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Connected to the world - how?

I've lived in Florida (Panama City), Minnesota (St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and St. Paul), and Denmark (just outside Copenhagen). I have family in Texas (all over the east and south). I've traveled a bit around the US and Europe, but I don't get to very much.
 
@chickypow - I had no idea you lived in Kamloops. I'm just a couple of hours south of you in West Kelowna! Like you, I absolutely love this area, there's so much beauty here!

I've been around quite a bit too - LOL!
I was born in the UK and emigrated to Alberta,Canada when I was 12 with my family. We went back to the UK a couple of times on vacation, then when I graduated high school I went to Europe for four months with a couple of friends (France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands & Belgium). When I met DH four years later, a love of travel was one of the first things that bought us together. After we married, we saved money like crazy, then went on a trip around the world for ten months. We visited family in the UK, then went to Norway, Sweden and Denmark, before going through Europe again revisiting spots we loved, then onto Greece, before flying to Egypt. We bought a cheap ticket in Greece that took us to India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and another cheap ticket there which took us to Australia (where I got to visit with cousins in Melbourne I hadn't seen in almost 20 years), New Zealand, New Caledonia, and finally Tahiti before flying back to LA and making our way up to BC. It was the trip of a lifetime. We drove across Canada to Ontario, where we lived in Kitchener/Waterloo for ten years, started a family, traveled parts of the eastern US, (Maine, Vermont, NY state (I still haven't been to NYC though), Maryland, Washington, DC, small parts of Virgina, North Carolina,Georgia and Florida. I took the girls over to the UK to visit family a couple of times when they were small which was great! We got tired of the busy, busy life we had in Ontario and moved back out west to BC with the kids, driving once again! We settled in West Kelowna and haven't moved since. We took the girls down to the US coast to Disneyland one year, but didn't travel again much until the girls were in their teens when DH and I went to Mexico for the first time, then the following year we did a backpacking trip to Mexico, Belize and a tiny bit of Guatemala. We took a couple of family vacations with the girls to Hawaii and the Dominican Republic before they left home. My mom also moved back to the UK, so I traveled over there to visit her several times. She loves to go on cruises so I went on my first cruise with her in 2004 to the Mediterranean, then again to the Baltic in 2006. I loved both of them, even though you only get a taste of each country, it gives you an idea of places you'd like to visit again. I'd love to go back to Turkey, Russia, Eastern Europe and Finland. In 2006 DH and I took a trip traveling through Ecuador (jungle and mountains) and then the Galapagos which was incredible.
The following year, we went to southeast Asia and spent time traveling in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, which was another absolutely amazing trip!! I took a river cruise up the Danube in 2011 with mom which was much more relaxing. It started in Budapest and finished in the Prague, two more places I'd love to spend more time. Our oldest daughter had moved to New Zealand to go to university, so we went down in 2012 to visit her and met up with our younger daughter and her fiance while we were there. We spent two weeks all traveling around the South Island together in a camper van. It was absolutely fabulous to be able to all travel together! While we were down under, we also spent some time in Australia again, visiting my cousin and touring Queensland. The following year, I went cruising with my mom again from Dubai to Venice (with stops in Quatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus, Montenegro). Last year, DH and I went back to South America and spent three weeks in Peru, visiting the jungle, Machu Picchu and parts of the south.
In two weeks, I'm off on another cruise with my mom, possibly her last as she's 83 now but still healthy! We start in Singapore and end in Beijing, so there are few more wonderful places to visit this time.

Sorry, I've just realized I've written a book here!! I'm not usually so wordy, but talking of travel gets me every time!;)
 
Crazy, isn't it! I used to know of a few in the Lower Mainland and on the Island but I think there's only one left that still hangs out in digiland.
 
See! Now I'm feeling even MORE connected to the world through you guys! This is great, keep 'em coming! (BTW, I saw Mt Rushmore at 16 but loved it. What I hated was being stuck in the motorhome with my brother, sister, and 3 cousins. That was my mom and dad's dream trip that they saved for for so long: Mt Rushmore, the Grand Tetons, and we white-river rafted down the Snake River in Colorado. Other places, too, but those were my favorites.) I'm determined to go to the Grand Canyon this summer b/c we missed that on our big "out west" trip when I was a teen. Hubby and I have lived in El Paso a total of 11 years broken into 3 different tours here and still haven't been. We are GOING this year.
 
