Wanderlust

I was having a happy dream this morning. Julianne and I were in New York City. We were just finishing up lunch at a sidewalk cafe where not only were we enjoying some fabulous food but also taking in the sights and doing some major people watching. We were talking about heading to the theatre district next...I was so excited to take my drama queen daughter to see the big marquees over the theatres advertising all the fabulous shows on Broadway.

And then my alarm went off. And I experienced a big old let down...seeing that not only was it 6:30 and time to wake up even though I was still tired, but the realization that my happy day in NYC was only a dream.

I've got a serious case of wanderlust today. After getting the kids out the door I spent quite a bit of time on Pinterest looking up and pinning pictures of beautiful places and amazing adventures to my "travel bucket list" board. And with each pin my wanderlust grew to the point that I could actually feel it physically.

I started to worry that this Pinterest drooling was going to lead to some serious discontent. After all, I'm lucky enough live in an incredibly beautiful place already. A place that I take for granted but that others very well may be pinning pictures of to their own bucket lists.

But the more I thought about the things I've already seen, the places I've already been, the adventures I've already had....I realized that I'm pretty darn lucky.

*I've taken a helicopter to the top of a glacier in Alaska and drank pure glacier water from my cupped hand.
*I've stood at the railing of a ship and watched lava from a volcano in Hawaii spit and bubble and flow down into the water where it then doused itself in a hiss of steam.
*I've bundled myself up in multiple layers so I could sit outside in 16 degrees to watch the opening ceremonies of  the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics.
*I've prayed in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York.
*I've been to Stingray City in Grand Cayman, standing in the gorgeous blue-green water with huge stingrays swimming around and brushing up against my ankles...and then had the opportunity to hold them (and kiss them for 9 years good luck).
*I've hiked Angels Landing in Zions National Park and sung "Oh That I Were an Angel" at the top.
*I've seen the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in person at the National Archives in Washington D.C.
*I've walked across the ornate Tower Bridge in London and watched the pomp and circumstance of the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.
*I've taken a boat through choppy waters right up to the base of Niagara Falls, the mist blowing into my face...and freezing because we did it all in a freak early autumn snow storm.
*I've climbed to the top of El Castillo in Chichen Itza. In 110 degrees.
*I've skied "the best snow on earth" in Park City, something that people come from all over the world to do. (And where I fell on my face 7 times.)
*I've prayed at the Wailing Wall and then had the overwhelmingly spiritual experience of standing inside Jesus Christ's tomb in Jerusalem.
*I saw "Anything Goes" on Broadway just a few weeks before it won Best Revival and Best Actress for the incomparable Sutton Foster at the Tony Awards. Oh, and I also saw that one little musical called "Wicked"....you know, as long as I was there and all.
*I've vacationed on a house boat at Lake Powell. Multiple times.
*I've walked the Las Vegas Strip.
*I've been to the Alamo.
*I've sailed to Alcatraz.
*I've driven across the Golden Gate Bridge.
*I've explored Metropolitan Museum of Art.
*I've wandered through Central Park.
*I've visited the homes of George Washington (Mount Vernon) and Thomas Jefferson (Monticello).
*I've parasailed over the waters of the Caribbean.

Not to say that I'm satisfied. I'm not anywhere close to saying "I've seen enough in my lifetime...I guess I'm done." Because I'm itching for all sorts of adventure and new places to explore and experience. But it did help to reign in my raging case of wanderlust....at least for a little while.