Follow My Florida Dreamin'

There are a lot of reasons to write my blog. And there are a lot of reasons I tell myself for which I write my blog. In some cases, they may be wishes more than truths. One of the wishes is that I hope my readers will find inspiration in my ramblings; inspiration to pursue the best version of their lives. And I hope people will get enjoyment and laughter. I hope people will get insight into themselves by reflecting on what I'm going through. I document my life because I think it's interesting and funny and people used to tell me I should have a movie or sitcom about me. Most of my blog though, is truly self-serving. It's therapy for me, and I don't think anyone else actually reads it very often. But I enjoy going back and reading what happened in the past. I enjoy reflecting on who I was at the time that I wrote that and what I was thinking, what I was going through, how I thought my world would end or begin with whatever topic was on my mind. And it helps me be a little more centered and be a little bit more realistic that this too shall pass.

This post is one of the hopefully inspiring ones. I want to use my experience of absolute sheer joy, contendedness, and a snippit of living my best life to encourage people to follow their own version. Specifically, I want to inspire readers to follow the little dreams. This is not a post about the biggest, most important, exciting, wonderful thing I've ever done. This isn't a story of reckless abandon and a transformative new life. It's a story about a weekend. One that was dreamt up, thought about, planned (to an extent), and then executed. Simple as that. But the result, for me, has been a pure appreciation of life, and total and complete peace. It's little, but yet, so big. And I hope that you can find a way to translate that into your own life and do a little thing to follow your own little dream.

I decided a while back, that I wanted to eventually move back to Florida. I had lived in the panhandle - in Panama City Beach - for far too short of a time. Just a few months in, we were hit by Hurricane Michael and half the region was shut down for months; people lost some or everything. It was a very humbling experience to see both the genuine good of people and the absolute worst. I was sad that, just as it felt like we were finally rebuilding, my company decided to close that location and we had to lay off everybody that had moved there for the job and had invested so much into building the best organization I've ever had the privilege to take part in. I was absolutely devastated, and heartbroken, and it's one of the worst parts of my life that followed one of the best things in my career, which was setting up that site in the first place. Nevertheless, the panhandle wasn't really the right part of Florida for me. I always make the best of everything, but it felt more like Alabama South rather than the relaxing cultural retreat in which I'd see myself retire.

Since then I've done a lot of thinking about where I might want to end up and where I would want to retire. Living in Texas as affirmed that Texas is definitely it. I didn't realize how much I'd dislike it years ago when I thought about moving to Dallas for work to escape Connecticut, but now I know and it is what it is. The good thing about living in Fort Worth is that I still make a decent California salary but the cost of living is significantly lower, so I don't spend a lot of money. Thus, I have some money to invest, and to save, and to spend on vacations and fun stuff. So that's exactly what I'm doing. I've decided that the best way to get through the misery of living in Texas is to spend as much time as I can away from it. So if Texas isn't my forever home, then where? Living abroad intrigues me - Japan, Australia, Italy, Denmark, Costa Rica maybe. But there are also lots of challenges with leaving the US. And I just keep coming back to Florida. I love the ocean, I love the idea of being able to see launches into space, I enjoy the theme parks, and it's more achievable and financially feasible than living on the beach in California or Hawaii.

So I've been eyeing properties in Florida. Mostly empty vacant land that's buildable, with the hopes that someday I could invest and hold on to that land. And then, when I am getting closer to either moving there or retiring, I could build my dream house on that property. One of the things that's tough about buying land is that looking at it on the website really doesn't give you much context. The land listing's pictures can seem redundant; you're looking at the same wooded areas over and over. One can map out the distance to common establishments like Target or Taco Bell to get a feel for how remote a property is, or to the nearest beach. But that just becomes a distance, a number, and trying to develop a formula to tell you whether it's worth it or not has proven fruitless for me. Even with Google Street view, it's hard to get the vibe of a place.  So I decided to pick a weekend and fly out to Florida, base myself in the Orlando area and just go explore and see what I could see. I wasn't necessarily looking to actually buy property while in Florida; I primarily wanted to scope out all the different areas so that I have a better feel for what I'm looking at when I'm looking at property online.

Being a savvy traveler, and also a frequent traveler, I was able to book my hotel with points and chose the cheapest one because proximity to a specific attraction or theme park wasn't relevant to me like it would be for other visitors. The original weekend that I had booked ended up having some really bad weather, so about 2 hours before I would have to pay a cancellation fee, I made the decision to push out my travel to a later weekend. It just so happened that that was Memorial Day weekend which allowed me to extend my stay by a day.

For my land search, I was primarily concerned with four areas of Florida. I wanted to check out the St. Augustine area which is a little bit further north and on the East Coast. I wanted to look in Orlando, even though it's explicitly not near the beach, primarily because I've noticed that the housing prices are a little bit more affordable in Orlando, and the draw to the attractions could make it a good investment. And I wanted to look on the east and west coasts approximately lateral with Orlando - the Tampa/ Clearwater/ Pinellas area as well as the Space Coast and Melbourne / Cocoa Beach areas.

I rented a Jeep in case I needed to do some offroading, and each day I headed in a different direction. In hindsight, it was a pretty clever plan, but it was less intentionally thought through and more like the plan developed as I started to realize the enormity of what I was trying to accomplish.

I landed Thursday night and basically did nothing but get to my hotel and settle in. When I checked in to the hotel, I was informed that I'd have a food credit for $25 for each night I stayed. I found parking near my building and got to my room with no problem. One thing that, no matter how many trips I take, I manage to miss almost half of the time, is packing a hair brush. I have 37 small brushes at home from having to buy them while traveling, yet I still manage to pack a bag without a brush roughly every second or third trip. Thankfully, my hair is fairly easy to deal with, especially when its short but even when it's the length it is now - longer than I prefer but not long enough to donate.

So Friday morning I had to struggle with running my fingers through my hair and putting my hair up without a brush. That would be the first of a handful of silly missteps, but, hey, gotta keep things interesting, right? Then I grabbed a bagel from the hotel pantry and headed north towards St. Augustine. It would be the furthest area so I was glad to get it out of the way early in the trip. I checked out the area a little bit, just driving around, and observing. It seemed a little like Panama City Beach, but somehow a little less redneck riviera and more intellectual, somehow.  

Needing to use a restroom, I directed myself to a Publix near the beach. After taking care of the first priority, I shopped around a bit and came across a cooler bag that can be flattened which is super helpful for travel since it's not a big bulky ice chest but it will hold food cold - claiming it can keep even frozen things for up to 3 hours. Trying to stay a little on the healthy side, I got a bag of baby carrots and a couple drinks - and a hairbrush.

