Why do I like airplane blankets so much?  When you travel international, they come clean and pre-packaged with a pillow and the poorest quality earphone buds ever made.  It’s like a  nice little present wrapped in plastic waiting for you snuggle up to on your long  journey. 

American Airlines blankets are extra-large, warm and fleecy.  I’m contemplating stealing one, but my conscience and my 12-year-old daughter might not see this as a grand idea.  I have to set a good example.  I can imagine myself with blankie on my favorite bench on the Seine late in the evening drinking vin watching the evening cruises go by.  Blankie & I could cuddle with Ilee and create a cool fort in the Paris apartment to sleep in…..

Yes, your right, I’m writing this on 3.5 hours of sleep.  I’m a bit loopy.  I never sleep well the night before a trip so sometimes I don’t even try, like last night.  My brain just won’t shut down.  This trait can be a bit of a problem.  I may over think things.  I break everything down into it’s elementary pieces, then re-assemble it in my head.  In an effort to “get it”  Self inflicted psychotherapy.   Yes welcome to my mid-life crisis and the ramblings of a semi-comotose mom.  I am dealing with my issues through “travel therapy”  Great stuff I totally recommend it.  Thank you Ryan for your understanding. 

Done for now with the personal diatribe.  This trip is round 2 in my quest to put more than one stamp in my passport in a 10 year period.  I got a new passport last summer and discovered that the expiring one only had one stamp.  Sad. 

That one stamp, I can bet most of you don’t have.  I went to Kiribati , a small island about two days sail south of Hawaii.  We (the family & I) went their 7 years ago as part of a Hawaiian cruise.  It was great.  Kiribati formerly known as Fanning Island is poor, isolated and incredibly beautiful.  Everyone has seen it though.  It’s famous as the closing shot at the end of Gillian’s Island. The one with the beach packed full of palm trees.  Yeah that’s right.  I have been to every kid of my generations fantasy vacation location.  I went looking for the Professor, Maryanne, the millionaire and his wife…but they must have been chased off by headhunters or something.  Missing their escape from paradise once again.

Right now, this very minute, Ilee and I have 2.5 hours left.  London here we come.  We are very excited for this new adventure.  I hope to show her that the world is a wonderous, beautiful, hopeful place.  That is meant to be embraced, explored and experienced.  We will likely get lost (weirdly looking forward to it), have to change our plans on the fly, have to seize an opportunity without much fore thought, and learn to go with the flow.  These are great lessons for a fertile mind. 

Live life to the fullest, dis-engage the autopilot.  Fill you life with life and teach your kids to do the same.  It’s my prescriptions for happiness, trust me it works.  You don’t necessarily need to go in an international trip.  Consider splashing in mud puddles, re-reading the classics, blasting your tunes loud and proud or planting a garden.  Things that nurture your soul, small things like blankies work too.

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