And just like that...2011 is gone.

Ah yes. 2012 is here and I stumbled into my own blog quite by accident this evening.  I read through my previous entries and decided to write an update.  And yes, I had actually forgotten how to access my blog and was just recently wondering how to find it again. I am not completely internet-ignorant, but unless I routinely access certain accounts, etc, then I forget how to do it.  So I wound up here by reading an entry by The Booze Traveler where I posted a comment. I had to log in to leave my comment and suddenly there was my blogger name. By clicking on it I found my own blog. In the words of Rik from The Young Ones: -snort- Amazing!

So, the Turkey trip was wonderful and completely not what I expected. Okay the plane flight did suck but it was better going over than the return was.  The return was actually about an hour and a half longer, and we were stuck in the middle two seats in the middle 5 seats of the plane. One of the bathrooms went out of commission during the flight and the one I used, well, um...let's just say that it needed a cleaning badly after someone had recently visited it.  This is probably why the other bathroom went out of commission!  Needless to say, if I had owned a crystal ball, I would have scraped and sprung for first class seats...it would have been worth it. 

Anyway, the week in Turkey was wonderful as our very gracious host made sure that we did not want for anything. Beautiful hotels, transportation was provided everywhere, event planning, boat tours, restaurants, a disco, and a resort stay in Bodrum.  We visited the Grand Bazaar (albeit quickly as we were running very late), Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, The Cistern, and Topkapi Palace. We dined at both Reina and Lacivert and the food was exquisite.  I will go into more details in another entry but I wanted you to know that all of my anxiety was for naught. Which any readers out there probably knew already and therefore thought I was crazy.

Now let's hope I can remember how to get back in here so that I can keep up with this blog a little more than 3 entries a year!  

Countdown has begun

Well it is a little more than a week before I leave for a 10 day trip to Istanbul, Turkey. I have the wonderful opportunity of taking this trip for a post graduate reunion from a school that I attended in Switzerland. The host is Turkish hence the location being in his home town and it looks like about 90 people will be attending either along or with a significant other or friend. Myself? I will be attending with my oldest brother. My husband had already scheduled and put deposits on the two vacation times that he could have used to accompany me so he is not able to attend. 

The funny thing about all of this is every time someone learns about the trip they exclaim as to how excited I must be!  Honestly, I am not. Now why would I feel like this? I want to move past this moment where I am not excited so that I can get excited.

Possible reasons:

- Husband is not going. This is a big part of my hesitation I believe. I am so used to being with him and sharing experiences. Plus he is my "travel man" who maps out all types of itineraries and activities; figures out what any rules or customs are; and is just a wonderful comfort.  I don't mean to sound disgusting but even after 20 years of marriage we still hate to be apart! 

-The long flight.  I am not 18 anymore. 10 continuous hours on a plane in coach just sounds like a dreadful experience.  Plus it seems that since I am on hormone replacement therapy that I am more at risk for a blood clot forming. Now what in the hell would HRT have to do with that?  So I am going to have to make sure that I get up and move on the plane at least every hour; rotate my ankles; and try to keep my feet up.  Yeah...that is going to be a lot of fun.

-Shots and food.  We had to receive several shots for the trip. I had to do that once before when I went to Africa. So the shots I was okay with except for they gave them to me all at once. Way to load up the work on the liver.  I had to have Hep A & B; tetanus; typhoid; and MMR. This might not have been so bad except they gave me all sorts of literature about how basically I will only be drinking bottled water (which I am also to brush my teeth with), coffee, or alcoholic beverages, and eating well, nothing.  "Don't use the ice cubes."  We basically have to fear that everything that we are exposed to that could have been washed with not properly filtered water or not cooked enough will make us so ill that they want you to carry antibiotics with you!  Wow...sounds like a fun trip to me! 

I will try to keep up with this blog over the next week and continue to examine all the possible reasons for my trepidation.  This is the hope that I will move past them and truly enjoy the experience. 

How did I get into this?

It is funny how we sometimes find ourselves in places (events) that we don't know how we got there.  I saw a notice about a local Golden Retriever rescue group needing some donations for an upcoming fund raising auction.  I emailed to ask what type of items they could use and voila...here I am involved with the event. Just a little bit...but still, how did I get into this? 

I had an idea for a book and started doing some research for it. I told my husband about it and started asking him questions about writing and voila...he sets up a blog for me and I am suddenly known as Redheaded Stepchild.   Now I find myself stumbling through the motions trying to remember how to get into my own blog to write.  I obviously have not written much...but still, how did I get into this? 

Or better yet....should the question be...how do I get out of this? ;-)

Wind in the trees

I am currently staying in a timeshare condo in the Smoky Mountains just above Gatlinburg.  We are on the top floor (3rd) which puts up literally at the same level as many tree tops.  As a storm is possibly approaching the wind is quite brisk today.  Sitting here listening to the wind at tree top level is quite intriguing as it sounds so much more forceful than it does when you are down on the ground.  I actually woke up thinking there was a major downpour outside only to find it quite sunny. It was the wind in the trees that was teasing my ears!