The Publix parking lot was marked for Publix parking online, forbidding people to park for the beach there, but since I had actually shopped at Publix, I figured it would be ok for me to take a quick walk to the beach before departing. The sun was shining and the walk was lovely. I passed by a themed motel that I enjoyed. Closer to the beach, I noted the changing rooms, public restrooms, and those standalone showers and foot washes. I left my flipflops at the end of the walkway and sauntered into the sand. I noted that the beach actually allowed for four wheel vehicles to enter and park along the back of the sandy part, for a small fee. That seems incredibly convenient, I thought. I had my bathing suit in my car but since I was wearing shorts, I went into the water up to my knees and took in the view of the ocean for the first time on this trip. Yep, I love the water here.

I walked back to my car at the Publix parking lot and debated changing into my swimsuit and going for a swim, but I reminded myself that this was going to be a long driving day and that I should really see a property or two before I goof off. So, I set my destination for the nearest property to where I was. And brushed my hair with my newly acquired hair brush on the way.

Now I got really lucky, and I absolutely fell in love with the first piece of property I saw. And that's not to say that I would fall in love with any piece of property, I've looked for land before and it took me a little while to find the property that I wanted. In this case though, I felt very confident that this was a great piece of land that I wanted. It was advertised as a corner lot which didn't really sink in until I experienced it - across the street in two directions were undevelopable land, so it was both extremely private and yet incredibly easy to access. It was a dirt road, but flat and even enough that even a car with low clearance could get through it. I also liked the proximity to St. Augustine. It was only about 20, maybe 25 minutes out of the main part of the town.

The neighbors seemed okay enough. They had basic but decent houses and yards that weren't completely trashed, which can be a rarity when you're looking at these other properties. Sometimes the streets have just absolute junkyards in front yards of the various homes along the street. I also liked that, on some of the streets to the property, you have almost a tree canopy going over the street, which to me is just very romantic. I don't know what I love about that so much but it just it takes my breath away when I see that kind of thing, and so to have that be part of my daily drive would be just absolutely amazing.

As far as the property itself, there wasn't much to do or see, except to note that it was extremely densely forested. It would need to be cleared even to camp in realistically, let alone set up an RV or manufactured home on it. But even the dense woods were strikingly beautiful. It wasn't a beachside oasis, to be sure, but so close to the beach and to a great city seems like a fair compromise for the price of the property.

I drove to three or four other properties up there, and I was thankful then for my rented Jeep because those roads were far less friendly to low clearance vehicles. I was really off-roading! And let me tell you, it was much more rocking and turning and ups and downs then a typical Disney ride! Some other properties just felt too unpassable even to get to but I got an idea and I really just wasn't as enthralled with any of them or the surrounding areas like I was that first piece of land. I reminded myself that the purpose of this trip was to explore and have a better understanding of the potential investments, but it seemed like every property I saw after the first one just reconfirmed why that first property was so good.

Since Friday was a lot of driving, I got back to the hotel and had dinner at the hotel pool bar and then called it a night. Saturday would be a little bit more interesting with not only the opportunity to go see multiple open houses, but there was also a SpaceX launch and a swing dance in Orlando that night.

Since I had some time in the morning, I decided to use today's food credit to check out the hotel's breakfast buffet. It wasn't much, and definitely not worth the price, so I got what I wanted and headed out, stopping at the pantry to load my new cooler bag up with some drinks and a bagel for later.

I headed east and checked out a couple places in the Space Coast area, making sure that I was in a good position to see the SpaceX launch when it happened. I was about 20 miles as the bird flies, by my estimation, from the launchpad, and it was a very bright day, so I could easily see the flame of the rocket but it was hard to make out the actual rocket. I could see the flame seem to turn as it crossed into the outer atmosphere. I watched the landing on the livestream on my phone. It was a good experiment because if I bought property in this area, I would know what to expect as far as visibility to the launches - and further away would then be less visibility.

As I drove south along the ocean side, I found a public beach and decided you know what, I didn't get to swim in the water in St. Augustine, today may be the day I go for a swim. So I found a place where I could park for just a couple bucks, and a changing room, and I threw my swimsuit on and I went out and just soaked in the ocean and bobbed in the waves exactly like I love to do. At that point I didn't really have much of a schedule except for Swing Dad's later that night. So it didn't really matter how long I stayed and I wasn't really stressed out about anything which is really a wonderful way of spending a Saturday afternoon. But, as happens in Florida sometimes, a cloud turned dark in the distance, and I recognized the distinct possibility it'd be raining and lightning soon. I got to my car just as my parking expired and just as the storm rolled in. Driving through the rain, I went to go see a couple more properties and then I headed back to my hotel. I had a little bit of downtime and then showered and got ready for the swing dance.

I hit my second little snafu when I got to the dance - pulling out what I thought were my dance shoes. The bag I had packed and brought with me, for some reason, had two left shoes in there. One was a dance shoe and one was a regular walking/running shoe. I thought for a moment, how could I possibly put both of these on, one on the wrong foot, and make it still work? Because I was currently wearing flip flops and that wasn't going to be a great dance experience. But then I remembered that I also had walking shoes in the car just in case I wanted to get out and walk the properties. So I ran out and got those, and at least there was a left and a right shoe. And luckily, they were not super sticky on the floor, so I could still dance sufficiently. And they weren't flip-flops.

I had a great time dancing. It's always a little awkward being a newbie because the regulars aren't sure my skill level or even if I'm friendly. But being alone helps with the latter, I think, because they know I'm not there "with" someone at least. Maybe it would be better to be with a dance partner who could show me off. But it didn't take long for someone to ask me to dance, and after a few more dances I was able to do some excellent Lindy swing outs and tricky Charleston follows. I even thought I recognized somebody from Camp Hollywood, and when he asked me to dance, I confirmed that to be the case. Between dances, I socialized with the newbies sitting on either side of me, who were just learning, and they complimented my dancing. When I danced with the lesson's teacher, I inquired if the Shim Sham was a regular thing, and she said it can definitely be requested. As is common at these socials, they took a break to do announcements, then invited me for an out-of-towner dance in which everyone not dancing stands in a circle and the leads continually "steal" me from my partner. After that, they put on the Shim Sham and I was happy to partake in that at my request.

