Monday Morning Freewrite

After many months of dithering, George and I took the plunge on Saturday and decided to book a cruise. (I just love the word dithering, by the way. I rarely use it but it so describes thing.) We had been invited on two different tours by Sharre and Linda. They were in Berlin and going to the Christ play. Also there was one in the Alps. BUT both involved LOTS of bus travel. One was five hours on a bus, and even though it would have been really beautiful scenery, I just did not like all the busing we did on the Rick Steves tour. Don't get me wrong, his tours are great, and we had a lovely tour (Paris and the Heart of France).  I highly recommend his tours because you learn SO MUCH from their guides. Christine was ours, and she was my favorite person on the trip. I just prefer not having to pack up and get on a bus every one to two nights. I LOVE seeing things from a boat and unpacking ONE time. I also grew up on boats, and that is my happy place and brings back warm "Madeleine Moments" (see last post) for me. So, there was a HUGE sale with free air and we even upgraded to have a veranda! The other one was WAY more expensive. YIKES. 

I think the other reason this one appealed to me was I did not want to wait until next July to go on a trip. We were going to take a vacation this summer with our kids, and I didn't have a peace about it due to their job situation (praying for a job for them both still - biggest anxiety for this mama bear who loves her children with all of her heart). GOOD THING as I would not have been able to go because of my broken leg. I cannot teach this fall due to my broken leg. So, I thought it would be perfect for us to go while I am off. I am also looking forward to seeing how travel is in the off season. I do not like crowds, and I don't mind cold and rain of fall. 

So we are going on an EIGHT DAY RHINE GETAWAY. Four of the stops are at places we went to on our last cruise, but we wanted to explore more in those places anyway. We did not make it to the Van Gogh or Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (and the Indonesian cuisine there), the biking in Kinderdijk, the city center of Koblenz, and the museums of Cologne.  So, here we go. There is something about me and the excitement of learning about new places like Basel, Switzerland, Alsace region of France, and the BLACK FOREST. I have been reading and planning and emailing. LOVE IT! 

The sun is shining in the window, and I know that this is God tapping me on the shoulder saying, "YOU GO GIRL." Actually, I am so blinded by the light right now, I can barely see my computer screen for this freewrite. I am doing a happy dance. (Well, ,not a total one since I cannot dance quite yet, but I think I get off my crutch either this week or next week). 

I have 1:30 left on my timer. This is what my day will be about:

1) Physical Therapy exercises (rolling and flexibility too)
2) Library pick up of Rick Steves books for the trip
3) Planning for the different cites on our route
4) Little walk in the neighborhood (might go now since thunderstorms are coming soon)
5) Wardrobe selection for the trip 
6) Listen to the Decameron

BYE! No proofreading since the sun has totally overtaken, and I cannot see my screen.