" all i wanna do is have a little fun before i die- says the man next to me out of nowhere. it's apropos of nothing. but all i wanna do, is have some fun. i got a feeling, i'm not the only one. " All i wanna do, by Sheryl Crow

this seemed like a pretty good title for this blog, especially because Sheryl Crow is a cancer survivor herself. she did not have cancer, though, when she wrote this song. perhaps it means more to her now than it did then? at any rate, i have been feeling like this increasingly, more and more. my husband and i were fortunate enough to take a "big" vacation this year. we ticked something off of his bucket list- to visit alaska. now, i am a very cold natured person, as anyone at work will tell you. it came as a surprise to most people that i would go there( they had me pegged as an Hawaiian person, i think). it was important to him that we visit alaska  while we were still young enough to do stuff. i knew that there would be beautiful scenery, of course, but i really had no idea that i would enjoy it as much as i did.

i prepared for the cold as well  as i could( you know those wacky, thyroid-less people). my husband and i bought heavy, down- filled coats for christmas presents last year. i also bought insulated underwear, insulated tee shirts, hats, gloves,etc. my husband called me "three shirts" while we were up there because every day i wore( in this order): my insulated silk underwear shirt, then a long sleeved tee shirt, and finally an insulated tee shirt( have i ever mentioned how much i love LL bean?) so, i managed to have a great time and still be reasonably warm. we flew into anchorage, and then rented a car and did our own thing. we had a few " booked events"- the all day glacier tour, which seems to be mandatory for all visitors to alaska. along with the all day salmon fishing float trip. it was raining most of the time, or at least cloudy, while we were there. we did manage to join the 30% club when we visited Denali. ( only 30% of all who visit get to see the top of mt McKinley).  we hiked almost every day- the most miles in a day that we did was about ten- thanks to zumba class, i was able to keep up!

we saw a lot of wildlife,too ( of course i see a lot where i work, but they are the two legged kind). thankfully, we did not see any grizzlies close up and personal- we saw them from a distance. we did however get pretty close to some moose(s)? one being right outside the kitchen window of one of the cabins we rented. the last place that we stayed was the most remote. it's claim to fame was that it was near the matanuska glacier which was off of the glennallen highway( on the way to fairbanks). now that was just about as remote as i want to get. it was interesting, though, and we actually got to walk on the glacier. i did not walk out too far because when i was passed up by some people wearing helmets, cleated shoes, and carrying walking sticks that looked like harpoons, i decided that i was almost in over my head so i turned back.

a very good friend of mine has been to alaska several times. i sent him some of my pictures while we were there( when he was at work ) . he said " bea, you are killing me!" the last time i talked to him, he was already planning his next trip there. i understand the attraction of going somewhere wild and free like alaska. i definitely would consider going there again- but before too long. i want to be able to hike and do other physical activities that my husband and i enjoy.

this brings me to the real " meat" of this blog. and that is that we all need to have more fun in our lives. my husband and i work really hard, as do most people. we love our family and put them first of course, but work pretty much calls the shots the rest of our time. i am getting near retirement age and having had a serious illness, i have reevaluated what is most important in my life. i love my job in that i get to help others take care of themselves and perhaps feel better. but, as is the case in every job, things change. there is more paperwork, duties that i do not want to pursue, and frankly i do not want to spend so many hours working! all i want to do, is have a little more  fun. and i do not have to go to alaska (necessarily). i want to take short trips, plant a garden, take hikes, get to zumba class more than once a week, etc. not to be morose, but who of us knows how much sand is in our hourglass? i think people are sort of programmed to put work first, and have fun later. that is just not working for me anymore.

i get to pick out our next big trip. it will either be out west- to see the giant redwoods, or to scotland ( the place where my first relatives called home). i am not sure where i want to go as yet. but, in the mean time, i just want to have more fun- wherever i am  and whatever i might be doing. i want to be able to say, " damn, i sure did have fun!"