All day Saturday, even though I was looking at different properties and doing other fun activities, I couldn't help but continue thinking about that property I'd seen Friday - the first one I had looked at. I decided to do a little bit more due diligence on both the company I'd be buying it from as well as the actual property and the county zoning and all of that. So Sunday morning, I let myself sleep in and then went to the hot tub before I showered. I had the hot tub to myself, which filled me with joy and let me focus on the task at hand. I finished doing my research on the company and on the county zoning, and decided everything checked out. With no other doubts I could think of or decision points I needed to wrestle with, I went ahead and purchased the property. Woohoo! I am now under contract for a little less than an acre 20 minutes outside of St. Augustine and I couldn't be more excited! 

I tried getting under the waterfall in the hot tub, which turned out to be an extraordinary massage with the heated water hitting my neck and back with the perfect amount of force. When the hot tub became a little too hot in the rapidly rising Florida heat, I hopped over to the pool which I also had to myself. I caught up on texts with friends and family before deciding to head in and get ready to go for the day. Even though I had now committed to a property, I still wanted to finish my full exploration.

After I finally got my butt through the shower and ready, I decided to check out the nearby Disney Celebration neighborhood before heading west. This has been a neighborhood on my radar for years, for some reason I thought all the houses there were exorbitantly expensive. But actually, I looked on Zillow and there were houses that were in reasonable price ranges and even some that were relatively cheap compared to what I'm used to in Texas. There were the multi-million dollar houses also, and I kind of wanted to see what that looked like. There were a few houses that had open houses on Sunday so I decided to at least look at them, although not necessarily go in for the open house. I had originally considered attending open houses but realized that just comes with a lot of unnecessary explaining and sales pressure, and I wasn't all that concerned with the interiors at this point anyways. Until I'm actually ready to move, I'd stick to more of just the driveby's to have a feel for the areas I could potentially consider in the future. So that's what I did. I went over to the Celebration neighborhood which was coincidentally really close to my hotel. After I saw the first house, I took a little detour on my way to the second house. I saw a little boardwalk that went into a forested area and I thought that was pretty cool looking. I parked and got out to walk it a little bit. That brought me quickly to a little pond which was very scenic and filled with wildlife -  fish jumping and making ripples, and a woodpecker in the tree by the walkway. There were several people walking and running and even biking as I was walking along and so it just seemed like a really vibrant, healthy way to get a workout in and be among nature, which is really cool. I walked a little bit further, but it just seemed like it was a really nice path and I could picture myself actually living in that neighborhood and running on that boardwalk.

There was one street on which I really enjoyed all the houses, they were all different styles and all very big. And you know, multi-million dollar, beautiful mini mansions. But I just loved all the different styles. I liked how a lot of them had a kind of archway that you would drive through to get to the garage in the back, so that takes the garage away from being the front and center part of your house. A highlight for me was, of course, the traditional and modern takes on turrets, which I just love. You know I love my turrets! I took a lot of pictures on that street, and I mean, if that isn't the dream right there I don't know what is.

I was completely struck by how the whole area felt very Disney themed without having explicit Mickey Mouses everywhere. It's kind of hard to put my finger on it, exactly, but the architecture and the motif, the art deco perhaps, it all just felt like Main Street Disneyland and a little bit like Hollywood Studios, again without being super explicit with theming. Just having that little touch, that little nuance, little textures, all the buildings had little flares of whimsy and clean old-timey throwbacks, and it was just so, so put together. I could really see how if you want to live in Florida and you have some money, why you would want to live in Celebration. It just feels like the perfect Utopian neighborhood. I was struck by the 7-Eleven as I exited the neighborhood. It was also done up like that, and I just I couldn't help myself. I needed to get gas anyways, so I stopped there to get gas and I went into the store to get some snacks. And of course they were selling Disney items and Mickey ears and all of that.

Finally, I headed west and went to the Clearwater/Tampa/Pinellas area. The traffic was much worse going this way and I'm not sure that I would like that permanently. I also didn't love the vibe there. It felt almost like Texas. I did get a chance to scope out the beach. To do so, I parked in a permit only lot, but I figured I'd only be there for a few minutes. I walked down and just got my feet in the water for a few minutes. I do love the warm, clear water of the Gulf. I remember it from living in Panama City Beach, and I could instantly recognize the appeal of the place, even if the establishments and traffic are less desirable. It's just absolutely amazing - there's nothing like it! After a few minutes on the beach, with my feet in the water, taking a couple selfies, I headed back up to my forbidden parking lot. I love how every beach I've been to seems to have a full shower and a foot wash right there as you exit. It's amazing, such a little thing and yet so helpful. I washed my feet off real quick and popped back into my Jeep to get back on the road.

What I've really liked about this trip is that I have a rough schedule - a rough aim, a destination of where I want to go, and approximately when - but other than that, I'm by myself and I'm doing whatever I want to do. I'm listening to audiobooks. I'm doing a lot of deep thinking and planning for the future, and I'm listening to music when I don't feel like I have the brain power to do anything else. I'm belting my own karaoke performances at the top of my lungs. So all this driving around isn't just wasted time. I'm actually working on stuff mentally. I'm learning. I'm thinking big picture ideas. I'm planning for the future and I'm enjoying myself. When I have to use the restroom, I stop at gas stations or fast food chains and I don't really stop to eat for very long. Although, I thought about giving myself a break from driving and sitting down to eat somewhere, but I just keep going because it's so much fun to just be on the move and check out the different areas.

My Publix cold pack bag has been very handy - I've put cold stuff in there in the morning, including my carrots which I am still trying to force myself to eat in between meals instead of the other options for snacks. I can fill it with new drinks and stuff that I'm buying at the gas stations to keep me fueled and hydrated. I stop when I want to stop and I keep going when I want to keep going and it's just been really liberating. I feel like I don't have any responsibilities. Everything is taken care of or can be taken care of with a swipe of a credit card. I'm not really spending that much money while I'm here, just gas and a handful of snacks or quick meals. The food at the hotel is free for me so stocking up there means I don't need to purchase a lot while I'm on the road. And since the hotel was free, the biggest expense really was my plane ticket. And of course, I did splurge for first class because I'm a brat like that.

I hit another storm on my way home from the west coast, but safely made it back to my hotel. The storm deterred my interest in going out somewhere fun for dinner, which was fine. I was glad that I had already toured around the Celebration neighborhood when it had still been sunny. I grabbed some food to make into dinner from the hotel pantry and basically collapsed into my bed. I finished three audio books on this trip - one which had previously been started and one which was a re-read, but still. I played on my phone, posted pictures, caught up on texts with Sam and Ryan and Darc, and then passed out.

