February 7, 2013

• Day 2...and travel.

  Today was day two back at the gym.  Oy, it was hard, but it felt so good!  I forgot just how much I love working out and being at the gym.  I also started training for a 5K that I signed Jamie and myself up for in May (right before we leave for Hawaii).  I really want to run the full thing.  A lot of people would scoff at 3.1 miles being considered "long," but I 've always been a sprinter, never a distance runner...running any sort of mileage for me is tough!  But...it'll be great to start training for it, and it'll help get me in shape for my time at the beach in Hawaii!  I am so freaking excited for Hawaii!  At that point, our house will have been taken care of, the cars bought, the furniture in place...that part of the stress will be finished.  It'll be 10 glorious day of relaxation, scuba diving, and spending time together...BLISS!

  The only thing we have left to do for the Hawaii trip is rent an apartment.  We'll be on two different islands (the Big Island and Oahu), so we'll need two places.  I've started searching on VRBO for places that I like, and they have plenty, so I'm not worried.  We already booked the tickets months ago (god bless you, airline miles!), and everything else is just sort of "played by ear."  I want to do another Luau, and TONS of scuba diving (and maybe even another certification while we're there), and lots of lazing around on the beach with a fruity drink in my hand.  And swim with dolphins...that's a must too!

  We also got our email regarding the 2014 Winter Olympics, and how tickets applications begin in a few months!  I'm so torn!  Ugh, I'd really like to go!  I've never been to Russia, and I've wanted to go for quite some time, but on the other hand, it'll go through our vacation time for the year (well, mine at least, because I only get 10 days plus Winter shutdown between Christmas and New Years).  The main drag on the time is the flight.  To fly from Chicago O'Hare to Sochi (where the games are being held) is a 2 day flight (due to time changes), and at least 20+ hours in travel time.  Ummm...oy.  And that's not even counting the expense!  United doesn't fly to Sochi, so we couldn't use miles (though we might be able to use miles for part of the trip...from Chicago to Moscow, maybe), and tickets are looking to be around $2k+ per person.  If we were living in Europe, it would be nothing for us to just jump on over there (sure, it's still an 8+ hour flight, and expensive, but nowhere near as much as it is coming from the US), but I'm just not sure if I can justify that time and expense.  Plus, hopefully, by that time I'll be pregant, and I'm not sure I want to spend several days flying somewhere while dealing with being pregnant.

  Plus, we've also been talking about doing some exploring of South America, so I know if we drop that sort of cash and time on a trip to Russia, that will be our big trip of the year (and the money spent could easily account for two big trips somewhere else...or a hell of a lot of weekend trips around the US).  I've been dying to go to Costa Rica, and I'd love to go to Columbia a well.  So, who knows.  It'll be a decision, for sure...a once in a lifetime trip to see the Olympics in Russia (and, I'll admit, the Olympics were pretty damn spectacular in London, so I'd like to do it again), or other, equally as awesome trips to South America.  Luckily, we have a few months before our application for tickets is due, so we can talk and decide later.

  So, that's about it for now.  Trying to sort our travel plans for this year (and potentially next), while trying to coordinate a transatlantic relocation and new jobs.  I love all the excitement this is generating, but it's also stressful!  Hopefully I'll keep my head above water over the new few months!

  Hope you all are doing well!

  XOXOXO,
  K.

   

  • 7:16 am
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