Welcome to 2024!
And wasn’t 2023 a blur? I know, I know, I say this every year. But really? Where did the year go? My resolutions went out the window early on I admit and sadly, this blog really took a hit in terms of regular updates and posts. For that, I apologize. I think I have my first resolution for 2024 and maybe I should preface it with a bit of resolve to be less “busy” and more productive. We had fun around here, don’t get me wrong, but 2023 was a quick one for sure.
Happy Retreats and Big Plans
My first ever hosted-by-me GIRLS retreat went really well. I won’t say it went off without a hitch, but I paid attention and made improvements! it helped that the ladies I hosted were more than gracious and patient with me as I learned the ropes. Plans and preparations for our 2024 retreat are nearly complete and we are just a few short weeks away from our time together again. Happily I’ll be hosting a larger group this year too! I am beyond excited to get together with these lovely ladies. We’ll see if I stick to my plan to “pack light” this time. Ha!
Some tears…
Sadly, we lost a couple of very important family members this year. Both my father-in-law and my brother-in-law passed away and left both sides of our family reeling. Cherish your family people. Love them up every chance you get, tell them you miss them, love them and make time to see them because you NEVER know when you won’t be able to see their faces again. Don’t forget to lavish those who are left behind with as much love as you can. My sister and I are now closer than we have ever been; a blessing I wouldn’t trade for anything, but it came at a price. I urge you to embrace the ones who were the closest to the now departed for as long as you can. I promise your life will be so much better for it.
The Hottest Vacation on Record
Having traveled to Ireland a few years back, I got the European travel bug. BIG TIME. Like, I want to go back NOW, and I would not be adverse to staying. Just sayin’ Anywhoo, this year we went again; to Vienna Austria this time, and OH. MY. GOD. It was gorgeous. The city is an architectural dream come true with palaces and castles and “summer houses” everywhere that make you crave the royal life. Vienna does everything on a grand scale and the museums, churches and musical variety are incredible. Our hotel was kitty corner from the Vienna Opera House, two blocks from the Hofburg palace and the Natural History and Art museums. The photo above is taken from the front steps of the Natural History Museum. The museum you’re looking at is actually the Art Museum. We didn’t tour that but the Natural History Museum is incredible. Three floors of rooms brimming with natural history pieces. Rocks, plants, animals, insects, you name it. It’s here and the collection is impressive. It took us half a day to see it all.
Our trip spanned 10 days and we could have been there another week and not seen everything. Of course, we did take a day for a day trip over to Salzburg (Sound of Music anyone???) which was also a delight to the eyes. Mirabelle gardens and old town Salzburg are a wanderers paradise and the view from the fortress on the hill (we got there via funicular because, you know, stairs.) and in addition to a lovely lunch we had a 360 view of the city laid out before us. Unfortunately, I didn’t allow enough time to really explore everything Salzburg has to offer, so we were only able to hit the high points before we had to catch our train back to Vienna.
Above, is St Stephen’s Cathedral. To say this church is impressive severely understates things. It’s also massive and fancy and beautiful. Take a close look at those lacy filigree elements. Those are carved from stone, and the roof is covered in colored tiles. Because, why not right? I don’t think plain is a word in the Viennese vocabulary to be honest. We were so lucky on our first day exploring to wander into the courtyard of St Stephens just as they were ringing the bells. This beautiful church sits at the heart of Vienna and is the center of everything. Built of limestone, the cathedral is 107 metres (351 ft) long, 40 metres (130 ft) wide, and 136 metres (446 ft) tall at its highest point. See what I mean? Massive. We stepped inside briefly one day but didn’t take the tour. Mostly because of the stairs. Rich isn’t as nimble as he’d like and stairs are an issue, so we stayed on the main floor and goggled at the gilt from there.
So, why did I title this section “The Hottest Vacation on Record” you ask? Well, because it was 95 plus degrees the entire time we were there and in a city where air conditioning can only be described as “conservative”, this pair of admittedly spoiled Americans, found precious little relief. Our hotel room was the only place were we could regulate the temperature towards what we were used to. I know I sound whiny because this vacation really was extraordinary. We just were not prepared for that level of heat. Whew! Despite all that, we had a wonderful time and I can highly recommend it as a destination. Maybe just don’t go in August. *wink*
My wish for you for 2024
May your days be bright, your dreams happy and may you enjoy a healthy and joyful year!
i am now off to plot out a schedule for REGULAR blog posts to get this baby of mine back on track.
Cheers!
