only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category
I just realized something recently. With all my traveling and making travel plans, I’ve never been on a cruise. Isn’t that unbelievable? Considering how much I love the water and the fact that all I ever want to do is travel to beaches and oceans, the fact that I’ve never been anywhere by cruise ship is just mind boggling. I need to rectify that ASAP.
I’m always interested in getting the best deal so I was thrilled to find these great Discount Cruises at Direct Line Cruises. Being a newbie to cruises, I appreciated the information-packed site, also. I love their Cruise Guide section and the free brochures!
Yes, I had to force myself to not look at the Hawaiian cruises. After all, I’ve been to Hawaii many times and have a trip planned for later this year. If I’m going to do this, I want to see something different. First choice, of course, is the Bahamas so I checked out the Royal Caribbean line. I’m not sure why I thought I’d have to fly to Florida for a Bahama cruise but I was so happy to see that I could choose to leave from Baltimore, Maryland. That would be perfect!
How fun is this site? Well, as much as I love sunshine and very warm - even hot - weather, I actually took a look at Alaskan cruises, too. I’ve heard how breathtaking they are so I checked out a few from the Norwegian Cruise Line. I have to admit, I’m very tempted to go for something that is completely out of the ordinary for me. If I postpone my Hawaii trip to the first part of next year, perhaps we can cap it off with an Alaskan cruise leaving out of Seattle, Washington. Seriously, I think I have a better chance of convincing my husband of that than anything in warmer weather.
I’m having so much fun looking around the Direct Line Cruises site. I love that they’ve been in business for over a decade and have had an online presence for more than six years. The site has been upgraded recently, too, so now you can book your cruise right from the website. When you consider that the cruise cancellation insurance is included in the price at no additional cost and you can log in to check your cruises at any time, from any computer with an online connection, this ends up being a terrific bargain.
Now all I need to do is convince my husband that a cruise ought to be our next excursion. Considering the chaos surrounding his last flight, a cruise may appeal as much to him as it does to me. Keep your fingers crossed. Alaska, here we come!
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Several of us are trying to decide where to stay in Las Vegas when we go in November. I really like the Sahara hotel but I’m not sure if everyone else will be staying there or not. I think we’d like to book our rooms in the same hotel. We plan on having loads of fun together.
I know this will be a great time. We’re not just a bunch of bloggers; we’ve become friends, too. And we’re all just a little crazy so there’s no telling what’s going to happen. Fun times!
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I really want to relocate farther south. I have two friends who are planning Orlando vacations and I am so jealous! I’ve been trying to talk Brian into something like this forever. I bookmark sites and print out information. I do everything but blindfold and kidnap him for the weekend. UGH!
I know he hates to miss work, especially during the summer. But it’s been a while since I’ve been to Florida and I really want to take a trip there soon. How do I convince this husband to join me? Or should I just book a flight and hotel and tell him about it later?
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Every time I mention how much I love Hawaii, someone will suggest that I visit the Bahamas. Since I’m on the East coast, the trip to the Pacific Ocean is quite long and a little costly. The Bahamas would be easier on my budget as well as a shorter, more pleasant flight.
I always fall in love with any place near the ocean. I’d do anything to live near a beach. I think it must be the perpetual motion of the waves coming in then moving back out that mesmerizes me. I never feel as alive as I do when I’m near an ocean.
Like Hawaii, the atmosphere in the Bahamas is laid back and relaxed and attire is casual. I’m getting better at packing for that kind of vacation. The first time I over packed with 6 pairs of shoes, 5 dressy dresses and 3 pair of jeans! Now I know to pack a few sundresses, shorts and tanks, flip flops and more flip flops! That always leaves more room in my luggage for all the stuff I always buy. And you know I’ll be doing some shopping! There are some things about customs that I’ll need to look into, though.
One of the things that makes Hawaii such a difficult destination for me is the time zone change. Depending on if the East Coast is having daylight savings time or not, the time difference is either 5 or 6 hours. That’s huge, especially on the trip back home. The Bahamas are in the Eastern Time Zone so there’s no jet lag to worry about. That means I wouldn’t need another week long vacation to recover from the trip home!
