Planning

Our lovely company left in the early afternoon, leaving me wondering what to do with myself. It always feels so lonely when the people go. I was roaming around the kitchen, eating all the leftovers and treats, when Keith came down from working with news.

We officially won a cruise to Alaska from Jeopardy. There was much paperwork to fill out and get notarized, then the folks with power had to check it all out and make sure we were legally able to win (nope, we don’t work for anybody whoever knew anybody who worked for Jeopardy) and today they notified us that it was official. And asked us to pick which week in May or August 2022 or 2023 we wanted to go.

Well, that is a puzzlement, isn’t it? I like a solid two-year vacation schedule. When we went on our big Utah national park trip in fall 2021 (a driving and hiding from others trip that seemed safe-ish during pandemic), I read a lot about national parks. The US really has awesome national parks and national less-than-parks-but-still-something-national areas to visit. Anyway, one article said that given the number of parks that are available a person should make a two-year vacation plan to start seeing all that there is. I sincerely looked at Keith and asked, “Who doesn’t have a two-year vacation plan?” He very seriously looked back at me and said, “Everybody but you.”

Oh.

Well, I don’t have a two-year plan now. I have…thoughts. We’re going to Germany and Switzerland on a band trip in July. Solid. It was postponed since 2020 and it is happening this year. (Fingers crossed.) We have a bit of credit from pandemic for a Princess cruise that expires in a year. We wanted to go to Turkey, but… not right now. A cruise seems a great way to see Norway. I just researched. There is a nice looking 7-day cruise with 4 stops in Norway next week. Keith gave me squinty eyes when I said next week – oh wait! It’s not next week! I don’t what day it is, because it keeps being like winter and it throws me off. It isn’t until May 7. That’s almost two weeks. The problem with that one for me is that it seems like Norway would still actually be having winter in early May and I have had enough winter (even though I really did a great job at avoiding it this year). Also, I believe travel has three equal parts – looking forward to it, doing it, and remembering it. I’d be cutting the looking forward to it pretty short if we go within two weeks. Thirdly, not even I think someone should take a week off after working somewhere for two-and -a -half weeks. So… I’m voting no on that one. But I don’t know what I am voting yes on. Mmm.

We could go on the Alaska one at the end of August this year. Grab on and go! Or we could make it the star of next year. I am absolutely aware that this question is the nicest possible quandary to have. Where else might we go next year? I don’t know. That feels super weird. But it’s a good weird to have.