What I want readers to get out of this is the idea that if there's something that you want to do, it doesn't have to be the traditional vacation. I'm here in Florida and a lot of people might think that I'm crazy for not just staying at the beach all day, or not going to one of the theme parks even though I proclaim that I love them. There's lots of events and things to do here, but that's not the focus that I wanted on this trip. And I think that's okay, I'm enjoying what I'm doing. Hell, it's more than okay. I'm learning. I'm getting me time - and that's something that's pretty hard for me to do typically. I usually hate driving, especially long distances or in traffic, but I'm making the most of it and it doesn't stress me out because I don't have a strict schedule. And I have an overwhelming sense that life is good.

So if you have something that you want to do, even if it seems silly or other people don't understand it, I want you to know that you can. You can make the plan. You can save up the money. You can go and do whatever that thing is. It doesn't have to be what normal people would do in a certain area and it doesn't have to be super expensive. I feel like I'm living my best life, even though I'm pretty much going from gas station to gas station. Even though I hate driving, I'm making the drive work in my favor - forcing focus and creation and decompression. If I can enjoy driving this much, then certainly you can find what makes you happy that is or is not aligned with the "norm." And follow your gut  - if you make a plan and you decide you don't want to do that thing anymore, do what you think is going to make you happiest.

Follow my lead, and do your own version of my Florida Dreamin'!

Fireworks in Tasmania

The trip had been planned for months. Still, I had no clue which way it would go. And no, it didn't go the way I would have dreamed it to go. But it did go our way. Sam and I. He's deliberate but careful, overwhelmingly thoughtful and yet stubborn, openly honest but not very reassuring. Someone, who to their credit was happily married for several decades, once told me that the things we love most about our partner are often also the things that frustrate the hell out of us. I saw the merit in that insight back then, and I see it now. Do I want to rush in to a fiery, passionate star-crossed romance with a sexy Australian? Yeah, I mean, that sounds amazing, right? But that's not how Sam works and that's not necessarily really the best way to go about things. I may be compromising too much of myself, but for whatever reason I feel like I can trust the process, and my heart, to him. So we're doing it our way. And I am happy.

Sam was right on time to meet me at the airport in Hobart. He gave me a big hug and a small kiss, par for his aversion to PDA. We got our rental car and headed off to our Tasmanian adventure. Despite living in Australia all his life, Sam has never visited the island, but the things he wanted to do I was totally aligned with. That is a big plus with him and I - we enjoy the same types of activities and appreciate nature in very similar ways, sometimes in uncanny ways like how we're both totally obsessed with driving through a canopy of trees. I had booked an AirBnB near Hobart but right by a southern beach. It is summer in December, after all. I also had the tiniest of hopes, more of a fun topic of conversation than a real semblance of probability, that if the Aurora spiked enough, we'd be able to catch a glimpse of the Southern Lights. Doing that the same year I first saw the Northern Lights would be quite a story! After getting our things into our room, I couldn't put off my anticipation any longer, and we walked the 100 feet or so to the beach. It was cool, being quite south it wasn't going to feel like a hot summer day there, but the sea breeze blew in the freshest air this world can offer, and I delighted in getting my feet into the frigid water.

We found dinner at a nearby pub and called it a night - it was a long travel day for me after all, and a short travel day but a travel day nonetheless for him and we were pretty beat. I was now traveling with my new CPAP machine but had to resign to not using it that first night because we couldn't get it to plug into my universal plug converter.

I woke up early and felt my asthma raging still from Milan, so I packed my bag to include my water and go go juice and left a note for Sam, and made my way back to the beach. For about two hours, I sat or ambled up and down the shore, taking big, deep breaths of that wonderful air and letting my feet get wet as they got used to the cold. No less than four dogs ditched their hoomans to approach me either for pets or to throw their balls or sticks for them. It was very sweet and filled me with joy. I eventually decided to sit on a bench a little ways away from the water to attempt to photograph the magnificent birds that were colorful when they flew but rather bland when perched. Only a short time later, Sam came down the path and I met him on the beach. We enjoyed it together for a bit before heading back to our room to get ready for the day.

First stop was a small mall to look for another plug converter so I'd hopefully be able to utilize my CPAP. Sam expertly navigated the stores to find exactly what we needed. Then Sam drove us up to the summit of Mount Wellington to take in the views. It was even colder up there for obvious reasons, and a little windy. Still, we took our time to enjoy the scenery before heading into town. 

We stopped at a brewery Sam wanted me to try, and even though Sam claims he doesn't like beer, I expertly picked out two beers for myself that I thought he'd like and he was surprised how much he enjoyed them.

The Museum of Old and New Art, or MONA, did not disappoint. Neither of us are big on museums, yet when something so significant or unique exists, we'll give it a go. There were some strange and unique exhibits, and the unique feature that there are no placards in the walls; instead, guests are encouraged to use the museum's app to identify nearby exhibits and learn about them that way. After a bit, I was ready for a break and inquired about a very exclusive-looking club. They let us in and then entrance alone was an experience. It's hard to describe but basically you're walking on a raised platform but the lighting is such that you don't realize there is a drop in the floor. It just looks my like the pathway is perpetually framed. And it is a trip (no pun intended - so be careful if you go)! The food and drinks menu were also pretty fascinating. And then I noticed a woman - a patron? a performer? a terrorist? - walked in wearing a full ski mask, and stared at us. Later, she jumped on the counter, which greatly improved my confidence that my hypothesis of her being a living exhibit was correct. She struck various poses around the restaurant and stared at people.

Two exhibits particularly stood out for me. The first was a machine which replicated the human digestive process from "eating" which smelled like a garbage disposal, to "pooping." And that's it.

The other exhibit was more of a performance, but I tied it back later to a greater artwork and messaging. I was literally invited into a room, lured by the promise of champagne and chocolate, but was told it was for women only and Sam could not accompany me. He encouraged me to go and with that I was whisked behind a curtain and into a room noticeably with busts of penises on the wall and two men in the center, delivering a speech apologizing to women for all the double standards and unfair burdens impressed on women by their fellow men. I was handed my champagne and joined in listening to the speech already well underway alongside about a dozen other women. The speech was over shortly after, and not two beats went by before the next performance commenced. This one was less intellectual. One of the men simply announced he wanted to apologize with his body, and the two went to work shaking their booties, giving lap dances and stripping off their clothes. The women in the room were screaming and recording and dancing. I personally had both men dance on me, and I took a few pictures and a short video but felt weird recording such a show. After a bit, I excused myself and saw that a long line of women had formed to enter. Upon rejoining Sam, I noticed that the wall immediately next to the curtained room from which I had just left had busts of vaginas on it, and there were comfy looking lounge chairs facing that display and lush rugs in between. I took it to mean that the sexuality of men is out in the open but that of women is veiled. It works on many levels. Well done to the artist!

