The Christmas decorations have been put away for another year and it is time to think about going somewhere warm. Not that I will be able to go but someone might! I’m thinking positive thoughts that some of you get to leave the land of snow and ice.

A few years ago, we experienced a wonderful time while visiting the Bahamas. While staying at a Breezes resort, we traveled to check out the beautiful resort, Atlantis.

Atlantis is amazing. The spirit of a lost civilization is brought to realization through the landscaping, structures and beautiful water features. The beauty of the Caribbean is to be experienced in a way not found anywhere in the world.

Features of Atlantis include the Atlantis Casino. Bringing the outdoors inside is the main idea completed by linking towers and spanning a seven-acre lagoon. The Caribbean’s largest casino features glass sculptures by artist Dale Chihuly.

The vast aquarium at Atlantis offers views of more than 50,000 marine animals from over 200 species. Walk through underwater tunnels surrounded by sharks. Meander through passageways and observe stingrays, moon jellies and piranhas. Soak in beautiful open-air lagoons filled with tropical sea life. Observe daily feedings of some of the world’s most incredible aquatic life.

Atlantis features 21 restaurants and 19 bars and lounges. A thrill for families is found at the water park. It includes a lazy river ride and children’s pools to accommodate the younger child. The Atlantis Theatre shows recent releases on a big screen with freshly popped popcorn. The Atlantis Library is a reader’s dream with over 1,200 volumes, audio book, chairs and internet access.

Eat, relax, exercise and chill at Atlantis.

All travelers including U.S. citizens, to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada must have a passport to enter or re-enter the United States.

Those two wonderful ladies over at Margie and Edna’s Basement have been talking about foods we eat to celebrate the New Year. It sounds like some foods are more lucky than others. I had no idea! Margie and Edna were reminiscing about how their mother used to make a big pot of black-eyed peas. That sounds heavenly. I love black-eyed peas.

My husband always fixes a big pot of corned beef and little red potatoes. The flavor of the meat gives the potatoes an unusual flavor and it is quite yummy. He also adds some cabbage to the pot. It sure does stink up the house and the gas we produce seems to linger in the air for a week or so. I am not sure how lucky that is for us at all!

From an article at The Food Timeline:

Austrians, Swedes, and Germans frequently choose pork or ham for their New Year’s meal. They brought this tradition with them when they settled in different regions of the United States. New Englanders often combine their pork with sauerkraut to guarantee luck and prosperity for the coming year. Germans and Swedes may pick cabbage as a lucky side dish, too. In other places, turkey is the meat of choice. Bolivians and some people in New Orleans follow this custom. But other people claim that eating fowl (such as turkey, goose, or chicken) on New Year’s Day will result in bad luck. The reason? Fowl scratch backward as they search for their food, and who wants to have to “scratch for a living”? Frequently, fish is the lucky food. People in the northwestern part of the United States may eat salmon to get lucky. Some Germans and Poles choose herring, which may be served in a cream sauce or pickled. other Germans eat carp. Sometimes sweets or pastries are eaten for luck. In the colony of New Amsterdam, now New York, the Dutch settlers still enjoy these treats. Germans often eat doughnuts, or pfannkuchen, while the French have traditionally celebrated with pancakes. In some places, a special cake is made with a coin baked inside. Such cakes are traditional in Greece, which celebrates Saint Basil’s Day and New Year’s at the same time. The Saint Basil’s Day cake (vasilopeta) is made of yeast dough and flavored with lemon. The person who gets the slice with the silver or gold coin is considered very lucky! Many of the luck-bringing foods are round or ring-shaped, because this signifies that the old year has been completed. Black-eyed peas are an example of this, and they are part of one of New Year’s most colorful dishes, Hoppin’ John, which is eaten in many southern states. Hoppin’ John is made with black-eyed peas or dried red peas, combined with hog jowls, bacon, or salt pork. Rice, butter, salt, or other vegetables may be added. The children in the family might even hop around the table before the family sits down to eat this lucky dish. In Brazil, lentils are a symbol of prosperity, so lentil soup or lentils with rice is prepared for the first meal of the New Year. Thousands of miles away, the Japanese observe their New Year’s tradition of eating a noodle called toshikoshi soba. (This means “sending out the old year.”) This buckwheat noodle is quite long, and those who can swallow at least one of them without chewing or breaking it are supposed to enjoy good luck and a long life. Finally, Portugal and Spain have an interesting custom. As the clock strikes midnight and the new year begins, people in these countries may follow the custom of eating twelve grapes or raisins to bring them luck for all twelve months of the coming year!

Throughout history, people have eaten certain foods on New Year’s Day, hoping to gain riches, love, or other kinds of good fortune during the rest of the year. So, what do you eat on New Years day?

We saw the movie Australia last night. It was an awesome movie. I had no idea that the terrain was so different there. The red and orange cliffs remind me of New Mexico here in the US.

Australia is the smallest continent and has 21,262 miles of coastline. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 1,240 miles. the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback. Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest inhabited continent.

The mountain shown in my picture, courtesy of Wikipedia, is Cradle Mountain. It is a distinctive mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 meters above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty. The mountain is composed of dolerite columns, similar to many of the other mountains in the area.

