Have Passport Will Travel

My Passport!!!!

I got my passport in the mail last month and I'm finally starting to get excited.  So where are you going you ask?  EUROPE!!  Mj has been to Northern Europe before but I've never been anywhere near it.  Like having a wedding it's just one more thing in my life that I've always figured I'd never get to do.  It's too expensive!  Yes, it's expensive but I'm finally at the point in my life where I'm not letting that hold me back anymore.  I've been told over and over that "you can't take it with you" and while I still am and always will be frugal I'm finally starting to believe them a little.  I'm a saver.  I've saved up enough to do this (on top of my other savings) so why just let it sit in the bank?

[Photo Source:  worldatlas.com]

Mj is now attached to an Army reserve unit stationed in Stuttgart, Germany so he'll be doing his drill there for about 40 days. The timing at work is miserable so I didn't think I would be able to go but it would be such a shame to pass up this opportunity.  His airfare is paid!  I just have to meet him there. Europe is huge and there is so much to see.  Trying to narrow down where to go has been really hard.  Mj just said "decide where you want to go and we'll go."  I like that.  I'm in control which is awesome for me because I love to plan and it's also awesome for him because he gets to let me figure everything out and show up.  Kind of like our wedding!  I've always wanted to go to Greece and was hoping to fit it into this trip but it's so far South that it's just not possible.  We're going to save that for a separate vacation.  I did my research and broke down how much everything would cost us.  Hours and hours of obsessive research have come down to two options which I typed up with ridiculous detail into a Word doc and have cut and pasted here for your viewing pleasure.

Option #1  

EUROPEAN VACATION WITH CRUISE: 13 Days

Barcelona, Spain (1 night)

Western Mediterranean Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Lines (8 days, 7 nights)

           Sun: Barcelona, Spain departure

           Mon: At Sea

           Tues: Naples, Italy

           Wed:  Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

           Thu:  Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy

           Fri:  Cannes, France

           Sat:  Provence (Marseille), France

           Sun:  Barcolona, Spain return

Paris & Versaille, France (3 days, 2 nights)

            Barcelona to Paris:

            Barcelona Sants to Paris Lyon ARC/TGV (7 1/2 hours) OR

           

Amsterdam, Netherlands (1 night)           

Paris to Amsterdam:  THA

            Paris Nord to Amsterdam Centraal (3 hours)

Depart Amsterdam to Stuttgart (overnight on train) 

Amsterdam to Stuttgart:  ICE

Amsterdam Centraal to Stuttgart Hbf CNL Sleeper Train (8 hours, 8pm-4am)

Stuttgart Airport departure early morning

Mj's never been on a cruise so with this option we'll get to kill two birds with one stone.  We'll get some easy traveling and get fed on the Cruise ship but then also get to experience the Eurail train travel on our own as well.   Mj would take a flight from Stuttgart to Barcelona and I'd meet him there.  It's best for us to cruise out of Spain instead of Italy or France because it's a much cheaper/shorter flight for MJ.   There is another cruise that starts in Barcelona (MSC Cruises) and includes Tunisia-Africa, Malta, Sicily, Civitavecchia (Rome)-Italy, and Genoa-Italy.  That one is a little less expensive but it means seeing less of France....still deciding.

Option #2

EUROPEAN VACATION w/o CRUISE: 14 Days 

Frankfurt or Stuttgart, Germany (1 night)

Venice OR Verona AND Rome (5 days, 4 nights-2 nights in each)

           Germany (Stuttgart) to Italy (Rome) (Car:  10 hrs, 671 mi)*

            Stuttgart Hbf to Venezia Santa Lucia IC/EC/ESà (10 hours)

            Venezia Santa Lucia to Roma Termini ICN (7 hours)  

            Stuttgart Hbf to Verona Porta Nuova ICE/EC (9 hours) OR

            Verona Porta Nuova to Roma Termini R/ES (4 hours) 

Barcelona, Spain (3 days, 2 nights)

            Italy to Spain (Barcelona) (Car:  12 hrs, 849 mi)*

            Roma Termini to Barcelona Estacion de Franca ES/EN Sleeper (18 ½ hours)

           

Paris AND Versaille, France (4 days, 3 nights)

Spain to France (Paris) (Car:  9 hrs, 666 mi)*

            Barcelona Estacion De Franca to Paris Austerlitz EN/INT Sleeper (12 hours) OR

            Barcelona Estacion De Franca to Paris Lyon R/ARC/TGV (8 hours)

