la vita è preziosa Life is precious

This week I learned how precious life is.  Whether it  is a birth of a child such as Christ’s birthday, which we just celebrated, the life of a 90 year old which we have watched deteriorate at a very slow speed, to the people you see or talk to everyday, each one is precious.  There is so much to appreciate and enjoy in every person you meet. As we approach a new year with much anticipation it would be a good time to think back about the lives that we have touched or that have touched us. There is a lesson learned from each one.  The life of a child teaches us that there is a newness to every day, a new challenge, a new memory, a new beginning. As we watch the the life of the elderly deteriorate we learn strength, faith, and determination; we are shown that for some reason we are to be on this earth for a certain amount of days and no one knows that number but God; and just when the time is right his angels will come, and although we may want that time to end sooner, it is in his hands.  There are so many things that are special about life and life’s lessons. Think back to a special moment in your life, who you were with and how that person’s life made that moment special.  Never take for granted every minute of your life, and every life you touch, even if it is a brief hello in the line at the grocery store; that friendly smile and hello could impact a life for the good. You only have one life, one shot on this earth, so may you enjoy each and every day of the year to come. Smile, hug, uplift, and love till your heart is full. Store every smile and hug you receive, and when that day comes that you don’t understand life and you are wondering where you going, pull out all those warm loving feelings and know your life is precious to someone somewhere. Have a beautiful new year, may 2012 be celebrated with happiness and joy. 

God Bless

Ciao until 2012.

Buon Natale. Merry Christmas

This week has been a very busy week, the Christmas spirit has finally entered my heart. We finished our shopping (all in one day) and had a wonderful evening with my husband then as I baked dozens of cookies my husband wrapped all the packages. I was very relieved to hear that my son received all his packages, decorations and cookies that we sent him so he can feel a little bit of home.  My son, Nick and his girl Sarah came into town early and it’s amazing how the atmosphere of the house changed, the sound of your children in the house no matter what age is a wonderful thing. So now as we are at the eve of our Lord’s birth.  All the baking is done, gifts are purchased and wrapped, family is gathering and we are feeling a sense of peace.  I prep for our big dinner and I pray that today all the people that are alone this weekend can find somewhere to feel welcome.  I thank the people that have offered my son a place at their table and I ask each of you to set an extra place at your tables, invite that person that might be alone into your home or leave it empty and invite the Lord to sit down. May you all have a blessed weekend, a joyous Christmas be surrounded by friends and family and May all your Christmas wishes be granted.  God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Grazie Dio e Venerdi. questa settimana la sua umiltà e l'apprezzamento - Thank God it’s Friday. This week it’s Humility and Appreciation

 Okay last week I gave myself a pity party, Thank you all for attending, but it’s over.  I think my hormones were a little out of whack, You know that damn menopause sometimes takes over, but this week is better, as I looked back, I shake my head and say to myself, WAKE UP, IT’S CHRISTMAS, you have your health and your family and such wonderful friends, so every once in a while Life slaps you in the face, at the time I probably needed it. This week life taught me a little bit about Humility and Appreciation, being the outsider looking in.  I won’t go into all the details, but I have never felt like such an outcast.  It made me so angry but it opened my eyes to how other people must feel when they don’t feel included in anything, a family, a team, a group of friends, it’s a feeling I never what to feel again and it made me really appreciate the fact the I’m part of an amazing family, I have wonderful friends and my social networking peers have made me feel like I’m worth something. So this week if you see someone that may need someone to smile at them, or you can tell they need a hug or just looks like they are lost, please say hello, reach out your hand or just smile and say have a nice day, it won’t cost you anything and it may mean a world of difference to that person.  Enough preaching!

My new career venture is doing well.  I’m still filling my old brain with lots of information and I’m making lots of quotes. I am still waiting to book my first trip, (so if anyone has any firm plans, let me know).  I still have to tell myself to be patient it hasn’t even been 2 months and I’ve got a lot of people supporting me.  So I’m happy with the progress and I know with time, I will be successful. 

The Angel of Abundance is near, I can feel her and I’m ready to receive her gifts, also when she shows up I will send her to you. 

