Plan Vacation - CHECK

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? I absolutely do – being the slight OCD individual that I am I believe in planning and making sure that everything has been taken care of. So here I am planning my vacation for this year.

It has been a few years since I have taken a “big” vacation. I think the last time was January 2008 when the whole family (9 of us) went on a Disney cruise to Cozumel, Grand Cayman Island and Cast Away Key in Nassau. That was one that I planned and managed for the whole family. Since then we have only done a week in Bethany Beach or a few days in Puerto Rico – nothing exciting although each one of them was fun.

Well, I am finally taking the vacation that I have thought about for several years. This July I will be taking an Alaskan cruise. I have always wanted to go to our 50th state – to see the wild life and to appreciate a very different type of nature. Lately my philosophy has been, “if not now, then when”? We can always come up with a reason for not doing something; whether it is work, family obligations, finances. Well none of those things are an obstacle for me – so why not?

The only problem I had was that I did not want to go alone – it isn’t as if I haven’t traveled alone in my lifetime. I went to Italy, Spain and for several years to Cancun on my own; but, I wanted to share this experience with someone else. I knew that my boyfriend would be out of the question, he is extremely busy with his law practice and we haven’t been able to even get a weekend together for a couple of years. I considered my cousin, Gerry who had the opportunity many years ago to go salmon fishing in Alaska and passed it up; but, understandably he really doesn’t want to be away for too long from his wife, Eilish.

Who to take with me – what a dilemma?? Then, I thought about it – what about Ryan, my 10 year old great nephew who has a fascination with the Titanic and went on the Disney cruise with us in 2008. Before I mentioned it to him I made sure that I cleared it with his mother and my nephew – was he going to summer camp, would he be missing anything important? Well he was going to hockey camp; but, it was only one day a week and both his parents thought the Alaska trip would be good for him.

I finally told Ryan about it and he was ecstatic – I decided to take the Disney cruise to Alaska as I knew they would have programs geared to children and that I could also place him in the children’s club for a couple of hours during the day so that I could have some private time. Now, I had to answer all of his questions, when were we leaving, what was the name of the ship, could I afford the cruise (he saw how much it cost), were we going to have a cabin with a balcony, etc. Okay, cruise arrangements made and I advised him of it - I thought the questions would now stop. NOOOOO, they didn’t.

The next set of questions all had to do with the flight arrangements. He proceeded to give me a list of airlines he was fine traveling on. He reminded me that he is left handed so could I please make sure our seats were on the left hand side of the plane and he would appreciate a window. Would we fly out of Newark or JFK; and, more importantly how would we get to the airport? Were we taking a taxi; but, I need to remember that he is used to traveling in a limousine. Okay, he has gone on a few trips with me where we have taken a car service; in 2008 when we went on the cruise since it was nine of us we had a stretch limousine; and, when we came back from Puerto Rico they also sent a stretch for us. Not sure yet how we are getting to the airport.

I was looking at airfares for Seattle – I couldn’t believe that I could not find anything less than $600; not Jet Blue or any of those other low cost airlines. Time to see if any of my points could come in handy; I first looked to move some of my Diner’s Club points to Jet Blue; but they do not have an alliance. However they do have an alliance with Delta; I looked up my Delta account and I had 98,000 points – wow I didn’t know that. With another 86,000 points Ryan and I could travel first/business class roundtrip to Seattle – DONE. That was a no-brainer.

Now a hotel for Sunday night (our cruise leaves on Monday afternoon) – the travel agent had given us a few recommendations. I have am a Hilton Honors member and was able to get us into the Homewood Suites right by the Pike Street Market. I mentioned it to Ryan and he is excited about that since he has seen the various shows that highlighted the Market and the throwing of the fish. What he wants is for them to throw him a fish – NOT HAPPENING – I am not cooking the one night we are in Seattle. I have never been to Seattle so I am very excited about being there although it is a short period of time.

Since the travel agent advised me that the weather in Alaska will be anywhere between 40 to 70 degrees F; we will need several different types of clothing and to be able to layer them. Ryan now has plenty of long sleeved shirts, long underwear and a down vest. I have the same for myself.

Only thing left to do is decide what excursions we will do – both Ryan and I would like to see whales. I would like to see a glacier and to experience the wildness of Alaska. Ryan has expressed an interest in going salmon fishing – I have to admit I have never fished; but, would be willing to try it for him.

