All about cruising

I have always thought that I feel more at home in the ocean, I just never realized how much...

Cruising (the experience) has been eye opening. The next time I'm suggested a vacation somewhere, my first question is likely to be... Is there a cruise going there?

RCCL is a fine dining experience, in my opinion. I don't know if it's like this for everyone, but for me, it's been spectacular, awesome, amazing, epic and legend (wait for it) dary...

From the first night, I have felt like royalty. Not because the statesman, Marlon, was a nice guy and made sure we had ice and made us cute towel animals, but because, the people that needed to remember our names, did so, and with a smile. Sure, there were things, there are always things, like the obnoxious pool attendant that told me I couldn't have a drink in the pool after his guy sold it to me to begin with... The kids that insisted on hanging out at the adults only Solarium Pool, the reservations at My Time dining that were almost always late, but all in all, they did a great (see above adjectives) job.

Whether you cruise with RCCL or not, I have to acknowlegde a few staff members from Navigator of the Seas: Christian at the Pool Bar (Mr Mojito Maestro), Asta, Ray, Vasant and Regino, in the Swan Dining room, and of course, Simona, our a cruise director, who always did everything with a smile and great enthusiasm. You have made my maiden voyage on your cruise line my most special vacation ever.

I say maiden voyage but something happened on the 2nd night that was a nice surprise... Nelson went to the Crown & Anchor station (since he has cruised before) and they linked his account to mine, so I'm officially a return customer! We went to the Captains Welcome Back cocktail party and even had special treatment for pool chairs. If Gold has it this good, I can't wait for Platinum in just 15 more cruising days.

The Casino has been loads of fun. Ernie taught me how to play craps and we enjoyed a pretty good run on the Blackjack tables. Not anything too outrageous or I'd be staying for another week! LOL

The food is of course, great. I avoided Windjammer because the one time we went, of course, I overate! I offered to stay limited because given the chance... Ugh, I could be in trouble... Thankfully, the excursions have worked us out enough that decadent dinners were our treat for the day.

The Dungeon Disco reminded me of my friends back home. We would have danced the night away if this had been a Bahamas trip, but of course, once 11pm rolled around (and we knew the following morning was an early one) we went back to bed!

Tonight is another formal night. Tomorrow we are At Sea, and Sunday, we are back in Italy for a night.

Will write soon.
Love and Miss you all!


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Location:Mediterranean Sea

A step back in time

Imagine a land where you can find a blend of Christian, Muslim, Agnostic and Jewish faiths are all accepted. Now imagine an area so diverse that it holds many summer resorts, some of the most important places in all of Antiquity AND the final resting places (or assumptions into heavenly glory, as we were corrected) of St John and the Virgin Mary... I bet you didn't think we would be describing Ephesus,Turkey.

The Ephesus and the Kusadasi area completely shocked and pleasantly surprised us. We arranged for a private tour through Trip Advisor reviews with a company that sent us a tour guide named Samiy. We were in for a treat. Samiy is a linguistics professor with a Masters in Archaeology and History. Can you get any more knowledgeable? We felt like we were Indiana Jones himself!

First stop, the Church & final resting place of St John. This was a very peaceful area, which overlooked the farmlands of Ephesus, as well as one of the local Mosques. In the distance, we saw what remained of the Temple of Artemis, which had been taken apart as the popularity of Christianity grew. The Church of St John actually had some of the marble and stone from the Temple of Artemis used for its structure. Turkey is surprisingly religious and rich in Christian history. The area is constantly being excavated and more things are discovered as the years go by.

Next stop was a local pottery shop. The artisan pottery maker created three pieces before our very eyes within 4 minutes. Craftsmanship and Originality are very important to the Turks. No "Made in China" pieces... LOL. The Turkish people are also very welcoming. I must have heard "this is your home" over a dozen times. Everyone speaks English too. The American influence is very prevalent. Almost everything is in both Turkish and English. They also accept the USD and the Euro as currency, along with the Turkish Lira.

The House of Mother Mary (House of the Virgin Mary) was a revering experience. This is where Mother Mary, the mother of Christ, was believed to have spent the last years of her life before being assumed into heavenly glory. Sidebar: Nelson asked Samiy at what age did Mary pass away, and he was immediately corrected. "She was assumed into heavenly glory, its not said that she died". BUT, the short answer was 65 or 66. It was very interesting to hear his reverence for the religion, history and beliefs that he held. We WILL be coming back to Ephesus to see him. I know it.