I have also started to prepare for Christmas, for those of you that don’t know the Italian’s special dinner is Christmas Eve, The Night of the Seven Fishes. Here is a link to learn more about the seven fishes. http://italiansrus.com/articles/7fishes.htm.  It’s my favorite meal of the year, to eat and prepare and this year I will be serving about 15 or so people.  A trip to Valente’s (an Italian Deli) made me a little more excited as I purchased by Smelts and Calamari and started getting the menu together.  I have also mailed my Christmas Cards and started shopping.  So that little voice that I spoke about last week is getting louder, not screaming yet, but getting louder. 

I hope that as you prepare for whatever Holiday traditions you have, that you feel the warmth of the season in your heart and that next week you won’t be so rushed that you can’t take time for yourself, take a step back, take a deep breath and enjoy each moment and know that I appreciate each and every one of you.  Oh, P.S.  I lost 3 more pounds, I’m back on track.

Love you, God Bless.

Where are you Christmas?

“Where are you Christmas, why can’t I find you.”  Yep that’s how I have felt this last week.As you can see the house is decorated, the tree is ready, but something is different.  The empty nest syndrome has hit me hard as Christmas approaches.  Christmas season has a whole new perspective when you don’t have children around.  Bert and I went to a Christmas party last night and as I watched all the children visiting Santa, I saw an excitement and anticipation in their eyes that you don’t see at any other time, but I also watched the parents and I could see that spark in their eyes, you could see their excitement as they watched their hopeful children ask for their Christmas wishes. I know that my son’s are grown adults; I know they are all out fulfilling their dreams.  I understand that my job duties as a mother have changed and I’m proud that I raised such independent boys, but somehow, I still feel something is missing. I think it’s the noise and commotion. The quiet in the house is deafening and lonely. I love my husband and I am glad that he is here with me, being together at least lessens the loneliness. I know the Christmas magic will find me, I know that as my baking starts, and as friends and family start to gather, I will get out of this fog and I can’t wait to hear that little whisper saying “MERRY CHRISTMAS” in my heart starts to yell in my head.  

Until that time, I have been trying to keeping busy, finished some more training, and learned all about guided land tours through Traflager,(if you are interested in a wonderful vacation, even here in the United States, let me know. There is some great information out there).  Also, I finished my newsletter, it was quite a challenge and I hope to keep it as informative as possible. I have also found some new exercises to try so that when the warm weather comes back I can feel good in summer clothes. 

So if you are experiencing loneliness this season or have a house that is too quiet, please know that you are not alone, I’m right there with you. I hope that you can feel my love come through this blog to each one of you, being able to write this and knowing that someone out there is reading this has been very cathartic for this lonely mom. 

Have a great weekend.  I hope you are all hearing MERRY CHRISTMAS yell in your head.

Buona sera e presto, Good night and see you soon.

Sono entusiasta, questa settimana è stato buono, I am excited, this week has been good.

 I finished 2 more courses this week, France Expert Agent and Royal Caribbean Expert Plus.  I didn’t realize everything there is to do in France, I went to Paris when I was 17, way too young to appreciate what I saw, but what I learned about the countryside over these last 3 weeks and all the little towns, just makes me want to get on a plane and spend a month walking through the villages and visiting the churches and museums and wineries.  I also learned about all the geographical ports around the world that Royal Caribbean stops in and all the wonderful excursions to do.  It made me realized that there is not enough time in one lifetime to see everything that this wonderful world has to offer.  I just hope that I will get to sample a small part of it with my husband over the next 30 years and then impart to my children and grandchildren, (if I ever have them), the desire to visit their dream destinations.  Everyone should start making a list when they are young, and if you’re not young start now, prioritize and then work hard and save.  I think the memories that you will create with your loved ones will be cherished forever.  

I started creating my newsletter, being publisher, editor and writer is a little overwhelming but I’m getting through it.  I hope to have it done next week so that I can start sending it out monthly, I’m trying to make it interesting and fun so it will be an email that you look forward to receiving.  I also learned this week about Corporate Branding.  So if you notice that my website hasn’t been up or my page and twitter names have changed that’s why.  So look for updated pages, website, social marketing tools and hopefully more consistent communications to come in the future, relative to my new career.  I would like to thank those of you that are keeping me busy looking up trip prices and destinations, It is really helping me grow as a travel consultant.

