usually like to book my flights about six weeks out, but there's been a lot going on and I put it off. Thankfully, MT and T gave me a Delta gift card for Mother's Day, so that helped offset the extra cost of my procrastination. 

Yesterday, I did some online shopping for waterproof and quick-drying, moisture-wicking clothing. Apparently October is the heart of the rainy season (I think I've mentioned that!) so I want to be prepared as much as I can. The great thing about rain is that the place will also be very green and lush. I'm quite sure this trip will be an unforgettable adventure. 

Lizzie and I will be in the Arenal area for two and half days and three nights, and we are booking all of the time with excursions. We plan to tour a coffee plantation and walk on the hanging bridges. Lizzie will zip-line. I could not talk myself into that excursion. I'm a scaredy-cat. I think it's awesome that she's going to do it. Every day while we are in the area, we will take advantage of the natural hot springs. Our hotel has private springs and we will use them. 

We'll have like three and half days and four nights on the Pacific coast. We only have one adventure planned over there, and that is a visit to a sloth sanctuary. We are keeping our options open to see what else sounds interesting. We are hoping for a little dry time so we can go to the pool. Beach walks will happen regardless of the weather. Gosh, I love the ocean!  I just don't want to be in it. LOL

I've been reading blog posts galore about what to pack, what to eat, what to see, and what to possibly expect. I try not to have any expectations and just be as prepared and open as I can be to the experiences, but it's nice to have a heads up about stuff.

It's likely this won't be the last post you'll read about my travel plans before the trip, but I'll try not to be too obnoxious about it :D

#2577 travel Tuesday

Here’s the thing: this week I am actually going to travel! I’m going to get on an airplane, and I’m going to be away from my house for a whole week. I am beyond excited to see my mom and my sister. We have some little excursions planned, and that will be cool. There is also plenty of downtime on the agenda, and I’m bringing books to read. I feel a week of chillin’ out coming my way, and I am ready for it.

I can’t even count the times people have told me that they didn’t let anything stop them from living how they wanted to live in the past year. Bless your hearts, is all I think when I hear words like that. To each his/her own, I say. Staying home last year was fine with me, to be honest. Of course there were things that I missed, but for the most part, the things that I missed weren’t even available, anyway. Things like going to concerts or movies, or even to Red Butte Garden - those events and places were not open. I didn’t go to Idaho because I felt that it was better for me to stay home. MT went to Idaho a few times to see his family. That was his choice and I didn’t try to stop him. It just wasn’t right for me. I was, in fact, living how I wanted to live. 

Now I’m ready to get back to it. First up, this trip to California. Next, the return of live music. Red Butte Garden announced their summer concert lineup today, and it is stellar. I’ve been to the movie theater a couple of times, and I’m looking forward to seeing In the Heights with Lizzie next week. I’ve got a big trip to Costa Rica planned for later this year. Slowly but surely, and hopefully safely, we are moving back to the things we love.

Stay safe, everyone. It ain’t over, so take care of yourselves. Keep washing those hands!

#2532 travel Tuesday

In post #2526, I wrote that our projected trip to Greece has been postponed until 2022, but that Lizzie and I have travel credits that have to be used by the end of this year. Just for fun, let's recap how we got here.

In 2019, Lizzie and I put down a deposit for a creativity retreat in the south of France. The travel date was September 2020. The retreat is being done through a travel agent in Europe who works with the artist directing the retreat. Lizzie and I decided to contact our travel agent, the indispensable Candice, to book our flights and add a couple of days in Paris. I was tres excited! I even started learning French!

The pandemic came along in March 2020. Around May or so, it became clear that nobody was going anywhere. The creativity retreat was pushed back to May 2021. Fortunately, the vendor Candice was booking through was also willing to push back the Paris plans to May 2021.

At some point, it became clear we weren't going anywhere in May 2021, and the creativity retreat was pushed back again, to October 2021, but with a change of location. Instead of the French Riveria, we would now be going to the island of Crete off the coast of Greece. Lizzie and I were willing to roll with that, and contacted Candice about changing the plans for Paris to plans for Athens. 

Pretty quickly after that, the creativity retreat was pushed back to October 2022, just to be on the safe side. Okay, I'm kinda sorta still interested in going to Crete, but dang - October 2022 seems like a long ways away.

