A Beach in June….

 

On our return from Spain this year, we swung out to the coast of France partly to avoid the mountains during the winter storms but mostly to visit Normandy.  We walked the beach that first day overwhelmed by the size of the mission our troops faced that day. We spent a few hours in the rain reading some of the names of those that had fallen, I opted out of going to the gravesites and in hindsight I regret it.  Woodman was so moved by the sea of white crosses that he requested we return the following day so he could run the beach.

 

A short tribute after a long run….

 

http://combinedops.com/Poetry.htm

 

Swing those hips like grandma’s porch swing!

I’m back in the states and back on Mo!  It’s taken a little time to get back in the saddle literally and figuratively.  When I arrived I found I had to earn Mo’s respect back so we started with hours of ground work.  Now that we’re back in the arena, I have to retrain my body to move in rhythm with his….again. This requires me to relax and let my hips swing with his…you’d think this would be easy but recently I noticed that even when I walk my hips are tight, so I decided to practice relaxing during my morning walks.  When I let my hips swing during my morning walk, I found I had less back and knee pain!

 

Take some Advice from A Dumb Blonde, try walking with loose hips, you’ll feel the difference all over!

50k Sign on bonus…..

This morning The Points Guy talked about Dad’s taking vacations alone with their kids, can’t say I’m on the same page as he on this one.  I’ve spent years traveling with our 2 now grown children and I can say I had tons of fun with them but it was always wayyyyy more fun when we would met up with Woody! Look, kids go to bed early, it’s nice to tuck them in and then enjoy a glass of wine on the veranda partner.  

 

Woody and I were always awake before both kids so we would quietly make a cup of coffee and sit in the bathroom of whatever hotel we were in and plan our day/life…not the most comfortable nook to chat in but good memories.

 

I’m not saying don’t do it but rather look at a trip that focuses on the children but still allows ALL of you to share the moments and the memories….then enjoy some quiet time with your partner when the kids are down for the night.

 

Points Guy did have a credit card worth mentioning, the Capital One Venture Card is allowing you to transfer points to ANY AIRLINE.  Interest rates are a little high but you earn 2 points for every dollar and 10 points for every Hotel.com stay. Here are the terms:

 

Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, every day – plus 10X miles on thousands of hotels through January 2020

Learn more at Hotels.com/Venture

Redeem miles for any airline, any hotel, rental cars, and more.

TRAVEL CREDITReceive up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓® fee

ANNUAL FEE$0 intro for the first year, $95 after that

PURCHASE APR17.99% – 25.24% variable APR

TRANSFER INFO17.99% – 25.24% variable APR; No Transfer Fee

 

Take some Advice from A Dumb Blonde, don’t pay for your life expenses on a debit card, ABE….“always be earning”, earning points to travel!

HANG ON THERE’S MORE!  35% PREMIUM ECONOMY ON UNITED FOR JUNE….Point’s Guy on it again:

Deal Alert: United Offering 35% off Economy Plus in June

 

Woke to some good travel news this morning!

Points guy alerted us to bogo (buy one get one) deals for Mother’s Day on Amtrak!  Check out some their fares at:

 

https://thepointsguy.com/deals/amtrak-launches-2-for-1-mothers-day-sale-on-routes-nationwide/?utm_term=Editorial&utm_campaign=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_content=56D599A4-7283-11E9-B110-11F2984234C2&utm_source=FACEBOOK&fbclid=IwAR3pp4Hito0J7uPcmr3lAgwWeKa7vt6LGbzDKy_8Da43eHae0Yw536nCIgM

Or go straight to Amtrak.com and book now May 9 through May 13 for travel June 1 to Sep 30th.

 

Anyone wanting to visit us in Germany, now’s your chance!  Points Guy is on it again with alerts to Europe on Delta using points.

