Travel Junkie Archives - Inspired & Strong | Making the Best of Every Day with Stacy

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

June 26, 2026 1 Comment

Well, it’s a little late, but Happy Father’s Day to my dad, my Gramps, and to my Prince, who is a wonderful Dad to two awesome sons. And Happy Father’s Day to all the other dads, stepdads, pup dads, etc. out there. I hope you had a great weekend celebrating YOU! On Sunday, we celebrated my Heart with a Father’s Day brunch at our local Riverside Golf Course. Then we did some projects and had dinner with friends at Hitchy’s while watching the end of the US Open. It was a great day! But also a sad day because I didn’t have my dad to call to wish a Happy Father’s Day.

My Dad left us 14 years ago on May 23rd, losing his battle with lung cancer. How has it been 14 years? It’s so unreal. Then, to try to wrap my head around the fact that his battle started nine years before that, when he was just 51 years old.

Fifty-one! And now I am 50. It makes me so sad when I sit still long enough to think about it. It makes me so mad. I wish he were here. I would love for Jeff to meet him. I would love for the kids to meet him. He would have loved being a grandfather. He would have loved traveling and enjoying retirement. He would have loved golfing when he could and teaching the grandkids how to change a tire. I appreciate the 36 years I had with him, but most days I wish it were more. It just sucks.

I was driving to an appointment a few weeks ago in Florida in Ellie EOS the V, which is a stickshift, and I was listening to Y2Country when Alan Jackson’s Drive came on. The song brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me of my dad. As young as we were when we had a boat, he taught us to drive it. When we were 12, he taught us how to drive a car and told us how important it was to learn to drive a stickshift. It made me appreciate all that he taught us, but also made me wish he were here to call when I was thinking about him.

Why he was taken so young, I don’t know. All I know is his death taught me to live life more fully. If you follow my social media, then you see that I do try to live my life to the fullest. I most likely overcompensate for the losses in my life by trying to explore every inch of the world around me. But someone knew what was on my heart, and someone sent me my soulmate, who happens to like traveling and experiencing the world just as much as I do. They sent me someone who opened my world to things I didn’t even know were possible. And for that I appreciate. So thank you, Dad, for sending me someone who loves me as much as you loved us.

My Rock and I want to see as much of this world as possible while also wanting to make as many memories as possible. We love being around people. We love laughing and taking it all in. Of course, life isn’t all roses, but we try to make the best of what we’ve got.

I hope all the dads out there had an amazing Father’s Day, and I hope they continue to be appreciated by their children for all the amazing work that they do throughout the year. For all the dads that need to do the job of both mom and dad, I hope you know how wonderful you are and what an inspiration you are to others. And to those missing their dads like I do, keep your head up and make your father proud by living the best life that you can.

In Family

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

June 8, 2026 No Comments

Today, I want to wish my Prince the happiest of birthdays. I am grateful that 57 years ago, my Heart was born. It’s hard to believe that we met nine years ago at a CrossFit class. I never thought that quitting my career in 2015 would have led me to care for Sweet Gram, which in turn led me to Fort Myers, which in turn led me to this amazing man.

So Happy birthday, my Love! I hope you have an amazing day in Alaska. Although we don’t get to spend today together because of work, we had a great week celebrating you and our summer in Park City. Thank you for always being there for me, for putting effort into our relationship, and for always trying to make yourself and us better every day. Through passion, hard work, and determination, you became a strong, kind, caring man who would do anything for your family and friends. And I am the luckiest girl in the world to be on this lifelong adventure with you!

For the past nine years, we have been nonstop. You have introduced me to people and places I never dreamed of knowing. I am so grateful that we have the best friendships in the world. People always say that opposites attract, but you and I are anything but that. And it works for us. We both love seeing new things, going on new adventures, and exploring the world around us. We both want to travel to as many places as possible, and we enjoy doing that together. So here’s to another trip around the sun and another year of amazing adventures!

Happy Birthday, babe, and thank you for being mine!

In Pilot's Wife

Decisions

April 22, 2026 No Comments

When I first started this blog, I was posting an inspirational quote every day, as well as a Tuesday post, a Wednesday workout, and a Friday Fixin’ recipe. It gave me an outlet when my hubby was working and Gram and I were sitting around the house. When Sweet Gram passed away in February of 2021, life became very busy, and I found I was Never Home. It soon became too much; therefore, I dropped down to two posts a month and once a week, Weekly Wednesday Words for inspiration. Decisions have never been easy for me, but starting this blog was one of the best decisions I ever made.