 Amsterdam, Netherlands (3 days, 2 nights)

            France to Netherlands (Amsterdam) (Car:  5 hrs, 322 mi)*

            Paris Nord to Amsterdam Centraal THA (3 hours)

  Frankfurt or Stuttgart (1 night)    

            Netherlands to Germany (Frankfurt) (Car:  4 hrs, 275 mi)*

Amsterdam Centraal to Frankfurt (main) Hbf ICE (4 hours) OR

            Amsterdam Centraal to Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbf ICE OR

            Amsterdam Centraal to Stuttgart Hbf (5 ½-6 hrs)

 Frankfurt or Stuttgart Airport Depart early morning

Researching this really took a lot of time because I had to figure out exactly where these places are on the map and the distance between them to determine logistically what we can fit in.  Knowing the driving distance put it in perspective for me then I figured out how long it would take us on the train and what trains would take us there in the shortest amount of time.  We want to use the high speed trains which carry an additional fee on top of the Eurail pass cost but I think it'll be worth it to save time.  It's a lot of hours of train travel which could be fun.  I like this option because we fit in more time at different cities I want to see but I worry that I might get worn out by all that traveling.  Oddly enough both options cost about the same.  With the cruise option we have to factor in the cost of the cruise but we spend less on hotels, food and the Eurail pass.

We're leaning towards including the cruise since logistics for eight full days of travel are already taken care of and it'll be easier but I'm thrilled to be going either way.  Which option would you pick?  How sad.  I've had a passport for ten years and never needed it!  It's about time I actually use it and get some stamps.  The thought of packing for this trip is already stressing me out a little but it'll be worth it. 

Four Years Later.....

July 10, 2010.  Right after saying "I Do."

Our wedding day was July 10, 2010 and Two years later....

We're enjoying our first home together that we moved into just 1 1/2 months before our wedding.
I still feel honored to be his wife and call him my husband.
I am still dazzled by my three ring bling and catch myself staring down at them.  
My heart still swells when I recall our wonderful wedding day filled with friends, family and celebration.  I'll always remember it as one of the happiest days of my life.
I still remember that magical feeling of being a princess Queen for a day.
I know I picked the right wedding recessional song because it still brings tears to my eyes when I hear it and reminds me of how lucky I am to have found him.
I still love my wedding dress and know it was perfect for me.
I still plan on preserving said wedding dress (still hanging in my closet) in a box so it'll take up less space and I can have it to look at it forever.
I'm still wearing my wedding shoes.  Silver gladiator flats from Macy's for only $32 bucks thank you very much!
I'm still obsessed with my wedding pictures.  I love, love, LOVE them!
I've finally accepted the passing of my joyful and exciting bride to be days and no longer ache with a yearning to do it all over again.
I still can't believe that I managed to pull off such an awesome wedding for only $11,275.
We still have not popped open that bottle of Dom Perignon.  I'm still waiting for the perfect time...yes, two years later.  It's expensive stuff!
I still feel so fortunate that I got to have a wedding at all.  It truly was a fairytale moment for me.
I have the best memories of our perfect Oahu honeymoon and am looking forward to our next big vacation later this year.

A wedding gift not yet opened

Vegas 2008

Vegas 2008

We met on March 15, 2008 and Four years later......

He still makes my heart happy.
I'm still excited to see him when I get home.
We're still dating and the romance is alive and well.
He is still the most handsome man in the world.
I still crave his touch, hugs and kisses.
I still look at him with love in my eyes.
He still means the world to me.
I still miss him when we are apart.
I still think of him randomly throughout the day and it makes me smile.
He is still my best friend and we have so much fun together.
He still makes me want to be a better person.
I am still amazed by his overall awesomeness and thrilled that I managed to snag such a good guy.
I finally believe that I deserve this love and that I give to him almost as much as I get back.

Wedding Day Recaps & Pics

4th of July (sort of) Weekend

The 4th of July being on Wednesday was pretty screwy this year so I took Thursday off.  It's not like we were even planning to do much of anything for the 4th but having to go to work the day after the holiday just didn't seem right.  So basically, I had two Friday's this week and getting through the 2nd one wasn't that bad.  We went to a BBQ on the 4th and enjoyed ourselves there.  We didn't feel like going anywhere else or dealing with any crowds that night so we skipped the fireworks.  We like them but can take it or leave it.