 

https://thepointsguy.com/deals/flights-to-europe-from-34000-miles-round-trip/?utm_medium=social&utm_content=F0C05644-7279-11E9-B243-EEE839982C1E&utm_term=Editorial&utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_campaign=FACEBOOK&fbclid=IwAR11Ou9g5uEP6qa2fYC7SdYRPPWOy34-fC7fJN1Y6UznbKOBdgJqEZW95eg

 

Happy travels!

Cheese board obsession….

Remember those commercials that stated “a family that eats together stays together”?  Well I gave birth to a couple of “dine and dashers”, picky eaters and all together “too busy with life” to sit in one spot too long (typical I’m sure). I was tired of the never ending parent vs teenager “you need to eat healthier” fight and wanted to find away to keep them at the table long enough to have a civil conversation.  Look, I’m all for disciplining and enforcing when needed (for those that will say “just make them sit there”) but I tried to practice “clever parenting” in order to keep relationships in tact and my nightly wine to a minimum.

 

My solution, a cheese board.  Sounds simple right? While it didn’t always engage them as long as I wanted it did make our meals more fun and I was able to get more than just a hand full of fishies in their bellies.  Even though both kids are grown and rarely home for dinner I serve up a cheese board most every night. Recently I started taking my “cheese board skills” to the next level with upgraded cheeses like the latest truffle cheese (the small white round one in the picture below) and authentic Iberico ham (discovered how good it was on our trip to Spain, it’s just better!).

 

Take some Advice from a Dumb Blonde, add a cheese board to your next dinner and enjoy the extra time with family at the table!

Best cheese ever!                                           Cheese board of the day!

 

United MileagePlus updates are a real minus….

If you’re a member of United Airline’s Mileage Plus program, you’ve probably received an email from United announcing the upcoming changes.  Like most things in my life, I need someone to interpret the “fine print”.  The Points Guy came out with an article today that does just that and the news isn’t good.  Looks like international award flights will increase by 30% or more when traveling on United!  He said “For now, at least, United’s partner award chart for Star Alliance flights will remain intact, that means Lufthansa is still an option when traveling across the pond.

If you are a frequent flyer with American, check out the Point Guy’s article below, great information on acquiring Business Class flights to Europe for just over 1000.00!

https://thepointsguy.com/news/iberia-buy-avios-promotion/?utm_term=Editorial&utm_campaign=FACEBOOK&utm_content=E0E2A552-5A22-11E9-A0ED-B286C28169F1&utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3_9vGdlJ6DnDF3X42sdkN-vjs5d8z-cEKDk2Ei_rWV1eB_aMMfgR_ZHoY

 

Take some Advice From A Dumb Blonde, take a trip using your MileagePlus points before the “new program” kicks in (Nov. 15) and then invest in a credit card that allows you earn universal points. Check out Forbes best new “flat rate travel cards” in the link below.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnnyjet/2018/12/01/best-travel-credit-cards-of-2019/#c69d830bebb7

 

Getting your horse on the bit…..

Getting your horse on the bit connects you mentally and physically to your horse.  It gives your horse balance. This requires you to take up the slack in the reins and maintain a firm grip on the reins without pulling too hard on the horse’s mouth.  If you lose your grip, the reins will slide through your fingers and you will become disconnected from the horse. It’s kind of like that with life….

Take some Advice from a Dumb Blonde, allowing too much slack in your life can cause you to become disconnected.  Maintain a firm grip on your reins while moving forward so you stay connected and balanced in life. Like the saying goes,…Hold on loosely, but don’t let go. https://youtu.be/GL733e8-VZs

 

 

Travel Sale on…..

This morning the Airfare Watch Dog posted there was a sale on airfares.  I checked it out, as far as I can tell there are flights on sale from Frankfurt to the US but I didn’t see any from the US to EU but be sure to check your city to see if you’re eligible for a discounted flight to see us!  There were some deep discounts from Washington DC to LAX and from NYC to New England.   Tray tables up and seatbacks forward….travel on!

https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/

Take some Advice from a Dumb Blonde, if we are the sum of our life experiences…TRAVEL!

