For Better - Or What?

A Sunny Christmas

2017-12-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash

Christmas in Orlando, Florida (our current location) isn't much different from Christmas in Los Angeles (our starting point). In public places, the endless soundtrack of songs about snow and sleigh bells is contradicted by the warm sunshine and blooming flowers. The only snowmen are the inflatable kind. Families travel from colder places to spend their holiday vacations here, and the theme parks do a booming business.

While winter weather is a beloved Christmas cliche in North America, it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and not exactly cold in the tropics and subtropics. Most of the populated areas on the planet do not experience a "white Christmas". Because I grew up in southern California, I think of Christmas as a sunny time, when people just might go to the beach. For me, Christmas in Florida feels like home.

Wherever you are, I wish you a wonderful season and a new year filled with love and happiness. Here is Irving Berlin's "Happy Holiday" as performed by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1942.

After All These Years

2017-12-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

When we said "I do" 32 years ago, we didn't know what lay ahead. We expected it to be interesting, but we had no idea just how interesting it would get. Our road has taken many unexpected turns, and we have made many choices that would have seemed highly unlikely on that December day in 1985.

Of all the choices we have made, perhaps the most surprising was our decision to sell everything and take a long vacation. As radical as it seems, it was an easy decision to make. We knew almost immediately that this was exactly what we wanted and needed to do.

We have been on the road and blogging about our travels for over six months. In a larger sense, we have been on this journey together for over three decades. We have come a long way together, and we still have a long way to go.

Thanksgiving on the Road

2017-11-23T15:29:00.001-08:00

Last year at this time, I wrote about how to get along with difficult people at the holidays.

Luckily, that is not a problem I am currently facing!

We are in Atlanta on Day 174 of our vacation, celebrating with congenial family members. Although the picture I chose to illustrate this post is a stock photo by Cala on Unsplash, it looks a lot like the delicious butternut squash soup my sister-in-law made for us.

Steve and I are very thankful for everything we have been able to do, for everything we have, and for the love and support of all our family and friends.

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday.