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!!

Pressure

Pressure – who places that on you? I have finally realized that I placed an incredible amount of pressure on myself this weekend; and, although I am happy with the end results I need to reconsider why I do this.

It officially became spring this week – into a new season and clearly the weather was cooperating. On the East Coast the weather was in the low 70’s, the sun was shining and I walked out every day without a coat. Waking up in the morning I could hear the birds chirping, there are buds on the trees and tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are all starting to peek through the ground. Okay, what was wrong with this picture? I know, I still have snowmen decorating parts of my house. Winter is over – time to change things around.

I was on a whirlwind over the last few days beginning on Thursday evening as I started to change each room into its spring regalia. It has not been easy – as I finally had to stop by the hospital emergency room on Tuesday to find out what was wrong with my left wrist – Good News – it isn’t broken. Bad News it may just be a sprain which is just as bad. To really know what is wrong I have an orthopedist appointment tomorrow afternoon; but, in the meantime I am wearing a soft splint which does limit some mobility.

At the same time my hair is really showing its grey and I need a haircut so I scheduled an appointment for Friday. AND at 12:01AM on Friday morning we officially began our company’s “Walk to Paris” challenge and I need to walk approximately 8,000 steps a day. Could I give myself more things to do???

I got some things done on Thursday evening, including turning my mattress – not an easy feat with my wrist and the fact that it is a queen size bed. Not only did I turn it, I had to lift it so I could change the bed skirt. I also ironed the curtains for a few of the windows, and changed everything in the main bathroom. Thursday night my room, bathroom and the main bathroom all done.

Friday between work I managed to get my hair cut, colored and highlighted – back to normal. I was supposed to go to Zumba in the evening; but, I chose to stay home and change the rugs in the living and dining rooms and put up their curtains. I changed the throw pillows and went into my utility room where I got out my Easter/spring decorations and put away my winter/St. Patrick’s decorations. By the time I went to bed on Friday evening I had the powder room, living room, dining room and office all completed.

In the spare bedroom I hung up the curtains, got out the rugs; BUT, I was extremely upset. I had sent the comforter to the cleaners and upon opening it and laying it on the bed I noticed that the down is all puffy in some areas and not lying flat and even. They have ruined this comforter – I am totally BUMMED as I loved this comforter. I could do no more in this room.

Saturday morning found me off to aqua aerobics – I have had to make changes in how I take that class because of my wrist so I am extremely protective of it when we are doing arm exercises with either the buoys or the noodle. After class I had some things to donate to Goodwill; and, then I stopped at Pier 1 to see if I could find a planter my niece wanted that the two Pier 1’s by her did not have. I am in luck – they have it. I am also looking for a new comforter for the spare bedroom so I stop at Home Goods, Marshall’s, Bed, Bath and Beyond; lastly, Kohl’s. NO LUCK. When I get home I go on line and find something that I like from Bed, Bath and Beyond and order it.

Now that I am home it is time to finish the kitchen – up go the curtains, rugs and decorations. Kitchen done. I have put together all the curtains to go to the cleaners. As I relax on Saturday evening I iron my clothes for the week. Now I feel that I have accomplished a lot; but, at what cost to myself? I am having a difficult time sleeping and my left wrist continues to be quite painful when moved in and up and down motion.

Sunday – my Zumba class and I know I will pile on the steps as I “Walk to Paris”. Well we had a new instructor – she said this was a high energy class and she was not kidding. Ten minutes into class and my head is soaking wet and I am dripping. Many people are leaving as she is not really instructing us and is just looking at herself in the mirror – not sure if I am a “trooper” or an “idiot” but I stay for the entire hour. I have over 6,000 steps and I know today I will be able to make my 8,000 steps with no issues.

From the gym to the cleaners to drop off my autumn/winter cleaning and storage, grocery store and home where three loads of laundry now await me. The laundry gets done and I am able to relax for the rest of the day – of course, wouldn’t you know that the weather also got chillier and it feels more wintery than springy.

