Monday 5 September 2011

11 days to go.........

When you book a trip 9 months ahead of time, you have to be careful not to wish your life away in anticipation of your trip.  With a countdown starting at over 200 days, it would be too easy to focus on something that is still so far away and miss out on the every day pleasures that life brings.  So I've enjoyed 2011 so far ~ we brought Seb to Cuba, Danielle and Paul got married and they are now expecting another baby, we all shared a wonderful week at Point au Roches, we had a warm, sunny summer with lots of great meals on the deck and we just celebrated my brother's 50th birthday.

But try as I might, the excitement of seeing Greece for the first time and returning to our beloved Paris has always been in the back of my mind.  Now, finally, we are leaving in less than 2 weeks........we fly out on September 17, a mere 11 days away, the weekend after next.  When I go back to work tomorrow after this last long weekend of the summer, I can say that "next week, we are going to Athens and the Greek Islands".  I've spent so much time planning, researching, obsessing and waiting for this trip that it's hard to believe it's almost here.  Hopefully, the hundreds of hours spent looking for flight deals, the perfect accommodations, the memorable restaurants, the most beautiful beaches, the most convenient ferries, will pay off and we will have a trip to remember and treasure for a very long time.

I know that Den and I are very lucky to be able to travel the way we do.  After our kids and our grandson (and soon to be new grandbaby), travel is a true passion for us.  We will do without other things that some may feel are more important to their lives (designer clothing, fancy jewelry, expensive meals out, new cars every 3 years, etc.) so that we can afford to go away a few times a year.  And planning a trip is almost as much fun and exciting as the actual trips for me.  Thus, the hours on the internet, the bookmarking of various travel sites, blogs, and forums ~ these are as much a part of my every day as brushing my teeth, making dinner and going to work.  Travel is such a big part of who I am and what I do and I hope we can continue to see new places, meet new people and make new memories for a very long time.

So hopefully I can contain my excitement for the next 11 days ~ go to work and be productive, come home and enjoy my family and not count every minute of every day as they go slowly ticking by.........yeah, right!!

See you on the 17th!!

1 comment:

  1. Jo , I enjoy reading your entries, and a Big Congratulations to you both , and Danielle and her family ! I can't wait to read your blog once you arrive in Greece. Will you be going to Rhodes? we are staying there for 2 days during our cruise in October, and one day in Mykonos, I will take any advise you have , what to see, and do. We leave on the 8th of October, we loved Portugal so much, that we will connect in Paris for a flight to Lisbon where we will spend 5 nights touring, then its off to Athens.

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