It’s My Imagination

Wordless Wednesday – Bridge Over The Mighty Mississippi

April 7, 2009 on 9:33 pm | In travel | 2 Comments

Head to Branson to Escape Winter

January 13, 2009 on 7:14 pm | In travel | Comments Off

I just have to share this with you. I just learned of this phenomenal Hilton Branson Escape Package. A winter escape sounds like just what the doctor ordered. Think about it. We’ve all just come off of one of the most enjoyable yet stressful times of the year and many people are still contending with stressful weather conditions. Wouldn’t it be awesome to leave all the stress behind and head to Branson, Missouri for some major pampering and relaxation?!

The Hilton Branson Escape Package is available at either the The Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel from February 5-8, 2009. This package deal is amazing because it includes deluxe accommodations, a complimentary movie, drinks for two and even breakfast. It’s all included for the amazing deal of only $79 per night! I’d be shocked to find that kind of deal anywhere, much less at one of these beautiful Hilton hotels.

Now, just imagine yourself enjoying all of the amenities that the hotels have to offer. I think a day at the spa with a nice massage would be pretty nice and follow that with a bottle of wine while maybe sitting in a whirlpool. If we wanted to leave the hotel we could head over and take a relaxing dinner cruise on Lake Taneycomo and then we could even watch the Branson Landing Fountain Show, a beautiful display of water and fire. Really, there are so many things to do in Branson, we can be as busy as we want to be, or not!

Our Dreams of a Log Cabin in the Woods

January 5, 2009 on 9:13 pm | In Family, travel | 1 Comment

My husband and I have always dreamed of having our very own log cabin in the woods. It would be someplace that is easy enough to get too and yet completely private. The location would include a beautiful river where the fishing is good and the treasure hunting (as my daughter has always call scavenging) would be plentiful. In fact, the Skagit Valley of Washington State where my parents used to own property would be perfect, although, a little far from Dallas!

Seriously though, we’ve always thought it would be awesome to have our own little place in the woods. I was recently looking around online at log cabins and discovered The Timberworks Garden Company, located in the UK, that has a great selection of log cabins. Not only will they ship your choice of cabin to anywhere on the mainland UK, but, if you so choose, they’ll even set it up for you.

Think about all the variety of uses for a log cabin. Yes, it can be the dream getaway place in the woods, but it could also be your workshop located on your back lot. Or, maybe you’ve been wishing for a place for all the exercise equipment you got for Christmas? How about a cute cabin in your back yard? I could use one in our back yard to have my very own private sewing area. I would absolutely love that!

For now, I’m just going to keep dreaming of my log cabin in the woods, or, my new sewing room which is sounding better and better the more I say it!

Santa Vacations in Branson

December 23, 2008 on 7:22 pm | In travel | Comments Off

Due to budget cuts and the fact that my daughter is getting older and her Santa list is shorter, this holiday season has not been quite as hectic as it has been in the past. Nevertheless, bad weather, last minute house guests and all the normal hubbub of holiday activity leaves me thinking that Santa is going to need a vacation beginning in a few days.I’m highly recommending that Santa, along with everyone else, take advantage of the current winter savings being offered by Hilton at several of their Branson, Missouri locations.  I’ve personally only been to Kansas City to visit, but I’ve really been wanting to go to Branson for a long time and this may be just the time to go.  The Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is actually connected to the Branson Convention Center and is right in center of historic downtown Branson. They’re also just minutes from all of the entertainment that Branson is known for as well as shopping venues.

Now, if you’re like me and want to be in the middle of all the shopping, then I have to recommend the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. This hotel is literally in the middle of the new Branson Landing shopping and entertainment district and has rooms with spectacular views of Lake Taneycomo and downtown Branson. Again, if you’re like me, you may not be able to escape by yourself, but taking the family is what Branson is all about and both of these hotels have great rooms, some with kitchenettes, making staying with children a breeze.

I have to tell you too, if you’ve never stayed at a Hilton, you’ll be very pleased with their beds. The rooms have the “The Serenity” mattresses and they are certainly what the name implies, serene! The only thing that could possibly get me out of those beds is the wonderful shopping and entertainment available in Branson. This is definitely a fun place to rejuvenate and possibly even spend New Year’s Eve and a great time to save money by taking advantage of Hilton’s Winter Escape Package.

Lowering Water Levels in Lake Mead

December 19, 2008 on 10:21 pm | In travel | Comments Off

Lake Mead is certainly showing the signs of water depletion. The white bands around the perimeter of the lake show where the water level used to be. Lake Mead, located just outside of Las Vegas, is the largest man made lake in the United States and it is suffering from drought. Perhaps the snow in Nevada this week will help, but it will take much more than that to bring the lake levels back to a normal state.

Vacation Rentals In Gotham or Maine

December 18, 2008 on 9:48 am | In travel | Comments Off

I love to travel and the internet has certainly made doing that so much easier. There is really hardly a day that goes by that I’m not checking airfare or hotels or bed & breakfasts for good deals. I don’t get to go as often as I would like, but I check anyway, just in case there is something that is too good to pass up!

