What to do?

Okay, I admit it, I am more than a little obsessed with travel. There are so many places I feel like I need to see that I have a hard time deciding what to do next. (I know real problems huh?)

These are the things I am thinking about for late 2017 or early 2018:
Flying to Sydney, Australia, touring a few days and maybe a 7-10 night cruise from there.
Flying to either Singapore or Hong Kong and then doing a cruise to Vietnam and Thailand
Flying to South Africa for 2 weeks, staying in Johannesburg and then doing a safari and Victoria Falls

What to do, what to do???

I guess I will have to create a spreadsheet! List all the pros and cons, and estimate the costs. Or maybe I will just put the choices in a hat and pick one!

I do know I need to start figuring out what I am going to do and see when I am in Hawaii later this year. So far, there are only a few things I know for certain I want to do:
Snorkel as much as possible.
Snorkel with turtles!
Take a helicopter ride somewhere
Visit Pearl Harbor
Drink some Kona coffee
Wear a lei
Chill on as many beaches as possible with a slushy drink in my hand.
Eat Hawaiian pineapple
See lava oozing over the land
Take thousands of pictures
Watch the sunset over the water

As for what I plan on doing for five sea days on the way to Hawaii:
Read
Sit on the promenade deck and stare at the ocean in a cushiony lounge chair (planning on spending countless hours doing this)
Read
Lounge by the pool.
Lounge in the Serenity area (aft) and watch the ship's wake
Read
Go to tea at least once
Take a nap on a comfy lounge chair
Read
Sleep soundly underneath a comfy, perfect weight duvet
Blog!
And possibly, read some more.
(Notice MAJOR lounging is planned!)

The ports we are stopping at are:
Hilo                10am-6pm
Kauai               9am-6pm
Maui                9am-11pm
Honolulu         8am   Disembark
Then I will be in Honolulu for 3 more nights

I guess I really am resurrecting the spreadsheet. There is a lot to keep track of.

So, if you've been to Hawaii or Vancouver, what is the one thing I have to see in each city???

New Beginnings

So, I've been out of touch for a bit. What have I been doing you may ask....Well, I got a new job that I am enjoying very much. The people I work with and for have been wonderful. They really appreciate the work I am doing, how fast I am catching on to new tasks...... and they TELL ME that.
This is such a foreign concept to me. After almost 2 months there, I am sure I chose the right job.

I've also spent quite a bit of time repainting and 'sprucing' up the house. And, I've fired up my kiln again and I'm quite obsessed with making pottery right now. I am hoping to sell some of my work to local shops and then maybe set up an Etsy store. I'm still experimenting and trying to get the feel for the clay again. But I have created some pretty interesting pieces.

With regard to travel, I do have a few things planned and will have to add them to my travel list on the home page. The first thing up is a long weekend in Phoenix to visit my kids. I wanted to go out for my son's birthday last week but hotel prices were so crazy because of spring training, I decided to wait until April. Cannot wait to see my kids!

After that, I have a quick 4-night cruise in May. The ship is stopping in Key West and Cozumel. I plan on going snorkeling in Key West on the Fury and in Cozumel, just spent the day chilling at Nachi Cocum. More on that trip as it's happening--LIVE.

In July, I have a trip to Sanibel Island planned for the week of the 4th. I was there in December for a long weekend and decided I needed to go back as soon as possible. What a gorgeous place. And if you collect sea shells, you will just lose your mind there. I'm told the shelling is so great because the island lays east/west  whereas the coast of Florida is north/south. Once I cross that bridge to the island, I don't plan on leaving until it's time to go home!

Then, September is the 'big' trip. I'm flying to Seattle for a few days to visit with my cousins. Then the Amtrak Cascade to Vancouver for one night. And then the cruise to Hawaii!!! Five glorious sea days to cross the Pacific and then 5 nights of sailing around the islands, followed by 3 nights in Honolulu.

I'm baaaaaaaaack and living gypsy once again! Life is good!