As far as my health, I went back to tracking every calorie, yes even those little tastes you take while cooking, everything counts, I have exercised every day this week and after getting a clean bill of health for my back I went back to lifting weights, I had to make a mental note to myself that I should only worry about things that are within my grasp to change.  As a parent you want to worry about everything your children do and it will make you sick.  You have to trust that you raised your children to the best of your ability, gave them all the tools they need and pray that God will guide them in the right direction.  At 52 years old I have learned that If I don’t like something, and I don’t have the power to change it then give it to God to worry about, but if I don’t like something and I DO have the power to change it, then get started, nothing good ever came from worry and complaining, success and happiness will only come from getting up off your butt, making a commitment and working hard. 

Have a nice weekend, please let me know your comments and don’t forget to follow me and share this blog with your friends. 

God Bless.

A Good Day.

Buon Giorno.

I hope you enjoy the slide show of my family and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  It’s such a wonderful holiday, no hustle and bustle, no materialism, just cooking, eating and family.  Cooking is one of my favorite things to do.  This year I made homemade gnocchi to add that little bit of Italy to our table.  Tried some new pie recipes also, in addition to the normal pumpkin and Apple I made a white chocolate cranberry and pumpkin chiffon.  Even my son Anthony got into the spirit and made his own Pumpkin pies to take to a friends house, I hope he had as wonderful a day as we did and I hope he knows how much I miss him.

Now that the holiday season has begun there just never seems to be enough hours in the day.  Yesterday, I put up the tree and decorated the inside of the house.  Bert is outside. as I write this. putting up the lights on the house.  We keep it a little understated but I’m sure as we get grandchildren we will go all out.  Today I fit in an hour of exercise, really I just got tired of watching like that 20^th football game on TV, keep in mind when you don’t have time to exercise short circuits of cardio between some really good exercise can make a short workout very productive so I am making a promise to myself not to skip exercise because of time but to utilize my time better.  I still have a few pounds and inches to get rid of and skipping exercise, because of the holiday is not good.  I may not make much progress toward my goal, as foods get richer this time of year and cocktails flow more freely. but I won’t loose any ground either. 

I finished another travel course YEAH and became an “AMResort Master Agent”.  It’s the first time I am a Master anything and I have learned that AMRresorts are wonderful they are affordable luxury option that I can now book and, I also learned about destination weddings, “not that we are planning anything like that in my house” but if you are I can help.  I am looking forward to start actually booking my first trip for someone.

I also spent some additional family time with my husband and sons Dennis, Nick, and their girlfriends,  we went and saw “The Muppet Movie”  (my husband’s favorite) watching Bert in the theater made me realize one of the many reasons I love him, his childlike smile.  It brought back a lot of memories when we would sit with the boys and watch the show weekly and yes I did cry during the singing of “Rainbow Connection” 

Well I hope you had as wonderful a holiday and I did and don’t forget to make time for yourself and your family, during this busy season.   Have a beautiful week talk to you next Friday.  Don’t forget I love reading your comments and would love to have you follow me. 

Ciao  

To my Friends and Family a La Festa del Ringraziamento (Festival of Thanks).

Thankfully this has been a very busy week for me, I have learned to put myself out there and open some doors that I would have left closed. I know it sounds funny but  this outgoing lady, doesn’t not like to be the center of attention, now don’t get me wrong, I love to have parties and meet people and plan events, but put me on center stage, not for me, that’s for my brother. I would rather do things behind the scenes, and make them perfect, but I have learned recently that you have to put yourself out there to grow a business you have to be able to accept rejection, and learn to laugh at yourself. I started a major marketing campaign to let everyone know about my new endeavor and sell myself (not literally) and my abilities. I have contacted people I haven’t talked to in years and surprisingly the response has been great. I also created a website http://www.froschtravadaarvada.com/, (amazing how you can teach an old dog new tricks), and I don’t think it’s half bad.  I will begin to improve it with time but I’m pretty proud of myself so far. 

I also was happy to find out that my small little Thanksgiving dinner for 6 was now going to be 19.  Yeah more like a holiday. I know they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Italy, but they do have feast days and in the fall they celebrate their harvest with holidays that brings family, friends and food together. Italians are known for their love of family and food and I am no different.  There have been many traditions passed through many generations of my family. Most of them are still kept, they may look a little different than it used to, and we may not eat the same way as we used to but the love and passion is still there. We don’t all have to be in the same house, the same city or the same state to know how much we love each other, and this my friends no matter who is sitting at the table or what food is on the table will never die.