After walking though the house, Nelson and I collected some of the Holy Water and we lit candles in honor of our families health and my Father's soul. After, I asked Mother Mary to please pray for all of my friends back home, who I was missing very much at that moment. This stop was the second time (the first time being the Vatican) that we actually said out loud... "if only you guys were here, it would have been even more amazing to share this with you."

Then came Ancient Ephesus...
Imagine a place so old (over 3000-4000 years) with so much life and history still within its walls that it actually gives you chills when you walk down one of the avenues because the structures came to life in your mind... Well, at least in our minds.

We took so many pictures, but nothing can describe the works of art and the history trapped within the stones. For the next two hours we slowly walked and listened to the stories of the ancient pieces that had been trapped in rubble, buried under catastrophic earthquakes, and only recently (in the last 100 years) brought to life once more by many teams of skilled archaeologists.
The Greek Theatre, Hadrians temple and the Library of Celsius are only a few of the pieces that we came across. The pictures tell the story much better than I can.

It's late, and tomorrow is Athens. We look forward to the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus and the Parthenon, to name a few. I'm sure many more stories will come from there. I look forward to telling them.

By the way, the cruise is going great. I have a separate Entry regarding the cruise that I shall post all at once. Most of my readers have been on a cruise before and I can tell you that as much fun as I'm having on the ship, it pales in comparison to the unique and breathtaking stops we have been experiencing.

Love and miss you...

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Location:Kusadasi, Ephesus, Biblical Ephesus

Eftharisto Greece!!

Even with the very obvious poverty, these Greek people of Athens and Chania are trying to live and enjoy life to the fullest. The rich history and their fierce religious beliefs make them a proud people.

The Acropolis had some excavation and reconstruction going on and the place was PACKED. With the start of summer upon us and 5 cruise ships in port, there was no shortage of tourism.

The Temples to Athena, Dionysus, and all of the other Greek Deities were all overwhelming and huge, yet quite impersonal, much unlike Ephesus. In Turkey, the land seemingly came to life amidst rebuilding, in Athens, it looked like remains of an old civilization.

We drove by the original stadium built for the First Olympics in the 1800s and
The temple to Zeus and Hadrians Arch were the perfect opening into the market area of Plaka.

Lunch of lamb with rice and a tzatziki dip paired with amazing Greek wine finished up the afternoon.

Today, we are in Chania, Crete. 8am found us visiting the Souda War Cemetery, which is the final resting place of 2200 British, Australian and New Zealand armed troops. This was one of the most manicured and serene cemeteries that we have ever seen.

Next, we visited the Monastery of Agia Triada (holy trinity) and experienced a better understanding of the Greek Orthodox Religion.

A quick visit to the plateau cemetery where Cretes most important political figure, Venizelos, was buried then we were off to Chania for shopping.

It's surprising to me that the Greek tour guides are quicker to be rid of us, then to take advantage and try to teach us more about their history and culture.

If I could redo one thing about this portion of the trip, would be to hire a private guide that actually knew what they were speaking about.

Tomorrow is the last day at sea, then Fiumicino, Italy for a night, then home... Back to reality.

Walking on the Moon up in the clouds

This is the best description Nelson and I can come up with to describe Mt Etna's Silvestri Crater.

After a one hour bus journey through narrow switch backs that could make any mountain in the US envious, we found ourselves 6500 feet in the clouds walking in one of the most famous craters and lava beds of this, the most active volcano in Europe.

We were able to walk the 400m around the rim and even dip into one or more crevices. It was legendary.

Taormina is next. The quaint tourist town is a rare gem. No matter how many tourists are here, you can find peace and quiet in one of the many gardens or monuments.

We are headed back to the ship in a few, but this, I had to share.

Sorry I haven't written a lot about the ship, but I'm sure most cruises are pretty standard, even though for me, it's bright, shiny, exciting and new. I'm still in awe of the organization of the events. It's like an orchestra.

Having the time of our lives.

