Travel - Still On My Mind

Don't know why.... but travel is still on my mind today.  It could be because:

A)     The kids have gone back to school, and my house is eerily quiet.
B)     There are so many great travel websites on the internet, you find all kinds of places you want to go.
C)     Fall has not yet arrived, and I am tired of the persistent wind and the sweltering heat.

Any one of those reasons is more than enough of one for me to leave town.  I can be off on a trip, and before I even get home, I am thinking about where to go next and when to leave.

My sister-in-law told me about Trip Advisor, and apparently, it is the premier website for trip information and planning.  There is a wealth of information, and there are details that I have found there that don't seem to be on other travel websites.  Many times, a site with reader input is full of negatives and lots of bashing.  Not that I don't want that, but I would at least like to hear about things that travelers did like.  Whether it is hotel or day-trip information, I appreciate getting the scoop from people on the ground.

Do you have any travel information websites that you really trust and depend on?  If so, please do share!

Halfway Through August

Now that we have passed the mid-way point in the month of August, it is time to face the fact that summer is coming to a close.  So I think it is time to plan my Summer Finale. 

First, I think we should squeeze in a quick trip to the mountains.  Not sure which ones, we could go Colorado or we could go New Mexico.  One of the perks of living in the center of the universe, I mean, United States.

Next, I think we should consider getting some spa treatments...  let's really splurge and go from head to toe.  Maybe a European oxygenating facial, powdered black pearl body scrub, followed by an aromatherapy hot stone massage, and end with a simultaneous manicure/pedicure. 

After a nice local meal, we can retire to the porch to enjoy the night sky.  Since we are in the mountains, we are closer to the stars, therefore, making them look larger.  Ahh.... a perfect day.  Let's repeat this every day for about five.    :)

Okay, okay.  That dang Eat Pray Love movie is still on my brain.  All I can think about is traveling.  But I have been traveling.  I am actually ready to stay home.  But I can't quit thinking about going somewhere.  ???   What's up with that?

And no season is complete without a trip to the ocean.  So we'll have to go find an ocean or an island to visit.  It will no doubt provide just the attitude adjustment I need.  Minimum stay - 2 weeks.  Alright, we could probably manage with 10 days, but we want to be fully rested when we return to our full time jobs, school year, whatever.

Well, that is the plan for my Summer Finale.  I tried to keep it simple and do-able, but am pretty sure I won't carry it out.   :)

Summer Vacation....

.....comes to an end.

While I come to terms with the end of the summer, Chase, in our typical Griswald fashion, is loading the U-Haul, and preparing to drive back across the desert to home.  In the center of the country.  Gosh, I hope it goes well.

He will be leaving the lush tropical settings of the oceanside community that he has called home for the last three months.  And he will be heading straight back into the stark reality of Oklahoma, where it is about 100 degrees EVERY DAY.  And as a bonus, he will - after only a few days - return to school, where the humidity is 100 percent, most of the time.  Poor guy.  The acclimating will be hard. 

He will have to say goodbye to things like this --

And say hello to scenes like this --

 And this --

 And even this --

And get ready to go back and spend lots of hours here --

I think he is secretly looking forward to it.  Deep down, I think he has learned a lot of cool things that he is going to be able to pull out of his hat when necessary.

Back to School?!?

Really?  It can't be that time already.  I lamented this fact about a month ago when I saw school supplies out at Walmart prior to the Fourth of July.  But ready or not, it is almost here.

My kids don't start back to college until August 23rd, but those with grade school, middle school and high school kids will probably be sending them back earlier than that.  Is it just me, or does time seem to fly by?  Especially the older I get, the faster it seems to go.  There aren't a lot of days that I think, "wow, this day is slow, I wish it would hurry up and be over."  Why is that?

Is it that I am officially old?  Gosh, that would shock the heck out of me.  I mean, I know I am old, but good grief, I'm not that old.

Is it that I am busy?  I wouldn't have thought that.  After all, what do I do anyway?  People ask me that all the time, and I even ask myself sometimes.  I feel like I probably do less than the average 46 year old.  My jobs are part time, I have help with the housecleaning, I hate going to the grocery, so I avoid that as long as I can -- all that and there are just errands and laundry. 

"Lost time is never found again."
-- Benjamin Franklin

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."
-- Henry Van Dyke

"Better late than never, but never late is better."
-- Unknown