2015 was an awesome year for me.  I got to tour Europe for 3 months with one of my best friends, moved into a new and exciting role at work and I got to spend a great Christmas with my family!

My mom was thrilled for me when I told her early last year that I was planning my trip with Emma.  Though she’s always been incredibly supportive of my desire to travel, she’s never really traveled herself.  Sure, she takes the odd trip for a weekend at a casino, or to family weddings, but never any big trips.

Last year, before I left on my trip, I had asked her if she were ever to travel where would she like to go.  Her answer was immediate, ‘a cruise’.

Now, after a bit of planning and a few machinations behind the scenes,  I’m making it happen.  My mom Lorraine, who turned 74 in October, is joining me in April on her first Caribbean cruise.   I’m beyond excited that I get to take her on this trip and share this adventure with her.

I want this cruise to be amazing.  I’ve booked us on a 7-day Celebrity cruise, veranda suite, a few nice upgrades, and some great food related shore excursions.  She’s going to love it.

We’ll be hopping an early flight to Fort Lauderdale the day before our cruise and stay in a nice hotel near an outlet mall that she wants to check out before we set sail.

I know that some people may not see a cruise as terribly exciting, but for my mom Lorraine, this trip is everything!  She cannot wait, she talks about it non-stop.  It thrills me to see her so excited about this.  I’m hoping she’ll love it so much that we’ll book another trip over the summer and possibly next spring and perhaps turn this into a new mother-daughter tradition.

I’m also looking forward to spending a week with this wonderful woman, having long conversations at night on our veranda, sharing a glass of wine or two, enjoying some great meals and just connecting with someone that I don’t really have an opportunity to spend a lot of time with.

I have several friends who’ve all done mother-daughter trips and they’ve all enjoyed the extra time with their moms.

To be honest, I’m probably looking forward to this more than she is.