Travel clothes?????

Our tickets back home are confirmed and the travel dates are fast approaching. Once again I find myself digging through my closet wondering what to wear on the plane.  It fascinates me to see what people chose to wear when they travel, some chose to go all out with stilettos and short dresses while others dumb it way down in sweatpants and ponytails.  Guys are no different, some show up in their suits, while others are in clothes that look like they’ve been slept in for a few days before checking in for their flight. I’m equally as fascinated by what people wear to pick up their family/friends, some are dressed to impress while others look like they set an alarm to wake 10 min before arrival.

I’ve spent a lot of hours lurking in airports and after looking at a few magazines (reading makes me sleepy 😉 ) my next favorite activity, assuming I don’t have a drinking buddy with me is “people watching” (is that a sport cause I’m good at it!).

There might have been a time when I’d suffer in an uncomfortable outfit so I looked nice when I made my debut through the gate and into the waiting crowd but those days have long passed! Still, I don’t want to completely give up, there must be something in between uncomfortable and lackadaisical. My latest obsession has been with blazers, I pair them with my dressy spandex pants.  But here’s the problem, I am now over 50 and fear I am trying to dress like I’m 25??

A dear friend recently told me I over think things and I’m beginning to think it’s true! Over thinking or not I’m determined to find travel clothes that make sense.  I decided to google “travel clothes” and while some great looking shirts, skirts and dresses came up I was surprised to see mostly light colored clothes?? Have these designers actually traveled?  If they did then clearly these designers never miss when trying to shovel a fork full of noodles in their mouth in a partially reclined airline seat, while staring at the tv screen in front of them (not that looking at my food would help me). Not to mention timing the wave of turbulence that seems to hit every time I take a drink of red wine!

I’ve spent no less than 4 hours staring at the only shopping place I have at the moment (still recovering from surgery)…AMAZON.DE.  You all know I slink my way through many goodwill stores in the states just to find crazy outfits that match my “throwback 70’s look” but trust me…I’m picky.  I hate cheap colors and cheap fabric is even worse. I need something that wont wrinkle when I sleep my way to my next destination (putting me in motion always makes me sleep). I need my outfit to hide the food that I drop, the drink that I spill and God forbid the sweat marks I get when overheated from the run to my connecting flight.  

I don’t follow any designers but I really like some of PattyBoutik shirts/dresses.  I made the mistake of ordering CE PattyBoutik here in Germany and the quality isn’t the same! I’ve got a few options for shirts (I’m not giving up my dressy spandex pants!) but my search this morning was for the right shoes.  I’m sick of wearing sketchers, every “older lady” out there is in a pair of sketchers these days. I ran across a designer that makes shoes and pocketbooks named Laura Vita, she has some serious 70’s looking shoes that caught my eye but not sure how comfortable they are.

The hunt for a good pair of travel shoes continues….better brew another pot of coffee!

 Below is the link to PattyBoutik:

http://www.pattyboutik.com/

Expert Flyer information….

Ok, I’ve got to be completely upfront with you….I  tried Expert Flyer free for 7 days and after spending a few minutes looking for possible upgrades I left their site and didn’t go back.  You know I am a self diagnosed dyslexic and if you are even a little bit overwhelmed by information overload then you’ll probably be turned off by this travel site.  That is unless you read today’s article by the Points Guy. He takes it step by step showing you how to check for upgrade availability and how to set up a notification when seats become available in the market you’re searching.  I may actually buy a subscription now!

 

https://thepointsguy.com/guide/beginners-guide-awards-expert-flyer/?utm_campaign=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Editorial&utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_content=171DBAE8-4B38-11E9-AB21-A804933C408C&fbclid=IwAR3HDeK3USn3pph6hO418t2nvUhzYSUWMVxzmxed0x-PV9HD06US28U5pLU