FM2023-022023Travels

Finding Me - Feb. 2023 - Travels
Journaling -I love the idea of travel. In the past, I've been various places. I did a semester abroad in the UK while in college. After Todd and I got married, we took some cruises (around the UK and Alaska) then his parents took us on other cruises with them (Alaska from SF and around Hawaii). We went to Disneyland a bunch of times and took a trip to Disney World. We met my family in San Diego for a family trip. Mostly though, my travels were centered around going back home to see my family or to meet up with my sister before one of her various corporate trainings. I even took a trip with just Jo Ann and me to see my family and go to her favorite place – Colonial Williamsburg.
But we scaled things back when Benjamin was born and then Jo Ann died. Once George was diagnosed with dementia, we pretty much stopped traveling even to see my family. My family came to see us. We drove over to see George at his nursing home every week. Once the pandemic hit, even that stopped until his first fall. Once he was on hospice, Todd could visit him after taking Covid tests.
Now, with how everything has gone post-pandemic (not even sure if we can say it's “officially” over) I don't really want to travel. Too many wackadoodles on the flights and Benjamin's autism diagnosis is another issue. He doesn't like change. We need to really prepare him for things that are different and a hotel is a big change. We're talking about going on a little trip near home so we can practice. Benjamin seems open to the idea but how it actually goes we won't know until we try it. He wants to go Disneyland and Disney World. He's heard his classmates talk about their own trips and he's seen videos from the park rides. This trip if it happens probably would be during the school year which means taking him out of school and going when the park isn't as crowded. I've seen it on NYE and in the summer. Neither would be a good first experience for Benjamin. Too loud, too crowded, not enough space and no real escape from it all.
Honestly, I sound old – maybe, but the actual traveling by plane part hasn't been fun since 9/11. I remember being excited to go to the airport to fly or pick someone up. Now, it's just a hassle and – as for cars – I never wanted to learn how to drive it was forced on me by my parents who discovered with my older sister that kids driving saved them time picking up the other kids or running errands. No thanks. Trains can be fun. We did a long train ride in Alaska before our cruise. Very touristy but fun. Benjamin loves trains so that might be a thing we can do if he can learn to handle not sleeping in his own bed every night.
I suppose I love looking back on the memories from traveling and I love taking the pictures in the moment... but the actual traveling part hasn't been high on my favorite things list. Maybe I just need to forget the bad things like small seats, cramped aisles and missed connections. Maybe some day traveling will sound fun again. Who knows. Right now, it doesn't? But I'm also congested again so it could just be that. Probably not, but maybe.
Font - Remington Noiseless
Elements and Papers - Messy stamps 2023 (R Jefferies), Good Things (Lynne Marie) Compass, Home Community World (Collaboration) Thanks but No (A Pennington)
Style - shadows (Mommyish)
Action - twisted actions (P Kesselring)