Category: Bucket List

Travel Bug

I love love love to travel by air, train, car or bus and try to do it as much as possible.   But that’s not always easy for a working girl in a crazy fast-paced world (smile).   However this girl can dream so it is my hope to someday have the opportunity to do the following touristy things in places that I have heard about, watched on TV or read about.

Here they are and not in any particular order:

  • Napa Valley, CA  – Vineyards, sweet Vineyards…Napa Valley Wine tours by trolley and picnic lunches on a scenic terrain come to mind…
Napa Valley Trolley Wine Tour
  • Chicago, IL – I could pinch myself for not visiting Chicago during Oprah’s reign!   I still want to visit if for nothing else then…to window shop along The Magnificent Mile, take a stroll through Grant Park or roller skate along the lakefront…
Grant Park
  • Austin, TX  Here is where I would jump into Barton Springs Pool with its 70-degree year round water temps, watch the fireworks over Lady Bird Lake from a small boat or speed walk the full loop of the Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail.
Lady Bird Lake
  • Seattle, WA – I would visit the Central Public library, head on over to Pike Place Market to check out the original Starbucks.  And then take a ride on the Space Needle to see panoramic views of Puget Sound.
Pike Place Market
  • Denver, CO – Love to visit the Downtown Aquarium, the Denver Zoo and Confluence Park.
The Denver Zoo
  • San Francisco, CA – I would take a drive across the famous Golden Gate bridge, or catch a Cable car, or walk up those steep streets to view beautiful Victorians, what’s not to love!
Golden Gate Bridge
  • New Orleans, LA – Always wanted to visit the “Big Easy.”   I’d check out The French Quarter, the House of Blues, and of course, experience Mardi Gras.
The French Quarter
  • Myrtle Beach, SC – I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Hilton Head, S.C. which was beautiful but pricey.   I hear that Myrtle Beach is much more affordable with good, clean fun so I hope to make it there soon.  Especially for those S.C. beaches and the boardwalk…
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
  • Honolulu, Hawaii – Who in my age group (we grew up watching Hawaii 5-0!) has not wanted to visit Hawaii?!?   Diamond Head Wet  ‘n’ Wild Hawaii, Halona Blowhole, Kuhio Beach Park, the list is endless…
Wet ‘n’ Wild
  • The Outerbanks, NC – I just know I would enjoy the Stand Up Paddle at Cape Hatteras, touring the Bodie Island Lighthouse, and swimming in the Outerbanks.
The Outerbanks

I promise that If/when I do visit these places, I will be sure to blog about it (smile).

 

My top 10 fave blog posts!

Over the past 2 years I have published almost 50 blog posts on The View from Lajeune so I think this is a good time to highlight my top 10 faves.  Here they are:

 

The View (from Lajeune):  The View (from Lajeune)    I chose this blog post because the  entire day was truly magical from beginning to end!

A Place of Desert:  A Place of Desert…(almost) 4 years cancer free  This blog post will always hold a special place in my heart as I truly learned what it is like to survive colon cancer…

My Very First Bug:    My Very First Bug…  This post took me back to a time when I was asserting my independence but too hard-headed to see that the route I chose actually costs me in more ways than one (smile).

Clams on the half shell…:  Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!  This blog post speaks to me as it happens during the 70’s, one of my favorite decades!

Like Moths to the Flame:  Like moths to the flame…   This blog post is special to me because it brought me back 31 years to when I first started my career in media…

CT “Summatime” Eats:  Connecticut “Summatime” Eats!    This blog posts was real popular with TVFL readers who, like me, love Connecticut in the Summertime and the variety of eats!

Divas in the Desert:   Divas in the desert!  My good friend Tony Marinaro, who is a faithful TVFL reader, chose the title to this blog post and I will forever be grateful to him for it :))

My Clean Living Life (Parts I, II and III):    My clean living life…   My Clean Living Life – Part II;   My Clean Living Life, Part III    I imagine that these blog posts are popular with my TVFL readers because they know the struggle to live “clean” is real…

Cave Girl:   Cave Girl    I enjoyed doing the research on this blog post and tremendously benefitted from my ‘R & R’ day.  I was not allowed to take pictures of us inside the cave so this will have to suffice:

Taking Fun Seriously…:   Taking fun seriously…my very first golf lesson   I had fun writing and doing the research for this blog post and still hope to one day have that golf date with my Dad…

 

