Not my photo above, and I’ll credit when I get home on my laptop, but I did think I’d quickly check in. I’m on vacation in the Turks until Wednesday! I woke up this morning a few hours before the other girls and took a stroll on the beach. Snagged some pics that I can’t wait to share with you!

It’s so beautiful here. Reminds me a lot of our location in Mexico, but it’s just more peaceful here. Quiet. Not as crowded. Not as rowdy.

We have an amazing few days planned. Can’t wait to tell you all about it.

I saw this quote on Tumblr today, and my heart sank. My mind flooded, filled with bittersweet emotions. My gut turned, my throat choked up. Nostalgia overwhelmed me. Regret got the best of me. I sat still, with a heavy, heavy heart as my mind raced to my days of travel. To the unforgettable lessons I learned. The people, places, the sounds and smells. My time abroad was far too short, and I blame myself for not taking to the foreign roads more frequently.

Everyone tells me. Travel. Go. Do it. Now. And I don’t. I listen but I don’t go. Instead I sit at my 9-5 job in the same city I’ve lived in for 7 years, traveling to my hometown every weekend I can. What am I doing? Why am I so content with sitting still? Staying put? Here I am, careless and free in 2007, gallivanting around Europe.

By the way, my butt is not that big. Not sure what’s going on with angles here, people!

My dad lights up when he is around his west coast family, he radiates happiness while spending time with our cousins, his cousins. So it was seriously a privilege for me to travel to Los Angeles alone with my dad. Just the two of us. I’ve always been more connected to my dad’s family than my sister. I’ve made 3 visits by myself recently that she didn’t make, so I’ve seen the cousins more frequently than she. I’ve met the new husbands, and boyfriends and bonded with the young children that were too young the last time my sister visited. And most special, I’ve been the babies. The little ones that weren’t born when she last visited.

We arrived on a Friday and left Sunday at midnight, but you would never know it given all that we packed in those days. We wined and dined with our incredible hosts, we sat together in the living room for hours, talking, gossiping, snacking. We drove around the city, seeing the Hollywood sights. We shopped and window shopped, and drove down the hottest streets hoping to spot a heard of paparazzi. We spent a night at karaoke with two of my cousins, their children and a few family friends. We had a game night with all the cousins. A night filled with an incredible family style dinner, desserts, wine and hours of games like apples to apples and gestures.

I even squeezed in two fabulous visits with friends. I spent a morning driving south on the 405 to Long Beach to see Corie, Matt and baby Jaelyn, and then back north to Manhattan Beach to have lunch with my college roommate Claire. All of that in a few hours leading up to the big night.

Then the big night. Sunday night. The Thanksgiving gala event. With a tent erected on the front lawn, my dad’s cousin hosted 50+ people for a one of a kind Thanksgiving dinner party. It was glorious. More food and desserts than I have ever seen. And endless conversation, laughs with close family and family friends and friends of family friends.

And then, just like that, it was time to leave. Time to leave my incredibly gracious hosts, to say goodbye to my cousins and babies that will likely be grown kiddos by the time I see them again. With a full belly and warm heart my dad and I returned our rental car, boarded a plane at LAX, and left the city of angels. The city that houses our favorite family.

Until next time.

I had a few fancy dinners (thanks dad), but a lot more meals made of snacks from the CVS food aisle. I don’t think I ever ate a real breakfast, but certainly consumed about 6 times more coffee than normal. Many nights I drank wine on the balcony of my hotel room. Other nights I ventured to the hotel bars. One night I went to Marquee. I was staying at the Cosmopolitan and our conference had an open bar reception there, but I unfortunately experienced no run ins with a celeb. I was really, seriously hoping for Kim K (I kid you not).

I have to admit, I didn’t really love Las Vegas. In fact, I barely liked it. The whole strip was far too food court mall meets cheesy bright lights, and the people I saw depressed me. Gambling in general depresses me, so it didn’t help to leave my hotel room each morning at 8 to see old men and women still seated in front of a card table or slot machine.

But Vegas was good for one thing, and that’s blue skies all day every day. Which makes for extra sharp photos of incredibly big buildings. Before you browse, I apologize for not taking a SINGLE PICTURE OF MYSELF on this trip. Whoops.

By Friday I’ll be in Los Angeles. I’m even more excited for that leg of my trip. Although my stay is short — just two days — my family out west is incredible. I can’t wait to spend Friday night my cousins. We’re going to a karaoke bar with the little kiddos!

The entire weekend calls for rain, but that’s just fine with me. Saturday I’ll catch up with friends. Sunday is the family Thanksgiving. 45 people are coming to my cousin’s dinner. Can you believe that? 45 people! My dad and I are contributing a dessert from Maine. We had to pick something simple, since staying in a hotel doesn’t exactly make cooking or baking easy. So we’ve shipped a few bottles of Maine maple syrup and will serve pecan ice cream topped with maple syrup! Yum.

So there you have it. I’m off for the next 6 days! I hope you all have a fab work week and even more wonderful weekend. Stay tuned from pictures of the strip and our Thanksgiving party in California!

Do you love the picture? It’s my view each evening when I leave my building and walk towards the T. Now that it’s so dark by the end of the day, the buildings are all glowing. It’s gorgeous. I’ve started snapping iPhone pictures (above included) and may have to begin a gallery of almost the same photos like my bridge obsession!