In the meantime, Candice tells us that we have to use the credit for what would have been Paris/Athens by the end of this year. So, as I wrote in post #2526, Lizzie and I decided to come up with five options of places we'd like to go. Lizzie did a much better job than I did about finding out what places were available through the tour operator that Candice is using. I just came up with five places I thought would be fun. There was one place that was on both of our lists: Costa Rica. 

Now we are in contact with Candice about planning a trip to Costa Rica in October. We tentatively have a few days planned in the rainforest and a few days at a beach resort. I'd like to see a sloth. Lizzie wants to go zip-lining. We both want to try Costa Rican coffee, sit in thermal hot springs, and lounge by a pool sipping cocktails while reading and relaxing. 

More on this adventure to come...

#2526 travel Tuesday

 Lizzie and I had a bit of news regarding our trip to Greece in October. The trip has been postponed to October 2022. The tour operator said that there were some people who were a little wary of international travel this year and asked for the tour to be postponed, so it was. Lizzie and I kept our name on the list because the tour is limited to just 12 people, but we are discussing whether it is still something we want to do. 

In the meantime, deposits that we had put down for the bonus trip to Paris that would have been transferred to a bonus trip to Athens, has to be used by the end of this year. There is land (hotel) and air money available and it’s a pretty good amount. When Lizzie and I were talking tonight, we decided that we would take this week to brainstorm ideas of places we wanted to go, and we’ll discuss next week. We agreed to limit ourselves to five places each, and we would be thinking international destinations. 

I’m excited to come up with ideas, and I’m even more excited to hear where Lizzie would like to go! We will also figure out when would be a good time to go. October sounds good, since I thought I would be in Greece in October and was planning that time off work. I’m pretty sure we would plan to travel in the later part of the year. I sure would like to get a mini-vacation in earlier in the year, too. Mom and I talked about a little trip to Santa Barbara for a long weekend. I’d still like to do that. 

Of course, everything depends on what is happening with The Virus. I will be getting my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine next week. I feel like maybe there is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. As long as everyone stays cool and does the right thing, okay?

This woman needs/wants/craves a vacation!

#2509 travel Tuesday

On Fridays at my work we have a little tradition called 15 Minute Friday. In The Before, we would meet in the breakroom for cookies and questions. There is a big pile of cards with ice-breaker type questions on them and we'd go around the room and each person would read the question on the card they chose and respond. It's a fun group activity to end the week.

In the time of The Virus, 15 Minute Friday looks a little different. A person posts a question on our Teams site, then we all respond to that question. Last week the question was "What is on your bucket list?" One co-worker responded by saying they wanted to travel to five countries and see all 50 states. I think this is a worthwhile bucket list item!

It got me thinking about how many states and countries I have visited and because I love to make lists, this was a perfect opportunity! I only counted states and countries where I have slept with the exception of overnight layovers when I was traveling. For example, I spent the night at a hotel in Philadelphia, but I didn't see any part of that city. We got there late at night and went straight from airport to hotel, then we were up very early in the morning and went straight back to the airport, so I don't count Pennsylvania.

I have stayed overnight in 19 states and one U.S. territory:

Arizona    California    Colorado    Florida    Georgia    Hawaii    Idaho    Louisiana    Missouri    Montana    Nevada    New York    North Carolina    Oklahoma    South Dakota    Utah    Virginia    Washington    Wyoming    Puerto Rico

I have slept in ten countries:

Spain    Holland    Canada    Mexico    Belize    Dominican Republic    Barbados    Saint Vincent and the Grenadines    Cambodia    Thailand

I have visited 14 Caribbean islands while on cruises:

Antigua    Barbados    Guadeloupe    Martinique    St. Maarten    Jamaica    Aruba    Curacao    Mexico    Saint Kitts    Saint Lucia    Cayman Islands    Venezuela    The Bahamas     

I realize that I have Barbados and Mexico on two lists. Why? We visited Barbados a couple of times on cruises, then we stayed there for a couple of nights on our way to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Mexico is also on two lists, too. We've stayed three different  places in Mexico for a week at a time (Mazatlan, a couple of different resorts near Cancun, and Isla Mujeres). On cruises, we have been down the western coast of Mexico, then on one cruise, we stopped for a day on Cozumel. That's why I count it on both lists.

