Traveling Fool
I’m finally settling back into my routine after a whirlwind four months on the go. Am I getting old? I really like being in my own home, sleeping in my own bed! But I had a great time on the road.
I started with a long weekend trip in April to visit my niece, Liz, and her family in Dallas, TX. She and her husband, Francisco, made me feel like a special guest – with my own private suite and everything! They have 3 darling little girls who were happy to show me everything they like to do and read books with me and just basically give me all the loves. Highlights of the trip? warmer weather when Denver was still in the middle of winter, exploring the Perot Museum of Nature and Science with three excited girlies, long talks with Liz about life, and a delicious birthday cake that Francisco presented the night before I headed home. It was wonderful to celebrate my birthday with their family.
In May I went with family to Puerta Vallarta. It all started when my brother, Andrew, sent out a text – “we’re going to Puerta Vallarta – anyone want to come along?” My parents and I ended up joining Andrew and his family for a warm and relaxing week in Mexico. Things were just opening back up for tourists so we shared the resort with many vacationers from Mexico itself, rather than foreign travelers. I had lots of opportunities to exercise my rusty language skills, including a trip downtown one day. That was exciting! We had to transfer buses, including figuring out where to get off, and where to catch the bus when we were ready to go back to the resort. I had a little bit of anxiety – I didn’t want to make my mom walk further than she had to! – but it all worked out and I was able to communicate well enough. Mostly we enjoyed the ocean, the warm temperatures, and the good conversation.
When we got back to Denver, we had a mini family gathering – my sister was in town with her kids, Spencer & Kayla were in town visiting, and my parents stuck around for another few days. It was great to all be together. But I wasn’t home for long…
In June the Wood family had a “Girls Getaway” organized by my nieces, Brenda & Janel, who live in Mesa, AZ. We flew in from all over to enjoy a quick weekend together. We stayed in a great AirBNB – lots of room for all of us with a wonderful pool and lots of space to gather. Brenda organized a intro class of Krav Maga Self-Defense, and there were crafts to do and yummy food to eat and wonderful opportunities to catch up with each other. I really appreciated the chance to spend time with Tom’s sisters and nieces – they are amazing women!
I thought maybe I’d be done with traveling at this point – but I had the chance to make a quick trip to see my parents, so I jumped on it. We did what we often do – spend lots of time chatting, eat ice cream, go out to lunch, and enjoy the slower pace of hanging at “mom & dad’s”. When I first arrived, my brother, Alex, and his family were visiting, along with my sister, Erin, and her kids. But after a day or so, only Reynolds (my nephew) and I were still visiting. My parents took us on a day trip to Bryce Canyon. I never get tired of the beautiful scenery in that park!
After a year of sticking very close to home, it has been nice to be reminded of all the wonders that are out there to be explored and shared – and people to reconnect with.