Blogtober 14: If I Won the Lottery...

Happy October, everyone! I’m so excited that October is finally here. Today, I thought it would be fun to link up with Helene and Taylor for Blogtober14. Today’s prompt is “what would you do if you won the lottery?” It would be boring to say that I would save quite a bit of it so, saving aside, here is what I would do.

If I won the lottery…

I would not quit my job. Honestly, I am too much of a workaholic for that, and editing is my passion. However, I would definitely consider switching to part-time hours so I would have more time to travel. (I could always do freelance projects on an airplane!)

My husband would be around more. Chris is currently in medical school, and even though he works hard, he is secretly super lazy. He constantly tells me that he would not mind being a stay-at-home dad. I don’t think he would quit being a doctor, but he would definitely work less hours, which would be amazing!                                                     

I would spend all of my spare time traveling. I think that I have established that I absolutely love to travel and do it as much as I can. I strongly believe that travel is the only thing you can spend money on that will actually make you richer. However, as my piggy bank will tell you, plane tickets are expensive. It would be amazing if I could travel the world without having to worry about what it's going to cost me.

I would give back to my family. My parents have done so much for my younger brother and me, and I would love to give back to them. I would buy them a house and send them on trips (it'd be a bonus if we could all go together!) 

I would buy way too many dresses.  Dresses are my weakness, and my hubby would tell you that I already have too many. I can't imagine what would happen if I didn't have to worry about budgeting as much. I would probably need an extra room for my collection.

 

Seven Reasons I Choose to Cruise

I tell my husband (often) that I could seriously cruise every single day of my life and be perfectly happy. We have two cruises coming up before the end of the year, and I’m giddy just thinking about them. Here’s what I don’t get: when I tell some of my friends about my cruising adventures, they cringe. I get that everyone’s opinion is different, but these people have never been on a cruise. So I’ve made it my personal mission to convince others to give cruising a try.

Seven Reasons I Choose to Cruise:

1. Unpack once, see multiple destinations: 
When we travel, we prefer to visit more than one place. When we do this on land, this involves packing and unpacking your suitcase every time. I love to travel, but one of my least favorite things in the world is packing. During a cruise, I can get a taste of several destinations and come back to the ship every night. It’s true that there is not always a lot of time spent in each port, but we like to view cruises as sampler platters. If we love a place, we can come back for an extended visit.

2. Sea days give me a chance to relax between ports: 
Although I love seeing new places, sea days are always a favorite part of cruising. I am usually really go, go, go on my vacations, and by the time I get home, I want to sleep for days. Sea days give me a chance for a breather in between spending days running around a port. I can wake up late, read a book on the balcony, and participate in whatever the ship has going on. I love that each itinerary has a sea day so I can relax!

3. There are lots of food and entertainment options:
I really enjoy the activities on board cruises. I have been to cooking classes, ice carving classes, musicals, a diving competition, movies, and more. I have never had trouble finding fun things to do. Then there’s the food. I love trying food I would hesitate to order at a restaurant. If I don’t like it, I can always get something else (and make my husband eat the first thing!).

4. It’s so easy to plan: 
Sometimes I need a vacation where I don’t have to plan every second. All I have to do is figure out what to do each day in port and how to get to the cruise. On other vacations, we usually cram as much as we can into each day, and it takes time to plan each hour, including what to eat and where to stay. Cruise planning is much simpler.

5. Being around water is amazing:
I absolutely love being around water. There is nothing more beautiful than a sunset from a cruise ship, and I love sitting out on a balcony, looking out on the ocean.

6. I get to dress up: 
I enjoy shopping for dress options before each cruise. I love any excuse to dress up, and formal nights are so much fun!

7. I can truly unplug:
This is a big one for me. My work e-mail is on my phone, and on a normal vacation, I am constantly checking it because I hate being behind and coming back to 500 e-mails. That’s not to mention my obsession with keeping up with the news on all forms of social media. If I turn on my phone on a cruise, I would get crazy roaming charges, and Internet fees are expensive. Cruises basically force me to unplug, and it’s glorious.  

Friday Favorites: A Season of Change

I’ve really needed a week like this. Nothing particularly good happened, but it was so much less stressful than the past few months have been, and I am so grateful for that. Anyway, on to the five things that made me smile this week.

/ / One:
Fall TV is back! I am so excited to have a DVR full of my favorite shows.

/ / Two:
I have been reading Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell, and I really like it so far. I love the characters (Lincoln, an IT guy who is paid to read e-mails at a newspaper and Beth and Jennifer, who write hilarious e-mails to each other), and the writing is so clever! I can’t wait to finish it.

/ / Three:
I am enjoying being my hubby’s travel agent for all of his interviews. While it’s not fun to pay for flights, hotels, and car rentals for all of these interviews (there will be 30 or so), it is so fun to research all of the cities. It’s going to be hard to rank these places when it comes time to do that.

/ / Four:
It has been in the mid 80s all week, and after highs in the mid 90s last week, it has been a welcome change. Unfortunately, it’s supposed to warm up again. I’m just hoping if I keep wishing for fall weather, it will come. That makes sense, right?

/ / Five:
It’s always a good day to post a photo of my Skyler:

Best Shows in Las Vegas

Since I have been writing only European travel posts, I wanted to switch gears today and write about Las Vegas. I think that sometimes there is a negative stigma about Vegas that it is all about drinking, partying, and gambling. While you can certainly spend your time doing just that, I think Vegas has so much more to offer.

We like to go to Vegas at least once a year, especially around Christmas and actually ended up going twice over the past year. It’s a relatively cheap trip that has so much to offer.  My favorite things about Vegas include the shows, the restaurants, and the great shopping! Today I’m sharing the best shows I have seen in Vegas.

“O” by Cirque du Soleil: I absolutely love Cirque du Soleil, and several times we visited Vegas specifically to see a new Cirque show. I have seen “O” twice now and would watch it again and again. Not only does it have the amazing acrobatics and choreography that Cirque du Soleil is known for, but the added element of water is incredible. It is more expensive than the other Cirque shows, but it is worth every penny.

Le Reve: I saw Le Reve on my last trip to Vegas in April, and I thought it was just as good as “O.” Le Reve also revolves around water and is presented in a theatre in the round format, with the performers positioned all around the audience members. As an audience member, you really feel like you are part of the story.  In comparison to “O,” Le Reve had a much more defined plot and was more imaginative and whimsical.

Terry Fator: I came into this show thinking I wouldn't like it. I was very wrong-Terry Fator made me laugh the whole time! I had seen ventriloquists before, but watching him sing while impersonating another famous singer without opening his mouth is so impressive. We liked it so much we went back and saw Terry Fator’s Christmas show last December.

“KA” by Cirque du Soleil: “KA” is my husband’s favorite Cirque du Soleil show. Its main feature is a rotating stage and a more defined plot than other Cirque shows. It has less acrobatics than other Cirque shows, focusing more on martial arts. I thought it was interesting, but Chris really loved it.

Jersey Boys: My only hesitation in putting Jersey Boys on this list is that it’s not exclusively a Vegas show. Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. I honestly had no idea what they sang until I went to the show and recognized almost all the songs. It was a fun show, and I really enjoyed the plot. I would happily go see Jersey Boys again.

I have seen quite a few other shows in Vegas so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me! 

Medical School Wife Guest Post

Hey friends! I just wanted to stop by today and let you all know that I have a guest post up at Kate the Almost Great about the five unexpected things I've learned as a medical school wife. Check it out here!