Viajando

Los Cabos

Well, the first month of the new year is half-way over and I have to be honest, I haven't been even a little committed to my goals. This year has already been so busy at work and I've pushed most of my personal goals to the side so that I can focus on being organized, anxiety-free and at peace while at work. It hasn't come without a few moments of squeezing my eyes shut, taking a few deep breaths and even a few heart palpitations. But, through it all, once I let God have control, I've been given His peace.

On Friday my sister, Joa and I Facetimed with my mom and dad and my pops mentioned a family vacation in Los Cabos! Joa and I have been trying to figure out travel plans for the year and a beach vacay with the family helps settle things a bit. I really wanted to go Paris for a joint 30th birthday trip and Joa wanted us to go to NYC because I'm always pestering him about going to NYC. Plus, I wanted a beach destination on the side because, well, we haven't done that since our honeymoon. But those three PLUS a trip to Puerto Rico in there somewhere is just a bit more than our budget allows for.

So, when pops said Los Cabos - I was OK with dropping Paris and hanging on to NYC and PR. I told Joa we can take our kids to Paris one day (where both Joa and I signed our names on the Eiffel Tower and where I first told him I liked him our junior year of HS).

NYC!

Puerto Rico

All that to say, I'm ready to drop some elbees (one of my 2012 goals) and get beach ready. No diets for me this time around. Just a commitment to sensible eating (juicing a few times a week) and exercise. I really want to start doing yoga, as well as running. I have a gym membership, so the running is taken care of (plus the availability of the open road), but yoga gets pricey. So, I'm going to have to figure that one out. I'd say I could go to the classes at the gym, but those are always at stay-at-home mom times like 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Yeah, um, hello? I work.

Here's to beaches and the city that never sleeps in 2012.

Paris, one day

Dreaming of Paris...

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Late Memorial Day Recap

I had a fantastic time in Mexico City with my family and my two best friends from college. After four-and-a-half years, my parents are leaving DF to move back home. That is the longest that they have ever stayed in one place since I was in kindergarten! We had fantastic food, did all of the touristy stuff, walked a lot and had wonderful family/friend time!

Diego Rivera mural in el Palacio Nacional - amazing.

Vacation FOMO

In just under a month I will be in Spain with three of my favorite people in the whole world. This trip has been something we talked about doing for a while and then last September we bit the bullet and bought the plane tickets. There was no looking back once the flights were booked. I can't believe that our trip will be here so soon and I'm starting to think non-stop about what we should do (and what I will wear!). I'm not a HUGE planner on vacations; I like to do some things on a whim so it doesn't feel like work, but also like a bit of planning. But I do suffer from a major case of FOMO. FOMO is well-documented and has even been the subject of a New York Times article. While this particular case of FOMO is not related to social media, it is FOMO none-the-less. Here is what I fear: missing all of the wonderful secret spots in Barcelona, Sevilla and Granada because I'm so focused on visiting all of the "must-sees." Of course we will visit Gaudi's cathedral and see some of his other work. We will walk through Las Ramblas and eat tapas to our hearts (and tummy's ) content. And shopping, oh I will shop shop shop. But those are given, right? I want to discover the real Barcelona. I want to traipse through secret gardens and stumble into hole in the wall restaurants where locals eat. I don't want to miss charming little shops tucked into side streets or miss an opportunity to sit for a few hours on a table that belongs to a lovely sidewalk cafe because I'm stomping around looking for the best place to eat. I just want to be. And live in the moment every second that we are there.

This is the first overseas vacation that J and I have taken (other than our honeymoon, but beach vacations are a little different - I mean who would need to leave here?), so I am probably putting a bit more pressure on it than I need to. I guess that's the first thing I need to let go of - the pressure to make it amazing. Do you have secrets for making the most of your vacation?

1. The rooftop pool at our hotel in Barcelona

2. One of the guest rooms in our Granada hotel

travel whimsies...

Before I got married, I discussed the children timeline with my husband. I wanted at least three years sans kids to enjoy married life, but mostly to travel. In that same discussion, I snuck in there that in those three years I wanted to do three trips: Spain, Greece and Italy. The truth is, I want much more than three, I want to travel the world, but realistically, I've been thinking about those three years and where I want to have gone with just my husband. I know there will be traveling with kids in tow, but it won't be the same. My three-year list is as follows.

Spain - I was an au pair in Madrid for four months, but I didn't get to travel to Barcelona or Seville. I'd like an itinerary that included all three cities.

Madrid's Plaza Mayor

Gaudi's as-yet unfinished Gaudi Cathedral

Flamenco dancers in Sevilla

Next on the itinerary is Greece. I'm a sucker for the stacked white buildings and brilliant rooftops that overlook the pristine water.

The beaches of Mykonos

The Parthenon Temple

Wine, cheese, olive oil and olives at a cozy cafe in Crete. Done.

Last of the three original trips is Italy. I think I'd be a little overwhelmed with knowing where to go, but I do know for sure I'd want to visit Tuscany. Yes, I'm a sucker for Under the Tuscan Sun.

Other trips I'd like to take include a three-or-four day trip in the autumn to see the bright colors of the fall foliage in the Northeast.

A trip across South America. Every country.

A stop in India and Bali (inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love).

OK so really, this list could go on and on and on. The world offers so many distinct landscapes, cultures, people, foods, traditions, etc. that it would be foolish, in my opinion, not to take advantage of them.

The last place I will mention is, at this point in my travels, my favorite place on this planet. The energy, the pulse, the people, the variety, the fashion, the food - everything about the city, from the grandiose to the miniscule - they all fill my insides with complete and utter happiness. I watch movies and TV shows just to get a fix, I research and plan hypothetical trips, I nag my husband constantly about wanting to go. Where, you ask, am I speaking of? Naturally, I am referring to New York City. I've been a handful of times and can never get enough. I truly do LOVE NY.

Photos via: KidCyber, ccharmon's flickr, Examiner Dallas, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here