Rest in peace Grandpa Rex

On Saturday my sweet, sweet Grandpa went to heaven.

He was surrounded by his wife and kids when he 

passed which is just about the best way to go.

I'm so incredibly sad that he's gone.

When I left in January to come to England

I knew that I was likely getting my last hug and

saying my last goodbyes to him.

That was one of the hardest moments of my life.

But something in me had hope that maybe he'd be ok

and he'd be around when I got back home in June.

I haven't stopped thinking of that sweet man since

i've landed over here in England.

He's always been on my heart and as the months

passed I really started believing that I'd get my grandpa hug

when I got back to Texas.

I'm sad that I won't get to see him again but

I'm so very thankful that he's no longer in pain.

I know he's already having such a blast up there, 

jumping around and doing all of the things he hasn't

been able to do in such a long time.

My mom skyped me and told me.

I was sitting with Tom and I knew before she

even said anything that he was gone.

The tears came, I talked to my mom for a few minutes

while she was on her way to the hospital.

After hanging up with her I sat and cried

with Tom by my side.

Tom was amazing.

He stayed with me, cuddled me, held my hand,

brushed my hair, put his chilly hands on my boiling hot face.

He cuddled with me and I cried and talked through the emotion with him.

I told him stories about Granny and Grandpa as kids and what

Grandpa did for a living (He was a Firefighter).

We laughed at some silly things and then I cried

when I told him that when you hugged Grandpa and pressed

your ear up to his you always got a ringing from his hearing aid.

It's something that always made me smile

and now i'm devastated that I won't get those hugs anymore.

Grandpa was a tall man, really tall.

In the past few years he's been in a wheelchair.

But before that, when he'd stand up, he was a bit of a giant.

A really friendly giant.

As I said earlier, he was a firefighter.

A hero to all kinds of people and a hero to us.

He was an Elder at our church and he was

the most loving and kind man.

He set an incredible example to everyone around him

which is why it's not only my family in mourning but hundreds

of people who knew him and loved him almost as much as we did.

I'll never forget his hugs or the way he'd hold my hand and give it a kiss.

I'll remember the days we all sat around the table to eat or play rummikub.

I'll remember his prayers for the rest of my life because

he always started and ended them in the same way.

He's watched me grow up into an adult.

He's laughed with me, prayed with and for me,

and been an amazing example for me in everything.

It's not going to be the same without him

but he will live on in us for as long as we live.

While Tom and I sat together last night I remember something

that gave me so much joy and pain at the same time.

A few days ago when Grandpa was leaving the Hospital

my dad recorded a short video of him and sent it to me via Glide.

Glide never tells me when I have a message so I forgot about it until

last night when I went to check and found a video of Grandpa.

He was in bed telling me hi, and I love you and I'm going home.

Home being his house but now he's really gone home.

It made me sob, but also made me so happy.

I got to see him and hear him again and I was so glad I had that moment.

Then today while I was on my way to Church I was reading some of my

book 'Cold Tangerines' I was on a new chapter and as I began reading the chapter

I realized that the chapter was all about her husbands grandfather passing away.

She told her story and gave comforting words for people going through loss.

It was so crazy how in that moment of grief a random chapter out

of a random book pulled me in and gave me comfort.

I like to call that a God thing.

My Grandpa was an amazing man.

I can't wait to tell my kids and grandkids

about the amazing man that they sadly weren't able to meet,

but they will have a complete understanding of the 

wonderful man he was while he was here.

I'm going to miss him so very much.

RIP Grandpa Rex

Travel Tips - Traveling between cities - Planes, trains, buses!!

Word has gotten out that I have a knack for travel

and all of the components within.

This news makes me SO happy!

I love when people send me emails asking

questions about how to do this or that while traveling.

I could probably sit down and talk about the ins and outs

of travel all day long and never get tired of it.

Which is probably why i'm dedicating like 100% of my time at the moment to

writing up a business plan that has travel written all over it.

I love to travel, I love to talk about travel

& I love to help other people travel easier and cheaper.

Cheaper being a BIG bonus to most people.

Casey {a reader of le blog & a really nice lady} 

asked me a question the other day and I thought I'd address it on the blog.

It's a great question and I feel like loads of people have it.

So I thought I'd just blog about it.

Ok, so traveling between countries can be really cheap or really expensive. 

