Goin' Hawaiian

I have to admit, the photos this time are not mine. I didn't take them, but wish I could have. Someday...
I have been longing to go to Hawaii for some time now. It's always been my version of paradise, and from what I have heard, it is. My first thoughts of a trip to Hawaii were for my honeymoon that never happened back in 1997. Long over that devastation, the thought of going to Hawaii wasn't real high on my list, knowing that there were other cheaper options for tropical vacations. Then I met my friends...they go every other year to the island of Kauai for two weeks, and once again, I was pumped up to start dreaming about a Hawaiian vacation. It wasn't until about a year ago that I actually started saving for my trip; every spare dime I have gets thrown into my Hawaii account. Right now I have about enough saved for air fare...it's a start! My plan is to go when I am 45, I'll do the math for you, that's in the year 2012.
In the mean time, I plan my trip at least a couple of times a month. I go through all the motions online; get the flights (sometimes first class, a girl's gotta dream big), the oceanfront condo, the fresh lei greeting and all the other excursions I want, and of course the convertible, that is a MUST! I do everything except hit the "pay now" button, but I am so looking forward to the day when I can actually do that! That will be a great day!
My friends leave in about a week for their 2 week vacation and I look forward to many more beautiful pictures and vivid descriptions of this paradise-like place I dream of. For now, I will be there with them in spirit and will keep dreaming and planning my trip where I will actually get to experience living "aloha". After all, isn't dreaming a form of planning and reaching your goals? I think so...Aloha!

Splendor in Door County

Biking was never one of my favorite forms of exercise. It was something I had to force myself to do because of foot and knee problems that had cropped up over the years and eventually I learned to love it.
I purchased my first adult bike while living in Wausau from City BikeWorks. It was a boys bike; frame too big, seat too high, but it was a cool color...purple and green. I rode it occasionally, but just never got that into it. Oh, I had the accessories, the helmet, the gloves, and even the horrid shorts with the padded crotch, so I looked the part, but I never stuck with it.
After moving to Green Bay and discovering some nice bike trails, I decided to purchase a bike that fit me and was comfortable. I finally ended up with a silver Timberline; a girls bike with a smaller frame and a comfy seat. It was a hybrid and termed a "comfort mountain bike". I also purchased a new helmet, and a bike rack that fit on my car. That was sweet and I looked forward to the places I could go, just me and my bike.
Then one night as I was staying over at a friends house my bikes were stolen (I don't have a garage),both of them; the old purple and green one and my new silver one. As luck would have it, they were both covered under my homeowners policy and I got back a significant amount of money. With that chunk of money, I purchased my current bike, a Trek hybrid with an even more comfortable seat.
This is the bike that has gotten me to love biking and one of my favorite places to bike is in Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, Door Co. Going there in spring is just awesome! In fact today would be a perfect day for an adventure if I only had the time. Door County is about 30 minutes from my house, thanks to the new 4 lane highway, and Fish Creek is about 45 minutes if you're not delayed by all the Illinois visitors.
The land for Peninsula State Park was purchased in 1909 for $20/acre and from the 1960's to the 1980's campgrounds, a golf course, and many hiking and biking trails were formed. In 1982, the Sunset Beach bike trail surfaced and is a 9.6 mile gravel trail in beautiful and sometimes hilly terrain, that takes you along the lake Michigan shore and through the campground areas. There is also an off-road bike trail that is 12 miles of rugged, unsurfaced terrain. I have yet to venture onto this trail, but maybe someday when I'm feeling a bit adventurous! There are also several hiking trails with great scenery.
For me, my first bike trip in spring to Door County's Peninsula State Park, with the Forget-me Nots carpeting the trail side, the red wing blackbirds twittering their familiar tune, and the lush green of the woods coming into it's own, is a ritual I won't soon let pass me by. To take my camera and pack my lunch for a half day trip is like the gate-way to spring for me. It's one of the reasons I have come to love biking. It's one of those places that makes you forget you are even exercising and that's what finding enjoyment in a sport is all about!

Au Naturel

I was introduced to angel cards by a friend several years ago as a way to achieve more clarity and tap into my own intuition with things that were happening in my life. They were comforting in their guidance and fun in how relevant they were to life's events.
I now pull them several times a week and recently had pulled "Your Children Are Watched Over By Angels" a couple of days in a row. At first I'm thinking the angels got it wrong again because I have no children, but then the card also said something about taking care of my inner child and to play and have fun, something I hadn't done for a while.
As I headed home for the Easter holiday I kept "fun" in the back of my head waiting for the perfect opportunity to bring out my inner child. Sunday afternoon rolled around and although it had been a nice weekend, I wasn't feeling real childlike, so you better believe that when my nephew asked me to go four-wheeling, I jumped at the chance!
I am fortunate to have grown up on 140 acres of wooded land; beautiful trees, lots of songbirds and big and little critters. Being in these woods always reminded me of my childhood and this time was no different. Sometimes I think it's just nature itself that makes you feel carefree and uninhibited. I used to walk these woods and play in them for hours when I was young, I even said my first cuss word out loud in these woods!
Now today, with the breeze blowing through my hair and the smell of spring in the air, I thought this is what my spirit needed, this was FUN!
I hadn't been on a four-wheeler since I was in my thirties and back then I was four-wheeling on the ski hills of Ironwood Michigan wearing nothing from the waist up but my bra and a pair of sunglasses; enjoying the cooler of drinks that was strapped to the front of my ride!
So what happened between my 30's and 40's? At what point did I lose my ability to be foot-loose and fancy free; child-like in my actions at least some of the time?
I think those angels were on to something. In the course of this ride, experiencing nature and doing something that I hadn't for a long time, even though it was only for 20 minutes, my spirit was renewed. It was just what the angels had suggested and just what I needed! It was a good reminder for me, to cut loose and do the things that make me laugh and smile, even if they weren't so adult-like.
Sometimes in this adult world, we just need to kick back and bounce up and down on the proverbial four-wheeler! So, whether it's singing loudly in the shower or in the car or dancing wildly while cleaning your house, or even skinny dipping in the Holiday Inn pool (did I say that out loud?),I'm thinking these days, a bit of the Peter Pan Syndrome is not such a bad thing!