That is okay – everything is organized and the house is in shades of green, brown and lilac in some rooms. The trees are still buding, the flowers are still peeking through the grass and the birds are still chirping in the morning.

Tomorrow I will find out what is wrong with my wrist and I will deal with it; but, as stubborn as I am I will not let it hinder what I have to do – it may cause me to alter some things (after all I would like to think I have some common sense).

So, if there is pressure in your life – make sure YOU are the one imparting it.

Organization - My Mantra

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine sent me an email message thanking me for sending her birthday card which arrived on her precise birthday. What really had me thinking was that she stated that I must be extremely organized to have the card arrive on time.

I have always felt that I was organized; but, recently have been thinking on what I do to make my life easier and to not get frazzled with everything that is going on. I was really put to the test this past week when I offered to host St. Patrick’s Day dinner at my house. Normally, not a big deal except that I was going to be out of town Wednesday through Friday at a workshop/conference. I would not get home on Friday evening until 11:30 at which time I would just want to go to bed.

I had an extremely ambitious dinner menu planned with two dishes that I had never cooked before. I did not want to buy my ingredients and have them sit in the refrigerator so I knew that on Saturday morning I would have to shop, go to the bakery, bake, cook and set the table. So to make Saturday less hectic, last weekend I printed out my recipes so that on Tuesday I could make my grocery list and have it ready to hit the store on Saturday morning. On Monday I called my bakery and ordered my Irish Soda bread and a carrot cake (two things I do not bake).

The workshop/conference I was going to was business dress so again last Saturday evening found my putting together the business suits I would wear, blouses, shoes and matching jewelry. I had to cull through my toiletry case and wither it down to what I needed – it was a great opportunity to throw some things out. Next I had to place all the liquid items in a clear toiletry bag (I was doing carry on) and this would be easy to pull out while going through security.

Lastly I had a few friends who would be celebrating birthdays while I was away or just as soon as I got back; and, of course Saturday would be St. Patrick’s Day – I had all my cards ready. I signed them, addressed the ones that needed to be mailed and on Monday got them to the post office. I had my gifts for the boys and what I was giving my niece and nephew. Cards done – what next?

Oh, let’s not forget to suspend newspaper delivery and get my friend Giancarlo and his wife to pick up my mail; also, Gladys my cleaning lady would be coming on Thursday so I needed to leave money for her at the house. Before the car pickup at 7:45 on Wednesday morning all was taken care of – now it would be the challenge for when I got back late Friday night.

I did take my suitcase upstairs on Friday when I got home; but, I did not unpack it. I placed it on the bed in the spare bedroom.

I got up on Saturday morning at 7AM – I knew I was not going to aqua aerobics. I showered, had breakfast and read the newspapers. In an hour I had grocery shopped and gone to the bakery to pick up my bread and cakes. Home I went ahead and put the groceries in the order that I would be cooking the meal. First the Guinness Chocolate Cake, then the brown bread; and, lastly the Irish beef stew with egg noodles.

While my cake was baking I set the table and brought down all the bowls that I would need. Now, cake is done while it cooled I made the brown bread. Placed the bread in the oven and started on the cream cheese icing for the cake – at that point Gerard arrived with the boys. I finished icing the cake and placed it in my cake saver while I gave them something to drink.

When my niece, her husband and my cousin arrived I was peeling potatoes for the Irish stew. Siobhan had bought the appetizers and I gave her some plates to them out on. Stew was on and I could relax with the family for about 45 minutes before having to put the egg noodles on.

Eventually dinner got to the table, we had a great meal and then everyone tasted the Guinness chocolate cake and enjoyed it – although I have to admit that 3 ½ year old Callum enjoyed it the most.

When everyone was gone, dishes went into the dishwasher, pots were washed, floor swept and rugs vacuumed – all was back to normal.

I went up to bed at 9PM and unpacked my suitcase and put together the items that needed to go to the cleaners. After my Zumba class this morning off to the cleaners to drop off my clothes and to pick up comforters, curtains, etc. You see this week spring will arrive and it is time to change everything in the house.

Now you know why – Organization is key to me.