Today is the busiest travel day during the Christmas holiday season. Years ago, it was rare for people to live away from their families. Most people married and stayed in their local area to raise a family. Jobs were plentiful as most were family owned businesses such as hardware stores, farms, bakeries, etc. Being together for Christmas meant driving across town to grandma’s house. Things have certainly changed.

With the introduction of big box stores, many small businesses were not able to compete and they didn’t stay in business. Young people looked for different options for their employment. People began investing in college careers in technology fields. After college, many were discovering that to get that sought after job meant being willing to re-locate. This meant that people were moving away. Finding a good paying job often meant and still requires moving.

Finding themselves in a new location left many people lonely. They didn’t have family to help them find a special someone. Luckily, the dating scene was introduced to online services. I am amazed at the amount of people I talk to who met their special someone online! It is a wonderful way to met someone. When you use Zoom On Dating you are able to check out many different dating services. Their website lets you compare pricing and services of each company in order to choose the one that is right for you. You can narrow down the type of dating service you need. They offer dating sites that meet specific needs. Narrow down your search by using niche services that concentrate on things like, religious affiliations, regional preferences, single parents and others.

Zoom On Dating has tips on making your online dating experience safe. As you start this new year, let them guide you in your search for that special someone. Happy holidays and safe travels everyone.

Every year we sit down and I read The Polar Express to my family. My kids are in their twenties but they still enjoy listening to the wonderful story. The classic children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, tells the story of a young boy who doesn’t believe in Santa Clause. A wonderful train trip destined for the north pole changes his thoughts as he experiences an astonishing event.

Now, you can experience the magic of The Polar Express™. The Polar Express comes to life when the train departs the Williams Depot for a journey through the dark and quiet wilderness for a special visit to the “North Pole.” The Polar Express train trip runs from Williams, Arizona to the North Pole. You lucky people who live close enough to take advantage of this experience can call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-843-8724) for more information.

We are at the stage in our lives when, having adult children and no grandchildren yet, we are free to travel during the holidays. I know that there will come a day when we will have grandchildren and will want to spend the holidays visiting their home or having them visit ours. I am not sure what the future holds but I love tradition.

While we are not held to any traditional holiday practices, it is a good time to utilize vacation rentals. This is the time of the year when it is fun to plan a getaway. Our kids can join us at our destination where we can all relax and enjoy some down time. Rentalo.com is a terrific site to utilize when planning a getaway. They offer great travel tips with their travel tip of the day section as well as an expansive travel lodging directory. If we were looking for Orlando vacation rentals, this is where I would begin.

Rentalo.com is an easy website to use to find the property that fits your lodging needs. Simply, use their online form to browse properties to see what is offered. When you visit the website, you will see that you can use their listings to find vacation rentals, hotel and motels, bed and breakfast establishments and inns. You can view different properties to see which have the amount of bedrooms you need and other amenities. It is possible to utilize a tool that allows you to compare properties all over the world. You pick the ones that best fit your needs and inquire about them. When you receive offers, you can decide which property fits your budget and needs and book it.

Rentalo.com is the world’s largest online vacation rental company. With over 120,000 properties, you will be able to enjoy your vacation at a location of your choosing. You only have to read the traveler’s testimonials to get you excited about using Rentalo.com.

One of the most fun places to visit during the winter holiday season is Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. They even have a store called The Christmas Place. The store is open all year round but it is especially fun to visit at Christmas.

The Christmas Place frequently invites the companies and artists that have created unique collections to come to the store in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to meet their collectors and to sign their own creations. Wouldn’t it be fun to meet Jim Shore?

From The Christmas Place website:

Christmas Place? and the shops at Bell Tower Square were founded as a family Business by Hurshel and Marian Biggs in 1986. The Bavarian-style shopping village has since become one of the top ten Christmas and Collectible stores in the United States.

This premier success story all began as a small gift store next to the historic Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Since it?s humble beginning, Christmas Place has grown to a multi-store shopping complex of over 43,000 square feet delighting customers at every turn.

Over the years, the Christmas Place has been honored for their merchandising and decorating achievements. Among the awards they have received is the ?NOEL Retailer of the Year for a Specialty Store.? This annual award recognizes a company that has achieved outstanding growth and performance through excellence in merchandising Christmas products. It also recognizes the significant contributions to the Christmas Decoration Industry.

Christmas Place has won many awards from the City of Pigeon Forge in recognition of their indoor, outdoor and window decorating expertise by entering the seasonal city-sponsored decorating contests.

Because of the incredible year-round beauty of their themed-trees and displays, the Christmas Place has been chosen as the setting for numerous TV specials and magazine features through the years.

Not a paid post.

Mom and I went to scope out a fabric store today and afterward we discovered Grace Theological Seminary at Lake Winona in Indiana. We want to go back when it is warmer. We discovered a wonderful little bakery right on the lake. We each had a cookie and coffee beside a fake fireplace. It was a fun place.

The Grace College Wind Ensemble will be performing holiday music on December 13th for those of you who live nearby. Check out the website to find out more about this evening of fun. The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble, consists of more than 50 musicians. The musicians include Grace College Music majors, non majors, community members, several high school students and professional musicians.

The concert “Sounds of the Season” will be presented Saturday, December 13, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. at Rodeheaver Auditorium on Park Avenue in Winona Lake. The concert is free and open to the public.