And yes, I know Venezuela is not an island, but we hung out on an island off the coast of Venezuela for a day on our first cruise.

I don't know if I have a bucket list goal to visit all 50 states. It could be cool to do that; there are definitely places I'd like to visit in the U.S. How many countries would I like to visit? I think I can name probably at least eight countries off the top of my head. I like to go places! I like to see things and learn about the history and the people. I like to sample the food, too. 

Someday I'll get to travel again. I'm just waiting for The After.

 

 

#2502 travel Tuesday: sitting by the pool in Mexico

 

Happy February! I almost forgot to check in tonight. I certainly don’t have much to say! You know what that means...I will fall back on my daily theme. Today is Tuesday, which means the theme is travel. 

In November 2019, MT, T, and I went to an all-inclusive resort near the town of Puerto Morelos, Mexico. It’s not too far from Cancun. The hotel was right on the Caribbean, but the beaches at the resort weren’t really great. It might have been the time of year, or maybe I am spoiled. When I am in the Caribbean, I want soft, white sand and crystal turquoise water. 

To be honest, oceans and seas kind of scare me. There are rocks and fish and seaweed and lots of other stuff you can’t see. When we vacation, one of my requirements is that we are by the sea, because I like the sound it makes, and I like to walk on the shore. Another requirement is that there is a swimming pool. I don’t know how to swim, but I like to be in the water as long as I can stand up and have my head above the water.

We stayed at the El Cid and they have a beautiful pool. The water was cold as hell (it was November after all), but I really enjoyed sitting out by that pool, sipping cervezas and reading. There were some rough patches during that trip, but never when I was sitting by the pool. 

I’ve heard that people are taking vacations and that resorts in Mexico have lots of room and everything is good. I’m just not ready to venture out. I am as tired as anyone of this pandemic, but I recognize that it’s still out there and you have to take care of yourself in the way you feel is best. My way is to stay home, look at pictures from past vacations, and dream about the day when I won’t be worried about catching The Virus when I travel somewhere.

In the meantime, please sit with me by the pool at the El Cid Resort. Imagine that we are sipping a beverage of your choice. It’s all-inclusive, so have whatever you like. They make lovely margaritas there. The pina coladas are really good too. You can never go wrong with an ice cold beer under the warm Mexican sun. Grab your sunglasses, some sunscreen, a good book, and relax

#2478 travel Tuesday: Savannah

I recently started following an account on IG called @visitsavannah because I found that I was thinking a lot about Savannah, GA and I wanted to look at photos from there. I have been to Savannah twice, once in May 2017 with Lizzie, and then in December 2018 with Mom and Lizzie. Both times were wonderful and amazing. 

There is something about visiting a city during the holidays that is really special. The city is all dressed up and showing itself off for Christmas. Houses are decorated with wreaths and lights. In a southern location like Savannah, there is a chill in the air and it feels kinda nice. When we were there it rained a bit, there was some sunshine, it was cool, and it was just warm enough too. We had all the weather in our three or four days there.

Here are a few photos of holiday decorations that I took on that December 2019 trip to Savannah. I would sure love to go back! It's so dang charming!

Cheers!

 

#2405 travel Tuesday

I haven't minded being in "lock-down" for the most part, but there is part of me that wishes to go somewhere. My first choice would be to visit Mom and Lizzie, of course, but I've had other thoughts too. The other day I was daydreaming about Island Park, hanging out at a cabin, sitting out on a deck surrounded by tall pine trees, riding my bike down a deserted road to the banks of the river, eating grilled burgers, and falling asleep with the windows open to the cool night air. 

Another cure for my cabin fever is to think of places we have been. I fondly remembered sipping beers by the pool in Mexico in November, walking through Angkor Wat a year ago in February, drinking morning pina coladas in Isla Mujeres one hot week in July a few years ago, watching the sunset in Hawaii, learning about the ruins of Tikal, strolling through the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, and reminiscing about cruising. 

The trip to France has been re-booked and paid for. The new date is the first week of May next year. Will it happen? I hope so, although there's really not much to do except wait and see how the world shakes out of this pandemic. 