I recently discovered Rentalo.com which is a website that can help find vacation rentals around the world. I used their site to look up rentals in Paducah, KY which is where we’re going in April for a huge quilt show and I got quite a few results from their search that included a cute cottage and a number of different hotels. The results include photos, hotel names and detailed descriptions and allows you to compare your results to narrow down your search.

I can use this site for anything from rentals in Paducah to Maine vacation rentals to rentals across Europe or any other continent I choose to travel to. It’s definitely a travel tool that I’ve bookmarked and will use regularly, you should too!

Fly to New Zealand For FREE!

December 2, 2008 on 5:07 pm | In travel | Comments Off

Wouldn’t it be amazing to travel to New Zealand?  It would be even more fabulous to win a free trip to New Zealand, from Los Angeles, was absolutely free!  This would be a dream come true for me and my family.

New Zealand, a country roughly the size of the state of Colorado, is an ideal vacation destination. The warmest months are typically December, January and February which makes New Zealand the perfect place to spend the holidays. From the history and culture to exploring all of the lakes and islands, there is so much to do and see in New Zealand, I’m afraid that once I get there, I may never want to leave. Did you know there are 25 marine reserves and 14 naitional parks in New Zealand? That’s more than enough to keep me busy for quite some time.

Right now, you can win a free trip to New Zealand from Air New Zealand and Larry the Travel Guy. In fact, they are giving away TWO free rountrip tickets from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand and Larry, a full time travel blogger, will feature your trip (if you’re the winner) on his website.  That Larry has got one awesome gig!  Check out his site to see photos and videos of New Zealand.

If you’re ready to check out the amazing scenic views, walk and hike the trails and swim the beautiful beaches, get your entry in now, entries must be received by December 31, 2008.   I’m submitting my entry, what are you waiting for?

Frequent Flyer Miles

November 10, 2008 on 9:04 pm | In travel | 3 Comments

I’m getting such a headache from attempting to book travel on American Airlines using frequent flyer miles.  To begin with, we attempted to book our tickets several months in advance for a trip to California to visit my step-daughter and her family.  Unfortunately, by the time we were able to work out specific dates, there were no flights available for frequent flyer travel.  So, we put off our trip thinking we could go in the spring, maybe.

Well, something possessed me to get on line yesterday and check again.  Lo and behold there were flights available, and, they were decent flights and reasonable times.  Problem was, now we are 14,000 miles short of getting 3 tickets using my husband’s miles.  I have 16,000 miles myself, so I could transfer them to his account, but, it will cost $180 (still cheaper than buying an airline ticket), and, it takes 72 hours or more to post to his account.  Who knows if these flights will be available then.

In the end, if I do transfer the points, we will pay the fee of $180 plus $5 tax plus $25 service fee for using points (that’s per ticket).  So, that third ticket would cost me all of our points combined, plus $210 cash.   And, by the time those points post to his account, the flights may no longer be available, again.

So, since we have enough points in my husband’s account for 2 tickets, I looked up the cost of airfare for 1 additional ticket.  We can get 2 tickets using points and buy the 3rd for $299 (tax included).   I’m ready to just book it all!  Be done with it.

These companies call these things “Rewards”, but I’m beginning to think they’re a huge pain in the ass!

Dealing With the Stress of Relocation

October 25, 2008 on 8:50 am | In travel | Comments Off

With the economy the way it is, nobody needs the added stress of moving. Unfortunately, with people needing to downsize their mortgages, job changes requiring relocation and, a multitude of other reasons, moving is something many, many people are having to contend with. Whether it’s moving across town, across the country or even a need to find international shipping for your household goods, it’s important to have someone working with you that understands and can provide you with the resources needed to make a move.

I grew up moving on a regular basis because my dad was in the Air Force. My mom was an expert at packing and unpacking. As an adult, I have relocated to 5 different states, and I can tell you, having someone like relocation.com on your side is a huge help. Relocation professionals can help with finding a new home, new mortgage, new rental, household goods shipping, auto shipping, and everything in between. I’ve done all of the legwork myself and it is always so much nicer to work with a professional and let them do all the legwork. It takes a good deal of the stress off.

Don’t do it alone!

Visit New Zealand Marketing Campaign

October 12, 2008 on 11:00 am | In travel | Comments Off

We have a dream of visiting New Zealand and Australia, who doesn’t?! From the United States though, this is the kind of trip that has to be planned well in advance and a trip of this magnitude would be life changing. There are so many amazing things to do and see on that continent, planning is the key to taking in as much as possible and enjoying every minute of it.

Now, combine the dream with the desire to earn the money to fund the trip and I ran across something very intriguing while checking out www.airnewzealand.com. Air New Zealand has a new marketing campaign in the works and will be holding casting calls in late October. The campaign will take place in Los Angeles, so I’m going to contact my brother-in-law to see if he’ll do it! I bet he’d be happy to, this is exactly the kind of stuff he likes to do.

Air New Zealand will be selecting 30 adults from those that try out at the casting call. The selected individuals will have their heads shaved and tattooed like in the top photo in this post. The people will serve as “cranial billboards” in Los Angeles and promote life changing journeys to New Zealand.