Sometimes I wonder if it's possible to have a vacation from life. You know what I mean... some time where you can truly sit back, relax and not think about all the millions of things that you should be doing instead of sitting on your behind doing nothing. Vic tells me all the time that I need to learn how to relax. My goodness, it takes me 3 days of vacation to actually let myself relax and be on vacation. But who can relax when there is so much going on around me? And most of it is sad! Perhaps it's not that I need a vacation from life... more than I just need something happy and uplifting to happen. Something to be excited about. Boy, this sounds depressing...

Strange how life is...

I've decided that only nice people get cancer. I can think of so many people, my mother included, who don't deserve having to fight for their life. I was at the hospital visiting a friend whose loved one is battling this horrible disease and as I was going up the elevator on my way to the oncology floor, it stopped on the mother/baby unit. It was so amazing to me how as I watched these happy, excited people get off the elevator, on their way to meet their new niece, I was about to give my friend a hug because she is about to lose her husband to cancer. So much life and death happening all around us and we are just simply there for the ride.

When someone close to you get cancer, I truly believe that you start to look at life differently. You live more for the moment and the small things really don't matter anymore. Since mom got cancer, I have found myself being more "whatever" about things that I used to be so concerned and anxious about. I don't know whether or not that is a good thing, but I know that it's what I need to do right now. Being a better person and being the best daughter, sister, wife and friend that I can be seems more important right now.

London, Baby!

After seeing the movie "Julie and Julia", I've been inspired to be more diligent with my blog. Alas, I don't have a grand mission, but I think it'll be fun to jot down some of my thoughts on a more consistent basis... regardless of whether or not anyone will really read it.

So Vic and I just returned from our trip to London last night. We were there for Ellen's wedding and I had a great time showing Vic what I do there every year I go! I love London, I feel like the city is more of an upperclass-America, with less sun and more rain. =) We spent a day in Paris, Vic's never traveled abroad so I really wanted to get the best bang for the time we had.

Some thoughts:
1. London has interested lingo:
Trash: Litter
Trash Can: Bin
Waiting in line: Waiting in the queue
Restroom: The toilet
2. The bathrooms are interesting... the toilet has a more narrow rim and you have to "boost" the shower so that you'll have enough hot water.
3. They seem more earth friendly in London. The hotel we were staying at, mind you it was pretty swanky, was very green.
4. The food seems healthier... at the grocery store, their frozen dinners seem like fresh food that was flash frozen... versus our typical hot pockets here.
5. I need to remember to look left when crossing the street...
6. The London Underground is much easier to navigate than the Washington DC metro system
7. Paris is pretty dingy... at least in the more touristy areas. Isn't as romantic as it seems, at least in my opinion.
8. SO many gypsies in the touristy areas!! Makes it hard to enjoy yourself when some shabby girl is asking you if you speak English then proceeds to show you some card with a pity story on it for money... then you see that same girl eating ice cream later in the day.
9. Maybe I'm not a huge fan of Paris because they don't speak English... no, that's not it.. I loved Italy.
10. London versus Paris versus America?? London, all the way!