Do I seem excited – YES, I am. I am finally taking a trip that I have long wanted to do. I am going with an individual who will love the experience and I enjoy introducing children to the joys of travel, to different cultures and to expanding their knowledge.

So now, let the COUNTDOWN BEGIN.

For You on Your Birthday

This coming week a very wonderful woman will become 60 years old – but, she won’t know it and there will be no celebration. I want to honor and recognize my cousin’s wife and my nephew’s and niece’s mother, Eilish. She was the most wonderful person that I know and have known.

Why am I using past and present tense you may ask? It is because Eilish is in Stage 6 of Alzheimer’s disease. You may not have known that Alzheimer’s has stages – it does – there are a total of 7. What is worse is that this disease is taking more and more individuals in their 50’s and 60’s; it is no longer an older person’s disease.

The problem is that many of us don’t even realize that someone may have the beginnings of the disease. Our lives are so busy, we are so full of multi-tasking that our forgetfulness is just chalked up to juggling too many things at once. That is certainly what we thought with Eilish. She was a cardiac care nurse in the Bronx’s Montefiore Hospital who worked a 12 hour shift four days a week. When she came home she would then take care of her parents; many nights she would not get to bed until midnight – only to get up at 5 the next morning. You can understand how it would go unnoticed.

I should have know that something was wrong in May 2005 – Eilish and I went to Paris for 5 days/4 nights to celebrate my having completed my MBA at Villanova. Our first day there she did not want to do anything but sleep and have room service for dinner. The next day we bought tour bus tickets that enabled us to get off at various stops to tour museums, the Notre Dame, etc. She slept throughout the bus tour except for when we got off the bus to into Rodin’s museum or the Louvre where we fought the crowds for a glimpse of Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. The most excitement we had was when we took a dinner cruise on the Seine and listened to wonderful music and had a great meal.

I have traveled with Eilish before – in 1996 with her children we went to London and Ireland. We hit every major tourist spot in London in four days and Eilish was leading the way. She made sure that I had the Victoria & Albert museum, we saw the Rosetta Stone, we went to Sherlock Holmes’ home, Covent Garden, Harrod’s (where she states she has had the best Caesar salad) and then to Ireland for another 8 days of touring the countryside. She led us and kept up with her children on doing everything on the itinerary.

I have known Eilish for 42 years, I was a bridesmaid in her wedding and I lived with her and my cousin for a year and a half when my fiancée died. She was always one of my biggest cheerleaders and most generous in sharing her children with me. She let me introduce them to Disneyland, to Puerto Rico and to Europe – she was never jealous of the time I spent with her children and always made sure that they thought of me on Mother’s Day.

She has lived a life of giving and doing for others. Today we want her to live the remainder of her life unencumbered and peaceful. We are unsure if she remembers us; but, when I saw her at Christmas she smiled at me, her children and grandchildren. My cousin visits her six out of the seven days a week and I get weekly updates on how she is doing.

I will honor her by always being there for her children and grandchildren, reminding them of the wonderful woman she was and is.

Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease that does not only affect the individual; but, all those who know them. Please keep this disease in mind when you give to charities – let’s find what is there that affects the mind.

Re-Birth, Re-Affirmation

Last week Christians celebrated Easter and this Sunday is Greek Orthodox Easter. I am not sure that many people reflect on what Easter is all about beyond things like; Christ has risen from the dead (religious symbolism), the Easter bunny with his basket of goodies and family getting together (secular).

The true meaning of Easter and part of it being a spring ritual is that it is a re-birth and a re-affirmation of who we are and what we believe in. It is a time to see things from a new perspective, to be able to make changes in our lives for things to be better.

Look at what is happening around us with nature. All the trees are budding; the tulips, hyacinths and crocuses are all pushing through the ground with their vibrant green leaves and their dazzling colors of orange, fuchsia and purple. The birds are out each morning chirping and if you walk around your neighborhood you will see all the robins out there with their red breast eating joyfully.

We have spring cleaning – get rid of the old, unvalued or useless items in our lives. It is a time to shed that which holds you down and to move to your own beat and what you want from your life. Many people now start exercising because the weather is nicer, warmer and the day is longer – you start to invest in yourself from a health conscious perspective (or maybe from I need to put a bathing suit on in 60 days); but, no matter how you view it people are moving.

