Arlington Hotel Paris

Hey Guys!
We had our second meeting about the trip today! We covered things like fundraising ideas, where we'll be staying, and the girls told us about experiences from last year. I'm really getting excited as it's starting to sink in that I'm actually going on this amazing adventure! Don't hesitate to email me any questions you have!

My dear friends: It's getting colder in Canada and my thoughts are wandering to warmer climes. On January 12/2010, I fly to Managua, Nicaragua and then work my way north ending up in Cancun, Mexico. From there, I fly to join many members of the Gaudun family in Daytona Beach. If you would rather not get notifications of my travel blogs just send a brief "no thank you" to this travelpod . No problem. Hasta la vista baby. Steve

Well, we're getting down to the wire! It's less than 3 weeks!

We've bought all that we need to take, have booked anything needed for the trip to the ship and then our first 2 nights in Valparaiso, Chile.

Our vaccinations and documents are all in order and copies made in case of a loss.

Arrangements are in place to ship our cruise ...

... calculate the cost of labor into the project.



I enjoyed our tour of the city of Stratford. The parks are absolutely gorgeous and must really be spectacular in the summer when all of the flowers and shrubs are in full bloom. It is a small city – about 32,000 people and is home of the Stratford Festival which draws thousands of people every year. We went into the Festival Theatre which has four ...

... began following the shopping spree that was Greece in 2007. Our Aussie component advised a wish to carry out a two week recuperative tour of Prince Edward Island, being a lesser known Province in the eastern maritime region of Canada. This idea was eagerly adopted for reasons that are currently unclear.

Fortunately for BIGWAGFA, Malcolm and Paula, of their own volition, conducted a scouting expedition to said island Province, and returned to report that it would be ...

... that once mattered to me no longer matter at all. I have developed a kind of selflessness that precedes me. I have learned to love another person so wholeheartedly that sometimes that love is achingly enormous, taking over everything until I no longer see, only feel. One that has humbled me even more so than I have ever been humbled. It's bigger than life. I have seen, with my own eyes, myself in another person, which has has given me an incredible sense of awe ...

... too. Many people look at me with complete skepticism when I say we want to travel with the kid, and I ain't talkin' DisneyLand here, but I think it's totally reasonable. Sure there will be plenty of challenges but for me, that's part of the beauty of traveling in itself, the challenges and overcoming them. So I started thinking where Little Pants might want to go. Though we'd love to get back to SEA and do some long-awaited visiting with friends ...

... work but am still working. Sounds weird, I know. The job I took in order to qualify for maternity benefits is pretty much officially over, with just a few loose ends to tie up. I've been writing since I started more than a year ago and am still writing updates and addendum's to guides until, well, I can't write because I have babe constantly in my arms or on my boob :) I'm "officially" due next Friday. Though ...

... we're doing. I want to think of all those people who are not only missing the necessities in their lives but don't even have a single special person to share their time with. Beyond everything, the tough days we all have can sometimes feel overwhelming. It's easy to wonder why we haven't done things in slightly different ways, expressed certain things or just taken a leap we wanted to but never did. No matter how ideal your life is, we're all human and we all have bad ...

... giant travelogue in itself. Surely my life is likely not nearly as exciting as those who are off trekking the Annapurnas, or diving with whale sharks or sailing the oceans, but it is my life, and I want to celebrate it. Besides, only so much time can go by until I'm back out there discovering more of this extraordinary world of ours. That is a given for my love of travel will never die. In the interim, I will open my eyes to the beauty that surrounds me now.