So as you celebrate you traditions whether it be a big dinner with family or an intimate dinner for 2 here is something to think about.

Throughout the year we start to take for granted or sometimes don’t even realize the number of people in our lives that actually affect our very being, our day to day existence.  It might be a family member, a close friend, someone you reconnected with on Facebook or one of the many other social networks, or a casual acquaintance that you may not have ever given a second thought about, but somehow for some reason they where to come into our lives even for a brief moment. As the holiday’s approach and especially now with all the changes I am going through, I started thinking about who has played a special part in my life, or given me a smile or a hug when no one knew I needed it, or even gave me words of encouragement to keep me going. The list is immense.  There are very few things in life that you can get through alone and I have learned that everyday something or someone will affect your life. I have been blessed with many people in my life that I am so thankful for, I have been blessed with the support of  wonderful husband and 3 wonderful sons, each of them have brought special people in my life, some good, some not so good, but none that I would ever trade because I learned something from each one of them; My loving family that shakes their head at me every time I do something crazy (like start a new career at 51), they never discourage my uniqueness;  My friends some that I have known for years, some that I’ve just met and some that came into my life for a brief time and are now gone, each one of them have a profound attachment to my heart.   I would not be who I am today if not for each and every one of you and I thank you for reading my blog, encouraging my drive and supporting my endeavors, I love you all.

What a week!!!!

You know how sometimes we have all these great plans and then in a flash everything goes haywire.  I know there’s a saying that says “people make plans and God laughs”.  Well I heard him giggle this week. I had such big plans for this past week.  My husband was going to be out of town. I could get up every morning and exercises spend the evenings on my travel classes.  Start setting up a client base all perfectly great ideas but what I didn’t know was I was going to end up in a hospital bed for 4 days.  Yep that’s right, in a hospital bed full of drugs unable to do any of it.  It did give me time to take a step back and hear my guardian angels say stop, rest, your plans and dreams are not going to happen overnight,  think about your next steps, don’t get stressed over the small stuff, keep focused and look at the big picture.  So I took a deep breath listened to the doctors, rested and now have a refreshed game plan.  I am continuing with my travel training. I am trying to soak up every bit of information available to me.  I am going to continue to eat right and exercise, because I think if I wasn’t is such good shape; I would have been in the hospital longer than 4 days.  I am just going to slow down and not expect everything to happen right away. I am going to take my time, and get it right, build my business baby step by baby step, if you rush to the top of the mountain you might step on the wildflowers below you.   So, am going to watch for every flower and rock, push the rocks out of the way and enjoy the beauty of all the flowers.  I wrote a letter today to all my family and friends announcing my new career and asking for their support.  This was very hard but a step that I possibly would have overlooked, if I didn’t slow down.  I don’t usually ask for help so writing this letter was very hard a big rock that I had to get over before I could see the flowers on the other side.  So if some of you receive this letter from me, please remember as excited as I am to tell everyone about my new endeavor, it’s hard to put yourself out there and ask for support.  Well I’m keeping it short this week.  If your week has not gone particularly the way you wanted it to, say to yourself. This is the way God wanted it to be and refocus.  Push away all the rocks in your way and don’t step on the flowers, as they are the things that keep you enjoying the journey. 

Don’t forget to send me your comments, click to follow me so I know I’m not talking to myself.

See you next week.

God Bless

New revelation

Consistenza,  Consistency

Ciao, come stai. Hi how are you.

