adrienne-is

There are approximately 25 days between the present and my departure/escape to the northern Hawaiian island of Kauai. I can not wait. I can not wait. I seriously contemplated packing my bag this weekend. I won’t be wearing anything I have in mind for vacation between now and then and if my bag is packed the days should pass quicker, I’d hope.

So far I’m planning on a helicopter ride, sunset cruise, luau, massage, beach, eating and possibly kayaking. I’ve never been kayaking before and the tour company providing the tour says no experience necessary for the excursion in mind. However, my fiance and a friend think I should have some experience before attempting on a very calm river. (Isn’t that how you get experience?) Any thoughts? I might just end up doing a small Kayaking 101 in Kauai so by the time Montana rolls around I’ll be ready for the rapids.

Anyhow, back to my Hawaii trip planner online and then off to bed. I can not wait!

I can’t believe how fast this month has flown by. Tomorrow, when I wake up, it will seriously be March and time to check in on how much of what I want to accomplish this year is being accomplished. I must be my own hard-liner these days. It is possible I may even join a gym this week. I’m really wanting to use the sauna and to-do some water exercises more than anything else. A little Zumba wouldn’t hurt either. Just have to make sure I don’t take off too much weight or else I’ll be needing some more alterations to the wedding dress. These are simply thoughts at the moment.

Anyways, goodbye February… It was during your time I became addicted to sunshine burger, pumpernickel bread, The Amazing Race and Hotwire. Thank you for new addictions.

I’ve been out walking
I don’t do too much talking
These days, these days.
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
And all the times I had the chance to.– Jackson Browne

These days I don’t do too much blogging. I don’t write too many stories these days. Smile. Of all verses in the track “These Days” the first is most appropriate in describing my moods. More or less I’m trying to remain focused these days. I always pack my plate with new adventures and slightly unimportant side projects that simply tickle my fancy. These days I’m trying to stay fit. I’ve been exercising quite a bit and incorporating more new foods into my diet and cutting out others. I’m good there. These days I’m working a lot. I have a lot to make up for last year’s staycation and vacations. I don’t take many photos these days, but in the coming days ahead there will be plenty. These days I seem to think a lot about spring, skirts or shorts that I would like to wear. I cannot wait for spring. These days I long for longer days and the time change. These days I enjoy the simple things in life. These days I am definitely thinking a lot.

I had one of those intense life flashback moments built for afternoon cinema on the TV today. I’d just finished eating a delicious breakfast made by my husband-to-be and started in my duty of doing the dishes. The hot water from the faucet was pouring down on my hands as I circled around-and-around the plate with the sponge. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. Although I knew I should have cut the water off, I couldn’t. It kept running along with my memory and I was trapped in a flashback.

My mind had placed me back 11 years past. The clothes I wore-I could see them exactly and I could feel them against my skin. Even at this very moment I can remember the exact blend of the fabric – 65% cotton/35% linen. Not all that unusual for someone who spent their after-school hours around other people’s dirty laundry. My blouse was a sleeveless button up with a collar and white. My bottoms were typically khaki colored skirts, shorts and sometimes pants. This was my uniform at the dry cleaners, my first real job ever during high school.

He was a clean-cut gentleman, twelve years my senior and a patron at my job. He might have been in a time or two before the day he dropped off his business slacks for cleaning and politely asked if we could exchange contact information. A bit shocked, I inquired whether he knew my age or thought differently about my youthful appearance? What was his angle? Where was he going or did he want to go? Did he not know I had a boyfriend at my high school who I was insanely in love with?

My hands were starting to turn into fleshy, shriveled, human raisins, signaling it was time to cut off the running water I’d been wasting and snap-to. Still, I was there in the memory. Then I thought that if I could return to the past how I’d like to go in his shoes. And forgive me if this sounds a bit narcissistic, but I’d want to meet myself fully dressed and ready to dry clean your clothes-his clothes. I’d like to see his perspective of me.

Never ever did I think he’d be the one I would be marrying soon. Did I not mention how madly and wild I was for my teenage love? Did I ever see it coming? Could I have imagined or dreamed it? No.

Does it feel good? Yes.

Work has been sucking up my time and energy which is why I haven’t been here much. Also, in case you didn’t already know, when I’m not traveling I don’t feel as if there is really a whole lot to say. I’m usually busy planning travel to have something to come back and say. Ho-hum.

As of the moment I am fighting an itchy, drowsy right-eye (imagine a pink-eyed monster) and I should be crawling into my bed soon. Just trying to catch a little bit of the Grammy’s and finish up some emails before calling it quits. Seriously wishing for more time in a day and that this update wasn’t so lame. I just wanted tot pop in and let you know that even with a bum eye, I’m still sexy. Just kidding.

On a very serious note, I have been working quite a bit, planning my teeny-tiny destination wedding, prepping to be a bridesmaid for a friend’s wedding, struggling to keep up with my Farsi studies and trying to stick to my fitness routine (more running and core). Okay, it is past my bedtime. I love you all.

