Stuck in the Snow

Now I get it! Finally, I can see why so many people head south in the middle of winter. Those "snowbirds" as we like to call them, just don't enjoy doing outdoor activities in cold weather. I'm ready to join them.  The temperatures have already sunk to a punishing 15 degrees here in Salt Lake City, and we haven't even hit Christmas yet. It's going to be another long winter. But I have two cruises and a trip to Arizona planned for 2011. We're heading to Phoenix in January, Florida in February (with a cruise to the Bahamas tacked on to a business trip), and an Alaska cruise in June.  Then we'll use the RV for summer weekends. I know I shouldn't be living in the future, but the present is TOO COLD.
Let's hear from you. Where will you be going in 2011? And what will you do when you get there?

Tom Brokaw Reports on Boomers

Wow! Brokaw left no stone unturned in his CNBC report on Boomers. For two hours, Brokaw touched on  cultural, educational, political, historical, and technological significance of events that have molded, impacted, changed, and defined our generation -- and each of us individually, using many iconic faces and "everyman" types to exemplify the complexity of those of us known as Boomers.

"What will be the legacy of our generation?" he asks Congressman Jim Webb, who skirts the answer. Bill Clinton answers to "the Boomer in Chief," who accepts that title with a smile. He says we're have been unfairly labeled as narcissistic, self-centered, and selfish. Instead we have had high expectations of ourselves. Yes -- he's correct. I agree with his assessment that Viet Nam was an incredibly traumatic time and tore us apart as a country. And our last obligation is to not go out leaving an unconscionable burden on our children. "I love the Beatles. They broke all the molds. I thought that's what we were supposed to do." Wow, that's some assessment. And I see it through similar eyes, in similar terms. These are questions I ponder often.

Finally, Brokaw candidly answers the question put to him by Boomers: "What do YOU think of our generation?"

"Unrealized," he replies without hesitation. "You made a lot of promises and placed a lot of expectations upon yourselves that you have yet to realize." That, my friends, is the battle cry that Boomers must signal among themselves: Our work is not finished. We cannot rest on our laurels, and we cannot assume that our ideas and solutions are the best. We must remain actively involved in changing the world according to the vision we continue to embrace. We must continue working to fulfill our promises: to ourselves, to each other, and to our posterity.

 And how I wish someone would read my blogs so that I could participate in some kind of dialogue on this topic and others with my peers.

She Rocks!

Took the new RV out this weekend. Took care of the rattles and squeaks on the journey. We slept in our queen bed for the first time -- ahhhh. It's a winner. We look forward to many more wonderful memories of tripping and get-aways. Mark and I love road trips and have really honed the art of getting along in close quarters. We both grew up in families that ventured out in campers, vans, and trailers; so we're old hats at traveling. My cute husband bought me license plate holders that say "Travelin' Boomers" -- I'm so spoiled.

Packing Up and Ready to Go

Spent my day off putting things away in the "new" RV -- I love the bedroom in the back, with the queen bed. Putting the new sheets on is a two-person job, due to limited space. I like the storage space under the bed, good place for sleeping bags and extra bedding. After putting away all the toiletries and towels, I find there is TONS of space left for this n that.

While I was organizing and finding places for things, Markie was installing the new stereo. It sounds great, and when he asked me for a CD to test the CD player, I handed him U2. Ahhhh, the U2 music reminded me that I have tickets to see them in concert in June. YES! My daughter and I will be enjoying that bonding experience. The thought of seeing U2 in concert is almost as exciting as the thought of seeing the Beatles used to be. Speaking of the Beatles, my son Aaron posted a Facebook message dissing the Fab Four. I yelled at him, via Facebook, "Blasphemy! Bad son!"

Speaking of football (?), tonight was the opening game of the Arena Football league. I wasn't there, but my other son (twin of the bad son) has season tickets. Hope we won.

The weather has finally warmed up enough that we will be able to use the RV soon. This was a LONGGG winter. Time to get moving.

Is it SPRING yet?

If the weather reaches sixty degrees next week, I'm going camping -- it's been too long! Wanna come along?

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

We waited almost two years for "the perfect RV" and just purchased it with cash. So we own our dream RV and owe nothing on it. Life is good.

Life will be even better when the snow melts, the suns shines, and the campgrounds open so that we can use her. This is a photo of the 31' model -- ours is the 36' model with the rear bedroom. It has every bell and whistle they had to offer in 1989. And only 46,000 miles. Yeah, it was worth the wait.

These boomers -- Mark and Kelli -- are going to enjoy 2010, in spite of all the Washington, D.C. shenanigans. Let me just say that after the medical ordeal we've been through since 1/1/2010, we are so pleased to have excellent health care available to us. It is our hope and prayer that Congress doesn't put an end to that! (I'm finished politicizing for today.)

2010: Come Fly with Me

Much as I would LOVE to travel abroad again, the idea of flying outside the U.S. this year is inconceivable, for three important reasons:

1. the dollar is so heavily under valued that paying for services abroad would break one's personal bank
2. the newly-revised airport screening protocols would discourage a even a SLOTH from entertaining the idea of standing for hours in airport security lines
3. the cost of a plane ticket to Europe is unreasonably more expensive than ever. When the cost of gasoline went up in 2007, so did air fares. The cost of gasoline has fallen and normalized, but air fares did not fall. In fact, the fares increased as well as

I'm begging my readers to take issue with my hypothesis that flying to Europe or Asia is out of the question in 2010. Leave a comment & show me how I can do it, please!

Meanwhile, I stare longingly out my office window at the snow falling, aware that my plans to travel on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day must be shelved. Maybe next year.