Friday night-Saturday 6/22/12-6/23/12

Friday night in Rome... We did a little bit of everything. The Metro workers had the subway shut down and the taxi line was at least 80 deep. Some guy found Ernie and offered us a ride to Piazza Spagna for 20euro. What did we have to lose (but our lives, right?). The dude packed four of us into a VW Golf (Alex and Matt chose the route of dulce farniente "the art of doing nothing") and off we went. We saw Rome like a local at about 100 km per hour... Never have I seen someone drive so fast...

We were dropped at the Spanish Steps, purchased some wine and watched life pass us by for a few minutes. Next, onto Trevi Fountain at night to make our wish of a return to Rome (definitely not in the summer) We tossed in a Euro, an American dollar, and an Italian Lira. I think we are good. We will return one day.

We realized we had not eaten. We went off in search of food, thinking we would come upon the bustling nightlife of Piazza Navona, yet we happened upon the Pantheon and at night, you can stand in awe of of the magnificent structure for eternity.

I can tell you that picking a place because of the view isn't necessarily the right choice. So, we had one bad meal... And it wasn't even bad.. Just not spectacular... But sitting steps away from the Pantheon. What a life!

Saturday morning... The immigrant was at it again. Ernie remembered the forgotten silverware. Great breakfast... Ready to conquer the world, or at least, the Gladiators... On to the Colosseum!!

We were NOT prepared, nor were we entertained... It was HOT. Unbearably so... But IT WAS HUGE! We may have not left blood in the sand as had occurred in its storied past, but we definitely left sweat in the walls.

The lines were crazy, even having prepaid the Roma Pass had us standing under the large structure for what seemed like forever. Then we walked out to view one of the most breathtaking stadiums in the world.

If one closed their eyes, you could imagine the roar of the crowd, and the smell of the spectator's sweat. It was overwhelming. The thousands of flashes and foreign languages quickly brought me back to reality and we set out in search of a quiet spot to take it all in. We walked around the lower level and then went to the upper level.


After the steepest stairs that exist in all of Christendom, the only quiet spot we finally found was looking out of the windows in a quiet corner on the 2nd floor overlooking the Arch of Constantine and the Roman Forum. We had no clue what that entailed, but we were ready to walk it... After we bought more water.


The walk TO the Forum and around the Forum took about 2 hours and it was brutal. It was hot. The structures we huge qnd ornqte qnd every single one had a significant meaning or were dedicated To some Caesar, Emperor, or God. I know that it was important and I promise to write more about it, but at the moment, all I could think of, was that it was HOT. We all drank over 8 bottles of water and never had to use the restroom. We sweat that much... eewww. I can't describe into words the feeling of all that we saw, it was history and it was old, and you could feel it in every piece of rock and in every structure.

After the Forum, we visited the Mamertine prison where St Peter was held before his execution. We found some breathtaking frescoes of St Peter and Jesus Christ and quietly contemplated St Peters last days.

After walking out onto the Vittorio Emanuele monument square, we were off to the hotel for some cooling off. Ernie, Vicky, Alex and Matt were off to Trevi Fountain to throw in A&M's coins. We were to meet them later.

That late afternoon's meal with Chiro at La Scuderia, was one of the most entertaining ever!! From the freshly grilled sea bass chosen for us to the home made tiramisu, I don't think I have ever enjoyed a meal more. After dinner drinks at the Regina Wine Bar, and we were off to bed...








Tomorrow, it's Civitavecchia day and we set sail...


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Location:Spanish Steps, Trevi, Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum

Vatican City Day - Friday, June 22, 2012

Breakfast at the hotel was nice, quaint and tasty. Ernie was the only one that remembered to get us silverware so the running joke was that the immigrant was the only one that remembered stuff like that. Blood Orange Juice was pretty yummy and we kept going back for more. Croissants, cappuccino, caffe americano, ham, cheese, eggs and bacon and we were off!

Vatican bus left at 9am and by 9:45, and some running around looking for the people with the passes, we were entering the Vatican Museum. First, we saw the Egyptian Sarcophagi, a series of statutes, then the animal room, then the other statue room. It was quite overwhelming to see all of the works of art, but the best was yet to come.


The tension started growing as we neared the Sistine chapel. First, it was the room dedicated to Constantine and the Catholic Faith, then was the Rafael room, followed by the Sistine chapel. It was louder and louder as we neared and the crowd completely disrespected the polizia. So much for quiet, well dressed and subdued... LOL!



We walked over to the main gift shop where Vicky bought a rosary for her mother and I bought multiple rosaries for a few friends and my Aunt.