In the meantime, I'm staying put and enjoying being at home. Today Mac turns three months old. I swear she grew four inches overnight. I haven't weighed her for a week or so, but I bet she's over 20 lbs now. The biting and nipping has mellowed out a bit and she snuggles up when she wants some love. She is a smart little thing, very good at chasing a ball and bringing it back (the lab part of her shows up there), and super inquisitive. She wants to check out all the things. She's fun. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. More words on Thursday probably.

#2394 travel Tuesday: Hawaii memories

It's a good thing I take so many photos when we go on vacation, because even though we are not going anywhere in the foreseeable future, I can look at the photos and remember the good times. 

Today we will look at photos from our June 2015 trip to Hawaii. MT, T, and I went to Oahu and then on to the Big Island along with Jake and Linda (MT's parents), and Kelly and Denise (MT's brother and his wife). I think we were there for ten days. 

We started out on Oahu. That's where Honolulu is. We went to Pearl Harbor (awesome!) and to the Polynesian Cultural Center (meh). The last morning we were there, MT really wanted to get wet, so he and I went out early in the morning to Hanauma Bay. It wasn't very far from where we were staying, we were there so early that parking was easy because there weren't very many people. It is a beautiful spot. I sat on a blanket and read while MT snorkeled for a couple of hours. Look how pretty it is:

Over on the Big Island of Hawaii, we stayed on the Kona side of the island. The sunsets there are phenomenal. The color is vibrant and saturated. There are no filters on these pics:

The top two photos were taken on the same evening. The bottom photo was taken on our last night there. Watching the sun set is an event not to be missed!

My love for turtles grew in Hawaii. We saw turtles every day.

One of my favorite days on that vacation was the day we went to Hapuna Beach. We had been to a couple of other beaches, and they were nice for snorkeling but very rocky and not much fun for a casual beach goer like myself. Hapuna was a perfectly beautiful spot and we all had a great day there. MT and T had lots of fun body surfing. (That's Kelly and Denise to the right of them.)

I had a good time on that vacation! I don't think I would go back to the Big Island though, and probably not Oahu either. I'd like to go to Maui or Kauai sometime, though. Maybe someday!

#2387 travel Tuesday

In travel news, a couple of my friends from work are heading out of state this week. One person is going to New York state to visit family. The other person is going to Florida to visit friends. Both trips were planned Before and are non-refundable, so each person decided to go. I'm sure they will be fine. Both people are smart and will take every precaution to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. MT went to Idaho over the weekend and even ate out at a restaurant. 

I'm content to stay home as much as possible. I've had to go out a bit more lately. Last week I left the house every day for one reason or another. My mask is getting quite a workout. I wash it every day. I did order two other masks, one of which I have received. Sadly, it is a youth size and doesn't fit my face. It would be fine if I was okay with wearing it under my nose, but I'm not. Too bad. It's super cute. Maybe I'll find a kid who wants it. 

A new month and it's coming in hot, not necessarily temperature-wise (although it is quite warm here). I mean it's coming in hot like when an airplane seems to be moving faster than it should when it's time to land. It's an uncomfortable time. There is civil unrest. The global pandemic continues. We surge ahead, bravely hoping that everything will work itself out as long as people can get back to work and that things will go back to "normal". Seems to me that "normal" is kinda what got us into this mess. 

Be careful out there. Be safe and respectful. Good luck.

#2380 travel Tuesday: postponed

Lizzie and I got official notification that our trip to France has been postponed until May of next year. I'm not particularly surprised or disappointed; I kind of expected it. I can think of three upsides to this development. First, more time to save money for the trip. Second, more time to work on my French. Third, I'm sure the Riviera will be delightful in the late spring. 

I heard on NPR that Yellowstone Park is doing a phased re-opening. The Park can only be accessed from the Wyoming entrances and you can't stay in the Park itself yet. The Park is in three states, all of which have different re-opening protocols. Social distancing at Old Faithful? Seems unlikely.

Not that it involves travel for me, but I got the word from Red Butte Garden that concerts are officially cancelled this summer. They had been hoping to have a shortened season in July and August. In other concert news, the Chris Stapleton show we have tickets to has been postponed until June of next year. 

It's gonna be a weird summer, isn't it?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I will be going back to work in the office in June. My schedule is Monday, Thursday and every other Friday. I'm good with it. If I remember right, there will be about six people in our department on any given day. 