This past year, I have found that I am lucky to write once a month, and I started wondering if I should quit the blog. Time just slips away from me. When I am home, sometimes I don’t want to do anything but lie on the couch and watch a mindless TV show. And when we are traveling, I try to be present in the moment instead of being on the computer. Anyway, I thank my loyal readers who have subscribed or clicked on the social media link when I post. I really appreciate it when you send texts or emails to let me know you enjoyed reading a story. Thank you!

It’s been five and a half years since I started this blog, Inspired And Strong, and I love it. I love writing, and I hope that some of my stories have inspired you to go on new adventures, have encouraged you to start a new chapter in your life, or have motivated you to make the world a better place by holding the door open for someone or putting your shopping cart back. Whatever this blog means to you, I do hope you enjoy it.

Recently, I have been contemplating life’s decisions. I know sometimes people have a difficult time when they retire because they end up losing their purpose in life and aren’t sure what to do. I have been “retired” from the field of education for almost 11 years now. I have done remote work for my school system, got my travel agent and real estate licenses, worked in an ice cream shop, and was a receptionist at a chiropractor’s office. Although I enjoyed all of those jobs, nothing has stuck as a career path. I love doing this blog, but it’s not a moneymaker. And I don’t need money to make it worthwhile but I get frustrated because I would love to be a better travel agent or real estate agent, but seems education is the only career in which I feel confident.

I was trained in education and had 16 years of experience. With all of the other careers I have started, I don’t feel like I have a firm foundation. I don’t feel like anyone has taken me under their wing to jumpstart my career. I am at a loss on which career path to follow.

When I had Sweet Gram, I had a purpose and enjoyed caring for her. Since she passed, I don’t know exactly what my purpose is. I enjoy being a Pilot’s Wife and am grateful for all of the experiences I have had. I can’t have a “normal” job because I have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and definitely don’t want to miss out on the next big adventure! But I also want to feel like I am making a difference on this Earth. Hence, my dificulty with decisions!

I enjoy writing, and maybe I should concentrate on writing my book like Jake the Medium said. Or maybe I should get my real estate license again and try to sell houses. Or maybe I quit trying to force it and enjoy the journey.

In the end, one decision I did make was that I am not quite ready to give up my blog. My posts may be few and far between, but I hope you will subscribe and read them when they do arrive in your inbox. I hope they continue to inspire you. I also hope you will go back and read the daily inspirations if you’re having a down day.

Life can be hard. Decisions are hard. But somehow we all end up exactly where we are supposed to be. So let’s try to enjoy the ride.

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

In Travel Junkie

Ski Journey

March 18, 2025 No Comments

As you know I started ski journey when I met My Valentine. Skiing is his passion, and I wanted to tag along on the airline ski weeks. They sounded amazing. Therefore, in January of 2019 when I was the young age of 42, he took me to Steamboat Springs. One of the ladies in our group took me on the bunny hill to give me the basics, and I picked it up. I skied three days that week and it was tough! My legs were burning terribly, and as you more mature ladies know fear is a huge factor! I had been doing CrossFit for three years, and I couldn’t believe this was so hard. I didn’t understand. But I loved being on the mountain, and I enjoyed the people I was meeting.

I wanted to get some lessons because the better you are at skiing the more fun you have. In December 2019, we took Sweet Gram to Copper Mountain because we couldn’t find anyone to stay with her and she goes where we go. We decided to take her and the two friends we shared a condo with were extremely helpful in keeping an eye on her and giving her a banana or a mac and cheese snack throughout the day. She had a great time and loved seeing the snow. She would sit by the fire and stare out the window as she did in our hometown when it snowed. We still see people who remember her at Apres ski.

That year, I skied another week at Steamboat Springs. I was so excited that I could finally ski to a bar on the mountain that I wasn’t able to ski my first time there because the only runs down were hard blues and black diamonds (higher level). I was getting more comfortable on skis and tried to learn from anyone willing to teach me. Then Covid hit that March. In December, our normal ski week was canceled so we decided to create our own ski week with friends in Park City where we skied Deer Valley, Solitude, and Snowbird. I was able to make the trip because in October of 2020, we made the difficult decision to put Gram into assisted living. She had fallen too many times, and we felt keeping her at home was unsafe.