WOW, talk about connecting with all of you! This is awesome. So excited to see that AmyLee spent 9 months in Danbury, Connecticut, the town I grew up in.
I have been all over the US but my only out of states experience was our vacation trip that took us into Canada for a short while.
I was born in Lewisburg, PA and my family moved to Danbury, CT when I was 5. I moved out on my own to Hartford CT at age 20 and since then have lived in:
Long Island, New York
Bath Maine
Minneapolis, MN
back to Waterbury, CT
Alpena, MI (where I came back to and live now)
Daytona Beach, Fl
Moorehead City, NC
Summerville, SC
Goose Creek SC
I have visited New Hampshire LOVE LOVE LOVE the Kangamangus Trail!
Ohio
Vermont
Mass.
Rhode Island
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
D.C
Virginia
Georgia
Mississippi
Alabama
Oklahoma
Kansas
and California
and of course, drove through many other states to visit these states.
I think, the only area I haven't visited yet and would LOVE to is the NorthWest.
I love this great country of ours and would love to visit every state.
 
Looks like I'm in the minority. I have only lived near Pittsburgh in Southwestern Pennsylvania my whole life. Less than 15 miles from the hospital that I was born in. We weren't a very rich family, but we went camping all summer long to different locations. So, the first time I saw the ocean and Niagara Falls, was the first time my parents saw them, too. We practically lived in campgrounds all summer. At the time, I think we hated it, but looking back, it was all good. When I met my future husband, we took a trip to Florida to see his family. That was when I was 19 or 20 - my first time on a plane and my first time to Disney World. My kids are lucky since we've returned to Florida several times each year while they were growing up.

My all time favorite vacation has to be our 15 days in Alaska in 2011. So awesome! Everyone must go there. And don't just sail by on ship. Go to the interior and see Denali and meet the locals. Take a day trip to the Arctic Circle. I wish we had 2 more day so that we could've made it all the way to the Arctic Ocean. Prior to the cruise, we spent 2 days in Vancouver. I need to go back there, too.

In July of this year, I'm going to London with my daughter! I'm very excited, but both of us wish our husbands were going, too. She's a teacher and will be taking her 11th grade AP English students there and needed another chaperone. Let's just say that I've already started planning my scrapbook!
 
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What a fun thread!

I was born in Ohio and have also lived in Pennsylvania, NYC, Connecticut and Kansas.

I've traveled to 46 of the 50 US States. The only ones I have left are Alaska, Washington and Oregon...and Hawaii. As soon as @mrs2a50 and I get our meet up scheduled, I will cross off those Pacific Northwest ones. LOL

I've also traveled to Canada, Mexico, pretty extensively in the Caribbean, most of Europe and the UK.

DH and I love to travel. Still on the list are: Ireland, Africa and New Zealand!
 
cookingmylife said:
Ok, now I know @Tree City and @michelepixels are not too far away from me. @Tree City, no love of the East Coast? too much density?
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I'm sorry, it's not the East Coast as a whole that I don't like (so don't hate me lol!), it's that I loooove Houston (we weren't in downtown proper, but we were "inside the Loop" of the 610 highway). Iit was fantastic for a SAHM with active little kids. Always something to do, and most of it free. (I saw one of my fave bands for free at a concert held by the NCAA during the Final Four.) The kids could play outside barefoot 11 months out of the year... probably all 12 months lol but I made them wear shoes so their toes wouldn't get cold. ;) But I now live in the suburbs. And it snows, so no throwing the kids outside so Mommy gets a 5-minute breather. It's making me batty! But I'm trying to adjust. :) Problem is, DH loves it here but hated Houston. Sometimes he'll start singing the "Green Acres" theme song when I complain about "life out here" rotfl.
 
Tree City said:
And it snows, so no throwing the kids outside so Mommy gets a 5-minute breather. It's making me batty!
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This is what snowsuits are for! There is a Scandinavian saying that there is no bad weather, only poorly-dressed people. My kids play outside no matter the weather. Of course, it's way easier to find good outerwear here than in the States...
 
That cracks me up! I just feel better being outside with my kids when it's really cold. Maybe cuz I can gauge how frozen they are based on how frozen I am? DS just turned 4, so this winter he is still a bit young to be outside by himself in my opinion. Next winter, though, I think I'll get his snow suit on him and send him out without me!
 