That's a pretty obvious statement...

I've taken my fair share of trains, buses and planes. 

Telling you that one is better than the other would be a lie

because they all have their pro's and cons.

Trains

If you are thinking about trains I would suggest a euro rail pass, 

you can buy them online, they aren't cheap up front but it could save you tons 

if you plan on traveling by train frequently. 

The way a eurorail pass works is kind of tricky.

It looks like a train ticket but it's a pass that will act as multiple tickets.

You have to buy the pass in advance so if you like the idea of buying tickets

at the drop of a hat then forego the pass and just buy tickets as you travel.

The pass covers the cost of train tickets over a certain number of days.

The cost of the pass depends on how many days you plan on traveling by train.

So if you have a well planned out trip where you know

the days you'll need to get from point A to point B then you

would know how many days you'd need to buy for your pass.

Every time you ride the train, whether it's for an hour or for 12 hours

you are using a day off your pass so you have to be careful

not to use up all of your days on just small train rides.

Use the pass for getting from one town/country to another.

Make it worth using a day.

I used a euro rail pass when I studied abroad 

and it saved us some serious cash. 

I would recommend the Euro Rail Pass to anyone

wanting to travel through Europe, just remember it will

feel expensive when you buy it up front but later on when

your train trips are basically free you'll feel better about it.

Planes

If you don't mind dealing with airports then you can go a cheap route 

and use Europe's budget airlines called easy jet and Ryan air. 

Both airlines have scandalously low flight prices, 

for example, we are flying to Italy round trip for £50 per person. 

It's crazy!! 

The only con to these budget airlines are that they

find ways to make you pay more than you thought you'd have to.

I think it's easy jet that charges for picking a seat.

If you choose to forego that step they will assign you a random seat.

They also charge for baggage and have really strict carry on rules.

So keep that in mind as the cost can add up quickly,

but also remember that a train can take 12 hours to get to Rome

while a plane only takes about 3.

Buses

Last but not least are the buses. 

The only bus system I've ever tried has been MegaBus. 

We payed about £20 for a round trip ticket to London from Liverpool. 

I know it can be cheaper than that and also more expensive than that.

It all depends on time of day you travel and where you're going.

It's meant to be a really cheap way of traveling and it's pretty comfortable too. 

Plus If you don't mind the trip taking longer and you like the idea 

of seeing Europe as you drive by (at a slower pace than a train) 

then you might like the bus option.

Honestly you can't go wrong getting to places in Europe...

unless you hitch hike, I wouldn't advise that ;) 

That's all for now.

Feel free to throw any and all questions at me

that have to do with travel or living abroad or any of the above.

e-mail: hopelesswanderings@gmail.com

:)

Three Months & Italia

Today marks three months in Liverpool.

How crazy is that??

It's weird because sometimes i feel like i've been here

for a year and other times it feels like only a day.

But in reality it's been three months.

Three of the best months ever, i might add.

In other news Italy is booked for the end of the month.

We are SO excited for four days under the warm tuscan sun.

Pizza, Gelato, beaches and sightseeing.

We are so ready!!

I've been doing too much shopping lately, in preparation for Italia.

Lets just say i'm glad i'll get a little money back from 

my taxes in the near near future.

I need it!!

This month will be an exciting one.

I can't wait for Italy, but at the same time I can,

because i'm not ready for this journey to come closer to an end.

In other other news...

I've given up sweets, again.

This is like the 1000th time i've done this.

I have a mega mega sweet tooth.

I've decided to cut sweets till we leave for Italy

and I want to weigh myself every time we go to the gym

to see if cutting sweets does anything for my weight.

We shall see.

I need a little motivation towards the no sweets quest

so i'll be posting on here for the next twenty or so days

with statements like this one.

'One day with no sweets'

Go me!!

I'm already having withdrawals ;)

Hope you're all having a great day!

Cold Tangerines - Blog Book Club

Let's start a book club.

I'll throw out the first suggestion

I'm reading a book called "Cold Tangerines" by Shauna Niequist.

Have you ever read a book and felt like

the author has been stalking you for months

and instead of this being their story it's more like your story.

You identify with every word that the author writes

and you begin to feel so thankful that you're

not the only one who has felt a certain way

about sooo many things that happen in life.

That's where i'm currently finding myself.

