Back in the Blogging Saddle

My life has been a wee bit overwhelming the last few months. With the much anticipated cruise taking place, Nik leaving again for training, my family coming to visit, grant season in full swing, and tax season upon us I have definitely been lacking in a couple areas. Now that I am by myself with my four favorite animals, calmed down from the emotional upheaval of the cruise, FINALLY provided our CPA with all of our tax documents, and gotten over the hump of my grant filled weekend I can share some of my adventures. Let's start with the cruise.

I had every intention of blogging about the cruise while actually on the cruise, but honestly... the combination of the outrageously high prices for internet use and the constant occurrence of glitches in our vacation did not motivate me to share the experience with my favorite people immediately. My honeymoon was a combination of incredible life altering experiences and traumatizing road blocks. I honestly can say that if not for my incredible husband I may not have come home a sane individual. As it was, I spent most of the flight home from Boston crying and trying to sleep away my misery. I only have myself to blame.

When I first found the cruise online at Orbitz back in June of 2009, I saw the list of ports and immediately began fantasizing about how perfect the trip would be. What's not to dream about? Greece, Italy, Egypt, Malta... these are some pretty incredible places to experience. Not just the beauty, though don't get me wrong I saw some of the most exquisite sights of my life, but the history was what really fascinated me and ultimately changed Nik's mind about purchasing the tickets. Originally, Nik was a little hesitant about the trip due to the length of time and a few other aspects. Because he loves me and desperately wanted to give me the honeymoon of my dreams, he let me convince him to go. From that point on I filled my head with romantic visions of all the events that were going to take place. Bad bad idea, Brittney.

I have daily logs on what took place each day and I will upload those entries along with pictures over the next few weeks, but here is a brief on some of the events that occurred...

Flights from LA to Barcelona on British Airways, best flight ever!
Barcelona- beautiful surprise, this country is gorgeous!
Rome- remarkable history, breath-taking sights, freezing cold, lots of rain
Athens- cancelled due to strikes, my heart literally broke
Sicily- replaced Athens, pretty, good wine, nice people
Izmir- missed shore excursions and didn't see to much of the city
Egypt- incredible and remarkable history, changed my view of poverty, stray kittens everywhere!
Malta- best hidden secret in the world, magical
Trip home- British Airways went on strike, our flights got cancelled, tried to reschedule, had to buy new tickets, luggage was lost, arrived home at 4 am.

Definitely different from my prior trips abroad, but then this is the first time I travelled to multiple locations during one vacation. It was an experience, a very memorable one. I learned a tremendous amount and have a new found respect for a variety of cultures. I appreciate my husband in new ways now. He never once let me down, his support was literally unshakable.

My parents trip to Fresno was wonderful. I am always so grateful when they arrange their schedules to accommodate Nik and I. We are saddened by how little time we have to spend with them and pray that one day soon we will be much closer in proximity. It was wonderful spending actual time with them. I realized that it has been almost two years since I spent more than 48 hours with my parents, that thought makes me heart sick. There is always something going on when we get together: a wedding to plan, a house to paint and decorate, two days to celebrate Christmas, etc. It was lovely to cook for them, walk the dogs with them, and just lounge around and discuss the many wonders of the world. This is time that I desperately need with my parents. I rely on it heavily.

Training is back in full swing for Nik, but not for much longer. By the end of May he will have met all his requirements and will be out doing what he does best. Establishing justice. I know neither one of us can wait for him to be home, it will a happy day when the goodbyes are less frequent.

To close up this post, my major time consumer as of late. Work. Work is kicking my butt right now. Grant season is an extremely hectic time of the year. This is my first season and my initiation was neither slow or easy. I was thrust into the responsibility and forced to learn quickly. The experience is incredibly valuable and is providing options to move into administration. I enjoy expanding my knowledge and look forward to the possibilities that open up.

That's about it, my life over the last two months in a post. I will continue to update on the cruise and post pictures of the exotic places I saw. It certainly provides entertainment.