THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!

The Nave of St. Peter's Bacilica - The Vatican, Italy

Bridge of Sighs - Venice, Italy

Charles Bridge - Prague, Czech Republic

Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain

Lippinzzar Horses @ Royal Riding School- Vienna, Austria

Old Jewish Cemetary - Prague, Czech Republic

Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's Birthplace)

Vienna Boys Choir - Austria

I love to travel. In fact, my favorite places to travel are in Europe. My sweet husband allows me to take a girl trip every other year with a friend to Europe. I was fortunate to take my first "girl" trip with my late "musketeer", Robbs. We took my mom and her brother, Joey, to Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Though Robbs had a hard time in the mountains, we had a wonderful time and I must say, I feel totally blessed to have had that time with her before she passed away. We were to go again two years later. But one month before our trip to Italy, Robbs went to be with the Lord. Robbs had planned an audience with the Pope in the Vatican, a Vatican mass and much more. She would have loved the trip.

I did get to go to Italy with another friend a year later. My current travel buddy, Juju. While in the Vatican, I reminisced about the joy Robbs would have had and had the opportunity to say a prayer for her. Of course, I know her "view" from where she was sitting was much grander than my own at the time.

Since then, Juju and I have traveled a lot...Italy, Spain, Austria, The Republic of Czech, and more. I love history, and Europe is just the place to see and learn. I love to touch and feel and taste and listen to the sounds of all the different places in this world. In Toledo, Spain...the cobble stoned streets that narrowly wind around the buildings with the light peaking in and out and the laundry hanging over the streets. Venice's canals that smell like no other place I know and flower boxes hanging on windows...and the beauty as you pass under the Bridge of Sighs, as the gondola driver sings while taking you along. The beautiful architecture by Gaudi in Barcelona of the La Sagrada Familia Cathedral or the Charles Bridge and Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague and the beauty of the Lipizzaner horses at the Royal Riding School and the privilege of attending a church service and listening to the Vienna Boys Choir at mass.

I have been truly blessed to visit so many places to see so many different parts of the world. The people we have met along the way have been fascinating! While I worked shortly as a flight attendant, I traveled to Hawaii, Paris, London, Manchester and Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace) England, Lima Peru, different parts of South and Central America, Rio, Mexico, Japan and others. From many of those places, I took day trips to other locations to sight see. Traveling is an enormous interest to me and I can't believe I have been so blessed to see the world as I have.

Still, no matter how awe struck I get, no matter dumb struck I feel, or wide eyed or fascinated...I never failed to stop in a cathedral in one of those cities, kneel, look around at the beauty of what has been created for our heavenly Father and and bow in awe and gratitude that I get to see it all. But even more, I NEVER stop to think, not only are the sights and sounds and tastes so wonderful...how much more wonderful will it be one day when I reach the place Christ has prepared for me. If this on earth, what man has created, is so magnificent and beautiful out of what God gave us...how much MORE will there be in heaven? WOW!!!

So today, I am grateful for the privilege I've had to travel the world. Grateful to see the beauty God has given men the talent to create. Grateful that I can share with family and friends the bounty of His generosity and how we can look forward to how much more He has for us.

Thank you Jimmy for letting me have the time to travel. Thank you Father for your abundant generosity. Hmmmm.....let's see....where to go next???!!! I better get Juju on the phone.