Have you ever heard that ER rooms get especially crazy during the Full Moon?  ER nurses tell me that more babies are born and more violent acts, resulting in a trip to the ER, tend to go on, as well.  So why should it surprise me that my husband and I had some interesting twists in order to be able to arrive back in Steamboat at 5 AM on the Full Moon after our 2nd all-night travel experience in two weeks?  I'm sworn to secrecy on the details, but let it suffice to say that the first step of planning a travel day is to check the date of your flights--twice if you are feeling especially ready to get home.

I thought it would be important to escape some of 'mud season' after the mountain closed, but I'm now seeing the wisdom--in part, thanks to a favorite yoga teacher, Nina Darlington--of using this slower season to do what most people and animals do during the winter; hibernate and rest.  Since most who live here in the 'Boat love the wintertime sports like skiing and snowshoeing, it tends to be a busy time for us with little of that wintertime rejuvination until mud season.

We had snow every day for the first week back from the Virgin Islands and you won't find me complaining.  In fact, I climbed up the mountain part way yesterday on my telemark skis with skins (to allow the climbing) just to check things out and get a good work-out, which it was!  The cool, dry weather feels great to me, though I must admit the island laziness hasn't left me and I really don't mind.  I'm getting the important things done every day, but allowing other little details to hover and wait.  It's nice--and I'm sleeping better, too.  Being in a dry climate where I have the energy I want to be physically active (gotta work out, even during mud season) instead of feeling like a slug due to heat and humidity never felt better.

I'm off to write my newsletter next and I think I'm going to include my thoughts on why self care (which seems like a natural right  before Mother's Day) can help protect us from the latest nasty bug (negative gram bacteria) which most or all antibiotics are powerless to deal with and are almost always picked up in the hospital.  Oh...you don't get my newsletter?  For the slightly-more-serious tips about health care than I offer here, consider signing up so you don't miss out.  It's only going out twice a month and you can unsubscribe at any time--but hey, why would you? 

This is my last full day of a 2 week vacation with my sweet husband, Webb, in the Virgin Islands.    The Sugar Mill (a former sugar plantation) on Tortolla was fabulous and we've loved the beauty and relaxation we have found on St. John--but this mountain flower is ready to head back to Steamboat.  The best part of this trip may have been leaving my cell phone and computer both at home.

And though I am on the edge of complaining, I must say I've had enough of this intense sun and some nasty bug bites as a price for each beach I've enjoyed.  I'm still unclear if it's unusual, but it's been excessively humid most of our time here and I did have a couple of "life situations" come along to test my resolve to accept everything as it is and live in the present.

First, as I mentioned in a former post, was the cold sore on my lip as a result of the stress I experienced for 36 hours prior to leaving Colorado as I searched high and low (and found!) my passport.  So I had to skip the first few days of snorkeling due to the first Herpes outbreak I've had in years; then another 5 days with limited water action during my Moon;  then quite the constipation due to a different diet, then the opposite issue (I'm so grateful I had Rhoid Balm by Motherlove with me).   See. . . sounds a lot like complaining and who can complain about 2 weeks on the beach?

In addition to the moments of practicing acceptance, I caught some extra zzzzz's, powered through 3 novels, enjoyed many hours on several different beaches (some after a hike) with both my hubby and bonus son, Justin, drove a jeep on the left side fo the road, practiced yoga several times and enjoyed some delicious meals.  Now?  Off to enjoy a margarita at Margarita Phil's, the same place where the seed for this trip was planted when our family spent just one day here during a cruise a number of years ago and we started flirting with the idea of a longer stay.

Wherever you are on this Monday, I hope you can carve out 15 minutes or more just for you.

Part of my love of travel has to dowith learning something new every day.  Just as we were leavingTortolla in the BVI, a kind, local man shared with me the benefits of the soursap fruit which he promptly cut to provide a sample.  He says the locals use it to lessen bedwetting in children and that it is also now a treatment for cancer.  Hmmm.....something to look up when I get home and am working again.

But just in off the beach at popular Trunk Bay on St. John, I am ready for warmed-up lasagne from a local deli and another one of those outdoor showers!

Welcome to my blog if you are a recent transplant from my newsletter!  I promised in my last entry to let you know what happened regarding my lost passport; after 36 hours of searching (with a little sleep thrown in), I gratefully found it!  My husband even saved my voice mail message about the discovery, thinking the shrieking and laughter must surely have accompanied me jumping up and down.  It did.  :)

However, for me, the best part of the story is that I found my serenity many hours before I found my passport.  After the toenail incident (see previous blog entry), I started to do much better with my number one goal:   to practice serenity by living in the present moment.  Surrender seemed the only choice and when I arrived to get a pedicure (which greatly exceeded my expectations for a small town like Steamboat), I started to breathe more deeply as my ski season-battered-feet slipped into the warm, lavender-scented water.  I thought to myself, "I'm on vacation starting now". 

Though finding my passport was still 16 hours away, I accepted that I may not have it when I flew out of DIA--but I always have options.  Though I preferred to be with my husband for our entire holiday, I accepted that it could be fun to explore St. Thomas on my own for 4 days while he took full advantage of the beautiful Sugar Mill Hotel on Tortolla.  After all, we still have 10 days on St. John when we leave here.  But I am so very grateful to be here with him, though we've done little but sleep and eat our first two days here.

I woke up in the middle of our first night here with a budding cold sore on my lip due to the stress of the passport search, but thankfully, the tea tree essential oil I've been using topically along with internal shots of echinacea tincture have contributed to a nearly-miraculous recovery.  Only 24 hours and it's nearly gone!  The remedies have helped, I'm sure, but the biggest contributor is likely de-stressing.

Many thanks for your thoughts and prayers I've received via email; all turned out beautifully!