- Getting off the island. I know it sounds like we’ve been trapped in our own personal reality show with that one, but it’s true. We cannot wait to hit the Confederation Bridge heading west, then south, then east, then south, then west, then south, then west again. Seriously. It’s not that life on the island isn’t good, because it is. It’s just that, well, um, it’s an ISLAND and we’re really more like mainlanders. So on this trip we’re going deep into the mainland. So deep we may even hit the heartland.
- Staying up past 9 o’clock. We are such party animals. The one whom I adore has been putting in very long days at work, coming home most nights to slip into a quiet, exhausted sleep on the sofa after dinner. Our hope is that without the daily sucking of his lifeblood that perhaps he can keep it together past 9 o’clock and we can enjoy staying up late, just like anyone else over 10 years old.
- No dogs allowed. This is HUGE. Not since the 2007 European Trip of a Lifetime have we traveled without Thing 1 and Thing 2. This time they’re having their own vacation, but for them it’s more like a “stay-cation” where they get to stay at home, lounging about the house, hanging out with their new girlfriend, the lovely Rhonda the Vet Student who will feed, clothe, pamper and spoil the varmints for two whole weeks. In return for this, we get to enjoy two glorious weeks without worrying about leaving the dogs unattended in a hotel room and Snickers won’t have to worry that we’ll leave him at the next gas stop. It’s a win-win for everyone, really.
- Road trippin’ to road tunes. Get yer motor runnin’. Head out on the highway. Lookin’ for adventure. In whatever comes our way! Yup, there is nothing better than a new playlist of classic rock to cruise the highways and byways of America. Born to be wiiiiiillllldddd!
- One word: BOSTON. Need I say more?
- Another word (or two): BOSTON BARS. Right up there with staying out past 9 o’clock is the prospect that we can do some pub crawling in the Back Bay or Beacon Hill or even Battery Wharf districts of the city. Just. Like. Grown-ups.
- Oh, Shenandoah, I long to hear you, away, you rolling river. We’ve never been and just like the lyrics of the song, I imagine it to be a beautiful place and we think we might just take our time here to meander along the Blue Ridge Parkway for a spell.
- Dollywood. Okay, NOT my choice, but the one whom I adore seems pretty fixated on droppin’ in to Pigeon Forge for a visit. But, upon further research and seeing the cost of admission ($59 per person) for ONE DAY just to see if those things are REAL (and we already know they aren’t)…I’m thinking that he may be rethinking this side trip.
- BBQ. If you’re going all the way down south you can’t escape the simple fact that they are superior BBQers. I don’t really know about that claim because I refuse to eat meat off the bone…but again, the one whom I adore is pretty keen to wrap his mouth around some lip-smacking ‘Q, so who am I to say “no”? I only ask for equal time for some lip-smackin’ Mexican fare.
- Visit with the Family – we haven’t seen them since our wedding last August and so much has happened since then. People have been sliced and diced, territories have changed, new houses have been decorated. Wedding albums are ready for viewing. Need I say more?
- Time alone with the one whom I adore. Despite the fact that we have abundant time together here stranded on the island, there really is nothing better then discovering a new place together. Just like when we explored the medieval streets of Florence and the sights of the Roman Empire, we anticipate two weeks full of discovery and we cannot wait.
- Sleeping in past the crack of dawn. I’m thinking this might be a by-product of staying up past 9 o’clock like anyone else over the age of 10, and it sure would be a welcome change from our normal routine. I mean, who the hell gets up at 6:30am ON A SATURDAY?
- Photos of every oversized monument, tacky tourist sign and the landscapes of America. We’ll be traveling through some beautiful parts of the country and I’m looking forward to adding shots of the one whom I adore staged beside a wall of ham, or in this case a life-size Elvis cut-out.
- Hanging with the Amish. Our return drive home will take us through Lancaster, PA, home to the Amish and that world famous Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pie. We can race our Cranberry Cruiser against the horse & buggy…I’m pretty sure we’ll win.
- 28-foot tides. Our last stop will be at the Bay of Fundy, home to the world’s largest tides. A photo opportunity if ever there was one.
- But perhaps the best thing of all…two weeks of no cares, no worries, no work, no schedules…just two weeks of unplanned, free time with the one whom I adore. That my friends, is priceless!
