Happy New Year! It’s two days into 2023 already and I’ve gotta say I’m completely stoked because we have TWO EPIC adventures planned.

Donetta and I have been eagerly awaiting for our opportunity to return to the Netherlands to see our family and friends. It’s been several years now since we visited and we’ve been dying to get back there, but because of the ridiculous Covid vaccination requirements, we were blocked from being in a place we absolutely love. But the bans have been lifted and it’s time to GO!!!

A TransAtlantic Cruise

On March 9, 2023, we will set sail across the Atlantic Ocean on the Symphony of the Seas, a ship we’ve cruised on before thanks to Scentsy.

This 12 day cruise will leave from Miami, Florida and head to Spain with stops in Malaga, Valencia, and finally Barcelona. We spent a day in beautiful Barcelona a few years ago and have wanted to revisit ever since.

While it should be an incredible and memorable journey, I admit I’m scared shitless. The Atlantic can offer up some extremely rough waters and nine days at sea might be more than this guy can handle. But I love my wife and it’s what she really wanted so I’ll be sucking it up (and maybe plenty of adult beverages) and make the best of it. Hopefully with a smile. LOL

OH … and by the way, it’s a one way ticket only.

An open ended plan to backpack across Europe.

Once we disembark from our ship in Barcelona, our plan is to enjoy a few days roaming around Spain before making our way toward Paris, France. We’ll spend some time romantically frolicking the City of Love and then hopefully achieve my bucket list item of visiting the D-Day beaches and Normandy.

From France we will hop the train and head to Maastricht, Netherlands. Holland will be our “basecamp” for the time we spend in Europe. We’ll stay with family and friends, making new awesome memories, while tasting delicious Dutch and Belgian beers.

Our goal is to revisit the places my grandparents and mother lived, and see some WWII battlefields from Market Garden, as well as hang out at the beaches in Scheveningen, and just soak in the culture while I practice my Dutch.

Then the plan is to take short backpacking trips around the region.

Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium are countries we hope to see on this adventure of a lifetime. There is SO MUCH we want to do but unfortunately we also know we have to prioritize according to time and budget.

Overall we expect to stay two months before flying back to Oklahoma and taking another big trip of the year.

Alaska. Our 50th and Final State.

Additionally we are super excited to have booked an Alaskan cruise for September 1st, 2023. This is the only state Donetta and I have yet to experience and we’re finally going to be able to achieve it together. #BucketList

We’ll embark on this journey on the Radiance of the Seas, beginning in Anchorage, Alaska, and ending in Vancouver, British Columbia. This seven day cruise will take us to Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and a few other places.

Our trip will actually begin before this cruise as we fly into Alaska to visit Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and other cities along the way. I mean why not make the trip really count by doing some hiking?

And I hope and pray we will finally be able to see some bears up close and personal, as well experience the magical Northern Lights. Preferably naked of course. LOL!

That's it for now. We hope you have the best year yet.