I love to tease my husband about this scene, because I tell him that, well, that’s him. He’s got a nice organized house together, all the comforts he needs, and then this disturber of the peace comes into his life, creates havoc and runs off on an adventure, fully disrupting his life and leaving everything…changed {that would be moi}. Of course, leaving his ticket to Disneyland Paris out for him to see had about the same effect on him as the idea of the adventure had on Bilbo Baggins 
Because we are really going on an adventure this summer!
One of my principles of traveling is to start your planning process by going crazy. Look at everything. Pick out all of the places to go, things to see, cafes to dine in, concerts to hear, activities to do, and whatever else suits your fancy, and list them all. Once you have that done, then you can start culling the list and making cuts for practicality. If you do that too early in the process, you might end up missing out on something spectacular because you don’t have room/money/energy for it, or if you decide you’re going to make room for it, you have to undo a fair amount of work.
Okay, all that being said, our summer kind of looks like I planned with abandon and didn’t cut anything out. Kind of like the wedding looked, I think. C’est la vie. Anyway, since all our summer plans are starting to come to fruition, I just want to share with you a little bit of what we’ve got in store – and what kind of pictures and adventures you’ll be seeing on the blog over the next couple of months!
Barcelona
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I am going to be presenting at a conference in Barcelona along with my research collaborator/sister, and my husband is coming along as our moral support {and because I wouldn’t go off on a trip like this without him!}. We planned a few days on either end of the conference to get out and explore Barcelona – the food, flamenco, Gaudi’s architecture, and so much more to discover!
Paris
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We’re heading up to Paris for a couple of days after we’re finished in Barcelona, and then my sister, my husband, and I plan on spending a whirlwind day seeing the major sites, and then the good part of a day in Disneyland Paris. I’m anxious to see how much the city has changed since the last time I was there {dare I say that was back in 2000? The Eiffel Tower had a lit-up “2000″ across its base almost the whole day} and how much of my French I still speak!
Country Road, Take Me Home
Monticello {image: (c) me}
After the crazy days in Spain and France, we’ll be heading back {via Copenhagen – I’m excited for that as well!!}, grabbing the cars and the cats and I’ll be heading to Virginia for six weeks of training prior to heading to my next assignment. It will be a great chance to catch up with some of my friends in the Charlottesville area {I’m a proud Wahoo graduate – at least for grad school #2} and in the D.C. area, and I’ll be flying back and forth to Orlando frequently to catch up with my husband, who will be working out of his digital effects school for the duration {why the distance? I’m going to hate it, but I won’t trap my husband in a hotel with me and two cats when he can be hanging out at our in-laws’ house in Florida, improving his skills}. Somewhere in there, we’re going to celebrate our first anniversary – while I’m super excited, I’m also super curious because my husband has banished me from all planning on this. This one is his party. Should be awesome!
And Then Some Family Time
Pismo Beach {image: (c) me}
After my school ends, we’ll be bopping across the country for a little bit, catching up with family in Colorado and California. This is the part of the trip that has the least planning done for it already. Guess I should get on that! 
All Aboard For Alaska!
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My anniversary present to my husband was a trip he’s always wanted to take and we’ve talked about for some time – an Alaska cruise! We’ll be taking the Disney Wonder {of course Disney!} up north from port in Washington, cruising the glaciers and adventuring in Skagway, Ketchikan, Juneau, and a few other spots! I am so hoping for some good wildlife photography, some amazing hikes and glacier hikes, and beautiful views like this!
Hawaii Bound!
Hickam Air Force Base {image: (c) me}
After our cruise ends, we’ll hop off the boat and go right to the airport, because we’ve got one-way tickets to Oahu. Nearly three months after we send all our stuff off on the moving truck, we’ll be arriving in the Aloha State to move into our townhouse. Even though it’s been a rental property for some time and will need some serious love and attention, we’re going to take some time to get settled in, revisit old favorite spots {shrimp truck, anyone?}, and play tourist for a while to see what’s changed in the four years we’ve been off-island. Somewhere in there, all the New England clothes and Alaska clothes will get boxed up {we still need warm gear for trips home} and we’ll be semi-permanently in flip flops. I. Can’t. Wait!!!
So I have many purposes in sharing all of this with you! The first is – recommendations! So many of you out there who follow this little blog are very well traveled, or you’re from one of the areas I’m visiting! If you have any recommendations for things to do, places to eat, or must-take pictures in Barcelona, Paris, Virginia, Washington D.C., Florida, Colorado, California, Canada, Alaska, or Hawaii, I’d love to hear from you!
Secondly – I’m seeking out guest bloggers! Are you interested in photography, design, fashion, food, social networks, or media and marketing? Are you looking for an audience interested in all of those things that you might want to showcase your talents for? I’d love to host you! I’m going to be posting updates periodically, but I’d love to use this opportunity to introduce my readers to some great new folks, so contact me and we’ll set something up!
We’ve got about another month before we close up shop in New York and start adventuring, so stay tuned for more plots, plans, opportunities to get featured here, and {hopefully} some useful lessons learned about crazy insane travel plans!
