Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season and were able to ring in 2011 in style!
It feels good to be home and so wonderful to be blogging again and catching up on all of your blogs too. As I mentioned in my last post, I took the past 3 weeks off to relax and recharge. As some of you know, my hubby is working towards his Masters' Degree at NYU while I focus on my design business here in FL, so I couldn't wait to see him for Christmas and ring in the new year together.
Before he began graduate school, he was working as a motivational speaker and author. Always the world traveler and entrepreneur, he's had a blast combining his love of speaking and helping others with travel for many years, often including speaking on cruise ships which is a great way to see the world at an affordable price.
Last February he was offered an opportunity to speak on a 14-day cruise ship during Christmas and New Year's. So, this December we did something a little different than we usually do during the holidays. It was always a dream of Paul's to spend a Christmas in South America, and never having been there myself, I was excited to explore new countries, so that is what we did!
We took a cruise out of Valparaiso, Chile and visited more of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. It was neat to start off with a warmer climate and move further and further south, closer to Antarctica where the weather was chilly, a coat and gloves were required but the scenery was stunning. We cruised through the Chilean Fjords, Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn, filled with stunning glaciers, snow-capped mountains and we even got to experience what looked like snow flurries on Christmas morning while enjoying breakfast, thanks to the wind blowing the snow off the mountains and in the direction of the ship.
{Our Itinerary aboard the Celebrity Infinity}
We finally got to shed those winter layers and enjoy some sunshine in the stunning city of Punta Del Este, Uruguay (a country I hadn't thought much of visiting to be honest but apparently is a host to many celebrities and of course tourists each year with it's gorgeous beaches, marina and waterfront homes). It turned out to be our favorite port location.
We walked amongst precious Magellanic penguins in Argentina and anticipated the arrival of 2011 with around 3,000 other passengers and staff aboard the ship, dancing into the wee hours of the morning. New friends were made, fun photos and video were captured and new goals for the year were committed to paper, which I'll share in a post later this week.
We ended our trip in Buenos Aires, Argentina where Paul and I spent the last day together taking in the city before we got on a plane and headed in separate directions once again. It was a much needed trip for us to reconnect and relax, and without the stresses of gift giving, shopping and the hustle and bustle that the holiday inevitably brings each year. The best part was he only had to speak for 45 mins and the rest of the time we got to have fun.
So, that is a little glimpse into our holiday, we have so many wonderful memories and I hope you made many of your own with your families and friends this holiday season. I'd love for you to share what YOU were up to. What were your favorite memories of the season? Did you host a party? Maybe you visited somewhere new also?
Warmly,
Karla
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