I probably need to work on my form!!

Thursday afternoon we went bowling downtown at East Village Tavern and Bowl.   I had a Groupon for $40 credit to use towards bowling and food.  Mj beat me of course.  The only thing I've ever managed to really "beat" him at is ice skating.  I pretty much suck at bowling.  My high score was 134 but I did manage a strike or two.  It was fun, but two games was plenty because by the 2nd one my wrist and hands were already feeling a bit sore.  I quit while I was ahead and my nails remained intact.  We use the rest of our credit on lunch and beer at the bar.

Poor kid!  He was so afraid of the sand at first

My nephew and my sister

Me and my sister

Saturday Mj organized a day at the beach at Breakers Beach on Coronado Island.  He posted it on facebook and about 27 people came out including my sister and her family.  The weather was a perfect 76 degrees.  It's on base so there are no crowds and plenty of close parking.  The last time I went to the beach was 2 years ago on our honeymoon in Hawaii and I can't even remember the last time we went to the beach locally.  Our beaches are beautiful and I've lived less then 30 minutes away from the coast my whole life but I've just never been into it.  I don't need a tan and the beach is just so messy and sandy.  The water is usually way too cold and I get a little nervous about what might be floating around in there so I'd rather go to a park with nice neat grass.  Or better yet a beach or a bay with grass.

I dug my toes into the sand and just went with it and it was actually kind of freeing to just be sitting in the sand and just letting the dirt happen.   It was a nice break from my usual clean freak mode.  Black folks CAN get sunburned.  Mj and I both got a little bit burnt.  We bought umbrellas but apparently they were real cheap and didn't stand up to the wind.  They were both broken within an hour of us being there!  Dj was really afraid of the sand and wouldn't sit in it and didn't even want to walk in it.  Poor kid.  He finally got over it when his dad sat him in it and just left him there crying.  After that he had a lot more fun.  The ocean is so pretty to look at but only my feet went in.  Mj went body boarding, the guys were throwing balls around and we had a giant party sub from Subway.  There were so many people and so much going on I barely sat down the whole day.  We all had a really fun time.  

I embraced the dirt but when I got home I made a beeline for the shower.  It was a fun day at the beach but it felt so good to be clean again.

2012 Olympic Trials & Tribulations

Gabby Douglas wins Trials [Photo Credit:  nbcolympics.com]

Jordan, Mckayla, Aly and Gabby [Photo Credit:  Universal Sports]

The Olympic team has been named.  It almost brought tears to my eyes to see those girls crying tears of happiness, relief and sheer joy as they ran out onto the floor.  What a long road this has been for all of them.  To have worked so hard at something for so long and to finally achieve something that so few ever do is such an accomplishment.  The Olympic Games truly is an impossible dream but not for these young ladies.  Gabby beating World Champion Jordan is huge!  They will push each other to do better and if they perform to their full potential at the Olympics it could be a 1-2 USA sweep in the All Around.  They will need to hold off the formidable Russian 1-2 of Komova and Mustafina but the fact that the US has two athletes that are in serious contention for the All-Around is amazing.  They are all amazing athletes and I can't wait to see them go out there and kick some Russian, Romanian and Chinese butt!  If anyone can bring home Olympic team gold for the first time since 1996 it's them.

2012 Olympic Team

Gabrielle Douglas
McKayla Maroney
Alexandra Raisman
Kyla Ross
Jordyn Wieber 

Alternates:

Sarah Finnegan
Anna Li
Elizabeth Price 

Video of Olympic Team Announcement 

My heart aches for Alicia Sacramone and Rebecca Bross.  After taking time off after the 2008 Olympics Alicia came back to the sport and like only she could earned a spot to Worlds last year but didn't even get to compete.  She tore her Achilles in training.  Just 9 months after that she was back in action just as good as before  minus one event.  Alicia was ready and she performed well.  She did everything she could have have done but Team USA simply didn't need the two events she had to offer.  If that injury had never occurred and she was still competing floor I think she would have at least been named as an alternate.  Another victim of what if is Rebecca.  She was on track to be the next Olympic all around champ three years ago but time and injury reared it's ugly head and snatched that dream away.  The time was now and not even her six world medals could save it.  I have so much respect for how she fought back from two injuries and never gave up her dream even after being reduced to only two events and struggling so much in competitions.  On bars she fell two times and got right back up.  After the 3rd time her coach signaled to her that she needs to salute and be done.  It was sad to watch.  She fought hard but it just wasn't to be for her.  It wasn't televised but I heard she rocked her beam set.  Good for her.