Even though ski weeks looked different than in the past we were still able to travel and get to different resorts that allowed me to continue my ski journey. Gram passed away in February 2021. I still miss her and her cute smiling self. And there are so many times I wish she was still here to enjoy all these adventures with us. She would absolutely love them and enjoy seeing the snow.

Life has been crazy since she left us because my husband and I believe in the philosophy of never being home LOL. I have since been able to join my love on all the airline ski weeks since then. Although we live in Florida, we average about 25 days of skiing a year. This has helped me go from the bunny hill to black diamonds. The harder runs still scare me to death but I love that I can keep up with the team and see the backcountry. In my short skiing career of six years, I have been to 23 resorts in five countries on three different continents! I still pinch myself and wonder if it’s real.

Although I never dreamed of being a skier, my dreams of seeing the world are coming true. And seeing the world from places that many people never even get to is amazing. I am not sure what percentage of the population gets to view the world from the tops of the mountains, but I imagine it’s not high. Some people have no desire to leave their hometown let alone climb or ride to various mountain peaks. But here I am living my dream and continuing my ski journey. As a kid, I remember writing out my bucket list. My goal was to get to all 50 states, all seven continents, and as many countries as possible. At almost 49, I have been to 44 states, 23 countries, and three continents. Excited to be living out my dreams, and I thank God and Gram every day that my journey led me into this exhausting life of being a Pilot’s Wife.

In Travel Junkie

England

January 7, 2025 No Comments

A few months ago, My Prince had a three-day layover in England. He asked if I wanted to come over. Of course, I am a Yes, Woman so I said yes and made my way from Cleveland to London. Then I had to make my way to Cambridge via the train which was harder than I thought. I was so glad people there spoke English but with their heavy British accents it was hard to understand!

My flight landed before he did, so I had a few hours to work out, relax, and freshen up. When he and his crew arrived, we headed out to see a bit of the town and have a drink at the Eagle Bar, an aviation bar for the Royal Air Force. We found a table even though it was pretty crowded with the college “kids.”

We found out soon enough that Cambridge (although a college town) was not a party town. The bars and restaurants closed early. We were kicked out around midnight and had to find a bite to eat as the guys were starving after their flight.

We found a delicious Mediterranean place called Gardenia and got a kabob. Along the way, we passed the Corpus Clock, which is a cricket that keeps time by clicking. So pretty. We went back to the hotel to eat and have another beverage. The hotel, called “Hotel Graduate” is one of the cutest hotels I have stayed in. It had a nice bar and a lounging area with a fireplace where guests could hang out. If you are in the Cambridge area you need to check it out.

The next day My Valentine and I took the train to London. We had tickets to Buckingham Palace and wanted to see all the touristy sights. We walked around without much direction but stumbled upon the places we were supposed to see including Big Ben, Parliament, Hyde Park, the Borough Market, and Dishoom, an amazing Indian place for dinner.

Outside our hotel was a boat that was turned into a bar called Tamesis Dock, which was really fun. They had live music so we had a drink and listened for a bit. That night Ohio State was playing so we had to get back to the hotel to watch the game. It was a late night game in the United States and even later in London. Needless to say, I fell asleep about halftime.

The next day, we walked and walked. Our goal was to find a good brunch place and the London Bridge. We did both. After a few pics of the bridge and the infamous telephone booths, we meandered back towards the hotel hitting a few stops on the way.

By the time we got back to Cambridge, it was dark. The English delicacy of fish and chips was not appealing to us so we decided on Thai for dinner. We then hit a few local pubs, including The Pickerel Inn (debated as one of the oldest pubs in Cambridge 1608), and called it a night.

The next day I was on the train back to London to catch my flight to the United States. I flew standby and there was a long list of standby passengers. Many of them had been bumped the day before. I didn’t think I was going to make it but somehow, they called my name and I was on! Thank God. I didn’t want to spend the night at the airport in London by myself.

I love exploring different countries and cultures. I love that we can go to other countries and not have to rent a car; we can take a train and get anywhere we need to be. I also love how clean the trains and cities are.
We had a wonderful time in England. It is very pretty, and I love the old architecture. Walking by the river was amazing and all the bridges were beautiful. I definitely would like to go back and explore more.