"Cold Tangerines is a collection of stories that celebrate the extraordinary moments hidden in our everyday lives. It is about God, and about life, and about the thousands of daily ways in which an awareness of God changes and infuses everything."

Shauna's Website

I'm only 20% through this book, say's my kindle app,

but i've already decided that I absolutely adore it.

It's really real and touching and I love it so much

that it might just be a yearly read to remind myself that

i'm not the only one that thinks the way I do.

I'm pretty sure Shauna and I would be great friends.

I think one of the toughest parts of growing up

is finding the real you and being happy with that person.

Over the last 6 or so years, from 18 to almost 24

I've been on a quest to find myself.

A quest to really understand how I feel about

everyday life situations that are constantly

floating all around us like religion, politics, jobs, money, 

family, relationships, people, etc.

Shauna really captures the essence of 

figuring out life and doing it on your terms and God's terms

and along the way something wonderful happens

and it all just falls into place and you're just good.

She's like a word magician and I love her!

Here's a little blurb that I love from

what i've read so far.

I lovveee this book.

I think it's a great read so far

and i'm sure i'll continue to love it

as I continue to read it.

I'll give an overall synopsis of it

once i finish it!! :)

Hope you're all having a great day!

A year and a half with Tom

Ask us how long we've been a couple

and we'll tell you a year and a half.

Ask us how many days we've spent together as a couple

and we'll say 547.5 days.

Ask us how many days we've spent together

in person not via a computer or a phone and we'll say

that we've spent 125 days together without the use of

any type of connection other than hand holding.

Sparks flew so quickly between us

that we trace our relationship back to day one.

It was a simple email, hi's and hello's and how are you's

and questions as to who the other person was.

Nothing really romantic but in an instant a

friendship was born that was unlike any other.

Soon after we realized we'd stumbled upon something

more powerful than either of us had expected we embarked

on an adventure that would take us both to places

we had never been before.

Literal places like Texas for Tom and Liverpool for me,

and more emotional places like being so in love with someone and 

not wanting to be away from them ever.

Tom makes me laugh every single day

whether we're together or apart, he always makes

sure there is a giant smile on my face.

He thinks it's so funny when he makes me laugh

and my laugh turns into high pitched giggles that I can't control.

Then he gives me a big hug and tells me how much he loves my laugh.

He's the sweetest in so many ways.

He can sense if I'm a little sad or homesick

and he does everything he can to make

me feel better, whether it's curl up with

an animated movie or take me out for

some American cuisine.

We high five when we're excited

and we are rarely seen not holding hands.

We are found laughing most of the time

or being sarcastic with each other which

turns into laughter eventually.

We do the fresh prince hand shake between 

Will and Jazz except after we slap hands

and do the 'psshhh' we kiss because we're

allowed to change up legendary handshakes.

We're quirky, awkward and hilarious

and it makes me so happy to have found someone

that let's me be me in so many ways!!

A year and a half with my guy makes

my heart flutter a million flutters ;)

Alright, enough sap for one day ;)

P.S. Go listen to 'Lost in my mind' by The head and the heart.
It's been on repeat all morning :)

Fitness | Birthdays | Italy

Tom and I have been working out for about two months now.

I've lost like 7 pounds which is crazy because

I still eat every meal like it's my last...

It's easy to work out when you've got views like this

to stare at while running for your life on a treadmill.

So it's been really nice to have a place to go workout,

but yesterday we decided to skip the gym and go play tennis instead.

We've never played Tennis together before so

the smack talk was in full force and neither of us 

really knew how good the other one would be.

Turns out Tom is quite good,

he's also all up to date on the rules.

So while he was like "15/40"

I was like "can we just play to 10?"

I had no idea what I was doing but I smack talked

quite a lot so i needed to be on my A-Game even if 

I had no idea what was going on.

Three hours later we were both pretty much dead.

Tom had won 3 sets and I had won 1 set.

I was proud of my 1 set ;)

Turns out we're both pretty good at tennis.

I think it will be something we'll do more often to

switch up the workout routine.

That being said...

I feel like I was hit by a truck this morning.

I asked Tom if we were going to the gym

and he just moaned and limped away ;)

We'll take a little break today!

In other news...

Yesterday was my dads birthday

and today is my moms birthday.

They are the same age and were born

just a few miles from each other.

So cute, right?? :)

So since I wasn't able to be there with them

for their birthday's Tom and I decided to

send them a little video of Tom and I singing happy birthday.

