Plotting and planning ...

I wouldn't be me unless I was planning some kind of trip. I'm actually planning two (possibly a couple of weeks in wintery UK in Jan/Feb) but the big one is so-called because of the CEO Award I won earlier in the year, which will go some way to paying for this extravaganza of air travel. To hell with my carbon footprint.

As the maps above may (or may not) suggest, I'm off to New York and Canada via South Korea to catch up with Bo's family and check out the temples and, er, whatever else there is that is Korean and not Kim Jong il. I think there is something cool about visiting somewhere you know practically nothing about :-)

NYC is a dream come true for me and I can't wait to start spreading the news. I've been booked to go to the Big Apple twice before: once was in Nov 2001 but 9/11 happened and it just didn't seem like a smart or safe trip to make. And the time before that was in 1995 when I was studying in LA - I'd booked a flight to NYC for the weekend but there were storms in the midwest and Delta Airlines wouldn't let the plane leave. I think we ended up in Florida for the weekend instead ...
I had planned on having my 40th in New York but it's been accelerated due to my good fortune!

And of course Canada - where I have amazing family and close friends, and where I am seriously overdue a visit.
I'm looking forward to Kathy's 40th, a few days up at the cabin, a day at Niagara and the outlets malls at Buffalo - but most of all spending time with my family. I've been desperate to see them but just hadn't felt strong enough emotionally since my mum's death a couple of years ago.
But I think I'm ready :-)
Bring it on ...