There is friendliness and energy in the air and in interactions with other people, much of it has to do with the sun being out and the warmth of it and the Vitamin D we are all now obtaining from it. But, it makes us reach out, to be nicer, to tolerate more. We have thrown off the heavy coats, scarves, boots and gloves and now just walk around in our shirts and jackets as if a big weight has been lifted from our shoulders.

Just as we shed the heavy clothing so should we shed anything that keeps us from our goals and being happy. We have all been given one life on this Earth and we are meant to live it to its fullest. By that I don’t mean that we should ignore our responsibilities, our positions or being a good person – I do mean that you have an obligation to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE.

What is Your Best Life? It depends on you as an individual. A couple of things to keep in mind as you consider whether you are living your best life:
1. Do I like myself? Would you want yourself as a friend? Do you generally like the person you are, the values you have, the way you interact with others?
2. Do I love myself? You cannot love another individual until you can love yourself. Self love is the greatest love there is and I am not referring to narcissism. Love the pain and the joy of your life and everything you have gone through to be the person you are today.
3. Do I enjoy getting up each morning? Are you someone who just wishes you can stay in bed or do you jump out of it each morning happy to be alive another day? Start to view each day as a gift – watch your gift unfold throughout the day and at the end of the day say, thank you for your gift of today.
4. Am I happy? Other individuals cannot make you happy – only YOU have to power to do that. If you are not happy – why not? What is happening in your life that has you unhappy? Can you change it or do you need to get rid of it? All things were not meant to last a lifetime; we need to understand that things have a beginning, middle and an end. The ending may not be what we expected; but, the sooner you accept it and move on the sooner you will be on your way to being happy.

As we continue to celebrate this season – think of yourself and how you want to be re-born this spring, what is your re-affirmation of your life? Shake off the people, obligations and items that weigh you down and enter spring being much lighter and happier with your life and its accoutrements.

If you can be good to yourself, then you will be good to others. Be your own best friend, love yourself – then you can be a good friend to others and you can love others wholly.

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE so YOU CAN OFFER YOURSELF TO OTHERS.

Busy Week, Busy Month

April – the month has just begun and is already very busy. Somehow, I don’t know why I always forget all the obligations that occur in April. Thankfully, my niece always reminds me.

This month not only is it Easter; but, there are several birthdays; and, celebrating Christmas with a friend of mine. YES, I said Christmas – I have not seen her since October so we will celebrate Christmas, exchanging gifts, having a nice lunch and enjoying a Broadway show.

First, though Easter. Today we had Easter brunch at my cousin’s home. My niece made her egg bake and a French toast casserole for which I had given her the recipe. I woke up at 6:30 so I could get my one hour walk in (no Zumba this Sunday) to come home and make my cheese Danish, take a shower and head to the bakery to pick up the meltaway (an almond Danish) before heading to my cousin’s house. Yesterday I put together the Easter bags for my great nephews, each getting two pairs of Croc sandals for the spring/summer. Ryan also received two DVDs on the Titanic – he is absolutely obsessed with it. Callum received a Nick Jr. DVD with all his favorite shows and a Blue’s Clue book. And, yes, they did get a Chocolate Easter bunny from Godiva. Siobhan filled all the plastic eggs with different candies and the boys did the Easter egg hunt on the front lawn.

I do admit that I miss the Easters from my childhood. We always had new clothing, shoes, hat, gloves and went to church with my Mother. We would go to my Aunt’s home for Easter dinner and it was always a Virginia ham – we no longer do that and I cannot remember the last time I had Virginia ham. Do I miss the chocolate – no, I don’t.

This will be a busy week – I will work remotely on Monday but I have deliverables both for work and for the VCI-Group; all good so I am not complaining. On Tuesday I need to run from one office to another. I first need to see what communication technology I need to recommend for the conference rooms in our new offices. Then I am meeting the Head of Dentistry at one of our hospitals to do a site survey on two conference rooms which need to be equipped with video conferencing equipment. Wednesday I took the day off; but, that is the day that I will be meeting my girlfriend and we will both enjoy each other’s company; as well as, see the show “Sister Act”. I hope that it is good – it had good reviews originally and now Raven Symone is in it.