On to St Peters, which as you all know, went swimmingly, to start (see previous blog post). Probably the most picturesque church in all of Christendom, and we were standing in it. I held my breath and took it all in.


The first thing I did was walk over to the holy water and make sure to dip my ring and the rosaries. Vicky found a Polish priest to bless her Mothers rosary and we proceeded to find our own corner to explore.

I took over 200 pictures. After the photo fest, all I did was contemplate the magnitude of where I was... After about 2 hours, we went downstairs and explored the grotto which holds the crypts of the past popes. That was our most serene time in St Peters the entire day, with the exception of the large group of the Asians that decided to tour the grotto (Can you imagine walking into a Buddhist monastery and speaking in loud voices?). Speaking of...

The most surprising thing that I noticed this day was the lack of respect of the tourists in the Vatican. I could not believe how many people visit this place of worship and choose to hurry up and push through the crowd, with no regard to those that truly enjoy to look at every inch of this magnanimous structure. I can only hope that future generations can remember what this place means to the history of modern civilization and learn to respect it a little.

After the Vatican, we took the Roma Christiana Bus back to Campo de Fiori for another cold beer and walked around Trastevere looking for a Rick Steves restaurant. We ran into Beerland and had Duff Beer (Nelson and mine was in honor of our friends April and Charlie)


After Beerland, we fund Dar Poeta, which definitely lived up to Rick's review. We thoroughly enjoyed the late lunch.

More later...

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Location:Vatican City

The Proposal June 22, 2012

Ok, because there is no way I can describe the majesty of our day without my engagement overshadowing it, I'll separate the day's events by describing just the proposal, because it is all too exquisite to describe in one sitting.

As we rounded the entrance to St Peters Square after the hub-bub of the Sistine Chapel and the rosary-buying experience, we decided to take "couple pictures" overlooking the square.

First, Ernie and Vicky went, of course, amazing picture. After that, Nelson nonchalantly gave my camera to Ernie and casually said, "Hey, Ernie, take a picture of us, too", unbeknownst to me, Alex had the other camera ready, too. We started to pose and next thing I knew, he was on one knee looking up at me.

"Will you marry me?"

These are the most powerful words I have ever heard, and for a second, I couldn't breathe. I dont know if I hesitated, but in my brain, I couldn't say YES fast enough. Nelson says a bunch of people were clapping in the square, but I only had eyes for one man.

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Location:St Peters Square, Vatican City

Overwhelming day & evening: Thurs, June 21, 2012

Imagine entering a foreign city with the hustle and bustle of NYC but only half understanding the language. That's what it's like arriving at Termini station or Stazione Roma Termini on the Leonardo Express. Bags in hand, we set off to find our destination...

The hotel is funny and quirky, to be honest. Ernie got the biggest room, but one that the A/C works the least in... That made me LOL. Him, not so much.

Yesterday, once we were settled, we took off to adventure the city with the Omnia Vaticana pass that we had purchased. We hopped on the Roma Christiana open top touring bus.

We saw the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine and the Roman Forum from the bus. We definitely wanted to see more. We decided to hop-off and explore the Piazza Navona (it is famous, after all), but first, a beer in the Campo de Fiori area. They were cold, large and cheaper than NYC.

We set off to the Piazza and Nelson found the Davinci Museum. We found a trough for the guys to use and probably the cleanest toilettes in the city. Once the mini trip was up, it was on to the Piazza Navona!

The hustle and bustle of the piazza was alive with people sitting, and watching and photographers each with their own level of expertise in capturing the perfect photo and the masses of bystanders watching life pass by, moving at whatever pace people chose to move. it was breathtaking to see and experience. Berninis Four Rivers Fountain was something to admire. People from all walks of life were in the Piazza. We will definitely return to participate again..

After a cold sip of water from the fountain. We veered off on a side street and found one of the marvels of Rome... The Pantheon. Definitely something to marvel at.

To think that this building is one of the oldest yet still preserved to mimic its former glory. The oculus shone the light in to illuminate the interior in all of its splendor. The tomb of Vittorio Emanuele stood along the back wall as ominous as the leader's reputation. Every inch of the Pantheon was thoroughly enjoyed. I have so many pictures, that I was reminded of my Father's love of photography and how I surely inherited that gene...
We walked down a couple of streets and heard the massive Fontana di Trevi before we actually set eyes on it. My breath caught as I turned the corner and the massive structure lay before us. I shudder to think that I almost went into a coffee shop seconds prior to coming up on the fountain simply because I was attracted by the sight of the salumeria. Don't get me wrong, after oohing and ahhing, we went back to the Deli and had our big ass beers to go, but after purchasing our refreshments, we were free to return to the visage of Trevi.