Thank you for reading The View from Lajeune.  I have plenty of more stories to share…

Cave Girl

I work on 100% commission Monday through Friday in media ad sales in an extremely competitive, super stressful industry so on the weekends I am always looking for new ways to de-stress.   I also like to save a buck or two so Groupon has become a frequent and reliable source.  I recently stumbled upon a “Groupon” for Saltana Cave & Spa in Ridgefield, CT.  One of my gf’s Christine went there last year and told me what a great time she had so I bought 2 for $25.00 each, normally $40 each, and invited my S.O. James.  Initially James resisted because he felt like this date was something I should be going to with one of my gf’s but then he changed his mind and said he would go.  I honestly believe he started thinking about all of those Marvel and DC Comic Book movies I have sat through with him (in 3D no less!) and had a change of heart (smile).

At any rate, I made our reservations via email with Anna, the owner of Saltana Cave & Spa, for Saturday, February 20th at 9am.  We were told to arrive 10 minutes early and either bring or wear white socks.  Those were the only instructions we were given.  So James and I looked up FAQ’s on their website (saltanacave.com) and read that neither food nor drink were allowed, that no picture taking was allowed, that the cave was about 70 degrees Farenheit inside and that it takes about 6 treatments for someone to receive the full benefits of the salt therapy.  Apparently these salt cave treatments may help improve symptoms of Asthma, Allergies, Lung Infections, Sleep Apnea, ADHD, Sinuses, Weakened Immune Systems, Arthritis, and  more.   Breathing in the salt particles in the cave also allow you a sense of peace and serenity which was my number one reason for going.

I’m glad I did.  It took us an hour to drive to Ridgefield, CT and Anna, the owner,  was a gracious host.   The whole experience from beginning to end lasted a little over an hour.  James and I shared our “cave” that morning with a mom and her daughter from Newtown, CT.  We all laid back on ‘zero gravity’ lounge chairs swathed in our blankets and were greeted by a soothing male voice from a recording above.  This voice welcomed us to the “cave” and gave us the history of the Himalayan Salt Caves in Europe and how they were able to simulate the experience for us at Saltana Cave & Spa, one of only two salt caves in the state of Connecticut.  He also went on to talk about all of the benefits of salt therapy and why we should include it in our daily lives.  It was fascinating and I learned a lot.  When he stopped talking, we continued to listen to soothing music designed to relax you to the point of slumber.

saltana cave interiior

fireplace

The session lasted for 45 minutes and I must say I felt completely relaxed and ready to conquer the rest of my day (smile).  The ironic part is that in real life I don’t care for caves at all and find they make me feel claustrophobic but I shall return to Saltana Cave & Spa as this was not only a pleasant experience, but also a unique stress-buster.

Ski Date

I am sooooooo proud of myself because two Winter’s ago I took the plunge and finally learned how to ski.  I was born in a blizzard in Newport Rhode Island on Valentine’s Day, 1962 so my initial thought was:  ‘it’s about time I learned’ (Lol).  Actually I’ve been wanting to ski for quite some time.  Here are some of the reasons why:

1) Being born in the Winter

 2) Being born in a Blizzard

3) Being born in New England

4) Looking for something to do on snowy days besides eat

 5) Having yet another thing to check off on my Bucket List

IMG_1313
Growing up in Groton, CT in the 70’s I especially loved Winter time because there was so much snow back then that inevitably school would get cancelled and me and my 6 brothers and sisters could go outside and play all day.  Yay!

I loved Winter sports as a young girl too.  I was ice skating, sledding and playing ice hockey with the neighborhood kids so skiing was in my future, I just didn’t know it…

My S.O. James has skied multiple times in his life so he was happy to hear that I was finally ready to go on a ski date with him.

Ski Date: We set out on a snowy Winter day in February of 2013, right after my 51st birthday.  I work out regularly at the Edge Fitness Club in Hamden so I wasn’t worried about my physical ability to ski.  I was just a tad bit concerned about learning how to maneuver my way down the slopes without falling and also with how to stop the skis correctly.

We chose Mount Southington in Plantsville, CT because they have 4 beginner slopes for novices like me and because it was such a short drive away for us.

I borrowed my S.O.’s mother’s ski jacket; his extra pair of insulated ski gloves and extra ski goggles; and his sister’s ski pants.  I wore my own ski hat and scarf and dressed in lots of thermal layer undershirts.  Wise choice too as we headed out about 10am in the morning when it was still sunny and relatively warm and did not return ’till much later that afternoon when the weather had turned quite cool.

