Travel or work? Which would you choose?

Some people enjoy hanging out on the beach in the summer, baking in the sun


Not us. We head to the mountains, where the temperature drops a solid twenty degrees.

Where we can kick up our feet and soak in the view.

Where there’s nothing on the agenda except sipping coffee, walking the dog and reading. 

Where the crows caw, and swans, ducks and geese share the same space without squabbling.

Where the soft breeze kisses my skin, the fog clings to the mountain tops, and lazy pewter clouds drift by. Where it’s green and lush, full of life and energy, yet whispers peace to my soul. 

Everybody needs a space that rejuvenates them, right? This is mine. 



Imagine the books I could crank out if I lived in this environment! Inspiration, peace, beauty, nature…what more could a writer ask for? It’s a romance writer’s dream!

I tried to sweet talk hubby into renting a cabin for an entire month next year. But, he’s not quite ready for thirty days with no radio, no pager, no fire calls, and no internet. 
After close to 40 years in the fire service, he still loves to work. He needs social interaction and thrives on…noise. Who’d have guessed? 🙂
What about you?
Travel or work? Beach or mountains?

As promised…PICTURES!

Because I know you just love looking at someone else’s vacation pictures! Ha! 

I’m sorry but I can’t help but share a handful. We had so much fun, and it was fabulous to get away and just soak in family time. No Internet, no cooking or cleaning, just a relaxing few days of treasured memories with our sons and family. 

Carnival Fantasy, our floating hotel for a few days


Hanging out in the lounge
My handsome guys…

We adopted our son’s friend (pictured on left) for the week. 
I don’t think he minded too much…
Usually we head to the mountains to chill, but here we are hanging out at the beach. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Sun warming our backs, a sweet breeze kissing our cheeks, and sand sliding through our fingers. Loved it!

Can anybody say windy? Sheesh, talk about big hair.
My beautiful family
This last one cracks me up. Little Man usually hams it up for the camera with a huge smile, but he hardly cracked his lips for any of the formal pictures. He’s still a cutie!

See what I mean? Such treasured moments I will cherish forever!! 
I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our lives and that you are able to enjoy special times like this with your loved ones!

What about you? How do you get together with your loved ones when they are spread across the country? What was one of your most memorable vacations?

I is for Incredible

We’re baaaack!

Hubby and I just returned from our cruise through Europe, and that’s the only way I can describe it…incredible! Plus, I needed an I word to make it work for this week’s blog. 🙂

Mind if I share a few pictures? No? Phew! That’s good because I planned to anyway. lol

As is the case with most European flights, we flew all night. After a two hour bus ride from Heathrow, we sailed from Dover, just outside London. We didn’t suffer too much jet lag this year. Last year, I was down for the count, but this time, I was more prepared. 

Our first four ports were in Norway. For some reason, I anticipated quaint little towns, but that wasn’t the case with these ports, as you can see. Still incredible scenery.


Alesund, Norway
A Bookstore in Bergen, Norway (couldn’t resist!)
Stavanger, Norway

Our first glimpse of Oslo, Norway

Check out this stunning sunset as we sailed away from Hamburg, Germany. Incredible, isn’t it?

Hamburg, Germany

Amsterdam, one of my favorite stops.

Amsterdam
Bruges, Belgium

And what a way to end the cruise ~ touring Paris. You cannot imagine the magnificence of the Eiffel Tower until you’re standing close. Wow! 

Hubby at the Eiffel Tower

We spent an extra day touring London since we didn’t have time before the cruise. Hubby’s idea. He figured if I was going to spend an entire day sleeping away jet lag, we might as well do it on the ship and save the extra day to take in the sights when we returned. Have I mentioned how smart he is? 🙂

Tower Bridge (And I always thought this was the London Bridge!!)

Incredible. The only thing that would have made this cruise any better was if my parents had been able to join us. Next time!

Where did you take your last “incredible” trip?

post signature

http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=204562