After the magic of Trevi, back to the hotel we ventured on the Metro. Nelson actually used the famous "Metro?" question to lead us in the right direction. Ernie battled a supposed pickpocket who was very upset that Ernie (who was 2 feet taller than him) slapped his map away and at me, who thought I had taken his picture, although the subject of my photo was Ernie, who I thought was quite amused by the entire thing.

After a quick relaxation, we headed to dinner at about 8pm. (remember for us, it was 2pm after not sleeping the night before). Nelson found this quaint wine bar that looked like the menu was very good. We decided to risk it and sat down. Delicioso for the first real Roman meal, is all I have to say... I will let the pictures say it all.










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Location:Piazza Navona-Pantheon

The events of the flight

So let me preface by saying this post will come quite a few hours after the actual flight since there was no wi-fi on this journey. Needless to say, I will be having strong words with American Airlines. I paid for a monthly package of go-go in flight web service, only not to be able to use it. Urg.

The flight from MIA to NYC was extremely uneventful except for the crying baby and Mr Rico Suave sitting next to me who decided the most comfortable position for him was with one leg propped up on the seat... I mean, really, dude?

We arrived in NYC and AA and the USO had set up a very nice send off to a group of veterans heading to Brussels, Germany. We were treated to the bagpipe corp from the NYPD and a rendition of the Andrews Sisters music. Very cute and very patriotic. Great send off for the veterans.

We found a very cool (stress very cool) wine bar that had a pretty amazing selection of wine, cheese and pasta. We spent about 90 minutes relaxing over our meal, then headed to the gate for our big crossing of the Atlantic.

Nelson watched Sherlock Holmes and I watched The Vow (eh, not overly impressed). After our movies, it's now sleepy time. I hope the next few hours are uneventful and restful. I hope to wake up to a fun filled morning in Rome.

Ciao!


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Location:40K feet up in the air

It's Packing Day!!

It's Packing Day, It's Packing Day, It's Packing Day, It's Packing Day, La la la la la la (I feel like coming up with a tune and a dance!). I'm sitting at work taking a few minutes to relay how utterly excited I am that over a year of planning has brought me to this trip... AND IT'S HERE!!


I just got back from Washington DC and the Summer Fancy Food Show. I must say it was a quiet show compared to other days, but they held it in WDC, instead of NYC, where it usually is, and it started on Fathers Day. Bummer for all of the Dads. Anyway, it was great for us because I was able to finish a day early!! I got back at around midnight so I can be in the office to arrange some last minute things and to give myself enough packing time (I'm a girl, yes, I need time to pack). 


I'll be done by 1:30 and officially on VACATION! Can the day move any s-l-o-w-e-r?? LOL


I'll write more later!

Thoughts at 35,000 feet

As I sit in my comfy first class seat sipping on my mimosa at 10am, on my way to Washington DC, I think to myself: Self, you have a lot to be thankful for.

I have always been taught to be ver humble in life. My parents worked their butts off so that I would have a great childhood and I've always tried to work hard to have nice things. Sure, I overspend and I'm a little more spoiled than some, but its not like I didn't work to get here.

I'm sitting in first class this morning wondering if the people around me are going to stand up, point at me and shout: "Hey, you are a blue collar schmuck! You don't belong up here with us!" The truth is, I don't.

I look at the leg room and I rationalize that if a few inches from each row was taken, that coach would have more leg room. If everyone had to pay for drinks, then everything wouldn't be as expensive for the ones that can't afford it and free for those that can.

First class is a treat for me, and while I'm very thankful, I still feel like its too much luxury for one person. Don't get me wrong. I'm diligent about my Aadvantage miles and I'm great at working the miles system that have garnered me upgraded passage on this trip, but I still feel like an impostor...

I'll get over it soon. I'll enjoy the rest of the flight... mimosa in hand.



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Location:Up in the air over the mid Atlantic states

Sitting at work, while dreaming of vacation.