Well I’ve learned a very big lesson this week.  Consistency, I never realized how important one word could be in someone’s life.   Everything from your exercise plan to your business, consistency is the key.  I was beginning to see a few pounds creep back up and asked myself what was different and it was consistency, I was not being consistent in my eating habits or my exercising like I was when I was losing my weight.  Got back into the routine and presto my weight came back off.  Consistency, in starting and maintaining a business venture is crucial.  Being consistent with your communications with everyone, emails, newsletters (which you will start seeing), snail mail, social networks, phone calls, even when you feel like you’re being a pest, is the only way to grow and maintain your clients.  Consistency, providing that consistent customer service that is desired and never slacking, is the only way to keep the clients you have.  Learning new things, such as my training to be an a travel consultant or my learning a new language, consistency it’s what keeps the information in the front of your mind, (even and old one like mine), and finally Consistency in saying I love you to everyone that matters, especially your partner, they need to know they’re not taken for granted, that they are precious to you, no matter what else is going on in your life.    So that was my big revelation this week.  I hope you can take something out of it and apply it to something in your life.    Other news had my first travel expo at the agency, I was so excited and nervous, but it went very well.  I need to thank everyone that came to support me and I hope you got some great ideas for vacations and how to pay for them (yeah payment plans).  I also learned HTML, a language I never thought I would know, but I am building a website for the agency and thanks to Dreamweaver software it is coming along.  Too bad I didn’t start all this twenty years earlier; at 52 it’s hard to patience, like I said in my first blog I am in need of instant gratification and learning to be patient a new concept to me, but It’s not an option it’s a requirement.  All I know now is I’ve started the wheels turning in all the new and improved areas of my life and now I have to wait for God to handle the timeline.  With that I will close asking again for your support please email me at glkemper@aol.com, find me on Facebook, follow me on twitter @glkemper , or call me, don’t be afraid to just call me. (Oops half of you won’t even now that song.) Anyway, please remember to comment, and click the link to follow my blog.  Love you all.  God Bless and happy and safe travels.

Marketing, Marketing and More Marketing

This week has been very interesting. I am learning that building a client base is very slow.  It’s all in the marketing and talking to everyone you see and know.  As you may know, talking to people has never been a problem for me and now that I have something (besides my sons) to be passionate about I can really talk.  Ask my husband, I think he is really getting tired of hearing me talk about what I am learning, but he knows and understands how excited I am and that I have all these things filling up my head they have to come out and he is the lucky recipient.  This week has expanded my knowledge of cruising.  I’ve also taken seminars in Marketing, there’s that word again.  It all comes back to bringing your business to the forefront and letting people know that Travel Consultants (that’s what I am now, I love to say that) are still alive and well.  I’m learning that in some cases they are like miracle workers, finding that one way to make people’s dreams come true. It’s not only about that dream vacation it is being creative in your thinking about finding the best scenario to help a group travel or just getting someone to a business trip or reunite a family.  I can’t wait till I book my first trip.  I have done lots of quotes and they have come out real well, but let's face it, I do have to make some money at this.

I also went golfing this week, fitting in my exercise on the golf course is wonderful especially when it is 80 degrees in Colorado in October.  I don’t know how many of you heard me scream but I did when I chipped in for par from about 60ft away from the hole.  As you can probably tell, I’m not a great golfer, I’m still trying to break that 100 mark so this was a big big deal. I was jumping up and down, it was very exciting. The day was also a nice way to spend an afternoon with my husband.  We are beginning to reconnect.

Well I’ve got to get back to preparing for my First Event at the travel agency. Never been part of a travel expo before, and next week I’m sure you will hear all about it. Hope to see you all there.  Here is a link to the event on facebook A Fall Travel Night

Have a great Halloween weekend and be safe, don’t drink and drive. I want to have you back here next week.

Happy and safe travels. God Bless.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Ciao, spero che siano tutti bene.  Hi, hope you are all well.

Week 4 and I am now officially a Travel Consultant for Frosch.  Busy, Busy, Busy, there is so much to learn and I am so excited.  I feel like a kid again on the first day of school.  I have already started to look into trips, so thank you to those of you that have already been asking me to look things up for you.  I am very happy to be working with Lisa who is such an expert in this field and such a wonderful mentor; I need to thank her for taking this newcomer under her wing.  So much is happening, I signed a year contract with Frosch, I hope the relationship last a lot longer than that.  They don’t realize how passionate I am about making this work.  I think (at least I hope) I will surprise them. I met the Royal Caribbean Representative, what a nice lady, I have finished 4 classes with Royal Caribbean, didn’t know there was so much to learn about cruising and that is only 1 cruise line.  Thank God for the internet, I don’t know if I would have the ability to sit in an actual class for any length of time at this age, as young as I feel, I am 51, but come to think of it, I didn’t like sitting in a class for an hour when I was 16.  So it’s nice to be able to get up get that pop (diet Coke), stretch and rest these old eyes.  

