Planning is part of the fun...

So many trips this year, so little time and so little money!!!

Here we go:

88 Sleeps - the South Pacific Cruise... rather excited about this.. I think I will be horribly sick but at the same time, really excited that I am actually doing it. And for Brooke's 18th too, that's really exciting as well. We will be in Vanuatu for her actual birthday - how many kids can say that aye! What did you do for your 18th? Oh went to Vanuatu for the day!! Haha brilliant. I have no idea what to expect on this cruise but I am pretty excited at the same time. Only one more payment for that and it's done & dusted then just gotta get spending money, but that's ok coz there is a couple of months to get that together....

267 Sleeps - HAWAII BABY!!!! So, so very excited about this!! I am more excited about going to Hawaii than my actual birthday tho but hey... it's Hawaii!!! Starting to get organised with that now - thinking about flights & accommodation etc. We have found the place we want to stay and I think it would be a good idea to start booking now - we have to pay a deposit of 30% for each room and then have till 30 days before arrival to pay the rest off. I reckon that's bloody good... I mean if you have 2 people to a room then it's half that. Now comes the part of trying to coordinate everyone.. most of us are in Brisbane so it's not too bad - just my niece in NZ to get together with. Mind you, you have to factor in everyone's leave etc too. I know when I want to go but it might not suit everyone else. Also figuring out how long to stay and whether I will be tacking on Vegas afterwards too... I have just done a quick costing and I reckon I can get flights for $1863 - that is BNE-HNL-LAS-BNE so I don't think that is actually too bad - considering it cost me about the same to go to London! I am looking at possibly 10 days in Hawaii and 5 days in Vegas. Have to look at finances but if I get the flights out of the way - which will be covered by my tax return so I can't book anything until July anyway - then its just the accommodation and spending that I need to worry about... oh and I want to hire a car for one day in Hawaii for my birthday - a red convertible

341 Sleeps - ok so technically this is 2013 but it's in January so close enough. This is for a friends wedding in NZ so plan on two weeks. Gotta look at flights for that soon and also need to book a car - which is ok coz you don't have to pay till you pick it up anyway but it's still an added expense when you are already paying for 2 trips this year... maybe a 3rd

So I have decided that I want to go home this year - I wasn't going to but I really want to and I have since found out that there is going to be an exhibit at the Canterbury Museum about the quakes and it's going to include things like the Cathedral Spire, the Timeball Station ball amongst other things. The exhibit is on from 22nd Feb to 01 Oct and I really want to go... so I have been looking at flights. Looking at 7-10 Sept because it is mums birthday on 4th and thought it was a good idea... also the 4th marks the 2 yr anniversary of the first quake so thought that was quite appropriate. Anyhoo, looking at that weekend means about $415 for a return flight.. so that's another amount that I really can't afford but can make happen if I really, really want to....

So what are your travel plans for this year?

Finally....

So a few weeks ago I was on Pinterest - which isn't unusual in itself, and I was looking at scrapbooking/journalling ideas and I found this link: 50 Things About Me - Two Peas in a Bucket. I loved the idea.. especially since this year I am turning 40... so I thought I would do a '40 things about me' page in my journal. I have been thinking about it for weeks but didn't really have that 'motivation', if you know what I mean. The other day I found the paper I wanted to use so pasted that in (not that you can see it now!) but then it took me another couple of days to actually do something about it.

And here it is.....

I have included 4 photos of me in various stages of life... 8 months old in 1973, 17 years old in 1989 (not that you could tell it was the 80's!!), 21 years old in 1993 and 38 years old in 2010. I wanted to leave room to be able to put a 40th birthday photo in but there wasn't enough, but that's not to say that when I get one I couldn't do something creative with it. The rest is just random things about me - places I love, songs that mean something, days that have had the most impact on my life, things that are important to me, etc

Actually, I am beginning to think that this book (it will become books as it's only February and I am nearly at the end of this one) is going to be important for me to do this year. I really wasn't looking forward to being 40 for so many reasons.. mainly because I really didn't think I would be where I am today. That's not to say I hate my life - sometimes I'm not very enthusiastic about it but I don't hate it. I do appreciate that I have a lot to be grateful for and I certainly haven't had a horrible life.. I guess if I am looking back at my life so far (yes I think I am heading towards a mid life crisis), I would have to say my life has been pretty average.

Not that being average isn't a bad thing but sometimes I just wish for something more exciting. Mind you, as my mother says "you can't have excitement every day". It's true - I guess there is nothing wrong with the mundane.. at least you still are alive aye?