It's my birthday eve and soon I will throw a load of laundry in. And then I will find a few books from the library to borrow on/for my Kindle. And then I will pack my backpack.
I'm going to go to Amsterdam for my birthday this year. Well, I'm going to fly there ...and then essentially turn around and come back. I wanted to do something where I would be treated "well" ...some fussing and fawning and special treatment. So as long as I get a seat in business class, I'm going for it. (I'm not even going to think about what else I will do if there aren't any business class seats left and I stay home.)
I am sure I should really do this properly one of these times and actually stay a couple of days (at least) but I also kind of like the "go and come right back" aspect. There's something about the "bragging" rights you get out of doing these kind of trips. I've got co-workers who do this all the time. And I get a reminder of what it's like to be a passenger and I get a reminder of why I love my job so much. And I'm going to pray that there are no problems with the flights or weather and I get back when I'm supposed to.
I am torn about whether or not I should even attempt to go downtown or not. We arrive around 6:45am and my flight home departs at 1:20pm. I need to be back at the airport by at least 11:20am. But I want to do a canal tour and it's been my biggest regret about my previous trip...that I didn't realize I could still take one from the comfort of a heated boat in the middle of winter.
They go for about an hour and there are a ton to choose from right outside of the train station. While I usually abhor doing "touristy" things, this just seems like a perfect way to get a good, quick view of the city. (And who are we kidding, if there is any time to stop in at a coffeeshop before I board the boat, I'll take it...there is supposedly a shop really close to the train station that opens at 7am! And if the canal tours don't start until 9am, well, what's a girl to do in Amsterdam to kill a couple of hours?? :D )
It's been a really awesome birthday week so far. I got a great card (and another amazon.com gift [card]) from S. And then yesterday, Tuesday, I spent the afternoon with I and met her daughter, P, who is the sweetest little girl. We went to Como Pool and had a nice time (and I got a little bit sunburned again...what is with me and not doing better at keeping the SPF constantly on??) I'm just that much more excited to meet R & K's baby when it gets here this fall.
It's been a long time since I've been around babies/toddlers ...too many years to count, but I did OK. It was sweet that P let me hold her as much as she did and her smiles when I would twirl her around in the water just made me melt. That she liked me is awesome (why wouldn't she, I AM awesome...most of the time! :P )
Do I wish I had a baby of my own? Well, there is only one person I would want to have a baby with and if the opportunity ever presented itself, hell yeah. Otherwise, no.
In spending time with them, I did realize that yes, one has to take as much time as they can with their children while they're still young and soak up your love like a sponge.
So here I am...needing to get motivated to throw that load of laundry in the machine. And get some books to read from the library (though I'm planning on just watching a ton of movies on the plane) and think about what to bring.
I'll have to bring a few things as I won't be going home after I get back. I come back to spending some time on our monthly "date" with R & K on Friday night, then I'll just crash there for the night and then we'll do breakfast on Saturday before I finally get home. Sure, I'll be a bit jet-lagged but I'm looking forward to hanging out with them. They're good people and such dear friends.
And I'll have all day Sunday to rest and recover before back to work on Monday.
So far, so good this pseudo-staycation. And as for the soul-searching? Well, there's been a little bit and we'll see where the road takes me after this week is over.
Musings from a big and beautiful sometimes "drama queen" on her current state of existence
What's It All About?
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates
While you’re here, in this time and in this space, you are beautiful and you are perfect.
You are right where you need to be to get to where you want to go, so start asking yourself where you want to go.
Noire
She'll be 2 years in 2 months! Time flies!
Things I'm grateful for everyday....
- My family
- My friends, old and new.
- A roof over my head.
- My computer & internet access
- Being employed (even if I don't always like things about my job)
- The public library and the joy of borrowing books with/on/for my Kindle
- That I can walk on two legs, use 2 arms/hands, have ten fingers/toes, can see and hear, etc. (uh, no offense to anyone who is physically challenged)
- Other people's creativity and efforts
- The love of a good man (he IS good)
- My friends, old and new.
- A roof over my head.
- My computer & internet access
- Being employed (even if I don't always like things about my job)
- The public library and the joy of borrowing books with/on/for my Kindle
- That I can walk on two legs, use 2 arms/hands, have ten fingers/toes, can see and hear, etc. (uh, no offense to anyone who is physically challenged)
- Other people's creativity and efforts
- The love of a good man (he IS good)
Current Favorite Quotes
“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” - Lao Tzu
"The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are." ~ Joseph Campbell
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens
"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castañeda
"..there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong." ~ Sade
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
(This bit not so much as a quote but somethings I wrote down that I want to keep and this looks like a good place to do it)
7-25-07
1. Almost everything comes from almost nothing.
2. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
3. Leap and the net will appear.
"The privilege of a lifetime is to be who you are." ~ Joseph Campbell
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~ Charles Dickens
"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Carlos Castañeda
"..there’s something lovely about knowing that when it’s right, you really know it’s right because you’ve already been through all the wrong." ~ Sade
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." —Mark Twain
(This bit not so much as a quote but somethings I wrote down that I want to keep and this looks like a good place to do it)
7-25-07
1. Almost everything comes from almost nothing.
2. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
3. Leap and the net will appear.
Facts of Life (per Sonya Friedman)
- 1. No one can bring your life to you
- 2. No matter what you do, someone important isn't going to like it
- 3. Though painful, rejection won't kill you - it may even lead to growth
- 4. Every choice means giving up something different
- 5. Some people aren't capable of giving you what you're trying to get from them
- 6. The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others
- 7. There are no quick fixes that can permanently change your life
- 8. Life is on a rheostat, not an on/off switch
- 9. Some problems cannot be solved - but you can make peace with them