2012 Reflections

As 2012 is coming to an end a lot of us are looking back on our year and thinking about what we are going to achieve or do different in 2013.

My 2012 has been a fantastic year.  It has been full of laughter, hard work, heartbreak, and happiness.  By far it has been the most exciting travel year of my life.

• January - Listening to a lecture about the RMS Atlantic - largest civilian Maritime disaster in history (bigger than Titanic) 
• February - Seeing the amazing Sutton Foster in "Anything Goes" on Broadway in NYC
• March - Jeep riding in Sedona, AZ with great friends
• April - 2 weeks in England
• May - 3weeks (combined) Switzerland, Italy, Istanbul, Canada
• June - Work and family in Texas
• July - Making new friends and seeing old friends in California
• August - Family, Friends, BBQ, and Jetski on Lake Erie; Two weeks falling in love with the mountains (and steak) of Montana
• September - Learning there is nothing good to eat in Columbus, GA but there are some great places to run
• October - Baltimore Relay with the LM Lunch Run Crew;  Halloween at The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood
• November - Ragnar Relay in Las Vegas; Thanksgiving with fantastic friends in Chicago
• December - My brother graduating from his Masters program; A festive Christmas celebration like I've never experienced before.

More than travel and what I've seen, its what 2012 has taught me

• The value of sleeping in my own bed is better than a free week  in a 5 star luxury hotel.  Don't get me wrong I love a nicely appointed hotel room as much as the next person, but when you've been on the road for weeks at a time, being able to be home, if only for one night, can recharge you.

• Having my dog greet me at the door can bring a weary traveler to happy tears.  There is nothing that says "Welcome Home" than a happy dog, with a waggly tail to greet you at the door.

• I miss my life.  This didn't actually hit me until mid-December.  I've been working from home on internal corporate projects and it was during this time home it hit me "I don't live here anymore".  Sure I pay mortgage, have a bed, roommate, pets, etc, but I don't have a life anymore.  I realized, I missed a lot of mid-week birthday celebrations, dinners with friends, and races because 36 hours on a weekend home is enough time to catch up on laundry, buy dog/cat food, and re-pack for the next trip, but not much of anything else.

• Living out of a suitcase taught me what I REALLY need.  Living for weeks out of a suitcase makes it so made it so much easier to declutter my house.  Cleaning out closets and drawers is not the chore it used to be because I've learned what I really need and what is just taking up space.

Still, 2012 has been one of those years that I will look back on with a smile.  So many great memories have been made.  I'm not sure what 2013 will bring but I'm ready, so bring it on!!

Switzerland is Pristine!

After my business finished in the UK, I met a friend at Heathrow and finally started vacation!  Our first stop was Interlaken, Switzerland.  I had never heard of Interlaken or Jungfraujoch before and truly I have Matt Lauer to think for the idea, during his annual "Where in the world is Matt Lauer?".  Once I saw this place on the Today Show I knew I had to go, so here we are :)

Cindy on the balcony of the Hotel Bellevue, Interlaken, Switzerland

The views were stunning, I can't remember ever seeing such clear and untouched beauty.

Junfraujoch, Switzerland - 11,333 Ft. above sea level

At 11,333 ft above sea level, the air is getting a little thin up there, I got dizzy several times and had to sit down to catch my breath.

Sphinx Observatory, Junfraujoch, Switzerland

Me on the Top of Europe, with my trusty raincoat

It was cold in the morning, but by the afternoon, the coat and scarf had come off.

The end of a long walk 

There is along walk from the Top of Europe resort and at the end is a family run restaurant high on the cliff, I highly recommend taking the walk and stopping in for a bite to eat or a beer.

Swiss beer on the Swiss Alps

Lauterbrunen, Switzerland

Trip to England

I was lucky enough to visit England for business and pleasure.  Some snaps from my trip.

Bracknell, Berkshire

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Yummy Sangria after a day of touring

My first time EVER driving in England, was a harrowing experience....Driving on the "wrong" side was the road wasn't that bad, driving a manual transmission wasn't bad (I drive one at home), however those ROUNDABOUTS nearly gave me a heart attack!  We don't really have roundabouts in America so we never really learn how to drive on them, but after a couple of days in England, I'm proud to say, I was navigating them like a pro...err well almost :)

My little VW Golf...Driving on the "wrong" side of the road was an EXPERIENCE

Honestly it was raining so much it didn't really matter what else I packed, I was wearing my rain coat every single day...if I was out touring then I was wearing it ALL DAY :)

The rain coat was the BEST thing I packed

A famous English bread commercial was filmed here in the 1970's, here is the You Tube link, its wonderful to see how some beautiful things remain untouched even after so many years.  I spent some time here with a friend and his wife, they took me to a pub that built in the 16th century.

Shaftesbury, Dorset

Fovant Badges, Witlshire

Fovant Badges, Wiltshire

Itialian Fountain, Kensington Gardens, London

Kensington Palace, London

Tower of London, London

Tower of London Bridge, London

A lifelong dream come true, visiting the British Museum

mmm...Starbucks

You could travel the world and see artifacts from every ancient civilization from the British Museum.

Buckingham Palace

Great underground system, I used it daily

Big Ben, House of Parliament, London Eye

Street Performer, Covent Gardens, London