Okay to fill you in on how my dinner with my husband went.  It was wonderful, picked him up from the airport, came home where I had a couple of bottles of wine chilling and had Salmon with a lobster stuffing waiting.  It is nice to be just a couple and exciting to try and reignite that little spark that we felt when we were first in love.    If anyone has any inexpensive but romantic ideas let me know, would love to try something new (but remember we are in our 50’s and it needs to be legal, I have grown children that probably don’t want to bail us out of jail). 

Health wise, worked out every day this week, YEAH for me.  Lost a couple of pounds, been taking some really good vitamins, and tried a new thing called twist 2Go by Nutrilite, (that my son sells), you put it in a bottle of water and it is mango flavored and gives you all the nutrients of 2 serving of fruits and vegetables.  It was really good,  he has one for energy to I think I might need to try, because it looks like I’ve got some really busy days ahead of me. 

So that’s it for now.  Please remember to follow my blog, comment, and share with your friends, as I said before I really don’t want to be talking to myself, people already think I’m a little nuts.

 A presto, (see you soon)

God Bless and have a wonderful weekend.

At a snails pace

Ciao, Settimana tre, Hi Week 3

First, thank you to all who have been reading my story.  Week 3 has been very uninteresting.  My husband was away all week, I spent time working out.  Started to tracking my calories again, and created a new workout plan, worked out 3 days this week, so the ”get in shape plan” is on track.  I’m also spending time on my Italian, “mi chiami Gina, Io sono di Denver, io sono e una segretaria, io hai cinquantuno anni” Spelling might not be exactly correct (I can’t spell in English either), but it’s progress. This online learning website for lanugaes is really good.  I'm only using the free part it is http://www.busuu.com/, I'm really enjoying it.   I’m patiently awaiting the start of my new career.  I keep trying to remember that everything takes time and anything worthwhile is worth waiting for.  I did find an online site to learn geography www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/geography.asp and it made me realize I haven’t got a clue. Okay maybe it’s not that bad.  I know where some places are, but had no idea that there where so many islands in the Caribbean.  I have spending at least a half-hour a day learning and trying to remember where things are, so when someone says “I would like to go to the Dominican Republic” my only response won’t be “Me Too.”  I can actually say oh yes that’s in the Caribbean and there are a lot of place in that area to visit.  My growing as a couple was a little stifled this week since I was alone all week, but have planned a very nice romantic dinner for two when he comes home tonight.  Kinda like that special date where you finally cook for your honey, at least I don’t have to worry about whether he’ll like my cooking because he’s been eating it for 28 years. (He says that’s one of the reasons he married me.)  Well, hopefully I will have more to talk about next week.  Let me know if you have any good travel sites for me to visit. Don’t forget to click on the button to follow me, and leave comments, as I said in the beginning I don’t like talking to myself.    Love and blessings to you all have a great weekend.  

Slow Going

Benvenuto.  Welcome.

Week 2 into my new life journey and I’ve learned that patience is not a virtue of mine. As I said last time I need instant gratification, so this slow process is driving me crazy. First update as to my fitness trek, I’m back to working out at least three times a week.  I now hate mornings more than ever because that is the only time I have to work out, and I like my sleep, 10 lbs. and a few more inches to go, then I can celebrate.  I have made some baby steps toward my travel agent career. I created an LLC.  (Yes I now am registered with State of Colorado).   I have continued to teach myself the beautiful language of Italy. Slow going but I guess an old dog can learn new tricks.  I just hope that someday this journey will lead me to Italy where I can utilize this new skill.  Hopefully, next week I will start training on actual travel agent education.  I did put a contact list together.  It’s amazing when you begin to look at all your friends, family and acquaintances, how fast the numbers add up.   Yes, some of you will get information from me either through email, mail or of course that wonderful social network.  Now now please don’t roll your eyes, as I’m sure (or at least hope) you will all want to know when and how to contact me as I create my new career.  I have started to “follow” and “like” all kinds of travel pages so that I can be very informed.  Didn’t know you could actually spend hours reading blogs and Facebook pages.  I know a few of you have asked me about scheduling some travel for you already and I’m so excited to start.  I should have some answers for you next week.   I would love to hear some comments from you all. Please let me know about  trips you have taken, (good or bad), questions you may have as to what a travel agent has to offer, as I know most of you use online travel sites,  some words of encouragement,  or share links and websites with me. As you see my goal is to be one hell of a kick ass travel agent.  Oh if you know Italian I would love to practice so please feel free to comment in Italian.  Well I guess that’s it for this week.  Please follow me, share my posts, as I love to make new friends.  May God keep you all well, happy and may love fill your lives each day.   Grazie e arrivederci.

