Bar none, Mark is my absolute favorite travel companion! When we were dating his mother suggested that we should take a day trip to see if we liked being together in a car for an extended time. We loved it!! We headed up the coast to Carmel and enjoyed the aquarium, Ghirardelli Square, beaches, etc. We drove up Hwy 101 where I recall sharing some of my “new wave” music with him. I know he had to come to grips with that – but we shared music and food and time and had an absolutely great day. We drove home down the coast on stunning Highway 1. I sat in shotgun and handed him slices of pizza that we probably bought in Cambria. I thought how it nice it would be to drive everywhere with him for the rest of our lives. Maybe someday there would be children in the backseat and I would happily share that pizza with everyone. (Or peanut butter sandwiches.)

We didn’t drive everywhere – but over the years we drove a lot of places! I mentioned in Mark’s obituary that his retirement goal was to drive across the nation and eat the best pie. We wanted to drive, eat everything good and see whatever we could see.

Mark and I loved to go on walks together! Our best travel destinations were off the beaten path and our favorite travel activity (after finding some tasty local food) was to walk. We figured that no one could ever stand to travel with us because we were so simple in our tastes. He used to say that we marched to the beat of our own drum and it is true. Maybe we walked to our own beat… We were quite a pair!

When Mark passed I was devastated at many levels. Traveling without him was near the top of the list and I consoled myself by realizing that I had done some great traveling in my life and would just have to stay put from now on. Two weeks later I greeted my friend Stacey at Mark’s viewing. She mentioned an upcoming business trip to Europe. Two weeks after that we went to lunch and she invited me to join her. I didn’t hesitate and not just because it sounded like fun. I almost felt that Mark was somehow behind all of this… like he wants me to know that I can keep on living.

For about a month I had a hard time getting too excited. I very much wanted the adventure but I very much dreaded the travel experience without my sweetheart. In my last post I mentioned that my grief had turned a corner. Around that corner I found myself able to anticipate the travel without any worries or sorrows. It has been amazing.

Here is a very short video Kimberly put together for me from the last vacation Mark and I enjoyed together. Within a month of our return he noticed a small lump in his right leg that seemed to grow everyday… and you know the rest of the story.

This morning I woke up and thought to myself, “Tomorrow I fly to Europe!”

Sorrowful emotions swept through me for a quick cry and then I was able to shake it off – I hope I can continue to be positive or Stacey will never invite me again! Actually if I cry we will probably just cry together. In the meantime – I do leave tomorrow and I plan to keep my family updated on my whereabouts – I hope to have a lot to share!

Buon Viaggio!