Wonderings on Wanderings: The Time Has Come for A Pause

The time has come when I finally stop whatever it is I am doing and simply be. At the end of each year, around Christmas time, I reflect on the year just passed. 2015 has been a landmark year for me, and many new lessons have been learned. It is also the time when I begin to see the unfolding of the New Year. Already I know that 2016 will be more laid back, and I have to plan for the big change.

The Year that Was

Imagine this. In 2015, my sixth and seventh grandkids were born in May and September. My Claudine in Calgary gave birth in May to 8-pound Jax, her third. Kyrie was even bigger at 8.4 pounds, born to April in September by C-section in London, her first. My first book, Carolina: Criusing to an American Dream was made available by iUniverse to Amazon and Barnes and Noble online at the same time Jax was born! Successful Seattle and Manila launches were both held in June.

Map of Countries Visited

Imagine this, too. In 2015 I took a trip to sixteen countries and eight states and provinces in all of 20 weeks. This increases to 46 the total number of countries I have visited and to 74 the total states, provinces, and territories in the US, Canada, Mexico, UK and Australia. Five of the countries were without Bill, making it our longest separation from each other to date.  I was out of our home for nearly half of the year! I am just glad Bill did not get mad and, as usual, supported what I wanted to do.  Who knows, he may have enjoyed the vacation from me and my cooking!

In April and May, Bill and I toured Italy with his daughter Suzanne and her family and Spain with my granddaughters Krishna dn Daniela. In France we had our nth honeymoon! The Book Launches were followed by a road trip through Washington and British Columbia, visiting friends. Then there was a family reunion in Calgary after which we resumed our road trip back to Phoenix through Montana, Idaho, and Nevada, visiting family and friends. In September, Bill and I took a romantic getaway to Kauai, Maui and Oahu in Hawaii, visiting Bill's eldest grandson. Then I zoomed to London to help April with Kyrie. After that, Jingjing and I blitzed through 9 countries in Europe. As if that was not enough, Bill and I vacationed in Mexico for two and a half weeks!

The Year that Will Be 

Whew! I do need to take a breather!  2015 was admittedly a lapse into my old driven self. Hives, GERD, and other issues naturally, inevitably, and sporadically came back. At 67, it is really not realistic for me to think I can still do as much as my mind wants me to do! Some things are better left imagined, undone, and only dreamed about. After all, accomplishing tasks are not as important as loving the people around you, family and friends alike!

The Reason!

So, 2016 will be more laid back. Starting March 2016, I will be a nanny in Calgary for five months, taking care of Jax. In 2017 it will be Kyrie’s turn in Melbourne. When I took care of Enzo in 2006 and Kenjie in 2007 and 2008, I took a vacay from my friend Stress. There is something about babies that comfort me (I hope I also give them comfort). Combine that with cooking and I am in heaven!

There will still be travels with Bill. In 2016, we will have a family reunion in Victoria, British Columbia.  Before that, we will visit Bill's youngest daughter Cristine and my sister Cherry in Anchorage, Alaska. After the reunion, we will go on a road trip down the US west coast and spend a week in Newport, Oregon, a week in Lake Tahoe, a few days ini Capistrano Beach, and then back to the Mexico we love for a week in Cabo San Lucas. Then we go back to Viewpoint in November.

Mexico, here we come again!

In 2017, I hope to be in Melbourne as nanny to Kyrie and cook for April and Clint. That year, hopefully, Bill and I can make trips to New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea and Fiji on weekends and long holidays! For two years, I will rediscover heaven through my APOstolate. Perhaps, a second book can also magically come out of cribs and whipped up in casseroles. Then Bill can pardon me for another mad travel year in 2018!