We then returned to the digestion machine for the demonstration of it "eating" which was, in my opinion, anticlimactic and not really noteworthy other than that it indeed happens to assure anyone who may not believe the origin of the poo at the other end.

Earlier, Sam had mentioned the possibility of going to the Taste of Tasmania that was going on. After we were done in the museum, I suggested we could still go and he didn't see as enthusiastic but decided we had to eat dinner anyway right? We walked around and scoped out all the options before selecting some food and drink and secured a couple seats at a table to eat at. It was a very full day so it was great that we were able to squeeze some cuddle time in before crashing.

We were up early the next morning for our drive north. We stopped in a small town bakery to get a sausage roll, meat pie and a pasty. It was pretty late in the afternoon when we finally arrived at Cradle Mountain. Sam specifically wanted to do a little hiking around Dove Lake, but the route to drive anywhere near it was closed to traffic. We parked at the small lot for the interpretation center and walked towards it in the rain. I figured out we could pay for a shuttle to take us there, but it seemed like we had to go back to the main Visitor Center that looked like a parking noghtmare. I tried getting them online to no avail but then found a ticketing machine. I got stumped by the when it asked for our registration number and was about to give up. Sam interpreted for me - that meant license plate. So with our teamwork, we managed to not only catch a shuttle to Dove Lake, but we kind of hacked the system by parking there instead of the main Visitor Center area. We indeed hiked around a bit and took some nice photos. It was overcast and drizzly which dulled both of our moods a bit and made for less than spectacular scenery, but we still enjoyed it.

Satisfied with our hiking adventure, we took the shuttle back to our car and drove back towards a small town called Deloraine which Sam kept teasingly mispronouncing as Delorean. We had dinner at a pub there and then made our way through some pretty remote and wild roads to our AirBnB for the night. I spotted three wallabies on the way! There, we checked into "The Eyeful Tower". 

After settling in, I started some laundry which I had planned to do here to minimize how much I needed to pack. With no TV (gasp!) we first had some deep conversations - where are we in the relationship, etc - and then entertained ourselves with some trivia until it got dark enough to stargaze. We didn't go far because of how dark it was, but we didn't need to. Being in a completely dark sky area, the night sky lit up even from behind the cloudcover. Jupiter played hide and go seek with us and part of the Milky Way was visible for a bit. Sam was in awe - he had never seen a sky so clear (and this was not as clear as it could be, not by a long shot)! I enjoyed showing him the planets and stars and discussing meteor showers - he and I both saw a quick flash that may have been a meteor. I shot some poorly angled pictures, missing my tripod, before we headed to our separate beds. I took the master upstairs with it's glorious views and Sam cozied up next to the wood burning fireplace that the owner had lit for us.

I had a spectacular view to wake up to, and I leisurely took a shower and got ready before heading downstairs. Sam got ready and we were on our way out in no time. Our next stop was easily the photographic highlight of our Tasmanian vacation, if not the actual highlight - Tasmania Zoo. Sam had found out that we could have our picture taken holding a Tasmanian Devil and that just sounded like something we both needed in our lives. We made our way into the zoo and bought the extra experience for noon. In the meantime, we covered the whole grounds admiring almost all of the animals of the zoo, including albino and regular kangaroos, lots of colorful birds, different types of monkeys, meerkats, lions and tigers (oh my)! and two beautiful giraffes. The wombat mostly eluded us - we were able to see that he was in a hidey hole on his backside but could only really make out one little foot in the air. We saw and learned about the binturong. And of course, we were so excited to see the little Tassie Devils out and about. We returned to the waiting area for the experience and were not disappointed - an adorable baby Tasmanian Devil was handed to us one at a time and we were able to take pictures on our cameras and pet the little guy before the next person's turn. Once the complimentary photos were printed, we visited the gift shop and headed out.

As we made our way back towards Hobart, we made a couple fun stops. Sam had grown up eating hazelnuts from Turkey which produces 70% of the world's hazelnuts. There was a hazelnut farm on our route so Sam wanted to stop, hypothesizing that they couldn't possibly be as good as those from Turkey. He was pleasantly surprised at how good they were, and I got to try my first hazelnuts. We ended up buying a few packs before departing the nut house. 

Next, we stopped at a cheese place I had seen on our way up - called Wicked Cheese. We got to try some samples before I bought a small block for us to enjoy with our champagne for New Year's.

Sam wanted some solo exploring time for the evening so he took the car and I listened to my audio book and took a stroll down the beach and along the park pathway nearby.

Australia does two fireworks shows to ring in the New Year - one around 9 pm so that children and families can partake before bedtime, and one at midnight. Sam identified a great viewing area to watch the Hobart fireworks from across the water. After the show, we watched some TV and then rang in 2025 with champagne, cheese and crackers, and a kiss of course, in our room. It was perfect.

The next morning we packed up and headed to the airport for our midday flight to Sydney. Sam got me to my hotel and we went to McDonald's before he took the train home to celebrate New Year's with his family. And so concluded our Tasmanian adventure. I feel like we are closer than ever now and we cleared up some things that needed to be said between us. I adore him and can't wait to see him again tomorrow night - I surprised him with tickets to Hamilton!

2024: Planning for Me

Water

For as long as I can remember, I have been infatuated with water. Maybe it’s a survival instinct, having grown up and then returning in my adult life to desert environments. But I think it's more about the sensory, either soothingly warm or refreshingly cool, the calming sounds, the literal lightness of being in water, that draws me in. As early as I can remember, I think it started with not wanting to transition from childish baths to grown-up showers. But even when I did, I took long showers. My family noticed and made fun of me, but that didn't necessarily deter my behaviors. I remember an early childhood vacation with just me and my parents to Shell Beach in California, my Mom teaching me how to let my feet sink into the sand as the ocean waves rose and ceded around them, and me playing in the pool as long as my parents would allow me to and pushing the boundaries at that.