We checked in, filled out paperwork and paid for a 4 hour Flex Pass.  Then we picked up my rented ski boots (which I needed help strapping on) and my rented ski poles.  James had his own ski equipment.  I felt like a Chunky Monkey with all that gear on, could barely walk but was eager to get started (smile).

Going up the beginner’ slope on the chair lift for the first time was pretty awesome.   I also started to get a few butterflies in my stomach knowing that when we finally reached the top, I would be skiing my way back down.  At the top of the slope I saw a small group of 7-year-old children getting lessons so I felt comforted in the fact knowing that if they could do it, I certainly could!

Anyway, skiing down the first beginner slope (circles) was easier than I thought. I didn’t get fancy or anything, I simply glided down at a pretty good pace and therefore had no trouble stopping once I made it to the bottom of the hill.  We caught the chair lift again and skied down that first slope at least 4 or 5 more times before we moved on to the next level (squares).  By now I was starting to feel more confident and even getting a little cocky on the squares which caused me to wipe out a couple of times!   However, my adrenaline was flowing and I truly felt like I could conquer the world.  It was such an incredible feeling.  And highly addictive.  We went up and down a countless number of times and by now the air was starting to get real cold, the sky was darkening and my cheeks were beginning to feel numb.  It was time to make our way back to the lodge for some hot chocolate and refreshments.  Our ski date had ended but the memories, aaaahhh, those would last forever…

IMG_1312 Ski Mount Southington date

 

 

 

The Yellow Brick Road

So me and my sisters, Dana and Casandra, were texting one lazy Saturday afternoon and came up with this great idea. We were talking about how in the past year I did:

a magazine interview:

(pgs 40-41: http://issuu.com/secondwind/docs/nhm_oct_2014-web2e=4001684/9891267)

a radio interview:

(see parts 1 and 2 of podcasts dated 8/15/15: http://www.943wybc.com/Episodes.aspx?PID=2770)

and a television interview:

(http://networkconnecticut.com/2015/07/colon-cancer-was-no-match-for-lajeune-hollis/)

two of the three interviews centered around my colon cancer experience. Then Dana said, let’s put together a colon cancer fundraiser in my (Lajeune) name and we all agreed it should involve water, a good time and people. We immediately thought: why not a cruise!  Here is where the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ kicked in: Dana is a part-time travel consultant so everything involving the cruise travel plans would come out of her agency – Cruise Planners; Casandra is a part-time Quilt Artist so she could create 2 colon cancer survival quilts to raffle off; and I am a colon cancer survivor with a real wish to help others, so Voila, the Lajeune Hollis Cancer Survivors Cruise was born!  We decided on the month of June in 2016, since June is Cancer Survivor’s Month.  We thought it would be nice if everyone wore white on the last night of the cruise which could represent Survivorship and Life.  And we imagined a Carnival Sunshine Cruise to Canada/New England made the most sense as it’s an affordable, good time that is popular with our target demographic, middle-aged adults.   By the way, the interior cabins start at just $569…

carnival-sunshine-1

We leave out of NYC June 30th – July 4th so there is no airfare involved. We are adding $50 to each cabin, which will go directly to CCCF, who “has been working since 2003 to fund screening programs for the uninsured and provide much-needed funds to young investigators who are committed to finding a cure for colorectal cancer.”  Dana initially contacted the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation (CCCF) and sent them my colon cancer survival story blog.  She suggested that I call them myself and share my story.  I spoke on the phone with their Director of Communications (Cindy) and explained my story. After I finished Cindy confided in me that the timing couldn’t have been better as one of the main priorities at CCCF this year concerned the African-American Community who are dying of Colon Cancer (one of the most preventable cancers!) quicker than any other ethnic group. Cindy explained that this is happening because African-Americans are not going to see their doctors on a regular basis so when they do finally come in, the diagnosis is much worse than it would have been. I agreed to allow her to post my colon cancer survival blog in their CCCF Fall newsletter and she asked to be kept in the loop on our upcoming Colon Cancer Cruise so she could get us additional publicity by including it in their newsletter!  Cindy also mentioned that she would be more than happy to provide us with information on early detection for colon cancer which we could hand out on the cruise.  Stay tuned as me and my sisters are happily skipping down the Yellow Brick Road as we speak!

yellow brick road