We even ended it with some hip hip hoorays which

was just too amazing in Tom's cute accent ;)

I think it was a hit with the parents :)

In other other news...

Tom got permission to be off work for 5 whole days!!

So ITALY is happening.

I'm currently dreaming of stuffing my face with pizza and gelato.

We are booking the trip today and we couldn't be more excited! :) :)

Hope you're all having a great day!

The Hostel Life

My mom gave me this topic yesterday

because she's got some friends who wanted some info

on whether or not to choose the Hostel Life while traveling.

I remember when I would tell people my plans

for backpacking around after my semester in Paris.

I'd tell them that we'd be staying in Hostel's and

the reaction was always really really bad...

How on earth could I be that crazy??

Do I want to get my stuff stolen

or worse, do I want to be KILLED?? 

I don't think people know enough about these unique places.

A lot of people have bad impressions of hostels because of

what other people have said or even because of Hollywood.

Hostels in Europe are not like the Hostel movies!!

For real people, that's not real!!

That's why most people were horrified when I told them

where we'd be staying, If hostels were really that bad

then they wouldn't be around anymore.

But they are around and to be perfectly honest I think they are great.

They are great for the money if you like to budget.

They are a great place to meet other people and

get involved in some different activities that you may

have otherwise missed out on.

Let me break it down for you.

Hostels are similar to Hotels.

You have a bed and a place for all of your belongings.

Sometimes you have a TV but most times you won't.

There are different types of rooms at most hostels.

Male dorms

Female dorms

Mixed dorms

Private ensuite

Private w/ shared bathroom

Dorms are cheap because you are in a larger room

with bunk beds all around.

I've seen dorms range from 4 beds to 28 beds.

I wouldn't advise the 28 bed ones because

that's way too many people coming in and out.

But for cost sake you can get in a dorm with 4, 6, 8 beds

and it's really not a bad experience at all.

Some people will be scared of sharing space like that

mostly because they are afraid to leave their stuff in a room

with people that they don't know.

That's not an issue, mostly because people aren't staying in hostels

so they can steal your stuff. A lot of the people at hostels are just trying

to save some money on their travels, just like you.

That being said...don't be dumb and leave your stuff out.

Always lock your stuff up no matter what.

Every hostel i've stayed at 

where we stayed in a dorm has had some way of

locking up your stuff.

Most of the time it's a locker.

Some hostels supply them for free and some charge.

It really just depends but that's something you'll want to

check out if you plan on staying in a dorm.

Hostels also have Private rooms.

Most of them do anyways.

You can always go the private room route,

it's a little more expensive but it may be cheaper than

going to a hotel.

Another plus is that all of the rooms will be locked

and you'll either have a key or a card to get inside.

So in a private room situation you know your

stuff is locked in the room just like if you were in a hotel.

Bathrooms would be where I would pay the most attention.

Most of the hostels i've stayed at have had shared bathrooms.

For some people that's a big turn off but it's really not bad at all

as long as you bring some sort of shower shoe to wear.

Some Hostels have bathrooms in the room.

This is mostly for privates but sometimes there's even

a bathroom in some of the smaller dorms.

Traveling in Europe can be relatively cheap if you do it right.

Hostels are the cheap persons best friend.

If you don't have a problem spending money on a place to stay

then you might as well seek the comfort of a hotel.

Sometimes, depending on how many people are in your party,

a private room in a hostel can be just as expensive as a hotel.

Because you pay for the number of people, not just for the room.

I won't lie, hotels can be the better choice.

But there is something really fun about the Hostel life.

I've had hosts at a hostel make me breakfast because

it was a smaller place and the owners really liked to take care of you.

I've gone on tours that I didn't know existed because I stayed in a hostel.

I also got to meet some pretty cool people along the way.

If you're thinking of staying in a Hostel but you aren't sure

just bite the bullet and do it once.

You never know, you may love the simplicity of the hostel life.

Plus you're most likely on the trip of a lifetime, so the place you lay your head

is where you'll be spending the least of your time...right??

So spend less at a hostel and have more money for your trip.

It's as easy as that!!

Here are the two main hostel websites that I use.

http://www.hostelbookers.com/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

I hope this post was helpful.

If you have a question about Hostel's leave a comment

and i'll get back to you! :)