The Journey Begins

Have you ever looked in a mirror and can’t see anything, but a silhouette.  For years when I looked in a mirror I saw an active young mother.  That was who I was, that was my identity.  Then all of a sudden I turned 50, my sons moved away and I looked in the mirror and I thought OMG where do I go from here?  My husband and I had never been” just a couple”, since I came with a readymade family, and now that the kids were gone, all I could think about is what if we don’t like each other.  I had no real career just jobs to pay the bills, no real hobbies to throw myself into, so I decided I needed to make some changes.  I needed to make myself more desirable, interesting and necessary. 

Step one- my son got me a WII for Christmas and the overhaul began.  Now you have to understand I haven’t played or used a video games since Pac Man, so I wasn’t really sure this would work plus  I haven’t really exercised (other than the first few weeks  at the beginning of a new year with each resolution) since gym class in 9^th grade. I had a lot of work to do. I read everything I could, did lots of online investigation on exercise, created an at home gym, (because face it we all have all the equipment that just keeps gathering dust) and the journey began. It was very hard to stay disciplined but I knew I had to keep going.

Step two – For the last 20 years it became routine to eat on the run, between practices, games, school events, PTA meetings and other kid activities, healthy eating wasn’t a priority. My husband worked nights for 20 years so making nice dinners became a weekend thing. I am a very good cook but eating well on Sundays only, isn’t good for the waistline, and I had developed a very good relationship with fast food.   So I overhauled my shopping list, started watching my calories and fat intake, NO PILLS or special diets and it’s amazing with a little hard work and sacrifice you CAN lose weight.  It doesn’t come off as fast as you would like it to.  You see I have a little bit of an instant gratification mentality and I had to get over it.  But 6 months later I’m 30 pounds slimmer.  Now don’t get to excited I’m not that flat stomached super model everyone wants to be. You see I am a 50 year old 5 foot 1 and ½. (Don’t forget the half) Italian lady that still loves to eat, but I’m a lot better than I used to be, and I recently ran a 5K which in my world was as monumental as climbing Mt. Everest.  

Step three – Learn to be a wife.  I decided that I needed to rekindle a new, exciting and grownup relationship with this man that I have been married to for 28 years.  Love sure is different when your 50 than when you are 15.   This step I am still working on.  Date nights, trips and a lot of moral support are helping. 

So Now, I am healthier, slimmer, learning how to be a wife, not just a mother, and it was time to decide what I wanted to be when I grow up. You know 50 is the new 30, or is it 40 oh well it doesn’t matter because anyone who knows me knows that I may get older but will never grow up. 

Step four – Make myself and my life more interesting.  So I looked deep into what I would love to do and get paid for.  It had to be legal. It couldn’t cost me much and I needed to have a passion for it.  TRAVEL, it’s what I always wanted to do and I loved planning trips and events in my past jobs.  That’s it, that’s the direction I would take, but after searching and searching no one was going to pay me to travel to new and exciting places.  The world was not yet my oyster.  But maybe I could get paid to plan other people’s adventures.  After networking (thank God for Facebook) the world of a travel agent is within my grasp. I can plan trips for groups, families, corporations, learn about the world and all it has to offer.  That’s it I will get paid to live vicariously through other people’s travel.  A new and exciting life is just beginning and I want to share it all with whoever will listen.  So I hope someone out there is reading this and will talk back to me.  As I’ve been told I’m a little crazy but haven’t gotten to the point where I talk to myself, (well not in public, at least.) 

So stayed tuned in see where this new path in life takes me.  I will keep you updated on all the ups and downs of my journey, downs because I’ve been told you can’t have rainbows without the rain and I need that rainbow to keep shinning so I can find my pot of gold.  (I will share).  Please post your comments, encouragement s ideas and suggestions so I don’t feel all alone.  I will try to write at least once a week, cause face it I’m not THAT interesting yet to write daily. Love you all; wish me luck and God Bless.