In Travel Junkie

Ireland

September 17, 2024 No Comments

It appears we like to travel on my husband’s birthday. My Prince and I celebrated his 50th birthday in the Windy City five years ago. We had an amazing time exploring Chicago and enjoying a Cubs baseball game from a rooftop across from the stadium. We had a delicious steak dinner at The Chophouse, where My Heart proposed to me in front of about 40 of our closest friends and family. It was unforgettable. This year, we celebrated double nickels in Ireland with close friends and their Irish family. It was an Irish vacation unlike any other.

We flew into Dublin and discovered they have Ubers which are taxis you can get right from the airport. They speak English with a hefty Irish accent, but being surrounded by other English-speaking folks was nice. One major difference is they drive on the left-hand side of the road, which can take some getting used to, especially as a pedestrian. You definitely need to go back to your years of youth where your mom told you to look both ways before crossing the street.

My Valentine started an “old man” push-up challenge on March 1 with a goal of doing 100 push-ups on his 55th birthday. March first started with one push-up. Then two the next day. Then three and so on. We landed on June 6th therefore he had 98 pushups to do, and I had 98 lunges to do (issues with my neck and shoulder). We did them right there in the lobby of the Dublin Skylon because our room was not available yet. We washed up as best we could after our all-nighter and changed clothes before heading out and getting accustomed to the new time zone.

We walked around and got a bite to eat. Then headed to the Guinness Brewery for our tour. We made a few stops along the way, including the iconic Temple Bar to sightsee and have a beer. I never really wanted to try Guinness beer in the United States but I had to in Ireland. I think the dark color scared me but after the tour and some tastings, I decided I liked it. They also had an apple cider I liked a lot as well.

Dublin was great. It was a Thursday afternoon and everyone was in the bar singing along and happy. Live music was everywhere. It was a bit chilly and a little drizzly but still a great day.

Our friends picked us up at the Guinness brewery later that afternoon, and we went back to the hotel to check in and freshen up. We met across the street at a bar called the Ivy House for a beer and then walked to Fagan’s Pub. It was really cute and we had some great food. Little did we know, most beef in Ireland is raised there on the island and is of high quality, unlike “pub food” in the US. I expected to have a delicious reuben but they weren’t even on the menu. Crazy. But they had other Irish food to try. Afterward, we ended up at The Cobblestone. We randomly ran into another friend from ski weeks who happened to be in Dublin for the weekend. After a few shots and beers (as sweet Gram always wanted), we decided to call it a night.

The next day we had breakfast at Restaurant 104 and headed up to Drumkeeran which is about a two-hour drive. We went there because our friend’s grandfather was a famous flutist, and they have a music festival every year in his honor. We met a cousin of our dear friend Ellen and a few other distant relatives. Everyone in the town knew her grandfather’s story and was excited to have his American family in town to celebrate.

We spent two days in Drumkeeran in a beautiful lodge resort called the Drumhiery Woodland Hideaway. If you need a relaxing, peaceful getaway this is the place to go. It was beautiful. I wish we would have had more time there. It would have been the perfect place to sit out by the fire, listen to nature, and enjoy each other’s company.

We hit all four of the pubs that are in Drumkeeran (a couple of times) and the one restaurant called Laura’s Cafe. We celebrated Jeff’s birthday with baby Guinness shots at midnight on Friday and then with a cake the next day at the family home. We had breakfast at the Drumshambo Gin Distillery which was beautiful and delicious. The festival was great. We listened to a lot of fun Irish music. Instead of having a stage, musicians sit in the corner of the bar and have what they call “a session”. Anyone can join the band, and they play songs everyone knows. The talent of the young children and families was astonishing. It made me wish my family had a few more Polish traditions especially those that involved music or playing instruments.

We then returned to Dublin where my hubby and I continued our tour around Dublin. We stayed at the Wren Urban Nest, which was a cute boutique hotel. The room was pretty tiny but it was really nice and the staff was friendly. Even though it was raining, we explored some more of Dublin. We had to see more of the pubs including The Brazen Head (Ireland’s oldest pub est 1198), The Norseman, and the Temple Bar again. We also picked up a few souvenirs.

Overall, we had an amazing time in Ireland. It was so green because of all the rain. We will most likely go back to check out some castles and the Irish coastline. I believe there is much more to do and see in Ireland and I don’t want to miss it! And yes, Jeff did finish his “challenge” and completed 99 pushups on the 7th and 100 pushups on his 55th birthday (for a total of 5050 for the 100 previous days).

