Waiting for our lunch river cruise. Photo: Rob Shade Hotel I announced myself at our hotel, Maison Astor Paris, by pratfalling into the vestibule. Why are steps UP into establishments allowed? Luckily, only my dignity was hurt (ok, there were a FEW bruises) and the staff at the hotel were very kind about it. Our room was tiny but we are used to that.

Las Vegas is always a fun and easy weekend if you live in the LA area. Hopefully everyone else won’t have the EV charging drama we did! New York-New York…in Vegas! (Park MGM is off to the right of the frame) Photo: Rob Shade Getting there This past Memorial Day weekend, we drove to Vegas for the first time in Rob’s EV (Ford Mustang Mach-E).

This past year I took up journaling our travels. How is that different from this blog? Well, it’s much more in the moment, allowing me to write thoughts and experiences down long before I put them on here (I know, I take forever with my posts). I consider it “pre-blogging.” It’s been a lot of fun and I often stare at my journal wistfully, wishing the next trip would come sooner!

For Spring Break this year (2025, I'm way behind), we took a long anticipated trip to Paris! Of course, Rob and I had long wanted to see Disneyland Paris, Disney fans/adults that we are. Plus, who doesn’t want to go to Paris? (Stupid people, that’s who!) Enjoying ourselves in front of the Disneyland Paris castle. Photo: Rob Shade Booking…

Well, I didn’t get to write as much this year as I hoped. My mom’s health has been on a downward spiral. So my spoons have been few and far between. We did get to travel a nice (small) amount, though, so there’s that. My 2025 Flighty Passport We started the year with a trip to Kauai, our first visit to that Hawaiian island.

Does this count as a staycation? Well, two nights in two hotels, so technically we were away from home… It’s Gallifrey, there’s always a TARDIS! Photo: Amy Fredericks Gally The Gallifrey One Doctor Who convention happens every February (usually, but not always, on Presidents Day Weekend) at the LAX Marriott. It’s a three day convention; we always go for the first two days, staying the night in between at the hotel.

I finally did it. I got us the American Express Platinum card. The most premium (expensive) credit card I’ve ever gotten! I might need to breathe into a paper bag for a bit… Platinum! Hand model: Keeley Fredericks-Shade. No comments on her manicure allowed! Photo: Amy Fredericks It gets 5x on flights, but that’s the only bonus category for spending. Our…

Our first trip of the new year was to the one major Hawaiian island we hadn’t been to yet: Kauai! Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, we’ve done them all at least once (I actually lived briefly on Maui 25 years ago). Now all that’s really left for us is the smaller (and less accessible) islands of Lanai and Molokai.

It’s the little things that keep me going… (Hidden House Coffee) Photo: Amy Fredericks Life happens and this year we moved my mom into assisted living. It’s been tough. Between dealing with her care and work, it’s hard to find the time to work on blog posts. (Which is something I’d much rather be doing!) We’ve still been traveling, of course.

Yeah, that’s actually my wallet! Can you guess what they all are? Photo: Amy Fredericks I thought I would do a post on my credit card earning strategy…so here it is! It’s nothing fancy or elaborate...I won't even claim I'm doing things the best way... I think my first credit cards (when I was in college) were a Sears store card and a…

Our friend Aliette de Bodard is going through some awful times right now, and we seek to provide her some… Paul Cornell needs your support for Helping Aliette

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We love Phoenix but the real purpose of this trip was to test how well we could do a short road trip in Rob’s Ford Mustang Mach-E. It's our first fully electric vehicle (I drive a hybrid). And the answer is…very well! Driving to and from Phoenix Rob has had the car since Memorial Day (2024) but only driven it locally.

Get the facts about the Los Angeles fires.

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We're still gonna miss Ray Stevenson, though

If you are in the LA area, there are lots of great places to go for quick weekend trips. So I plan on highlighting a lot of them on this blog. One of our favorites is Catalina, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California.

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