Christmas is soon upon us. My hubby and I pretty much have the decorations up and only have a few minor touches left to do. Wouldn’t it be great to go on a holiday getaway? I often search online to find great discounts on vacation packages.
When my husband and I search for trips, the first major factor is the budget. One of my favorite sites for destination inspiration is Travel and Leisure magazine. There are five key factors to think about when planning perfect holiday getaway.
1. Climate
Check out the forecasted weather for your destination to make sure that you have packed the appropriate attire. If the climate is going to be warm, you still my want to carry a jacket, just in case it gets cool at night or at a different elevation. I remember we traveled to Colorado a couple years back. We were at the base of Pike’s Peak and it was in the 60s and sunny. However, when we got to the top of the mountain, it was only 32 degrees and snowy. A much different temperature and coat was needed.
2. What are favorite sites to see
My hubby and I thoroughly research all the sites and points of interest in the places that we are planning to visit. It is so important to find out the hours that museums or parks are open and if you have to pay fees to get in. Estimate how much time you think you spend at each place and then add in a little extra time just in case you you want to spend an extra few minutes enjoying one of your stops. Being prepared makes the trip much more fun and enjoyable. And you do not have to feel stressed and rushed seeing what you want to see.
3. What mode of transportation do you need or can you get around town on foot
Road trips are so much fun because we are in your own truck. You can get out and stop where you want if the mood suits you. If you fly to your destination, you will have to factor in possibly getting around with public transportation or renting a car. Determine how close your sites are to each other and where you staying. Some cities have cheap trolleys and buses; and often stop at the many of the sites you are planning to visit.
4. Can we stay at a Bed and Breakfast or what hotels are an option There are so many different places that you can stay while on your vacation. I simply love staying in a Bed and Breakfast because they remind so much of home. It is so cool to see the differences in designs of the homes. Where ever you plan to stay, look for a place that meets your needs. Do you want to be in a quite neighborhood? Or do you want to be in the middle of all the action in a heart of the town? Most larger cities have so many options available, you just have to take some time to find the right place.
5. How much luggage do I plan to take? My first trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico I packed entirely too much luggage and believe me, I did not like it one bit. I promised myself that I would learn how to pack light; but have more than enough changes of clothes. When my hubby and I went to the Caribbean last year, I was able to have more than enough clothes while using smaller and fewer suitcases. Think about how far and how much you will be carrying your luggage while you are on your trip. If you have transport it through an airport and onto plane, you don’t want it to be heavy. And these days, the airline want to charge you extra fees if you have more than two suitcases or if they are over a certain weight. These restrictions really make you think about how much you want, or need, to take with you.
Please let me know if you are planning a Holiday getaway!
Dreams of visiting distant countries enter my head. I am working on my dream vacation board and one of my top picks is planning a trip to Paris. This great European city has so much to offer for travelers; from fashion to architecture to historic landmarks to museums. There are so many amazing things that I would like to see, that I would have to make sure that I plan it right. Tops on the my list to visit is one of the greatest museums in the world, The Louvre.
The Louvre
The Louvre has the infamous Mona Lisa; but there are also great traveling exhibits that should not be missed. Right now, the museum is showing an exhibition on the Late Raphael from October 11, 2012 to January 14, 2013. Raphael is an Italian master painter and architect from the High Renaissance period. His artwork looks so life like that it is as if I could reach my hand into the portrait and become a part of the moment. When I was in college I had an art class and studied Raphael. It would be so surreal to see his artwork in person. My hubby and I love to visit museums and historic places and this would be the ultimate place to see.
Planning
The first step to planning this awesome trip is envisioning it and seeing it. So to start, I am creating a dream board. A dream board is a place where I can put my dreams up and in front of me where I can see it. The board would contain photographs and articles on all of the places I want to visit while in Paris.
The photographs and articles can be on the Refrigerator, or it you can create a push-pin board and it can be placed in a room where you can see it daily or a scrapbook would be a great way to have it all together.
