Reflections of 2007 and 2008...

Many years ago I changed my new year's resolution. Rather than making my same ones I'd made and broken for years, such as losing weight, I came up with a much better idea. I made one simple resolution. It leaves a lot open, but has a definite focus. This morning as I was thinking about the upcoming year and my resolution, I began to reflect that I have actually succeeded in accomplishing it for the last two years! That is quite an accomplishment! It took a while to break out of the routine of life and take chances, but I did. And so once again I think I will stick with my great resolution, the one that has made my life so exciting, and do my best to once again, make it happen! My one simple resolution: MAKE THIS THE BEST YEAR EVER! And everyone who knows me knows I have done exactly that for the last 2 years! So I might as well get ready for one more incredible year because my resolution stays the same!

2007 ended and 2008 began as I returned from an incredible trip to Antarctica where I'd spent almost 3 weeks with my friends, Terry and Peter from England, in Argentina and on an Antarctic cruise. New people came into my life on that trip who have remained important parts of my life. There were Pat and Ernie, Terry's parents; Diana and Alec, also from England who I have seen throughout this year; Kevin, the 'polar bear' man from Churchill, Manitoba (polar bear capital of the world) who was a naturalist on the ship and who helped me with information about polar bear land, and who I saw again in the tundra of Canada; and Nestor and César, the gaucho performers from Argentina, who I hope to see again someday. Nestor and I keep in touch by email, not quite as much fun as communicating in person, but he still makes me laugh and when I miss him, I just watch his performances on youtube!

Spending Christmas Eve and Christmas on the Marco Polo was probably the most memorable holiday of my life! Christmas Eve was formal night on the ship so everyone was dressed up, we were served the best meal of the trip and I went directly on the deck after dinner, in time to watch as we sailed through a pod of humpback whales! When I went inside, long after we were sure there were no more whales to be seen, I spent the evening with Nestor and César, playing our usual game of Charades. They both spoke little English, although César had just returned from performing for months in the US so he had more English knowledge than Nestor, and my Spanish from my college days was rusty and muy mal! Our communication over the 2 weeks had gotten very good and we all learned bits of the other language and laughed a lot! So we spent the evening together and toasted the holiday, in Spanish, with eggnog served by the ship. Spending that holiday in the Antarctic meant seeing the midnight sun once again. I'd seen it on my birthday in July, above the Arctic Circle on my Norwegian cruise and I was ready to see it once again last year, but this time in the southern hemisphere. The weather was clear and when I went outside on the deck, I was alone in the middle of the night's stunning beauty! My pictures of the 'sunset', the sun sitting on the horizon at 11:58PM were beautiful! I took many and then finally went inside to bed. I had to be up at 5:30 the next morning because we were the first group to go ashore on Paradise Island to see the chinstrap penguins. I awoke at 2AM, looked out my window and once again the 'midnight sun' sky was so incredible, I had to get up, get dressed and go outside for more pictures! I could sleep later! (Little did I know that I would be very seasick as we sailed through the Drake Passage later that day and I'd be spending 14 hours flat on my back!) After the photos I took another nap before preparing to return for the last time to 'the ice'.

We were lucky to be the first group to the island on Christmas morning, we were the only group to get to spend the whole time on land, well on the ice. It was very cold and started snowing quite hard while we were there. Then the wind picked up and the ride back to the ship in the zodiac was the roughest we'd had. If it had been my first, I am sure it would have been my last! But it was the 4th trip and by then I had confidence in the zodiac pilot that he would return us safely to the ship. Unfortunately the wind continued to pick up and the next group had to leave the island quickly, which we were all prepared to do if necessary because the zodiacs could not be on the ocean if the winds exceeded 30 knots. The last two groups faced what was probably one of the biggest disappointments of their lives, they were not able to go ashore at all. So they missed the last opportunity to walk with penguins in the wild. We waited for quite a while to see if the weather would improve, it did not, so we headed back to Argentina. Each of us had our heads full of the most incredible experiences and I'm sure others were as emotional as I was at the entire experience.

The year was almost over, and I had seen and done things that I had never dreamed I'd do. Things most people will never do. Things that truly made my life incredible and when I thought about it, I realized that I had finally accomplished my new year's resolution, I HAD made it the best year ever! And so I decided that my goal for 2008 would be the same. As this year comes to an end, I realize that this has been my best year ever! And so, 2009 will be incredible because it will have to be, to be 'my best year ever'!

And to each of you, I wish you the same! Your best year ever!