The Trip - Early Stages of the Planning

Ron and I are planners.  Some things come to fruition and some don't, but we seem to love the planning anyway. I tease Ron that he is the "king of planners".  He makes lists after lists after lists and he starts them the minute we mention a possible trip.  I, on the other hand, want to pack the morning of the trip or maybe the night before if there is an early flight.  I claim that if I forget something, it wasn't that important anyway or that it is surely something that I can buy where we go.  However, I have often forgotten something that is REALLY important to me.  Like hairspray in Phuket, Thailand.  There is something about Aqua Net that just doesn't work for me. 

So, here we are planning the trip of all trips this October and I have been researching and looking for deals on airfare, apartments and hotels.  And then, there is the researching for what to do where.  Ron is the list maker and I am the research specialist.  The trip is over 5 months away, but at my age, I know those months will go fast. 

This trip is part pilgrimage and part family vacation to celebrate our grand-daughter's 7th birthday.  She and her parents are "global nomads" and travel the globe as international school teachers.  We try to visit every other year around Sojo's birthday.  They just started a new gig in Saudi Arabia and this is the year to be with Sojo for her birthday.  So, the plan is to meet in Paris for Sojo's birthday.  Now how many 7 year-olds get to spend their birthday in Paris?  After Paris, we will go back to Saudi Arabia with them for about 10 days before heading back to the US of A.  No matter where they wander, I always want to see it.  I want to smell the air, see the neighborhood, taste the food, travel the roads and make my decision if this is where my 44 year old daughter should be living.  Yes, you heard that right, somehow I still think I get a vote.  Actually, I think I lost my vote in what this girl does with her life at age 6 when she started first grade and she discovered I knew "nothing" after all.  I have discovered that she has a pretty good head on those shoulders and makes good decisions. 

And so, the computer is getting a work out with researching and certain sites are getting printed and put into a purple "Paris" folder.  Ron has started his list and I have visions of Cathedrals, Parisian Streets, Disney Paris, a birthday cake, a precious 7 year old snuggled with me on a sofa in a perfectly Parisian apartment, people watching while sipping a delicious latte at a café on Saint-Germain-De-Pres and discovering a desert very different than the one I live in.

To be continued.....



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