You have to think big and look outside of the box when it comes to your dreams. How big can you dream?
I have some dream vacations that I would like to take in the near future. Many friends tell me that I need to make sure I plan ahead and do my research. So I started searching the web and came across hotels on sites like venere.com. I have dreams of going to Rome, Italy, and France is also a possibility. The sky is the limit. My husband and I have our passports so we can cross that off of the list. We were thinking that we could renew our wedding vows on our 15th wedding anniversary in a couple of years. Just sharing our own personal vows privately together. I saw a vlog of fellow blogger and her husband renew their vows privately and it was really sweet.
I searched the New York Times site and it made me think about where and how I want to travel. When you sit down and think about these questions and write down your responses, it puts your dream trip into perspective. Once my hubby and I decide on the reasons for going on a trip, we start looking at airfares and see what looks like the best deal. When we travelled to the Caribbean a year ago, we looked at ticket prices online and waited it out to see if the prices would go down. After a week of searching, the prices were pretty good. We jumped on the price. Once you get your ticket you have to plan the trip, it may seem early but it is such a release from stress.
Tips on traveling
Do your research and make sure you know why you want to go to a exotic destination
Make sure your passports are up to date and all the information you need for your trip.
Do not over pack with a lot of extra clothes. I spend time packing because I wanted to make sure I pack what I need in rolls because I do not want to carry that extra baggage.
If you will be on vacation for a week or more please have mail and newspaper delivery is put on hold until you get back
Do not carry a lot of jewelry with you. I usually only take the jewelry I have on. I do not like carrying my expensive jewelry with me because I don’t want anything to come up missing.
Make sure you call your burglar alarm company if you have a security system and let them know that you are going out of town.
In a future post I will show you how I folded my clothes to have more than enough room in my luggage.
Since my wife and I are celebrating our 13th anniversary all month long, I wanted to surprise her with a special outing. Yesterday morning, we hopped into our Jeep Wrangler and headed out on the highway for a road trip. After trekking about forty five minutes out of the great urban metropolis, we arrived at our destination. A secluded wood area off the interstate known as the Endangered Wolf Center.
My wife and I have a strong desire for animal rights and causes. If she could, my wife would turn our home in a refuge for stray dogs and she would be giving to every charity organization to save the panda bears and all the other endangered animals. But that is why I love her so much. She has such a caring and genuine heart to help people and all of God’s creatures.
JT getting ready to see the wolves at the Endangered Wolf Center
We spent yesterday afternoon at the Endangered Wolf Center. We had never been there before and we had always wanted to go. Started back in 1971 by Marlon Perkins, the center is dedicated to helping endangered wolves and other animals from becoming extinct. Back in 1971, there were only five known Mexican gray wolves in the wild. They were brought to this center along with a few that were kept in a zoo. Since that time, the Mexican gray wolf population has grown from less than ten to over three hundred. Many have been reintroduced into the wild, while others in zoos and habitat centers. I was amazed and impressed to see what this center is doing to help save God’s creatures.
A Mexican Gray Wolf, off in the distance
All of the wolves and other animals are securely kept behind two sets of barred-wire fences, for your safety as well as theirs. I was able to photograph the one above from a viewing station with a sight-line above the fences. In addition to the Mexican Gray Wolves, the center is also home to Red Wolves, African Painted Dogs and Swift Foxes.
African Painted Dogs, resting after a long day being people-watched
Baby Swift Fox, born on May 11th
The Mexican Gray Wolves moving around.
The baby swift foxes in action.
In a future post, I will talk about how my wife and I adopted one of the wolves and what it means for her future survival. Until then, God Bless and Take Care!
My wife and I recently had an opportunity to see our first Broadway musical when Disney’s The Lion King came to the Fabulous Fox Theater. We had heard great things about the show so we decided to get tickets. I had never been to a live musical performance and I had never been to the Fox, so my wife said that this would be an early birthday treat for me.