This whole getting marriage thingie has me thinking about the future a lot. More than I’d like to, to be quite honest. Decisions, descisions, decisions…

Men ride inside and atop of a tap-tap down the road in Haiti. Photo: Adrienne C. Wilson

If God is love or if he ever knew love, it wouldn’t seem so for many of us based off the way he repeatedly torments Haiti. Trust though that there are people so devastated and bewildered by the recent quakes that God’s love and prayer are the only two things they have left. So for us out here watching on CNN, BBC, and various other broadcast networks, I don’t think they would want us to stop our prayer or hope for relief. However, prayer with action is extremely powerful and if your heart moves you, take action.

I recently rallied everyone to vote for a travel piece I wrote on Trazzler about Haiti. With just a few clicks from friends, friends-of-friends and strangers, I was able to win the contest. I wrote my piece on Haiti hoping to give others a glimpse at the country as a desirable travel destination. When I heard this news, I couldn’t even watch it on TV. I didn’t want to imagine it; that the poorest country in the western hemisphere had been hit by a 7.0 earthquake. (Pause) Now, I’m asking you to join me in taking action for something bigger. Don’t just join a fan page on some social network. Don’t just say “poor Haiti.” You can do something even if it is small.

1. If donating money isn’t an option for you at this time try putting a care package together. Look in your closet for clothing to donate or assemble hygiene kits. Imagine the things you’d NEED if you’d lost everything in an earthquake and were homeless.

2. If donating money is an option for you (even if it is as small as $5) do it! Many of us are weary about forking over money to agencies. (Myself included.) There will be many accepting your funds to help Haiti. Do your research if needed and commit to giving something. Yele, Habitat for Humanity, and the Fuller Center for Housing are three organizations, I will be watching personally and collaborating with if possible. Note: The links above take you to relief projects specifically for Haiti.

3. Spread the word. Post ways of getting involved or donating on your Myspace, Facebook, Twitter feed or write a blog.

4. Hope, pray and continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts over the coming weeks when the next big news story wipes it off the headlines. Oh, and take action.

God is love.

There are so many places I need and want to be this year. I’ll be working my tail off until end of March to allow for some extended time play-time later down the road. As of right now there will be no travel prior to April. Boo!! Here’s a look beyond April.

April: Hawai’i for a week
May: Los Angeles, CA for a week
June: Montana for four or five days
September: Nigeria (wishful thinking and hopes of meeting my fiance’s family)
October: Ethiopia for a two week Global Village project

What else? Well, I have FF miles to burn and would like to get a little more island action on or maybe check out some of those famous European cities (like Paris) which I have evaded for some time now. I think the list above makes my planning plate pretty full at the moment so I suppose I better focus on the above first, especially Montana! Eek!

I wasn’t even going to entertain this, especially since the talented Jaime Case Ford beat me to expressing similar engagement ring sentiments in her witty Wedding Road Trip blog. However, a good number of you have requested a photo of my engagement ring and so here it is. The text around the ring is in Latin and says, “Nostrum iunctum est Sarcalogos.” (Our unity is Christ.) I had some time on my hands today and decided a quick snapshot wouldn’t hurt anyone. STILL – it is just a ring and since Jaime said it so perfectly on her blog, I’m going to have to ask you kindly to leave my blog and read this.

Welcome! Photo: Adrienne C. Wilson

Funny how some free attractions can offer far more to the visitor than those which charge a fee. TECO’s (Tampa Electric Company) Manatee Viewing Center is certainly worth getting off I-75 at Big Bend Rd to check out. Now that I’m practically in the neighborhood and with temperatures being a cool 41 or so degrees outside this morning, it all made perfect sense: go see the sea cows! Oh, and did I mention the attraction is free?

It’s hard to imagine why any creature would spend the winter soaking in waters beside industrial smoke stacks, but apparently the manatees like warm water. (And apparently the water temperature today was in the 60’s.) There are plenty of manatees floating around and unless they pop their heads up for air, their backs resemble large stones in the water. The best place to spot them is from the large observation deck where other marine life can also be seen.

Smoke stacks, smoke stacks, manatees, manatees, smoke stacks, manatees. Photos: Adrienne C. Wilson

If you watch them long enough they do back flips in the water just like whales do. I kid. A manatee will not be twirling in air, but there are some fish springing from the water. Photo: Adrienne C. Wilson

Yup, that’s me. I practically rolled out of bed, strapped on my camera bags and ran out the house. It was sort of a now or never situation in joining my mother. Please donate to the sea cows. Photo: The Mothership

When you can’t feel your hands anymore and it gets too cold, go inside to the museum to warm up and read up not only on the manatees, but on TECO as well. The museum isn’t huge, but it has enough information for adults and enough entertainment for children to keep everyone please for at least a good 20 minutes or less. Inside the museum, I learned that genetically, a manatees is closely related to an elephant, ardvark, and hyrax. That’s super crazy considering they all looking almost nothing alike.

Manatee bones in the museum. Photo: Adrienne C. Wilson

If you’ve got the time to kill continue outside of the museum and down the trail to see more of nature’s splendor like red mangroves, coastal berm, and various bird life. My mother and I took to the tidal trail, but my battery didn’t have much more go and so it died. Next time, Gadget, next time.