In Family

Toxic Relationships

August 20, 2024 No Comments

Why is it that people keep going back to toxic relationships? If a significant other, family member, or friend treats you with disrespect and/or rage, then why stay in that relationship? Why keep interacting with that person when the same thing keeps happening? Isn’t that the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome?

My Valentine and I try to live our lives with the least amount of stress and the most amount of fun. Yes, sometimes we don’t make the best decisions. We stay up too late when we know we have important things to do in the morning, travel too much, and therefore sometimes don’t foster the relationships we have in one area, and are too much alike to stop each other from making some not-so-good decisions. But we usually do these things because we are having so much fun at the moment. In the end, we rarely regret the late nights and the fun we have with our amazing friends and family. And maybe some people would call that toxic, while we call it life.

But I guess I am talking about how when other people are not happy in their own lives, or within themselves, they take it out on you. Because they are in a sad state because of a situation and their negative reaction to it, they find you an easy target. They know they can disrespect you and you will keep on taking it. You will call them back. You will forgive and forget. You will move on like nothing happened. And half the time they don’t even admit they were wrong. And why? Because you understand that they were in a bad space and that it truly wasn’t personal against you. You know they didn’t mean what they said or did. So you are able to move on because you have learned through your own self-help articles and therapy that many people lash out because of what is going on inside of them. You know it rarely has anything to do with you. And even though you know all of this in your head it still can make you sad sometimes.

Toxic people are tough. They are your family or very good friends. They have been with you through thick and thin. You have good times with them. You laugh with them. You find hope that finally the situation will turn around. But somehow something happens that triggers the negative response. And because you are a healthy person inside you understand their toxic ways. But because you understand them and try not to take their rudeness to heart, does that mean you need to continue to put up with it? Because they are in a bad place does not give them the right to take it out on you when you have done nothing wrong.

It’s hard because many times these toxic relationships start with jealousy and envy. Their lives didn’t turn out the way they had planned or were hoping and because you have some of what they don’t, they feel like they can be angry with you. Instead of taking responsibility, helping themselves, and figuring out how to improve their lives, they want everyone around them to feel worse. Toxic people have a way of seeing the world negatively and they believe their life sucks. (Please read this article.) They can’t seem to figure out that:

“Life is amazing. Even when it sucks, it is amazing, and we should be grateful for every moment.”

— Hal Elrod

I know it’s tough, and I give credit to those of you who have cut the toxic relationships out of your life. You are very strong people! To those of you living with toxic relationships, I hope you know it isn’t about you. I hope you can see what a wonderful person you are and what a wonderful person your loved one is (if only they could see it in themselves). I hope you can lift yourself up, and I hope you don’t pass the toxicity on to other happy people in your life.

Photo by Obie Fernandez on Unsplash

In Family

Power Songs

July 30, 2024 No Comments

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE music. My Rock and I rarely have the TV on but the first thing we do when we get home from the gym is turn on music. We both love it. I am unsure if he hears and feels the words as much as I do, but the lyrics mean so much to me. I’ve always had power songs for different stages of my life.

Maybe you don’t know what I mean by Power Song. To me, it’s any song that makes you feel good about yourself. A song that makes you happy! A song that makes you feel like you are on top of the world. One that makes you dream, one where you can quit your job, give that presentation, ask for that raise, or tell your significant other to hit the road.

When I was younger and dreaming of love, I listened to Janet Jackson and her albums Control and Janet. I felt like I could find a man where I could be a strong independent woman and he would love me for who I am and stand by my side. I remember my best friend and I waiting for the video to come out for her song “Again.” It was just as we pictured it.

How can I be strong?” I’ve asked myself
Time and time I’ve said
That I’ll never fall in love with you again

In college, I listened to the double disk “Living in Clip” by Ani DiFranco. ALL of those songs are power songs. Her albums make me want to learn to play the guitar. Whenever I hear this album I immediately flash back to my college days. I made some of my best friends in college who are all powerful, independent, married women. These songs are more about being yourself and empowering you. Gravel is one of my absolute favorites!

And you’ve been juggling two women like a stupid circus clown, telling us both we are the one. And maybe you can keep me from ever being happy but you’re not going to stop me from having fun!

After college, I moved out to California. I had a 45-minute drive to work every morning. My power song on the drive was Hole’s Malibu. It takes me right back to my wonderful six months of living in California and all the exploring I did. The song and the place felt like summer to me and since I just left northwest PA in the snow in January, it was heaven.

