Who's That Girl?

Oh travel, how much do I miss thee?  Back before Covid times we used to travel and as often as possible.  I can sit here and write so many stories of all the tropical and historical places we visited beginning at the age of 19.  At least twice a year we would pick up and go somewhere.  Some pre-planned and some on a whim when a deal came through online.  Then little Mila came along, and we had to temporarily hit pause for a couple years as she went through a few surgeries but as soon as we got the ok, off we went again.  We wanted to make sure our little girl became familiar and comfortable with travel because it was so important to us. I always felt lucky that I had a partner that loved travel as much as I did.

Our last family vacation was in November 2019 and it had a little bit of something for everyone.  We spent 5 glorious days in Puerto Rico, a little place we fell in love with a few years back after a short stop-over while on a cruise.  We loved it so much that we decided we would go back and spend more time there.  Over those 5 days we explored all the beauty and wonder of Old San Juan. We flew kites in front of old historical buildings, took walks along the waterfront watching cruise ships coming and going, we ate so many wonderful meals along the cobblestone streets that were lined with amazing restaurants and stores and even relaxed on the gorgeous beach outside our Airbnb.  It was so much fun.  Following that we boarded yet another Disney Cruise (our 5^th) where we stopped at two incredible Caribbean spots – St. Kitts & Tortola.  What a small world as on this cruise a lovely colleague from work and her beautiful family were there too.  We got to spend a splendid day on the beach, watching our kids play together in the sand and splashing in the ocean all while we shared some funny stories, plenty of ice cream and soaked up the beautiful sunshine at Castaway Cay. 

At the end of our 5-day cruise we disembarked and began the last leg of our family adventure – we did Disney World for 4 days.  Now, something I need to mention is that I have always been a huge Disney fanatic so I guess that is where Mila gets it from, but little did I know how much Mark would love it too.  Here we were the 3 of us experiencing the joy and magic of Disney World together and all of us experiencing this for the very first time!  I kid you not when I say I don’t know who was more excited.  All 3 of us were like kids in a candy store, smiling from ear to ear, laughing, screaming on rides, and just living our best lives.  What a beautiful and memorable vacation that I know Mila and I will hold on to forever.  I often sit and go through the photos and videos from past vacations but especially from that one. I cry both tears of joy and a little sadness but feel so grateful that we had that last magical family vacation together – who would have known it was going to be our last. 

Now, that’s not to say I won’t travel again because lord knows I live for my trips – all of them.  The local getaways, the girls’ only trips and especially family vacations.  I made a promise to Mark that I would continue doing all of those and I have vowed to myself that come hell or high water I will keep that promise.  Those are the things our children will remember. The experiences.  Not the toys, not the fancy designer clothes, it’s the moments shared with each other and our families and friends.  I know for Mark those were some of the things that helped him get through his worst moments.  The amazing memories, the hope that he would get better and that we could do many, many more and I can honestly say travel is what I use as motivation too. 

This past December we embarked on our first vacation without Mark.  I had my parents with me, also something that was on Mark’s bucket list, so we did that in his honour.  Off we went to Mexico in the midst of the chaos happening in our world. It was so therapeutic on so many levels and totally worth all the PCR testing and quarantine that followed it.  I will share more about that experience another day but let’s just say embarking on that trip brought out something in me that was missing for the last while. I truly feel that is where my healing and transformation began.

Obviously, we don’t know what tomorrow holds for any of us but if I can suggest one thing to everyone and anyone reading this today, it is to travel.  See the wonders and beauty of this world in any way you can and take plenty of photos and videos along your journey.  Yes, that means you too moms that hide behind the camera (or is that just me?). 
Smile, laugh, love, live, eat, do it all and do it well.

LM