A Trip of a Lifetime

One of the brilliant things about Facebook is the ability to find people you haven't seen in ages.  There was one person in particular, who I've thought about for years.  I spent 4-6 of my teenage years growing up with her, she moved to Hawaii and I always wondered what happened to her.  Every mutual friend we have asks me if I've seen or heard from her and I'm usually asking them the same.

One friend finally found her.  God knows she has over 500 friends on Facebook and she doesn't use it that often.  That's the girl I know.  She had the perfect body, she was always followed by a herem of men, and if anyone knows how to network... it's her.

Apparently, she's living up the single life in Hawaii, her body is still perfect and she's a bartender.  She's bought an apartment in Hawaii and she traveled to Europe for 2 months last year.  While she's telling me this my hairs of jealousy started to twang.  I know... she may be embellishing, a happy single life might not be all it's cracked up to be, but my freedom was the one thing I was afraid to give up when I became a parent.

She invited me out to Hawaii to come visit.  I got wrapped up in thoughts of how to justify spending the money for me to fly solo to Hawaii.  I got wrapped up in thoughts of how I could ask my husband, who works so hard, to watch our son so I can go relax in the Hawaii sun.  I got wrapped up in the thoughts of having more children and how hard it would be to take a trip like that anytime soon.

God!  Europe!  If you asked me what my current dreams would be... my two travel dreams are: to kiss my husband on top of the Eiffel Tower and to drink wine in Italy.  Those two trips are on my bucket list.

Becoming a parent, I am trying to come to terms with trips like that probably won't be checked off for a long time.

I turned on my Facebook and my sister had posted a picture we had taken in Paris in 2008.  I opened my picture folder on my computer and our Europe pictures have a whole new meaning.

Our mother is English.  I had not been to England since I was 7, right before the passing of my grandfather.  Going back had a lot of nostalgia.  We went to England and Paris.  Flipping through the pictures brought a smile to my face... here are a few...

England of course, the great Stonehenge.

Big Ben...

 London Eye..

 Tea Time with mom's cousin...

The birth place of Shakespeare...

 And my favorite when I was a kid... the Roman Bath...

After England we spent some time in France.

The castle of Mont Saint-Michel...

In Paris, on my 28 birthday, of course we had to go to "The Museum of Wine".  I ran a wine meetup group for a year... yes, I'm somewhere between a wine snob and a wino.  The museum wasn't that exciting, but the thought of the wine and cheese pairing at the end still makes my mouth drool.

 The Louvre...

 Mom and Deanne at the Mona Lisa...

 Notre Dame...

And my sister and I on the Eiffel Tower...

which someday will be a picture of me and my husband...


I don't think I nearly appreciated the trip as much as I should have, but now looking at the pictures, I am very grateful that I was able to go.  I think of the places I've been and I consider myself lucky.  I hope there will be more fun exciting trips in the future, but for now.. I will continue to annoy my Facebook friends with millions of pictures of my son whom I get to enjoy on a daily basis.