2011, time to explore!

New Year, 7000 new years resolutions. Which ones are still going strong? A couple actually. Inevitably, I have been eating better, and really, it was about time. Last year was a hard year, and with that came a lot of stress eating. A lot. So, back to the gym my butt goes, and back to the spinach and chicken also. It has been good, I have a lot more energy, and my legs actually have that crazy muscle back in them. Also, I swore off working late hours at work. This will only hold true for another month or so, but at least while I feasibly can, I am only working 8 hours a day, and then going home. AND, not checking my work email at home. Yup, makes for a much happier and more rested Deb. And then, as far as my exploration goes, I am planning some pretty fun 2011 trips. I finally have dates for my trip to Chile to visit Emma (in May) for a GREAT slumber party. She has promised me no skiing, so I am excited to go and explore the country with her. We have never really travelled together, or really even spent an extended amount of time together without the rest of the family, so i am excited.

Before Chile, in February, Caitlin, Kiyomi and I are heading out to Vegas for a girls' weekend. Really, this will probably be my (big?) 30th birthday trip. Originally, this was supposed to be a big cruise to Hawaii, but it seems EVERYBODY got pregnant, so I had to re-plan. That's ok, I can come back and play Aunt Debs on my birthday. I hope those babies are ready to hang out with their 30 year OLD aunt! I am excited to be in Vegas with C and K, they are my speed and I know we will have a good time. Pretty much, that is when the eating healthy will go bottoms up...I mean, how can you not with a restaurant that has an entire Chocolate menu? Exactly.

Also, I am planning a HUGE trip to Europe in August and September. I am heading over to England to visit the family, and then to Cara to visit her, Xabi, and baby Xabira (who will have a non celebrity couple name when he/she is born) in Switzerland, and then to Leilani and her family in Germany. I am so excited to meet the new Swiss baby, and then I am also excited to see Germany, to which I have never been before. Plus, Leilani and I can get into a lot of trouble together, and we always just crack up, so all aspects of this trip will be so much fun!

Next week I head out to Los Angeles for a work trip to JPL (here's hoping they offer me a job on the spot making several hundred thousand a year). I am also going to get to see the first baby (of 11) of 2011 from my friends. Molly Sue was born last week, so I am so excited to get to be able to visit her while i am so close to home. And then from LA, I fly to the Bay Area to visit ALL the bay area people: Lacey, Travis, Caitlin, Mike, and then Kiyomi and Doug up in Sacramento. Can't wait to see everyone, and you know that I will NOT want to leave the bay area. It really is still just like home. And with that many people to see and visit with, i will never have enough time. I am hoping to make it back to campus for a little visit to the past. Maybe I'll even take a General Campus Tour and heckle from the back. I am hoping for nice weather, because walking around that campus is always a nice play to think and reflect.

So, all in all, 2011 is going to be FULL of traveling and exploring, and that makes me smile! I love my home, and I have some awesome friends out here in Texas, but there is nothing like the people who have known me for almost my whole life, who have seen me struggle and change and grow, so I can't wait to visit them all this year and the places they call home!