There were a lot of angry fans out there who didn't even want her to try.  She had her chance and now it's time for the new generation they said.  They hated all the coverage and air time NBC was giving her when there were plenty of other athletes far more prepared and way more in contention then her.  A small part of me agrees but the other part of me says that if she or any other athlete has that burning desire to come back and give it another go they deserve that chance just like anybody else.  Nastia Liukin did herself a disservice by coming back so late.  Had she given herself adequate time to prepare this may have turned out very differently.  She was too wishy washy about what she wanted and by the time she got serious about it and decided to come back three years had passed, the clock was ticking and she ran out of time.  She either underestimated the amount of time it would take to get back into shape or was relying on some 11th hour burst of energy to get through bars.  Or maybe a little bit of both.  It was sad to see the 2008 Olympic Champion so unprepared at Nationals and Trials.  At times it was almost painful to watch as she couldn't even complete a full bar routine.  No one else could have gotten that far in the process with such weak routines.  But she is Nastia and so Marta gave her a chance and I think it's a chance that she earned and a chance that she deserved. Chelsie Memmell may have deserved the same chance just to get to Nationals but that's not Nastia's fault.  What you've done in the past however, will never be enough to earn your way onto an Olympic team and she knew it.  Her trademark elegance and beauty was still there but the skills and execution were not.  She gave her best and her best simply wasn't good enough this time but I respect and admire that she was not afraid to tarnish that perfect 2008 Olympic Champion image.  That took a lot of guts.  She really was chasing fools gold and even with defeat right around the corner she kept trying and hoping until the bitter end.  Although she didn't make the team what she did epitomizes the courage and strength of an Olympian.  She fell hard onto her stomach off of bars but through the pain she got back up and I was so glad to see her finally stand up that bar dismount and then finish strong on beam.  She went out with class, dignity and to the screaming adoration of 18,000 fans just as an Olympic Champion should.

UPDATE:  How did Team USA do at the Olympics?

Vegas Baby! Sister's Edition

There are a few things you should know about Las Vegas before you go.

• If you go in the summer it will be HOT.  100-110 degree are we in a sauna hot; but the warm nights feel amazing.  
• There is no need for a car but there will be tons of walking.  I mean, miles and miles of walking.  It could take you a good 10 minutes just to walk through one of the larger hotels.  Pack your shoes accordingly.  
• Drinking alcoholic beverages in public is perfectly acceptable so your drinks are free to travel with you.  There will be people walking around in the streets with giant waist high drinks; and if you want one for yourself expect to pay about $30 bucks for it!  
• In the streets you will see people dressed up like movie characters and super heroes and doing random street performances.  Yes, you can take pictures with them if you want to.
• No need to worry if you forget something.  There is a Walgreens, CVS and two Ross's right on the strip.  
• You will see go go dancers in casinos on poker tables just dancing their little hearts out while people play cards like business as usual.  You might be shocked at first but eventually it all seems quite normal.
• There is plenty to do besides gamble.  There is something for everyone.
• There are tons of coupons, 2 for 1's and other deals to be had for shows and dinners once you get there.  It is a place of excess and luxury but you can go there on a budget.
• There will be malls filled with many many stores that you can only dream about shopping in.  Good luck finding a cash register in any of these posh high end stores (not that you will need it).  They hide them in the back so the actual exchange of $1,000 for that pair of shoes is oh so discreet.

The drive there on Friday was all good until an overturned big rig had us sitting in traffic for 1 hr and 45 minutes.  We were pretty outdone by the time we finally checked into our hotel but so happy and excited to finally be there.  It's changed so much in three years!  The Vdara and the Cosmopolitan hotels were still being built when I was here last.  We stayed at Polo Towers where I have a timeshare which is a non casino hotel but a perfect location right in the middle of the strip.  It was 1 bedroom, one bath and a full kitchen so it felt more homey and less like a hotel room and we had plenty of room to store snacks and drinks.  We made our own much needed Margarita's on the rocks with light margarita mix and Tequila and drank it on the way over to MGM Grand where we ate dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe.  Then we hung out at the hotel and waited for little sister who had a late flight in.