I love swimming. Not necessarily swimming for exercise, although I try to do that now when the weather allows. Moreso, I love moving in water. Whether its stretching out and floating, letting the water push me around where it will, or cycling my legs and moving them around while bobbing up and down, or calmly doing the elementary backstroke while taking in the view, I love the feeling of moving in water. I have another childhood memory that encompasses this: while we were moving to New Jersey, my parents and I stayed in a hotel for most of the summer and I met a boy around my age who was also there for a long-term stay. He and I would spend hours in the pool together and, while I may have liked him romantically, I don't recall there ever being anything suggestive in the pool with him. Rather, we put together and perfected what we thought was a pretty neat series of circus-like underwater tricks which we'd perform for unimpressed adults. I think he must have shared my love of the water because we both seemed to think what we were doing was amazing, and it clearly wasn't. In my pool here in Palmdale, I find it absolutely breathtaking (not literally) to see the depth from under the water, see the crazy lines the sun and small waves make on the pool floor, it's like a secret world that's all my own. It's hard to describe but it's just one of those things that absolutely thrills me. Easily thrilled, right?

I wrote a post a couple years ago about my happy places - locations to which I've loved traveling to that make me happy. The three places all have to do with water. Oahu, or Hawaii more generally as I can now count Maui in my travel experience, is lovely because of the beautiful oceans and eternal summer allowing for year-round swimming and walks on the beach. Among many other things, I love Japan for its hot springs culture - soaking in an Onsen (hot spring) was a life-changing experience for me and I've been back many times to do just that, and I especially loved my room on the beautiful island of Miyajima which had its own private Onsen. The third location is Venice, which is known for being basically waterlocked and having canals throughout the city and bridges going over the canals. In fact, in one of my favorite pictures from Venice, I'm wearing a shirt that says, "Life is better by the water."

When I moved from Arizona to Connecticut, one of the non-negotiables for me was to have a heated pool. I one-upped this when I moved to Florida and got a house right by the beach. I loved walking or running down to the beach, stretching while the sun rose over the ocean or jumping in to the warm, clear water when the weather was good. That beach in PCB is what broke me of my terror of sand, since its sand was clean, thin white "sugar sand" which I learned to tolerate. When we moved to San Diego, I wanted to live downtown and, against my better judgment, did not buy a place with a bathtub, which I very quickly regretted and compensated for by planning my vacations around what kind of baths different places had. The bonus of living in San Diego was that we were very close to the ocean and when I went for my morning run in Balboa Park - one of the best venues for running in my experience - I could soak up that ocean air and it made me feel so good. Having learned my lessons, the house I bought in Palmdale has a heated pool, a hot tub, and a nice size soaking bathtub in the master, in addition to regular showers and tubs. Many people have commented on how I'm practically living in a resort, and I tend to agree, it's just about perfect, or at least as perfect as it can be in Palmdale, California.

Unlike most people, I can spend hours in the hot tub. I especially enjoy my own private hot tub in the cold of the desert winter - going out there  weekend mornings and watching the sunrise in my hot tub is my own private zen paradise. I'll often be weirdly productive in the hot tub - I'll bring my breakfast, listen to my audiobook or do some writing, sometimes I'll even bring my work laptop out with me and knock out computer based trainings that I'm required to do.

I like being on boats - cruise ships or speed boats or ferries or jet skis. Not only do they afford me the chance to bring back that never-dying song, "I'm on a Boat" by Lonely Island, but I just love the feeling of floating or crashing through waves, whichever the case may be. Even though sometimes it makes me motion sick, I still love it. I'm down for whale watching tours even if we don't see whales, because being on the water makes me so happy. And, I'm usually pretty lucky when it comes to wildlife sightings so we usually see something cool. Queue video of mama and baby humpback whale coming within feet of our snorkeling tour boat this past week. AMAZING! 

When I'm on the beach or in the ocean, I feel like I'm more myself - even though I hate sand. I feel healthy, like I can breathe better, figuratively and literally/physically. I can meditate on the ocean surf crashing on the beach, rising and falling, and that relieves the inner turmoil in my head and the physical pain from migraine. I can float comfortably when I'm in the ocean, and I am comfortable swimming as needed. I enjoy snorkeling when the water is clear, and I have had some extraordinary experiences with sea turtles or in the Great Barrier Reef, and most recently at Molokini Crater which has visibility up to 150 or 200 feet!

It makes me think that my life needs more beach in it. I'm like Ken from the Barbie movie, I just Beach. I don't lifeguard, and I'm not a surfer, I Beach, and I'm good at it. I've been living in Los Angeles County for over two years but have only gone out to the beach a handful of times, twice just to see the airshow and not actually, you know, beach. Being in Maui the last couple weeks has reminded me how much I love the ocean, and I think I'd be most happy living at a beach. Whether that's a Florida beach or California, or Hawaii or Australia or some other wild destination, I don't think it matters. As long as I can beach. And in the meantime, I will enjoy both my pool and hot tub, and should probably make the most of my proximity to the LA area beaches. Afterall, I used to drive 6 hours from Arizona for the chance to see a beach like that, what's an hour or two on the weekend compared to that?

 

Finding Me

I feel like 2023 was a lot about finding myself again after the decade-long relationship. I tend to like what my significant other likes, so long as I tolerated it before, and so being intertwined for so many years has made me wonder what parts of our lives were me and what parts were him.

Returning to swing dancing was a really big thing for me in 2023, and I'm so glad for it. It's still not convenient in any way, but every time I go, even if I wasn't feeling it, I end up deciding it was worth it. The irony is that my ex- and I had met swing dancing, so you'd think that wouldn't be something he'd have taken me away from. But in our breakup I learned he was still, STILL holding onto this wild idea that I had cheated and would continue to cheat with another swing dancer I had been seeing before him, even though I had never once cheated on him and stopped talking to the guy once I found out how much it upset my ex- that we were still friends. Insane, right?

I doubled-down on my love for Lego, I guess that's staying. That was one in which my ex- and I sort of enabled and magnified in each other's habits, so I wasn't sure if it was mine solely after the breakup, but I also recall that I did love Lego before I met him, and I have continued to enjoy building when I make time to do so, so I'm claiming it.

Walking outdoors has been another thing I continue to return to. I was never stopped from doing that per se in my relationship, but it got more challenging when I was torn between that and spending time with him, or just so exhausted that the simple distraction of the TV shows was enough to deflate any motivation I had in me.