My goal to go outside a little every day is progressing well. Here's my photographic proof.

Yesterday I went to the office and to Costco. 

I didn't do anything outside except walk from/to my car, but I did get out of the house. I discovered that the fan in my car stopped working. I'll have to take it to the shop to get that fixed soon because the temperatures it will get hot before too long.

This morning I thought about going for a quick walk before work because Lizzie does and I want to be like Lizzie, but I ended up sitting out on the deck and reading for a few minutes instead.

I did go for a walk at lunchtime, just a quick little 15 minutes jaunt, and it felt good. After the walk, I ate lunch al fresco. Want to know what I had? Salad and ice tea (it's true). I read a little, too. It was super windy, though, so I came inside to finish my meal. 

That's all I've got for tonight. Stay safe! Wash your hands! Be grateful for something.

#2371 travel Tuesday: not going anywhere

Before I start talking about travel, I'm just gonna tell you that Blogger really changed up what my posting screen looks like. It's simple, but kinda fancy. Not that you can see it, but it sure looks different.

Now back to the topic.

You know I like to go places. With this pandemic and all the related safety precautions, it doesn't seem like most of us will be going anywhere. Several of my friends had trips planned this spring that were postponed. I knew some people that were heading to Mexico, Jamaica, and on cruises. My mom and sister had a trip planned to Sweden with a bonus stop in Prague that was cancelled. I'm pretty sure my trip to France in September will be a no go. I'll still keep learning French, though, because it's pretty fun to learn new stuff. 

The other day MT was talking about going to Yellowstone Park for a long weekend. I don't know how that will work out, though. Neither of us want to camp and we don't know the hotel situation. At this point I'm not even sure when I will be able to see my mom and sister in person again. 

This isolation thing won't last forever, but sometimes it kind of feels like it will. For sure, though, I'd rather be cocooned in my house with my people and stay safe. 

Since we're not going anywhere and since it is Cinco de Mayo, here's a throwback pic from September 2013 (just to be completely random about it) of me enjoying a margarita and some delicious Mexican food from Las Olas Mexican Restaurant in Cardiff, CA.

That's a good margarita!

Looks delicious!

After lunch at Las Olas, you can cross the road to stroll on the beach like Lizzie and I did:

It's good to have happy memories and photos to fall back on.

Stay safe! Wash your hands! I miss you!

xxoo

#2328 travel Tuesday: Puerto Vallarta

My friend from work, Mandy, and her husband are going on vacation the day after tomorrow. They are going to spend ten days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! I think it's the first time she has been out of the country. She is crazy with excitement and I'm totally stoked for her. We have talked about her trip since she decided they would go on vacation. She's been doing lots of research and checking out Pinterest for ideas of things to do and places to eat and sights to see. I know she and her husband are going to have an amazing time because they are fun, adventurous people who will embrace everything about being on vacation. Cheers Mandy and Courtney! I can't wait to hear about your adventures!

I have been to Puerto Vallarta one time. It was the final stop on the Mexican Riviera cruise we took in February 2009. T got to choose the excursion for that stop, and he selected a Jeep ride through the countryside to a tequila factory/tasting. In 2009 he was almost eleven years old, so of course he couldn't taste the tequila. He just wanted to ride in the open-top Jeep and check out the countryside.

After the tequila tasting, we jumped right back in the Jeep and headed back to town. I should specify  that we were with a tour group and there was a caravan of about ten to twelve Jeeps. It wasn't like we were just cruising around the countryside without guidance, wearing red bandanas, looking like bandidos. The tour guides gave us the bandanas because the road got dusty in some places.

Like I said, we headed back to town. The guides directed us to a restaurant right on the beach so we could have some drinks and lunch and get in the water if we so desired. T desired...

Gosh, he was fun on that trip!

I don't remember how we got back to the cruise ship area. I think there was a bus. T wanted to go back to the ship and chill out. MT and I decided to look for souvenirs and maybe have a drink before we got back on board. T was happy to find his way - I think we walked him to the boarding area and he was all about doing it himself. His plan was to get something to drink and some cookies and watch a movie in the room.

