Running Out Of Time ...

Gary had mentioned that we should get away somewhere for our 30th wedding anniversary and in the same breath mentioned two places we should go to visit.

Silly me! I ASSUMED that he meant that we should go to one or the other for our Anniversary! I thought about it and decided that I didn't want to be travel guide stressed on for my anniversary so the trip seemed to be out.

You see ... I plan the entire thing, and why wouldn't I? I have the time. I book the flights, I figure out what hotel to stay in. I figure out where we are going to go. When we are going to go there. And when we should arrive ...

I study the history of the area so that it will be interesting and more meaningful. Although Ryan rolled his eyes every time we were in the car driving on our European Spring Break Adventures and I was filling the time dumping every little thing I had learned from the travel guides, online, anywhere I could scour information from ... I am sure it made the trip more meaningful.

Do I like to do this?

No!

I like to learn new things - but generally not when there is a time limit and it is 'forced upon me'. I like to casually meander around in WikiWorld and read up on something ... click on a link if it interests me and head off in another direction entirely. Now that is a FUN AFTERNOON!

This forced stuff? Not so much fun. Especially since I get in the mindset that since I planned it, EVERYTHING ... every little stinkin this is my responsibility ... and therefore my fault if it does not go well. Makes sense, yes? I booked the hotel - if MICE HAPPEN TO WANDER ACROSS MY FACE AT NIGHT it is totally and completely my fault! I understand that, I don't have a problem with it ...


until I have a problem with it. That is usually when I am tired and things have started piling up - THINGS GOING WRONG! I generally freak around, well 2 or 3 ....


I know, I know I am ashamed of myself. I should have more fortitude and backbone - but no ... And if you don't believe me - I shall go back and try to find my little story about our trip to Prague and my ... well ... lets call it a 'snit' for now, shall we? And will post the link HERE. (Found it - it is called The 'City of a Thousand Spires')

So - with memories of Prague meltdowns and mice feeding on my face, I had decided that I couldn't handle the pressure for something that was supposed to be so wonderful and glorious!

Gary asked me about it a few weeks after we talked about it and so I told him my concerns. He was amazed! "Those trips are just for fun - for just a few days to go to shows and take photos, Lori. Our anniversary trip should be like Greece, or a cruise or something big - I didn't mean for this trip to be our anniversary trip at all!"

I am still confused on how he didn't think that I would assume that this was 'THE TRIP' since we had just been talking about taking a trip for our anniversary. Gary doesn't get that I don't get it ... well - Gary doesn't understand a whole lot about the weirdness that is me, but still loves me - WHICH IS WHAT MAKES HIM SUCH A GREAT MAN ...

So, the trip OFFICIALLY came back into play ...


Bought the tickets one night - so, yes, we were going - October 20th - 24th. FUN TIMES AHEAD!

And then life got busy (for me I cannot possibly know how this can be and is really a misnomer for me - I am having some medical problems that limit my time at my desk so I cannot get anything done - so not really busy ... but I don't want to talk about it therefore I am busy, busy, busy!!!) and I forgot all about things.

Well, that is after I went through my RITUAL. I do it solely to please the Travel gods and give myself a sense of 'having my shit together' ... well, at least when it comes to travel plans.

Silly, really ....

It starts out with this:


NO! NOT A PRETTY PAPER TENT! Back when I was going to post this like a bazillion weeks ago I was sort of sleep deprived when taking the photos and I was SO CONCERNED that you would not be able to tell that it is an envelope. SO LIKE YOU CARE! YOU HAVE ALREADY ZONED OUT AND ARE GOING TO STOP READING IF I DON'T TURN THE CAPS LOCK BACK OFF ....

So - I have these red envelopes - don't remember where I got them - had a box of ... I don't know how many - a bunch. I am down to about 20, maybe if I look around and scrounge and count wrinkled ones I can get to 30 - but in the back of my head there is this little voice telling me that this is the number of trips I have FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I really, really wish I knew where I had purchased those .... have been looking for them for years - so I'm just hoping the little voice doesn't know what he is talking about ...

OK, see: envelope:


I THEN get out my FANCY PEN and write the name of the location on the envelope. Important step ...


This doesn't have anything to do with travel or the vengeful travel gods, but THEY ARE SO COOL!


Tell me these AREN'T THE CUTEST POST-IT'S you have ever seen!


SO CUTE!


Such variety!


AND ...


POST-IT's!


(Have I mentioned that I am addicted to collecting post-its? Seriously ... it is a problem and STUFF LIKE THIS is not helping ....):

Ahem ... OK ... I'm over it



I think.

Where are we going? Now that it is written down on a cheap red envelope so 'Official'?




*squee!!!*



Yeah!


Broadway tickets to Wicked:


Our flight ...


Our stay at the Marriott ...


And all nestled, neatly in my little red envelope!

But as I said - I have not been working it diligently enough - so last night I spent a few hours - bought the best reviewed book for visiting Manhattan, read a bunch of sites that had things you JUST HAVE to take photos of.

I think my list is up to about 64 places.


Yeah - I think I will be able to fit them all in ...


I realized, while playing around with the address of our hotel and Google Earth that I really lucked out!


NIGHT SHOTS!!! Without all the scary parts of night shots! I can walk outside my hotel room, down the street a block and there it is!


When I stand in front of our hotel and tilt the earth, this is what I get:


Seriously ....


HOW COOL IS THIS?

On so many levels!

1) I totally lucked out getting a hotel that was close to the airport since we were arriving very late and staying in a hotel in downtown NY? LAUGHABLE prices ...

2) My hotel is AN ACTUAL SUBWAY STOP for the subway.

3) My hotel is 1/2 block away from the ferry.

4) My hotel is a known entity to me and so far, no animals have attacked me at a Marriott ...

5) The view!


6) And if I turn 30 degrees to my right? A ways out, but THE STATUE OF LIBERTY!!!


No, I am not excited at all ....


Except, I have this teeny, tiny feeling that downloading those 123 podcasts onto my iPad and iPod are not going to make me an expert by JUST BEING THERE ...


Off to study, study, study ...