I'm sitting at lunch and I'm realizing that concentrating on work will never be more difficult than this week, before my trips.

I mean, freakin A, I am going to Italy!!! Do you realize how many people only dream of this kind of trip?? Anyway, not trying to gloat, I'm just still in awe that in 8 short days I'm hopping the pond.

Funny story from this past weekend: I downloaded the google translator, and I was importing common phrases so I would have a few things to stay set. Nelson heard me talking to my phone several versions of the same question and he asked me what I was doing. I explained that I was trying to figure out the easiest sentence to ask someone where the closest metro station was because the translations were all coming out too long:
Dove si tropa blah blah stazione della metropolitana etc.
With the straightest face ever, he said, Babe, don't you think that if you ask someone "Metro?" that they will know what you mean?
I instantly felt like an idiot and we laughed about that for about 20 minutes.
So. No more convoluted sentences. Time for short concise "hey I'm an American but I'm trying" questions. LMAO

More later

A quiet weekend, or is it?

It's 8am on Saturday morning and I'm up before Nelson. I'm washing clothes and trying to get ready for the weekend chores. So many questions fill my mind when it comes to traveling abroad... (LOL. Side note about "Abroad" I've never had to say that! It's got an air about it, like "I'm traveling overseas". Makes me feel like one of those kids that are sent by their parents to Europe to "study abroad". Ok enough side note, I'm 40 and I've worked my butt off to take this trip. I'm allowed to feel a little entitled myself)

Back to my original quandary. I don't know how much clothes to take, will I be washing my hair every day? Will we be dressing down for sightseeing then later dressing up for dinner? I just have no clue what the days will bring. I've checked all the travel sites and the "packing professionals" all take too little clothes for my taste. Who brings only one pair of jeans and 2 pairs of shoes for a 12 day trip? Sorry, that's both gross and unfeasible for me.

A note on shoes: I'm not a shoe freak, but, I need sneakers, sandals AND heels (both closed and open toed). 4 pairs is reasonable, right? Maybe I'll try to sneak an additional sensible flat, but that's it!

I guess I'm more worried about packing since I have to go on this trip to DC first. I leave on June 15-19, then return and turn around and fly to Italy on the 20th, so time is my enemy. I have no choice but to think about it... Oh well, time to have some coffee and start my day of packing and running errands.

Thanks for reading!

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Location:Home

Why I am writing this blog

So a friend (I'll call her "A") today told me about a blog that her cousin wrote all over Europe and how she loved living vicariously through the twenty-something year old that seemingly lived a fearless life traipsing throughout Europe. "A" believed that if I documented my trip, that she could easily follow my travel through the Mediterranean in similar fashion. Not sure I am anywhere near as talented or creative as her niece was, nor will my adventures seems as glamorous or as exciting, but I will try to give her and any other reader that may happen upon my page an insight into the adventure that we are embarking on in just over 2 weeks!

Nelson and I leave for NYC at Noon on June 20th to meet up with the rest of our party and the following morning will have us arriving in Rome for the start of our trip. Joining Nelson and I on this voyage are my cousin, Ernie, his wife, Vicky along with her daughter, Alexandra with fiancé Matt. We will spend three glorious days exploring the Eternal City and everything she has to offer us first-timers. We plan to see, smell, feel, listen and most importantly, TASTE everything we can. As most of you may know, I'm a self proclaimed foodie extraordinaire, so expect descriptions of every succulent morsel. I'll be sure to include some descriptions for the other four senses too... Hahahaha





After three days in Rome, we embark on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas for 7 breathtaking days on the Mediterranean Sea. We will be visiting sites such as Mt Etna in Sicily, The Library of Celsus & the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, the Acropolis in Athens and even a WWII British Cemetery in Crete. It's my first cruise & Nelson's second, but both our first in Europe. We are so very excited at the possibilities of all to see and do...

But on a serious note, folks... I'm nowhere near ready for this trip since before we even think about leaving, I have two food shows to attend (thankfully one is in Miami, but the other is in DC right before our trip.. Oh no!) plus two major work appointments to contend with. Dare I mention the chore of packing for all of this, and then of course, there's the fact I want to lose 10lbs before the trip!!

Nelson is going to kill me before we leave. Im driving him crazy and he has been so patient with me. Here goes nothing...

Now the fun starts... 15 days until we leave!!

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Location:Home