J and T at the Fabulous Fox Theater
Musicals are probably my least favorite type of play and movie. I have never been a big fan of all that singing and dancing. I usually find them too hard to follow and the dancing just does not seem to be necessary. Because of these thoughts, I often turned down chances to see other musicals at the Fox or at the MUNY, an outdoor theater also in our city.
At first, I was not sure about going to see the Lion King. I enjoyed the movie when it first came out. However, I was not sure how it would translate from animation to the stage; but I kept an open mind and decided to go ahead and get the tickets. And I am sure glad I did.
First of all, the Fabulous Fox Theater is indeed that, fabulous. The ornate theater built in the 1920s is over the top with its painted ceilings, plush carpeting and carved gargoyles. I hope to go on a behind the scenes tour in the near future to get a chance to see up close all that the theater has to offer.
Ceiling in the Lobby of The Fabulous Fox Theater
The Lion King featured an amazing cast of life-size animals, costumes and prop people. From the moment that the curtain opened to the final curtain call, I was in awe of my first Broadway performance. My unfair misconception of musicals was instantly deflated.
The life-size and life-like animals brought an added dimension to the performance, transporting me from the theater to the Pride Lands. The actors maneuvered throughout the stage with ease and they brought the animals to life with an amazing skill of hand and leg movements. I wondered prior to the show how the animals would be life-like; but they greatly succeeded in this task. I am sure that a team of talented and dedicated choreographers worked countless hours to make it look effortless and graceful.
Having seen the animated movie several times, I had in my mind how I thought the performance would flow. And without fail, the actors portrayed Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu and the rest of the crew were a mirror image of the movie; which is not a bad thing. With the popularity of the movie and its sequels, I think people would be disappointed if they came to see the musical and the characters were not the same. Even though the actors in the musical were different than the actors in the movie, they capture the mannerisms and personality of the characters from the movie without fail. The costume designers produced the life-like costumes and match the movie exactly.
The actors, along with the costume designers, prop designers and choreographers, succeeded in bringing a two-deminsional animated cartoon to a three-dimensional, real-life Broadway stage. I truly enjoyed the performance and would recommend it to anyone. If The Lion King is coming to your city and you have a chance to go, go. You will not be disappointed.
The Missouri Botanical Garden recently brought an amazing display of art to its grounds. Described as “Art by Day; Magic by Night”, the Chinese Lantern Festival highlighted Chinese culture and history with more than twenty ornately designed structures. Since the Garden already hosts an annual Chinese Culture Days and has a Chinese Garden, having the Lantern Festival seemed to be a perfect fit.
Missouri Botanical Garden Chinese Lantern Festival
Art By Day; Magic By Night
When I read about the Festival, JT and I knew that we wanted to go. However, with summer temperatures topping out at almost 110 degrees for most of July, we decided that we would wait until the temps were a bit more bearable. But with the festival ending in mid-August, we knew we had to go soon, or miss out. We were down to the last week of the festival before the weather broke. On the night that we went, temps were only in the mid-seventies. For August and in Missouri, you could not ask for a better night.
Tickets for the night-time portion of the festival topped out at $22 for adults. In a city where most cultural institutions have free admission or low admission for special events, this one had a much higher price tag. But we both really wanted to go, so the price did not matter to us. We arrived to the Garden at 6:30, about an hour and a half before the lights would be turned on. This gave us an opportunity to go through the Garden and view the structures without being lit up. In order to truly see the magnificence of all structures, you had to see them both ways.
Having seen the structures during the day and at night, we were not disappointed. The $22 was well worth it.
The Missouri Botanical Garden is close to our home. If you are not planning to take a big, out-of-town vacation, look at museums and other cultural institutions in your own city. There may be something worth seeing; without the expense of finding a hotel room or paying for gasoline for the car. It may be a once in a lifetime event like the Chinese Lantern Festival.
Learn More About JT
Bubbling with Elegance and Grace started out as an outlet for my passion for fashion but has evolved into a place for me to teach, collaborate, and inspire. My hubby has since joined the team and we have been digital creators for 13 years. We are thankful for those who believed in us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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