Help me, pleaseBurn the sorrow from your eyesOh, come on be alive againDon’t lay down and die!

As most of you know I moved to Richmond, VA after that, and I was married in my twenties for three years. We separated then got back together. It took me a long time to figure out that I needed to leave. Divorce is a very difficult decision, especially for a Catholic girl, but once I made the decision a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt so much relief. During that time, I listened A LOT to Kelly Clarkson and her song “Since You Been Gone.” Sometimes in a marriage, it is hard to breathe. This song gave me the hope that I could leave and everything would be okay.

Since you been gone I can breathe for the first time. I’m so movin’ on, yeah, yeah. Thanks to you now I get what I want. Since you been gone. You had your chance, you blew it.

Then I was single and dating, therefore, I spent a lot of time with my sister. We loved listening to “Cigarettes” by the Wreckers. While you shouldn’t smoke cigarettes 🙂 it’s about being a powerful woman and waiting for the perfect partner who knows your worth.

‘Cause someday maybe somebody will love me like I need and someday I won’t have to prove ’cause somebody will see all my worth. But until then I’ll do just fine on my own.

If I was in a relationship that wasn’t going well or if I couldn’t see myself with that man forever, I would listen to Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry“. This song reminds me of my sister a lot. We would drive around in my convertible and sing it. It’s so good when you are ready to move on and get back to you and who you are.

And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay, I hope you know, I hope you know that this has nothing to do with you, it’s personal, myself and I. We have some straightening out to do. And I’m gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket but I’ve got to get a move on with my life.

Sometimes you might just be having a bad day and sometimes you just need a power song. These are just a few examples of songs to turn on when you need to get out of a funk. As you know, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE song to sing and to perform is “Dreams” by Van Halen. This song brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. Many of my friends are probably happy that it only makes me want to dance and sing about 95% of the time I hear it!

We’ll get higher and higherStraight up we’ll climbWe’ll get higher and higherLeave it all behind

Recently, Taylor Swift came out with a new album called The Tortured Poets Department. There are so many power songs on it. Some of you may not be T. Swift fans. (I know my niece is not.) But I think if you give the song , (Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me) a chance you may like it and you may feel empowered by it. To me, the song is about people putting you down and trying to stop you from achieving your goals. But you rise above it. You come out on top of everything. You take that doubt from those around you and you use it to empower you. You rise and show everyone what you are made of. It’s also just a fun song.

So I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your streetCrash the party like a record scratch as I scream“Who’s afraid of little old me?”You should be

If you don’t like any of my power songs, then please find a song of your own. P!nk has some great power songs as well. If you are getting divorced or recently divorced her song “So What” is amazing. Metallica’s One can also get you into an “I can do anything” kind of mood.

It doesn’t matter what genre you like. Whatever you are going through, just pick a song that picks you up. One that makes you feel like you are on top of the world. Pick the perfect song for you! Life is too short, my friends, to stay in a funk or in a place that doesn’t bring you joy. Yes, it is hard as hell to take that “Leap of Faith” but it can be done!

Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu on Unsplash

In Pilot's Wife

My Perfect Life

July 2, 2024 No Comments

As you read in one of my recent posts, several people have said they live vicariously through us. They love seeing our pictures and our adventures, and they can’t wait to see where we will be going next. Most people wonder where we get the energy. And sometimes I wonder that myself!

At my #LEGS Christmas party a friend of mine said, “I love seeing all your pictures. You have the “perfect” life.” I was flattered, but I hope everyone knows our life is not perfect. No one’s life is perfect. And what is perfect anyway?

I do have to say that our life is “perfect” for us. We are lucky because we both love the crazy, gypsy, never-home lifestyle we lead. If one of us was a homebody, it wouldn’t work. If one of us was an introvert, it wouldn’t work. But we love being on the go. We love seeing new places and trying new things. We love our homes that we are blessed to have. We also have amazing friends and family that make the places we visit feel like “home.”

I am flattered that people have told me they love our lives, and they are happy for us. We work hard to be able to play hard. We work hard at our marriage to make it work. We communicate with each other to make sure we are on the same page. Of course, we have disagreements and sometimes we lose patience and get annoyed with one another. But we know that marriage is hard, and we want to make sure each other’s buckets are full (Read the post “The Five Love Languages” if you don’t know what I am talking about). Therefore, we need to check in and make sure both of us are enjoying where we are, what we are doing, and where we are going. Unpacking and repacking a few days later can strain a marriage. Being out of our workout and eating routine can also be frustrating. We realize our eating habits must be on point while we are running around.