Thursday things begin to settle down a little bit; and, although I am in the office I only have a couple of meetings scheduled. I am most anxious to get a contract approved and signed for collaboration purposes. It has been close to four months that we have been working on this contract and I cannot belong that every time we get something agreed upon by both parties – something new comes up to discuss. REALLY!!!

I will work remotely again on Friday – I know most people think that working from home means that you do not do anything; but, I think most of us can attest that is not true. I am usually on a couple of conference calls for a few hours and creating power point presentations or documents. This Friday evening I believe that Ryan will be coming over and spending the evening with me. I have tickets for Saturday for he and I to see “Newsies” – I am looking forward to the show; but, more importantly I am looking forward to introducing Ryan to Broadway and seeing how he reacts to it.

Lastly, next Sunday we will celebrate my nephew-in-laws birthday. It will be a Sunday dinner celebration and I already know what I will be getting him – now to run to the store and buy it.

That is just one week in this month – there are a few more birthdays in this month that we will need to celebrate. That is just what is planned for the month – I cannot gauge what might come up unexpectedly.

What I am most happy about is that I am seeing two Broadway shows this week and I am fulfilling one of my resolutions for this year to go out more and do things that I enjoy. I will continue to do this for the following months – how can I not – the weather is getting warmer and it has been beautiful.

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Passover

Revel in this time with your family and friends.

10,000 Steps

10,000 Steps – do you know how long it takes to accomplish that in one day? Have you ever had a goal and needed to walk a certain amount of steps per day? Did you make it?

I bring this up because in previous blogs I have mentioned that I am participating in my company’s “Walk to Paris” challenge. We are teams of 10 and we need to walk 7,290,000 steps in three months. We officially began the challenge on Friday, March 23rd and it will end 90 days later. We have been given pedometers that we synchronize weekly to log our steps; and, each morning the pedometer resets itself to 0.

We were given three days to begin walking and get acclimated to the amount of time it would take us to walk. We don’t actually have to do 10,000 steps a day; but, each member has to do 8,200 steps a day and then we would accomplish the 7,290,000 steps.

I am sure that most of you feel that you walk the requisite 10,000 steps per day (what all Doctors and Medical community recommend); but, let me tell you if you have an office position YOU DO NOT. Worse still if you work from home I know for a fact that you don’t.

Just before we began the challenge I worked from home one day – guess how many steps I did? Just over 1,000 – are you kidding me??? It just shows that when I am working from home – I am working. I am sitting in the corner of my couch with my laptop on my lap just typing away or on the phone on a conference call. I get up to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, throw out the garbage and get the mail.

This past week to ensure that I did not have such terrible numbers I walked around my neighborhood for 45 minutes - I did not go home until I already had my 8,200 steps and then any other steps did for the day would be gravy. I have become good friends again with my iPod and I have music urging me to continue the walk. When I get home I am soaking wet; but, exhilarated that I have completed the goal for the day.

On days when I am in the office I am discouraged because I am only averaging 4500 to 5000 steps. I am learning to take the long way to the restroom – but, that also means that I cannot wait until the last minute to go to the restroom which is my nature. The other day as I waited for the food truck to arrive I walked around our lobby trying to rack up my steps.

On the weekends I have no problems reaching my step goal – I don’t even have to walk around the neighborhood as I am able to complete them; actually exceed the 8200 step goal by just running my errands. And on the days when I have Zumba I can actually attain 6,000 steps just from the one hour of Zumba – Sundays I can easily have 11,000 to 12,000 steps done.

Am I seeing other benefits? YES, I have actually lost a pound. I haven’t changed my eating habits although I am going through my period of not being hungry again; but, I am attributing the weight loss to the walking.

Does this exercise require any special equipment? NO. Just a good pair of walking shoes or sneakers and whatever motivates you – for me it is music with a great beat. It always helps that there is a goal in mind – an all expense trip to Paris with the extra vacation time wouldn’t be bad either. If I hadn’t mentioned it the winners of the challenge will receive an all expense paid trip to Paris with additional vacation. We will also be able to buy a discounted airline ticket for someone we would like to take with us. Would it be nice to win – yes; however if we do not I would have incorporated a healthy habit into my life.

I will continue to walk, expand the music on my iPod and watch as my neighborhood changes from spring into summer. At the same time I hope to continue to reap the rewards of weight loss, stronger legs and a tighter derriere.

Find something you can enjoy, then JUST DO IT!!