a few trips i'm aching to take

i love trips. day trips, road trips, week-long vacations. by myself, with mike and the dogs, with my family, with friends. i think it's fair to say that three of my biggest passions in life are enjoying time with the people i treasure in life (and meeting new people to treasure), traveling and exploring. my "ideal day" combines all three. i realized today that there are quite a few people i haven't seen in awhile and a few places i've simply been longing to explore. on this day, i'd give anything to have plans to do the following:

1. explore washington dc with a few friends. one of my best friends lives in williamsburg and i'm hoping we can take a weekend trip to the city to enjoy some of the museums. mike would go, but he is pretty confident my "spontaneous side" would rather take this trip with her. a colleague i met at the the afp first course conference i attended in october lives in alexandria and i've been meaning to pay her a visit and hear about a major gift ask she made for her organization in november. i also just reconnected with a girl i met at the "national youth leadership forum" i attended as a junior in high school. she's living in the city, working for a social entrepreneurship organization and she just created her own NGO (the website is still under construction, but you can google it for more information: the ayllu initiative). it sounds intriguing and i'm dying to hear more. i also really (and i mean REALLY) want to visit the international spy museum, see the WWII memorial and try to find the coast guard memorial at arlington. i love visiting cities, because there is so much to see and do. this is just my short list of "must dos" and it would require at least a 3-day weekend.

2. go home at the end of march to see the birth of brianne. family is such an important part of our lives, it seems impossible to miss this. it has been so hard to be 13 hours away during megan's pregnancy, to miss all the excitement of ultrasounds and growing and baby showers. with the uncertainty of transfer season, we're not sure right now whether we can book those flights. but i know if we don't, it's something we're likely to regret for a very long time.

3. visit tiffany and jarrod in georgia. mike and i haven't seen them since may, and that is simply TOO long. she was the first person i met in virginia who seemed real, and she explained the craziness that is I-64. it took awhile, but we started grabbing lunch and getting together for board games and dinner parties. it didn't take me long to realize that she's one of those friends who gets me, without really having to try. maybe it's the midwestern upbringing, but it sure makes talking to her a lot of fun! that's another thing i haven't done in awhile. my life needs more tiffany.

4. take a tour of the biltmore estate in ashville, north carolina. my grandma always wanted to visit here, but never got a chance ... so i've been meaning to make the trip when i have the time and the money to do it right. i'm not one to be overly sentimental about much (other than her blanket and recipes), but i do know i want to explore the biltmore the way she would do it. every room of the house, every acre of the grounds. i have spent some time looking over their website and am delighted to know that you can create your personal itinerary directly through the site --- you can add everything you want to do. on your own tour of the house or a guided tour. horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, hiking. the options are endless. this is something i'm aching to do, but something i will definitely wait to plan until i know more about how this transfer season will play out.

5. spend a week this fall in a cozy adirondack cabin with mike and my dogs. the lakes are crystal clear, the hiking phenomenal, the colorful views breathtaking. the epitome of relaxing, mountain vacation. when we booked our honeymoon to a beautiful, sun-soaked beach we said our anniversary trip would be one to the mountains. either the adiraondacks or lake tahoe. lake tahoe is absolutely beautiful in the spring, but ... as is the theme with these posts, this spring is not a good time for us to travel. the adirondacks would be perfect in late october.