HAPPY 2010!

A new year, a new decade... you can't help but reflect on the highlights of the last 12 months and think a bit about how you'd like to see the next 12 play out.

All in all, I'd say it's been a pretty fantastic year for me- especially in travel terms. I was lucky enough to go on 3 vacations! Maybe not the greatest idea, now that I'm left working extra over the holidays since I used up all of my paid time off, but I'd say it was worth it. None of the 3 trips were planned very far in advance- opportunities arise and I'm never one to say no to the next adventure. :)

Here are a few (but, by no means all) of my favorite moments in 2009 :

Sailing- Grenadine islands

Ole! Splash Mountain, Disneyland- Los Angeles, CA

Pt. Reyes blue cheese with thyme infused honey picnic at the lighthouse- Pt. Reyes, CA

Last night in France- Picnic at the Eiffel Tower- Paris, France

Massage Point at the Rockhouse- Negril, Jamaica

Let's hope 2010 can be even better. I've got a good feeling about it...

THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

We couldn't resist a visit to Disneyland while down in LA. Alright, no, I admit it, it was one of the main motivations for the entire trip. My friend seems to think the year isn't complete without an annual meal of Disney fried chicken & corn dogs. I'm personally convinced that their pineapple whip could solve all the worlds problems, but... whatever floats your boat (as my mom likes to say).

Disney may be super cheesy & way overpriced, but it's always held a special place in my heart. I had an internship with Imagineering at Disneyland Paris and that behind the scenes glimpse changed the way I look at amusement parks forever. Disney puts so much more effort into it than anyone else (hense, the price gouging). They come up with a well researched, detailed back story on literally everything from the log rides down to the ice cream carts. I have friends that were sent to Africa to research the design for Animal Kingdom in Orlando. Many of the artifacts on display are real things that they brought back from those trips. I'm by no means advocating that these parks are a substitute for the places they represent, but if they can expose kids to a different culture, encourage their imagination, and start to instill that interest in them at an early age, I'm all for it.

Or on this particular trip, it can simply be a good excuse to act like a kid again. There's nothing much more fun than seeing how fast you can spin the tea cups without puking and screaming as loud as you can down splash mountain. The parks draw people of all kinds and whatever their motivation, they seem to be happy. Sometimes, it feels really good to be surrounded by so many smiling faces, even if they are in a Princess Jasmine costume.