Born in the same county I currently live in today. I was born in a hospital in the next town, but have lived in this particular town my entire life (in Northwest Florida).

I've been out of the country once, when we took an Amtrak train from South Carolina up the coast to Canada (Montreal). We were only there a couple of days.

I've been to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri, Kentucky, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Kansas.
 
I was born in Los Angeles and moved to Southern Oregon when I was 2. Growing up, traveling was visiting grandparents in the San Gabriel Valley in So Cal and taking trips in Oregon: mainly the Southern Oregon coast as it was my mom's favorite place.

I left Oregon for college. I went back to Los Angeles and started law school in San Francisco. I got married in 1996 and lived in Antioch for a year. We moved to Danville in 1997. Early in the marriage we traveled. We went to DC, NY, Boston, NV, Hawaii, Vancouver, Alaska, Mexico, Spain, Bahamas and even China. Over time, my husband decided he did not like spending time with me so he worked more and I wasn't a part of travel plans.

Now that the marriage is ending, I need to sort out what I'm doing. I shall see what the future holds. I'm a comfortable homebody and it is hard for me to make the plans and arrangements to go anywhere. My daughter has one more year of high school and she's super busy with activities. There's not a lot of time to go and do things.
 
Gosh you all have moved around so much.

I live in Auckland New Zealand. Lived in 13 different rural areas around New Zealand growing up, my dad was a teacher so we travelled from little school to little school. I have lived in Australia 3 times...Bendigo, Sydney, Brisbane, spent 6 years living in Brunei Darusalam.
 
Wow- so many interesting lives being lived by the people here on the Lilypad! I had never heard of of Brunei Darussalam before- that looks like a beautiful location!

I was born in Alabama, and lived here til I got married. First I was in Hartselle, which is a tiny town up near the Tennessee river in Northern Alabama. In high school, we moved to Jasper, which is a small coal-mining town just north and West of Birmingham. Went to college in Marion, a itty bitty town near Selma.
After I got married, we lived in Pensacola, Fl for a few months, then we went to Norfolk, Va, then Chesapeake, Va, Alexandria,Va and fredericksburg, VA. I loved fredericksburg, but hated my husband's commute into Rosslyn every day (about 70 miles one way)
We moved to Northern Alabama near Huntsville in 2007, and have been here ever since. My parents are 90 minutes away, so we see them much more than we did when we lived in Virginia.
As far as visiting, we road tripped a bunch when I was growing up, in a RV, so I had been to all the continental states by the time I got married, as well as Jamaica, Canada, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Also, in college i traveled overseas each summer- first to England, Scotland and wales, then on the trans Siberian express across Russia from Khabarovsk to Moscow. The last summer in college, I went to Italy, Switzerland and walked across a litle bridge to say I had been in France for 5 minutes.
On the way to Siberia, we flew westward, had a layover in Anchorage, Alaska, then took the train westward across all of Russia and flew home westward from Moscow to JFK, so we went around the world. That was neat, but I would really like to see the southern hemisphere someday.
I am still waiting on that trip to Hawaii so I can say I have been to all 50 states!

Sorry- I wrote a novel there!
 
I live very close to where I was born, here in Michigan.... married a local boy from my church and here we stayed. Never travel. I have never been further than 600 miles. Boring right! 600 miles is to the very northern part of Michigan where my parents summer place is, on the shores of Lake Superior beautiful! But I have this inner voice screaming at me to GO GO GO!! My daughter Anna is moving this Spring to Colorado Springs with her husband. I think we will finally get some traveling in!
To explain we have never had the money to travel. I was a stay at home mom to 6 children and my husband a Firefighter. So.... there you have it. I just LOVE reading everyone's stories!
 
I am super crazy boring! I have lived in central Indiana my entire life. I even live in the same area I was born. I love that and I also hate that. I have always wanted to live near the beach or ocean but we have never been at a place in our lives where we could make that happen. Hubby was born in Colorado, but his family was from this town originally and then they moved back here when he was 9 or so, so he's basically from here as well. We haven't traveled much since being married. Just to Hilton Head, SC a few times. I love it there so much. I went a few times as a child and it just feels perfect and so home like for me. I do'nt know why. It's like my heart lives there. As a child the farthest I Went was the grand canyon and also to Niagra falls. :)
 
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