For anyone interested where I am going to be when, the dates of my trip are all but set!  Travel within these countries are still in flux, as is the travel in Europe since I will probably just end up  buying a 3 month rail pass and be able to travel at my leisure.  All I have to do is make sure I am in Amsterdam by 10/1 to catch my flight to Orlando, FL for my best friends wedding on 10/4. 

This is getting exciting!!!

Leaving NYC on 2/11
(flight booked - $800)
Nepal 2/13 - 3/13
(flight booked - $244)
Thailand 3/13- 5/1
(Not booked but should come to around $160)
Bali 5/1- 5/29
(Not booked but should come to around $180)
Australia 5/29 - 7/3 (I still have to figure out how I am getting around here)
(flight booked - $970)
Italy 7/3 - 8/24 (Rail Pass for Europe is going to be around $2028 for 3 mo unlimited)
Croatia 8/24 - 9/5
Austria 9/5 - 9/9
Czech Republic 9/9 - 9/18
Germany 9/18 - 9/23
France 9/24 - 9/26
Netherlands 9/27 - 10/1 
(Flight home booked - $654)

Today’s post is going to be about the things in my life I am most thankful for. First and foremost I am thankful for my fun and eccentric family — my parents who are always very supportive and have taught me so much throughout my life, my brothers who I am blessed to be so close with, my sister-in-law, who is more like a sister, and my brand new, cute as a button niece, Bella. I am thankful for the health of my Grandmothers, who are both superstars in my book, and for the rest of my extended family.

I am very thankful for my friends from NJ, Florida, NY, and Chicago — They are more like family than just friends and I love them all dearly. No matter where I am in the world, how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other or even talked, I know we will always be close. I have more amazing friends in my life then any one person rightly deserves!

Secondly, I am thankful for my job. As much as it pains me sometimes, I know I am luckier than most for the opportunity to work amongst talented individuals, at a company that offers excellent benefits and offers a work-life balance, unmatched in NYC.

Finally, I am thankful that I have the opportunity and the guts to leave my job and follow my dreams to travel the world. I am thankful that next year I will see and experience places, people and cultures that will make me a more worldly and knowledgable human being.

Thanksgiving is by far one of my favorite holidays, as it reminds us all to reflect on the things in our life we are thankful for.

Now…on to the turkey!

In the spirit of getting ready for my trip, especially the 2 week Himalayan trek part, I decided to get my butt in shape.  I’ve never been over weight, and I’ve always had pretty decent stamina —I ran cross country in high school— but after several years of slacking off I could definitely use some toning and endurance training.  So about a year a go I bought a Groupon for 6 classes at Pure Power Boot Camp, a military style fitness training facility in NYC — and I’ve never looked back!  I was addicted almost immediately, despite the fact that after the first few classes I literally had to shuffle slowly home…I was in that much pain and totally fatigued like I had never been before.  Regardless, for the next 8 months I worked my ass off, 1-hour a day 3-4 times a week.  I could feel and see myself getting stronger about every 2 weeks which kept me going through he grueling workouts.  After the 8 months I took a hiatus for about 3 months, but I couldn’t stay away.  I returned this past March for another 4 months.  Finally, in July I realized that in order to really start putting away for this trip I had to cut back on spending, and unfortunately PPBC was one of the cuts I had to make.  Still I cannot thank owner, Lauren Brenner, and instructors JR, Nicio, and Mark, enough for getting me into the best shape of my life (aka - kicking my ass all over that gym)!

