When I was a little girl, there was a comedian named Jackie Gleason, and, as I recall it, he began his variety/comedy show in exactly that fashion. I know I just dated myself there. Many of you are shaking your heads, saying, "Jackie who?" And possibly thinking that I'm talking about a former First Lady. Not so. But Jackie Gleason -- or whoever -- aside, Pete and I are actually up, up and away. That is to say, I'm writing this from 32,000 feet. This is number one of our ambitious travel plan for 2018, our fortieth anniversary year. We decided to enjoy again some of our favorite travel destinations this year. In total, we have plans for ten weeks of travel, and it will be amazing if we get to do it all. What a blessing to even be able to plan it! Our travels this year will take us to the Caribbean, England, Scotland and Ireland, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and the Azores. In the middle of all of it, we hope to fit in some side trips around the United States. As this Delta plane wings its way toward Ft. Lauderdale, I'm going to take a moment to anticipate the delights of the week to come. We will be visiting friends for two days, getting to hang out with their adorable preschooler. Then comes the cruise. We are taking the Regal Princess on an Eastern Caribbean route, calling at Princess Cay (Princess's private part of Eleuthria island), St. Thomas and Sint Maarten. In the seven days of the cruise, there are two full sea days, the embarkation and disembarkation days and three ports. I am especially interested in seeing the difference in these Caribbean ports after Hurricane Harvey. We were just in St. Thomas last Christmas, so the port of Charlotte Amalie is fresh in my mind. I know all these islands were hard hit, and I'm anxious to see how different they are. We will be snorkeling in Princess Cay and St. Thomas, and simply walking around Willemstad in Sint Maarten, hoping to spread around some American cash to help with the recovery effort. My favorite, though, will probably be the days at sea ... that's the best! Will you come along with us, as we away?
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