My Valentine and I just celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. Every year we have been together, I have made an 8×8 photo book of our year in review from Snapfish. Usually, the books are about 50 pages long. This year we had so many adventures and so much fun it was almost 90 pages!! I guess I took a lot of pictures and didn’t want to leave anything out. Going through the photographs of the past year was eye-opening. Remembering all the good times and the special memories with the people we love was amazing. I enjoy making these books because they make me go back and review our year. What did we do? Who did we meet? Who did we spend time with? Where did we go? It’s wonderful to look at all the pictures and live it again vicariously.

Our life is not for everyone. Yes, it may look amazing on Facebook and other social media as do a lot of people’s lives. But remember social media isn’t always true. Most of the time, people are putting on a front. They want others to think their life is “perfect“. They want others to believe they are happy and have no problems. We don’t truly know what’s going on in other people’s lives so give people grace. And PLEASE DON’T COMPARE your life to theirs. Everyone is on their own journey.

As I said our life is “perfect” for us. It’s what we have chosen. Some people don’t want to unpack and repack in the same week. Some people hate packing altogether. Some people don’t want to race from gate to gate to try to catch a standby flight. Some people don’t want to be away from the gym or their home for an extended period. Some people don’t want to go out of their comfort zone or out of their hometown. And guess what? That is okay. Our life is not for everyone. Whatever you choose for your life, make it perfect for YOU!

In Travel Junkie

Italy

June 4, 2024 No Comments

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I quit my job as Coordinator of Special Education to teach English in Thailand in the fall of 2015. I have already written posts about my journeys through Germany, Finland, Sweden, and The Netherlands. (Reread those posts…it’s been a while). But my European adventure continued… in Italy.

My friend, Erin, and I left Susana and her family in Utrecht, Holland, and headed to the airport. There we got on a plane and headed to Rome. Erin had some hotel points so we stayed at the Boscolo Hotel. From there, we were able to walk to all of the touristy spots. They were doing construction at the Trevi Fountain so I didn’t get to see the real thing, which is very disappointing as it looked beautiful. We toured the Coliseum, Spanish Steps, and the Vatican. We went up in the tower at the Vatican which was pretty sureal. Then we ate pizza and drank Italian wine in a town square. We walked around and went to many little shops and restaurants. We enjoyed the nightlife and met random people along the way. Here is a great site if you want to visit Rome. I liked Rome a lot, but it was very busy.

After two days in Rome, we rented a car and drove up through the beautiful Tuscany hillside. We had so much fun navigating the countryside. We stopped at the Tenuta Toriciano Winery for wine tasting and amazing lasagna with homemade truffle oil. I still think about that lasagna and the delicious truffle oil. We met a wonderful family from Pennsylvania who was also enjoying the afternoon at the winery. Of course, they were Steelers fans! I would love to go back there.

It was a beautiful day so we carried on our way driving our little stick shift car and singing as loud as we could along the hillside. We found a little hotel in the middle of Tuscany and stopped for dinner. I believe we were in Sovicille. It was so cute we decided to stay the night. The food was wonderful and the views were breathtaking. Our room was huge, and I remember thinking what a beautiful place to stumble upon.

The next day we made our way to Venice. We got there late at night so we couldn’t see much. We walked around for a long time because we could not find our place. Finally, we found our AirBnB and got settled. The next day we did more sightseeing. We walked around the beautiful city and took a gondola ride through the canals. I remember thinking I wish I had a boyfriend or husband to bring here. What a romantic city. Maybe My Prince and I will go back someday.

That evening we left for Lake Como. It was a beautiful ride and Lake Como is an amazing place. By the time we got there, it was dark therefore I didn’t get to see much. We met some fun people at the hotel bar. We had a lot of laughs and went to bed. I took an early train the next morning to Lausanne, Switzerland to meet up with more friends. It was time for my next adventure!

Overall, Italy was a beautiful place to visit. I don’t know if I would go to Rome again but I would love to go back to Venice, Lake Como, Florence, and the Tuscany region.

Travel Junkie

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Decisions

Ski Journey

England

Ireland

Toxic Relationships

Power Songs

My Perfect Life

Italy

Missing Gram

Letter to Gram