Leaveing boot camp though left me with a dilemma….How do I maintain my new boot camp bod? I had 6 months before my trip and I didn’t want to lose the stamina and strength that I had worked so hard for… 

Introducing the 100-day Burpee Challenge! Trust me, especially after all of the burpees I had to do during my boot camp stint, they were not on my list of favorite exercises, but that is also the reason I thought they would be so perfect.  A burpee literally works your entire body.  So this is how it works…pretty easy concept… On day one, you do 1 burpee…on day two, you do two burpees, and so on and on until you reach 100.  If you miss a day you have to make it up the following day, along with that days burpees.  It seems easy in the beginning, but as you get into the higher numbers it really becomes a challenge and commitment.  So, I started in July, and as off Oct 28th I officially completed the challenge!  I am pretty proud of myself to be honest, and I’ve succeeded in keeping my boot camp bod intact!  Booyah!

These are my post challenge pics…I was trying to find a bathing suit pic from before my boot camp days, but I must have destroyed them all because I seriously cannot find any!  Oh well :)

If you didn’t already know, I went to college at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, FL.  I had an amazing time in those four years and met some of the best friends I have ever had and will ever have in my life.  This is why I do not see it as a chore to plan a yearly trip to the land of Mickey Mouse to visit said friends and enjoy the lovely, sunny weather.  I said it several times while I was there, and I’ll say it again….When I fly into Orlando International Airport, depart the plane, and step into that humid Florida air, it feels like going home.  It’s the truth.  When I go to Orlando, it is nothing like a  vacation.  I just slip right back into residency.  Either DM or Becky pick me up from the airport, I stay in one of their spare bedrooms, and we just hang out like old times.  Drinking freshly ground coffee and laying out by the pool with Becky, Jack and Izzy, visiting Mike’s palm tree nursery, running errands with DM, drinking beers with the old crew at some local handout, or my favorite, eating Publix subs! (Anyone from Florida will understand my obsession)

Of course, ever since my parents bought a little shack off the canal in Weeki Wachee, home of the mermaid show, I try to take a trip out there to do some kayaking down the crystal clear Weeki Watchee river.  It’s a two hour drive from Orlando, so I don’t always get the chance, but this year I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy a serene few days there on the Gulf coast. 

Here are some of my favorite pics!

My Favorite Ladies!

Me and Izzy bird chillin at Becky's

Diving and Kayaking at Weeki Wachee Springs

3 Bald Eagles spotted along Weeki Wachee River:

Manatee Crossing

Other Wildlife

And to end this post…a beautiful Florida sunset

I have seriously neglected my blog over the past few weeks, and a lot has happened  in that time, so I am going to make up for it over the next several days by catching you all up on what has been happening. 

Lets start with Sandy, the natural disaster that has recently swept through the Northeast US, only after devastating Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. Luckily my family and I came out on the other end of Sandy completely unscathed.  On the Upper East Side of New York my electric never went out, and I saw very little damage even on the streets.  In Pittsgrove, NJ, where my family has lived for over 25 years, an area which sustained severe flooding during last years hurricane Irene, saw very little damage.  And finally, probably the most amazing blessing of all is that our summer home in Ocean City, NJ, a short distance from Atlantic City, was untouched by flood waters, regardless of being a short 3 blocks from the ocean.  But like I said, I consider myself extraordinarily lucky. 

I should mention that most of Ocean City, along with many other seaside towns up the coast did incur devastating floods and wind damage, and are in the process of cleaning up and rebuilding.  In New York, Mid-town and Lower Manhattan remained powerless and dark for nearly a week.  The subway systems, especially in lower Manhattan flooded to street level.  Staten Island and Long Island were devastated by the tidal flux caused by the storm.  It is an incredibly sad time for many people in the region as they return to their homes to pick up the scattered pieces, and grieve over loved ones lost.  But during times like this it warms the heart to see people coming together to support one another any way we can.  This is the resilient spirit that makes me proud to be an American.

Here are some pics I have from the storm, of course they do not do the damage justice:

Flooding on the East River running path and the FDR highway before the storm even hit

This one is not my pic, but the facade fell off an apartment building in Chelsea mid-storm:

Lower Manhattan - you can kind of see Lady Liberty in the background (a friends photo):

Ocean City, NJ (again borrowed this pic  from a friend):