The only setback in going to the Bahamas would be needing a passport. I’m not sure if it’s absolutely required now or not but I probably ought to get one, anyway. I believe a passport will soon be required (or already is) for traveling to and from Canada. As much as I love to travel, I’m surprised that I never got one previously. I think I’ll look into getting my passport so I’ll have it ready, just in case I can convince Brian to take this trip without much begging. It’s probably a good idea to be prepared.
You know, we just celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. I think a week in the Bahamas, maybe after the kids are in school and can’t ask to go with us, would be an excellent anniversary trip. Let’s see if the husband agrees.
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I know it’s just the end of July but I also know that Jesse’s birthday in October and my birthday in November will be here before I know it. Time flies that way when you get old.
Those months are significant because I plan to do some traveling then. I really want to go to Hawaii for Jesse birthday and I’m signed up to go to PostieCon in November, just before my birthday. Besides saving money for these trips, I also need to save up for new Samsonite luggage since mine has seen better days.
I really want to get something other than black or navy blue this time. Red doesn’t appeal to me, either. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?
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I can’t believe that we’re not even through July and stores are already marketing to students with their back-to-school stuff. At a local discount store, I walked right past the school supply display and I was just speechless. Mid-July, and they’re already putting out notebook paper, pencils and crayons!
At the mall, there are back-to-school signs and displays of the latest fashions from Air Jordan shoes to blue jeans and t-shirts. Maybe I was even more amazed that kids were actually shopping for this stuff. It’s only July - don’t be thinking about school already!
I know. Let’s all go to the pool and pretend that summer is forever.
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Interesting that my husband would start traveling for work at this age, isn’t it? Pittsburgh, Hawaii, Phoenix. Now he’s considering other areas as well. When he’s out west, he wants to look at the Vegas area. We’re thinking about taking a week long drive to check out Denver real estate since he’s always liked Colorado. Maybe we’ll just drive home instead of flying so we can get a feel for each state between Arizona and West Virginia.
Just between us, nothing would make me happier than traveling around the country. I’ve always had a little bit of vagabond in me so taking jobs in other states would suit me just fine. Naturally, I have to take into consideration the kids’ schooling but I think we can manage this just fine. We’ve done okay with jobs in Hawaii so Colorado or Nebraska or wherever shouldn’t be a problem.
I think I’ll map out a route for us to take and show Brian when he’s in a good mood. I’m sneaky that way. 
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We were talking about our upcoming road trips, like the one to Phoenix in a few months, and I realized that we could use more room for luggage and other things. The Malibu trunk is a good size but when you’re traveling with a small child who does better bringing her favorite toys with her, that trunk sure can get full.
I don’t miss the awful gas mileage we used to get with our full size van but I sure do miss the comfort on the inside and the van rack on the roof. It sure was a beautiful vehicle! Still, at 12 mpg, I’d rather figure out how to cram more stuff into the Malibu than pour a fortune into that gas hog!
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I’m always looking for a great bargain on airline travel. I love to travel and have three trips planned for later this year. I definitely want to see Jesse in Hawaii in October for his birthday. I’m planning to go to the PostieCon blogging convention in November and at some point, when Brian and Nick are doing the job in Phoenix, I intend to make a trip there for at least a few days. Lots of air travel, lots of money.
At least one of those flights, though, will be free. That’s right, by signing up for an American Express credit card, I’m getting a free round trip ticket to anywhere in the US! How terrific is that? All I have to do is use the card one time and I get the 25,000 points, good for one domestic round trip ticket.
If you’re planning on doing any traveling, you really ought to check out this deal. I’m glad I did!
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I always swore I’d never go camping. I don’t want to stay in a tent, a camper or a cabin. I want a hotel with room service. I’m a wimp like that.
But until now, I’d never seen a luxury cabin. Apparently you can find them throughout the US. No one told me. I never knew about Pigeon Forge cabin rental, for instance. Now I’m thinking that maybe a cabin isn’t so bad. In fact, maybe it would be really nice.
But I haven’t changed my mind on tents and cabins. They’re still a big No!
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