 

Me and big sis Dani

At the Pool at Harrah's

 

We were at Ross at 9am Saturday morning right when they opened.  Little sis brought work out gear but no tennis shoes and it was imperative that we find a decent going out dress for my older sister.  She shows up in Vegas with a dress more appropriate for a company Holiday Party and we could not let her go out like that!  I don't know what the heck she was thinking!  We worked out at the gym and then walked all the way to The Flamingo to meet my friend J at the pool.  One problem.  This is a major party pool.  The music was loud, there were bodies everywhere and no place to sit.  They even had a poor tired looking bikini clad go go dancer in a little cage dancing in 102 degree heat.  We couldn't take it so we went over to Harrah's where J was actually staying dropped off our beach bags in her room, ate lunch and then went to their much more relaxed pool.

Out to Dinner

Me and my LBD

Out at the Club

Dancing All Night Long

Lil' Sis and Me

Normally even the idea of going out at 10:30 at night is exhausting and I'm ready to end my night by then but in Vegas I sucked it up because I didn't go there to watch a movie and go to bed.  We took a nap after the pool, I got my 2nd wind and we had a BLAST!  I finally got to wear my LBD that I bought a long time ago and it was so much fun to get all dolled up.  We bought an open bar Groupon for Koi Ultra Lounge-Planet Hollywood so we had free drinks for our night out which saved us a ton of money. We met up there with J, got our first drink, went to dinner at a restaurant inside the hotel and then went back to Koi.  The music was great.  We literally danced all night long.  When we were done there we went to Gallery Night Club (also in Planet Hollywood) where we'd gotten a wrist band for no cover and danced some more.  We didn't leave until after 3am.  I can't remember the last time I stayed out that late.  Dani pushed herself too hard at the gym so she was kind of in pain for the rest of the trip.  Poor thing!  She looked like an old lady limping around in her party dress and heels but she made the best of it and it did get a little better each day.

Eating Pizza in bed...life is good!

Three girls....two sinks...thank goodness

Dani and Little Sis in front of the Venetian

Little Sis actually switched shoes with Dani just so she could make the walk home

 

No hang over the next day.  Yes! We were up  Sunday morning by 9am so we could get a cabana at our pool.  Normally, they want to charge you an arm and a leg but at Polo Towers it's 1st come first serve and it is not a party pool at all; which was nice.  Having a cabana meant we didn't have to roast in the sun like a rotisserie chicken and it made the pool experience so much better.  I went to the gym again first then met my sisters at the cabana.  After Dani and I each got our massages at the spa we hung out in the room and ordered pizza from room service and ate it in bed.  Then it was time to head to our show Illusions at the Riviera.  We have no idea how this man locks himself in a box, then is suddenly outside the box and his assistant is in the box.  The guy is no Lance Burton-those tickets woulda cost us a heck of a lot more-but he did some amazing things and it was entertaining.  We took a cab there but we walked back...and it's about 2.5 miles! We stopped at an outdoor Fat Burger on the way to our hotel.  My sister's split a meal but all I wanted was some ice cold beer.  Then, we headed back to the room and got packed.  I think we made it to bed around 2am.   

Me and my BFF J

Poor little sis; she had an 8 am flight Monday morning so she only got a few hours of sleep.  I was so sad to see her go!  She hugged us while we were half asleep and when Dani and I got up around 9am it was so sad to see her bed empty; it wasn't the same without her.  We checked out of our hotel and stored our luggage with the bell desk. Between all the walking and my two gym workouts my legs were good and worn out by Monday.  We walked some more to meet J at the Bellagio for their Breakfast buffet.  Best french toast ever.  I wished I could have eaten more but the belly can only hold so much.  After that it was time to hit the road.

I really love the upbeat, yet relaxing, casual yet glamorous anything goes atmosphere in Vegas.  It can really be anything you want it to be.  It can be romantic or party central.  There is shopping, eating, gambling, pool parties and shows.  There really is something for everyone.  The beautiful massive hotels and the lights are a beautiful sight and it's just a whole different world out there.  It was so much fun getting to hang out with my sisters and my BFF.  I had an amazing time!  We definitely want to do it again; maybe next year.

******
As for this weekend Gymnastics Olympic Trials is on.  The ladies are on Friday and Sunday night Live on NBC at 6pm West Coast, 9pm East Coast.  Can't wait!