MT and I looked for souvies but couldn't find anything we liked, so we went to a bar right near the ship; it was very close. We then proceeded to get as drunk as I have probably ever been. I hesitate to share this pic, but it tells the story:

There are details in post #1614 if you care to revisit that classic. After so many drinks, we were much more inclined to shop. That's when we bought the ugliest souvenir ever. The post I mentioned has a photo.

Anyway, I certainly hope Mandy and Courtney make some happy memories in Puerto Vallarta and maybe buy a souvenir or two that they will be proud to display.

#2284 travel Tuesday: the best day of 2019

I am shamelessly copying my sister's idea of cross-posting an idea from Instagram over here on the blog. My sister is brilliant and has the best ideas and I want to be like her, so here we are.

On Instagram I am participating in a challenge of sorts to post a photo that fits the theme of the day. The challenge is presented by Susannah Conway, a lady that I'm certain I would be friends with if we lived anywhere near each other. However, she lives in London and I live in Salt Lake City, so we'll probably never meet, but I do follow her on IG and participate in stuff she puts out there.

Today's prompt is "best day of 2019". This one was sooooo easy for me to choose. It was February 16. MT and I were in Thailand, in the Krabi area, and we decided to rent a private longtail boat for the day. We arranged it through the resort where we were staying. It was a four island tour with an English-speaking guide and a driver who took care of us all day.

I have written about the day at length here and here, so I won't go into details or post more photos, except for this one which I put on IG today:

What makes this day so memorable is the unbelievable factor. I wouldn't have ever thought that I would be on a longboat in Thailand (!) happily sitting at the bow (!) looking at this incredible scenery and having conversations with our guide about all kinds of things, from politics to how he learned to speak English so well to what our families eat for dinner to why I have two big scars on my knees.

I also remember that MT got a terrible sunburn because he was so busy snorkeling that he forgot to reapply sunscreen. He said it was one of his favorite snorkeling days. He just got to swim and swim. Our guide, Leng, didn't hurry him or worry about where he was because he saw that MT is a strong swimmer.

Another great thing about this day was how relaxed and worry-free we were (until I saw that monkey where we had lunch). Overall and for the most part, I was super-relaxed and so happy to be there. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. If that doesn't make for the best day, I don't know what does.

#2267 travel Tuesday: beers of the Caribbean

One of the ladies at work told me that she is going to Jamaica in April. I've been to Jamaica once, and I have fond memories of sitting at a beach bar, out on the deck, listening to reggae music, and drinking many bottles of Red Stripe beer. (Check out post #1594 for the full post about our day in Ocho Rios.)

Thinking about Red Stripe made me think of other beers I've had while vacationing in the Caribbean. Most of the islands have their own beers, and MT and I feel like we should drink local beer when we are on island. For this post, I decided to compile a list of the beers that I can remember. The list is in no particular order, it's just off the top of my head.

Mexico

Of course there are two coasts in Mexico, and it is not an island, but I'm going to count it

anyway because they have damn fine beer. MT prefers Corona whether we are in Mexico or anywhere. He will often say he drinks two kinds of beer: Corona and free. I like Corona too, but I find that I prefer Sol. I fell for Sol when we were in Isla Mujeres. It's light and delicious, perfect for warm Caribbean days. I also really like Pacifico. That's my beer of choice when I'm on the Pacific side of the country.

Belize
Also not an island nation, although we did spend a week or so on Ambergris Cay which is an island. Belikin is the beer to drink in Belize. I remember that it had a very nice taste.

Dominican Republic
Presidente! So, soooo good! We have looked for it in the liquor store here, but we haven't found it.

Barbados
I like Banks beer from Barbados. A good memory is sitting at a beach bar drinking Banks after a day of touring the island.

St. Lucia
Piton is the beer to drink on this island. The beer is named after the famous mountains there. Like most Caribbean beers, it is light and delicious.

St. Kitts
Although this beer isn't from St. Kitts (apparently it's from Trinidad and Tobago), but I happily drank Carib beer one afternoon on the beach in St. Kitts. They were ridiculously cheap, as I recall, and man, did they taste good while I sat on that hot sand on the rocky beach.

That's all I can think of! I looked at a couple of websites to jog my memory, but, yeah, these are all that I've had. I'll need to do a bit more travelling in the Caribbean so I can try more beers!

P.S. these are not photos I took. They are from the internet. I bet I have some photos of beers though!