Resolutions for 2024

This has been a long, winding and perhaps somewhat disconnected path to get to where I want to go in 2024. Having learned some devastating news related to work a couple weeks ago, I already know that my job, work life and potentially living location may be in flux next year, and I'm living with a lot of uncertainty going into the new year.  I often take inspiration from Pantone's Color of the Year and their description of their selection, but this year I found it too soft and uninspiring for the way I plan to take on the year I turn 40. I am not ready to let life just pass me by, I want to maintain and double down on the themes I started in 2023: living with intention, getting into space and nature, reconnecting deeply and creating ease in my life. But I also don't want to "just" do those things again. I was reminded whole on my vacation in Maui that family time is fun but not to lose myself or forget to carve out time for me to relax, and that was much needed then and will likely be needed over and over again on 2024.

I feel like all signs point me to water, and I need to find myself, no, make myself, live with water as a prominent part of my life, whatever that means. And now that I've rediscovered what I love, I want to do more of that. I want to write more, and I want to lose the weight. I am frustrated that the Milky Way has alluded me when I seek it out, and it makes me want to see it even more. I don't know how I'm going to accomplish all the things I want to do, but I know I want to make things happen in 2024. I want to be the person who I envision for myself. I want to make me who I imagine I could be.

I feel like I'm still rebuilding my life and making me. When you make something, you usually don't just wing it, you have a plan. So I think what I can do, right here, in 2023, to make sure I feel good about 2024 in a year from now, is to make a plan. I've also found that planning a vacation or roadtrip, even if its short, has been therapeutic for me. So I think my general theme for 2024 is to plan time for me. And the specifics are:

Have a Plan for Every New Moon
Make Plans to Write Each Month
Plan for Swing Dance
Get to the Water
Fix What's Broken
Spend Less
Eat Well
Move

Happy New Year, everyone, and I hope you find inspiration in these posts and have a fantastic 2024! 

Makai, Toji, Abbiocco: My Favorite Places to Travel To

One of the hardest things about 2020 was the inability and reluctance to travel - obviously, some travel was technically possible but it would be far more difficult than normal and risky, of course. Before the COVID crisis really escalated, we were fortunate enough to take a 16-day cruise through the Panama Canal, which also brought us to a beautiful island in the Bahamas, Columbia, and multiple destinations in Mexico. And while that was a lengthy and extravagant vacation, it seems so long ago, even though it has been less than a year. We moved to San Diego shortly after, and would have loved to hit up Sea World and Disneyland, but both have been closed since we got here. The San Diego Zoo opened for a bit, and we got memberships and have visited often, but it is now closed again. The biggest disappointment was that the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, which we had tickets to and had been looking forward to for years! Hopefully, we'll be able to go this year if the games are not cancelled altogether.

While I think about 2021, I knew January 1st wouldn't mean COVID disappears and politics are perfect and racism no longer exists or anything like that. But I do see in 2021 a hope for healing - healing for our country, the start of the end of the pandemic, the ability to gather again and hug one another, healing to be had at funeral services postponed from last year, and maybe even better understanding and practices around race issues. Indeed, one can hope, right? And the thing that I look forward to most is to be able to travel without extraneous precaution or guilt. And though that is still in the future right now, I've been thinking about the reasons I like to travel and the places I've loved and want to visit again.

I've yet to visit South America in earnest (having just merely touched down in Columbia on our cruise) or Africa. In addition, there are many more places in Europe and Asia I'd like to visit, not to mention other places here in America. But I have visited three countries in Europe, two countries in Asia, multiple cities in Australia, and many states and landmarks in America. From these travels, there are three places I've felt absolutely, indulgently, at a peaceful perfection. I call these my "Happy Places" but they are so much more than that. They are places that calm, heal and inspire me. In the spirit of, "Eat, Pray, Love" I present a slightly lengthier version: "Makai, Toji, Abbiocco." These are words in the native languages of my three places.

Makai: Oahu

I may very well be taking this Hawaiian word way out of context, but I love the sentiment. It is common in Hawaii to give directions that mean towards the mountains (mauka) and towards the ocean (makai). My happiest place on Earth is at a specific restaurant on Waikiki called House Without a Key (which I often forget the name of, and call it Room without a Door instead). I discovered it the second time I went to Hawaii - the first time I went with my sister, nephew and Mom, and we stayed in Waikiki but on the other side of the beach. The second time I went was with Jaiman and his family for his grandmother's 80th birthday, and that was when I discovered this beautiful restraurant. There are a number of elements that make it perfect for me. For one, they have live traditional Hawaiian music performed nightly with hula dancers, which just puts me in a sort of zen trance. Another selling point is the fabulous cocktails - the Mai Tai is to Mai Die for! There is usually plenty of seating, and just enough lighting to see the people you're with but not so much that it drowns out the serene landscape as the sun sets. By far, the best part of it, though, is the location - it is settled right on the beach, with captivating views of Diamond Head and the whole Waikiki landscape, and of course, the beautiful big blue ocean. But, it is just slightly elevated so as not to be sandy - those of you who know me well know that I have a very strong aversion of sand and sandy feet. My love of the ocean is almost perfectly matched by my absolute hate of dirt and sand. Having lived in Panama City Beach, Florida for over a year, I got better about sand, especially because the sand there was much thinner and cleaner, so it put me more at ease. Now that we live in San Diego, I hope to go to the beach frequently, although it certainly won't be as often as when we lived in Florida because it's quite a hassle. Due to COVID precautions and shut-downs, we've only gone once, for my birthday, so far, but hopefully that will change in 2021. 

Anyways, I would love to return to Hawaii and explore more of the islands - I hear Maui is very nice and would like to visit that island. However, I think I'll still want to return to Waikiki and visit House Without a Key. I think it's so captivating because it indulges all my senses - the smell of the ocean breeze, the taste of the Mai Tai, the sound of the Hawaiian music, the breathtaking sights of the water, beach, mountains and dancers, and the feel of stable concrete under my feet (instead of sand). One of the things I loved about my last visit to Oahu was driving around the island, listening to Hawaiian radio and taking in the various sights, and then winding up at House Without a Key at the end of the day, as if that was my home base. A Hawaiian phrase I love is "Nānā i ke kumu" which means "Look to your Sense of Place and sources of spirit, and you find your truth." That is what House Without a Key is for me. Click here to watch the video recap of our trip to Oahu when I found this little piece of heaven on earth.

Toji: Miyajima

My Host Family, the Mitsuis

I studied abroad in Hiroshima during college, and my Host Mom gave me one of the most memorable and liberating experiences of my life, bringing me (unbeknownst to me) to an Onsen, or Japanese hot spring bathing house. The waters of the Onsen are considered healing and promote beauty and wellness. As long as I can remember, I've always loved taking baths, perhaps even more than I love swimming in the ocean, so the Onsen is a little like the ultimate bath. However, there are some things about the Onsen that are a bit foreign to Americans, especially a young, naïve, white, well-endowed American woman. For one, no bathing suits or coverings are permitted in the Onsen. In fact, the tiny towels (hardly larger than a hand towel) must be kept 15 feet or so away from the bath. 

