Passports

Not long ago we needed to renew our passports. I was a little frustrated, needless to say, at the thought of having to pay $15 for each of us to get those little 2x2 photos. In this day, with digital cameras and home photo printers, I thought there had to be a more economical way then throwing $30 out the window. After doing some research on the internet I came across EPassportPhotos and thought I'd give them a try.

All I had to do was to take some face shots of us, upload them to EPassportPhotos, crop them per their instructions, then download them and print them out on our home printer. Of course I was still nervous that after doing all that (for FREE), that the photos would get rejected in our application. But everything went well! We got our new passports in the mail, and everything worked perfectly. So, I thought I'd share our experience with you in case you too were coming up for renewal.

The website can also do the printing for you for $5.99 (for 6 2x2 photos) if you don't have a quality photo printer or 4x6 photo paper. Still cheaper than going to Walgreens or Ritz.

Speaking of Road Trips....

We're trying to plan our own!

We are in the process of working to get back on the road in our RV. We just got six new tires put on the rig in addition to other basic maintenance. I'm still in shock that it was time to replace the tires due to age. Is she really that old? Am I?

This year will be different for us. For one, we're looking at renting out the condo while we travel. So this means cleaning out the cupboards. What a project - use up, give away, throw away, or put in storage? That's my current motto every time I open a closet, drawer, or cabinet.

We are also going to sell our second car - know anyone who'd be interested in a 1994 Toyota Camry?! It's in great shape and only has 69,750 miles. I love this car, but it doesn't make sense to keep it for how little I use it. Being in a downtown environment I walk or ride my bike most places.

The final big change for us with this upcoming trip will be that we hope to be working. As Workampers, that is. We've put together our resume and just got it posted online at Workamper News. We'll be very excited to get an opportunity to work part-time somewhere to help us get back on the road. Wish us luck on finding a position!

That's my quick update. Hopefully everything will come together for us so we can make this happen!

Road Trip

I'm very happy to announce that you can now find our blog posts on Road Trip Journal. This website is a unique grouping of bloggers' stories about their travels. As more and more posts become available on the site, I think it'll be a great resource for travelers to search for things to do. Especially because you can easily search by state.

So if you haven't already found your way to Road Trip Journal, consider wandering over there to see what fun things you can do and places to visit in the state that you're in now...or one you're rolling into soon.

Toga Toga Toga

One of our friends celebrated her 40th Birthday this past weekend by throwing a Toga party.

Now when was the last time you tried to tie a toga? Well, for us it has been a very long time. But it was fun...eventhough we all had to partake in a game of Twister! Now, playing Twister in a toga is something to watch...Happy Birthday Maria! And thanks again for a fun night.

Bringing in the New Year

New Year's Eve had us out walking the streets with friends. We ended the night in an area of Ft Lauderdale called Himmarshee, or 2nd Street. They close down a couple of the blocks and have outdoor bands and bars, and when the weather is perfect this is a great event to crash.

They even hang a "ball of lights" from a crane and it drops at midnight - just like New York. Ok, well without the Waterford crystals. Behind us you can see our "ball" - no, it's not a full moon!
Thanks to the gang for sharing the night with us!

This year we were actually back at our condo by midnight, so we got to see lots of fireworks exploding all along our western horizon. That was a first for us. Usually we're either watching the ball drop, or we're in bed!

Christmas in Philly

Do I need to say more?

We were in Philly during a cold, wet week. We experienced a couple of days of ice and probably saw no more than two hours of sunshine. Besides the fact that it is always great to see family and friends, and especially spend the holidays with them, we were glad to come home to warm, sunny Florida.

The day after our return, we went out for lunch at a cafe on the beach. We were joking that the sun was so bright (after not seeing it for 9 days), that it hurt our eyes. And considering that the beach was packed with bikini-clad girls, it was a true shock to our senses. It felt like we traveled to another country!