2014 Travel Plans

Today turned out to be a pretty great one (although I am writing this post at 6 pm, so who knows where the night will lead?). I woke up in a great mood because I knew Terry is coming home today! His work trip got cut short, so he'll be home for good starting tonight!

I also got to sub today, and I felt the baby kick for the first time! Right on the mark at exactly 20 weeks. Now, it's entirely possible that I did not, in fact, feel the baby, but I felt three little flicks in a row, nothing I've ever felt before, so I'm going to say today was the day. Hopefully the kicks will get stronger and more frequent now.

My workout today felt fantastic. Sometimes lately it's been a little iffy, so I try to take advantage when I have tons of energy like I did today. I completed four rounds of 5 minutes walking (sometimes with a little incline, sometimes without) and 5 minutes jogging (nice and slow) for a total of 40 minutes.

And as soon as my husband is safely home, I'll call it one of the best days of the year. :-)


Travel for 2014

Initially I fooled myself into thinking this year (or at least the second half) would really just focus on our little arrival, due in June. I assumed we would have virtually no travel plans. But it turns out that we're somehow beginning the year with plenty of opportunities to see new places, including at least one post-baby stay in a hotel.

Washington, D.C.
This month, Terry and I are heading out to DC to visit our friends Fay and David. These two are getting married (at UCLA!) in July, but they currently live in DC. Fay moved out there after college to attend the University of Maryland, and I still haven't visited. Terry even beat me to it and spent an evening with them while on a business trip, but now I'm finally getting to see one of my favorite couples AND exploring a place I've never been. At 28 years old, I do feel a need to see our nation's capital, so it all works out. Terry even managed to use points to book our hotel AND one of our flights! We talked about doing a separate "babymoon", but I think D.C. will take that role.

Lake Arrowhead, CA
In early February, Terry and I will attend our first wedding of the year. Terry's coworker and his beautiful bride are getting married in Lake Arrowhead. Terry and I took a quick trip up to Arrowhead in 2008 and thought it was beautiful, so I'm sure it'll be a fun time.

My husband used to have long hair.

Las Vegas, NV
One of my best friends moved to Vegas over the summer, and instead of waiting a ridiculous number of years to visit, I decided to schedule a trip right away. It's been postponed at least once already, but I think February is the lucky month! We'll spend the weekend catching up, lounging in our PJs, and checking out her favorite local spots.

Talk about throw back Thursday--this photo is from 2007! One of many college trips to Vegas

Northern California
As usual, we plan to visit my parents and brother and sister-in-law at least once or twice. My parents are moving into their new house sometime in early spring, and I can't wait to see it once it's ready. Plus, they're planning to get a new puppy! So Terry and I are looking forward to checking out their new digs, meeting the puppy, and hanging out with the family a time or two before baby comes.

Central Coast, CA
Jenn and Justin are getting married this August in Ventura County, so this trip will be our first with the baby. I'm sure the logistics will be a little crazy to figure out, but it's very important to me to be at Jenn's wedding for the entire weekend. I have faith that our kid can handle it!

And more...
I'm sure more small vacations will pop up here and there. But five vacations in the next seven months sounds like plenty to me, especially with a trip to the hospital somewhere in there! (I'm sure that'll totally feel like a vacation, right?!) While most trips are relatively local, I'm still excited to see that Terry and I will continue our tradition of visiting new places together, even with a little one in tow.

What are your travel plans this year? 

Any tips for traveling while pregnant and, eventually, with a newborn? Gina from The Fitnessista has some travel tips on her site, and one suggestion was getting a suite with a separated room for baby. This way, mom and dad can keep the lights on and continue chatting while baby sleeps! I think her idea is brilliant, especially for more than one night.