Bitten By the Travel Bug

Why is it that the thing that brings us enjoyment most in life always gets put on the back burner? This blog is just one example of the things that I like to do that has somehow gotten lost in the shuffle. I opened it up today and couldn't believe that it's been a year and a half since I last blogged. Well, to tell you the truth, life happens. It moves forward whether you want it to or not. Life is like the waves of the ocean; moving constantly, stopping for nothing.

What have I done in the last year and half? Besides starting a new job and family stuff, I have been traveling. I'd like to focus on the travel part of the last year for this post because man, what an adventure it has been!

Disclaimer! I don't list these places as a way to make anyone envious or jealous but this is what empty-nesters do! I make no apologies for my desire to wander.

January 2013--New York City This trip was with my sister, Denise. This was the perfect sister trip! This was her first time there and we beat the sidewalks from morning til night. One of the most delicious things we did was have lunch at Serendipity. If you ever get the chance, take it, you won't regret it. We also got to see Wicked and let me just say this show was wicked good! My favorite so far.

Serendipity, Upper East Side, New York, NY

March 2013--Toronto, Ontario to see the family. I have to say this is one of the best places to visit. It's a great city to walk around in, lots to see, great food but it's the people there that have my heart.

CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario

May 2013--St. Petersburg, Florida for a little R & R. Hubby had to go for a work conference so I went along for "moral support". I missed my graduation for my master's degree but I think this was the better choice, don't you? The plus side of this trip was that my parents live not too far from here so we got to spend a few days in Port Charlotte as well.

Don Cesar, St. Petersburg, Florida

June 2013--London, England and Paris, France. Just saying that makes me giddy. This was a dream vacation and one I won't soon forget. Pictures? I have hundreds. I do believe this trip warrants its own blog post so look for that in future. For now, here's a teaser...

Windsor Castle, Windsor, England

September 2013--New York City. Back to the Big Apple with my hubby for a weekend getaway. There is so much to do and you always run out of time. We took a day to walk through Central Park and then saw Mama Mia. I can't say this was my favorite show but we had great seats!

Winter Garden Theater, New York, NY

November 2013--New York City. Does it ever get old? No way. This place has endless possibilities and this time we went with friends that have never been. It's fun to show people around the City. And after being so many times we've learned a few tricks to make it easier!

Times Square, New York, NY

Ahhh 2014, you've been good to me so far. Let's move on...

March 2014--St. John's, Newfoundland. The birthplace of my husband. And for that, I thank you! This place is beautiful beyond words and, again, a place where many of our family members live. I love visiting there. We happened to be there on my birthday and can I just say it was cold, cold, cold! Of course  you can't go to St. John's during hockey season without taking in a game. Go Icecaps!

Mile One Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland

July 2014--New York City. You guessed it, we went back! This time we traveled by Amtrak. Talk about an adventure (and not one I'm keen on repeating in the near future). Nine hours on the train is a little long. We took some first-timers with us again: my parents and our niece Jalyssa. My son even came along! It was a whirlwind tour of all the touristy spots. We took them on the subway, on a double-decker tour bus, they rode a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park and we even took in a few shows!

Amtrak Train: Pittsburgh to New York, NY

Aug/September 2014--Northern California and San Francisco. This was one of the most relaxing trips that I've ever been on. I can't say enough about it and we saw so much. I'm saving it for it's own dedicated post...it's just that good.

Point Bonita Lighthouse, Sausalito, California

So that's it for now. Not sure if that's it for the year. One never knows. The suitcases are put away but easily accessible and time will tell when the old traveling bug will hit again!

http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m11qmjpd7Y1qzjbkmo1_1280.jpg

Another Birthday...Bring it On!

I just had another birthday...this is one of those "milestone" ages. Some people hide under the covers on their birthday, some go through a mid-life crisis, others ignore the birthday and say, "don't remind me!" Not me. I love my birthday. Bring it on! I could cry about my life being potentially half over, but why? What would that accomplish? To me there is too much life left to be lived, too many things I haven't seen or done. With age comes comes wisdom...or so they say. I don't know if I am any smarter or wiser but here is what I do know. Stop worrying. Learn to let go and let God. Pray about it and leave it. Anxiety will age you and rob you of your joy. Have your cake and eat it too!