The Onsen

So, if you're not comfortable with nudity and with being completely exposed, you may be a bit challenged in the Onsen. To be sure, male and female areas are separate, so you're only naked among your own gender. However, Japanese women's bodies are quite different than, well, than mine. And it is not considered rude to stare like it would be in America. So my boobs, free of a bra and all other coverings, attracted unabashed eyes everywhere I went. 

For added drama, my American classmate who was with me had a giant tiger tattoo over her stomach, which attracted not only stares but dirty looks, as tattoos are quite taboo in Japan. What's more, there is an element of racism, or at least a belief that Americans are "dirty," thus many Japanese women would exit the baths when they saw us coming, whether it was because we were white or because of the tattoo, we would never know. Anyways, it was a little like baptism by fire, I quickly had to become comfortable with my nudity in order to enjoy myself. 

Sakino outside the Onsen

Ultimately, I really did enjoy the hot, fresh water, the serenity of the surroundings, and the social aspect with my classmate our Host Moms. We even sort of met up with the guys in our group on the rooftop, separated by a fence but able to talk to each other when we ended up there at the same time. Ever since that first experience, I have been quite comfortable with my nudity, whether it's at a doctor, with a massage therapist, in a tanning bed, or, of course, in an Onsen. We were able to somewhat replicate the Onsen experience in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, when we stayed at a hot springs hotel there. Most of the hot spring baths were public, mixed-gender and required swim suits or coverings. But, you could rent a private hot spring bath overlooking the river, and obviously wear whatever you want in there. However, the whole experience just wasn't quite as tranquil as the Onsen in Japan. 

Another place we visited while I studied there was the island of Miyajima, a ferry ride away from Hiroshima, where the deer will walk right up to you and try to steal your food or rifle through your bag. Supposedly, there are equally friendly monkeys in the mountains there, but in two journeys up and down the mountain, I have yet to come across them, and I've heard the same from other travelers. 

When Jaiman and I went to Japan for his first time, I insisted we make the trip to Miyajima and stay on the island for a few days. When we arrived, we were exhausted from travel and I had totally forgotten all about the amazing room I had booked. We stayed at the Miyajima Grand Hotel Arimoto, and the room I had booked was a traditional Japanese-style apartment with a private Onsen bathtub on the patio. "Toji" is the word for Onsen therapy, and that was exactly what I did for as much time as I could while in Miyajima. My body's clock was off the whole trip, so I'd wake up around 3 am full of energy and unable to sleep one more second, so I'd get up from the futon and soak in the Onsen for hours until Jaiman got up. We also enjoyed the meals there, as well as the Buddhist temples and Shinto Shrine, and of course, the deer and the natural beauty of the little island. Thus, Miyajima is my second happy place on Earth. Read more about Miyajima here.

There are also a ton of other amazing things to do in Japan. If you're interested, read my Japan Guide here.

Abbiocco: Venice

Because I've been so interested in Asia and focused so much of my travel thus far to Japan and China, I've only been to Europe once so far, visiting Italy, France and Spain. I am sure there is so much more to enjoy in Europe, but from my limited experience thus far, Venice was absolutely and by far my favorite city. The fact that it sits on water and a series of canals probably has a lot to do with it - I love all things water, from baths and hot springs to boats and the ocean, and canals and rivers are certainly part of that. But when I think about Venice, it's not just the beautiful landscape and bajillion winding corridors and bridges that I long for. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so it wasn't the gelato, although that was delicious. And it wasn't necessarily the food itself, although it was all amazing, and perfectly paired with the abundant amounts of wine we had. What I love about it is the feeling of eating in this vibrant yet serene place. So the word I chose, abbiocco, is Italian for "the drowsiness that follows eating a big meal."

Honorable Mentions

Uluru - Perhaps the only place I absolutely loved that wasn't associated with water; in fact, it may be the perfect antithesis to water. There are a number of activities to do in and around the resort complex and the giant Ayer's Rock, Uluru, but I most enjoyed the view of the rock from our room. Read more here.

Niagara Falls - There are so many activities to do at Niagara Falls, not to mention the amazing ice wineries just a half hour north in Niagara-on-the-Lake, but my favorite memory of Niagara was having the amazing view of the falls from the comfort of our bed in our hotel room at the Sheraton on the Falls. 

Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas - The Fountain View rooms with balconies at the Cosmo afford amazing views, and many have nice bath tubs. We also love Secret Pizza and the many other delicious offerings at the Cosmo. During COVID lockdown, with so much closed, we went to the Cosmo twice, once for a small wedding, and once just to chill in luxury - we literally don't have to leave the hotel because it has just about everything we need to enjoy ourselves (and just a short walk away from our favorite Vegas drinks). 

Taku Glacier Lodge in Alaska - This was an excursion I did all on my own when my family did an Alaskan cruise. There are a lot of really wonderful and exciting things to do and see in Alaska, but this is one of the more unique experiences that I would do again in a heart beat. The excursion from Juneau included a round-trip ride on a seaplane to this remote little area overlooking a glacier and serving up a fishbake in a cozy little wilderness lodge. I don't usually enjoy eating fish, but I had to try it. I also enjoyed walking around the grounds, where a guide identified bear droppings - the possibility of running into a bear on the trail was a little exhilarating. Click here to watch my video recap.

 

 

A cabin in Show Low for Christmas - Throughout my travels, I have often found that I've gotten lucky with things that one cannot plan or pay for, like weather and wildlife. My family rented a cabin on AirBNB for Christmas one year up in Show Low, Arizona. The weather forecast did not show snow, but we were hoping. The weather leading up to Christmas Eve was cool but refreshing, and we took lots of walks and enjoyed time by the fire. Then about 4 pm on Christmas Eve, it started snowing, and it wasn't much by the time it got too dark to see. But on Christmas morning, about 4 inches had accumulated, and kids and adults alike spent hours playing in it, something we didn't get to do much living in Tucson and Phoenix at the time. The company and the lucky weather, paired with the beautiful cabin we rented, made it just about as perfect as a Christmas could possibly be.

So there you are, my happy places, my Makai, Toji, Abbiocco. 

May this year allow us to once again travel, and may we never take travel for granted!