I  have recently had to remind myself of this mind-set after realizing that everything little thing that I've worried about for my son no longer matters. He's his own man. It's in God's hands. I've done what I could. I've raised him to be a good, moral, God-loving man. The rest is up to him. I'm not saying that I've turned off every worry that crosses my mind. But, I've re-evaluated what I was doing and reminded myself that I don't control it. I'm not "helicopter" parenting him (as one friend calls it). He's at college, I'm at home. What good does worrying do? I'll tell you what worrying does do, it robs you of the time you now have with your spouse.

My husband and I were talking the other night and he said something very interesting. This is the first time in our 22 years that we've been really "alone" and able to do all the things that we only ever talked about. We can take a vacation during the school year if we wanted. We don't have to check the calendar to see if there is a game this weekend before making plans. Don't get me wrong...we loved going to my son's games and we were at every one. But the difference is now that after 19 years our time is ours again and we need to make it count.

So am I sad that another birthday is in the books? Not in the least. My life has had many challenges and I'm grateful for the years that I've had. I'm looking forward to hanging out with my husband, trying new things and seeing new places. So bring on the birthdays, the candles, the funny cards and the old lady jokes...I relish it and thank God for every day that I'm alive.

Box of Love Letters

Do you remember getting letters in the mail from a friend who lived far away or a cousin or an Aunt? It was so exciting to open the mailbox and see a handwritten address across the front of the envelope. You could usually tell from the handwriting who it was from but you looked at the return address anyway. I remember the anticipation of opening the envelope and taking the letter out. I had to find the right spot in the house to open it so that I could be comfy while I read. Usually I read the letter the first time quickly but then always went and re-read it again savoring the handwritten words.

I have been cleaning out closets, dresser drawers and the basement. I had the fun of "finding" a box of old letters that I kept. They are from my husband. To think that I am one of the lucky few to have a box of love letters! I felt sad for a moment for the relationships today. The age of technology had stolen the art of writing love letters. People are in constant contact with each other with e-mail, text, social media...where's the anticipation of waiting to hear from someone? 

My husband and I had a long-distance relationship and people will ask me, "Was it hard?" I used to say yes. But now, I feel lucky to have gotten to actually know my husband and who he was inside before we got married. We didn't have a lot of dates so we didn't take our time together for granted. Long distance phone calls were expensive (we met in 1989), we didn't have free long distance. So....we wrote a lot of letters! I remember writing a letter a day and I usually got one from him most days of the week.

I treasure these letters. They revealed to me the man that he was and the man that I fell in love with. So my wish to all the young people out there, embarking on new relationships, is that you get love letters. They are a window to a person's soul.

Baby Steps

As I mentioned, my one and only darling child graduated this past year. He has moved into a dorm so that left me and my hubby with a sense of "this house is too big" for the two of us. So, what better way to fill the void??

Yep! This past June we adopted this darling little pooch from a local rescue. His name is Mr. Darcy (too much??). We saw him and fell in love with him instantly. He is a shih-tzu and beagle mix. Very precocious, pretentious and affectionate! I had forgotten what it was like to have a little pup in the house again. He's kept me very busy and he's definitely given this house a routine once again. 

He is now 10 months old and we are going to begin "Fundamentals" class next week. Overall, he's pretty well behaved except when visitors come to the door and he's all over them. So, we'll be working on that. My hope is to eventually get him to be a certified therapy dog and take him for hospital visitations. Here is a picture of him now that he's almost fully grown...

I think getting him trained as a therapy dog will be great...for him as well as me. I want to be able to help bring a little more sunshine into people's lives that aren't looking so great at the moment. One look at this furry face and you can't help but smile!

Blogging Adventure

Hello World! This blog is really about the next chapter in my life. A way for me to document my new adventures and escapades of being an empty nester. My son, now 19, has flown the coop and left me with a lot of time on my hands. I have spent the last 19 years doing all of the fun things that a mom likes to do. I have been the dedicated lacrosse mom and volunteered for all of the school functions. Now, I find that I have time to try a bunch of new things. A few of my favorite things that I like to do: read, cook, hang out with family and friends, watch movies, hike, bike and play in our little garden. I love Jesus, my family and my country. I've never really had the time to do crafty things or really get into making complex types of food. My new aspirations include learning how to can vegetables, make jelly, make homemade pasta, bake bread as well as become more crafty! I hope you'll enjoy the chronicles of my attempts, failed or successful. It should be a lot of fun!