** FARE ALERT ** (Iceland)

Round trip fare DTW ->Reykjavik, Iceland for under $170!

WOW Air, valid Nov/Dec 2018.

Don't think. Just DOO it!

Amazingly Simple Recipe: Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Autumn’s cooler temperatures and rich colors bring to mind the smooth, warm decadence of hearty soups. A quick YouTube search will filter through thousands of ways to make thousands of soups. . Soups like squash soup, with wildly varying flavor-altering ingredients from chicken stock to curry to apple juice to vinegar. 

Not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point within the last week, I became obsessed with finding and making the perfect squash apple soup. I sifted through a few dozen versions on YouTube, but I just couldn't find the right recipe. I was looking for a combination of rich and creamy with a little sweetness and spice. 

So I made my own recipe. It's delicious(!), but this is only my first go-round. If you decide to make a few edits of your own, I won't be mad a ya ;)

• 6 cups chopped butternut squash
• 6 Granny Smith, Michigan or other sweet apples, peeled & chopped
• 1/2 chopped large white or yellow onion
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1/2 cup half and half
• Olive oil

1. Cover bottom of pot with olive oil over high heat. 
2. Add onions and ginger. Stir and cook until onions are translucent. 
3. Add broth, squash, and apples. Bring to a boil. 
4. Simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
5. Turn heat off. 
6. Use blender or bullet to blend contents together. 
7. Return blended soup to simmering pot. 
8. Add cream. 
9. Add any of these if desired: thyme, salt, pepper

Enjoy!

** Fare Alert **

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For example:

12/13 one way Detroit ->Orlando $23

12/16 one way Orlando->Detroit $23

That's less than fifty bucks for a round trip!! 

Book by 11:59pm on 9/19/17. 

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** Fare Alert **

R/T flight from big cities like Detroit, Atlanta and Salt Lake City to Rome, Italy for $409...

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DATES

Availability from November 2017 to February 2018 (excluding Christmas/New Year)

AIRLINES

United & Air Canada (FYI, layover in Toronto...like that's a bad thing?!)

More info:

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Random Rant

So this post started out as a rant on a whole different subject, but I got sidetracked and started a completely new rant, and then deleted and deleted the former rant until all the old rant is gone.

-----


Part of the reason I travel is because learning how other people live is amazing. Even random interactions with people in other environments are amazing.

But also, I'm too confined by the social rules here. I need better examples of good friends. I need companionship from people with the same ethics, with no judgement, and who will earnestly listen when I talk. I need to be around people who enjoy helping others, and laughing out loud. The people I met in the DR just two years ago send me family photos and Skype calls, for God's sake.

I can't express myself freely here because I'm always judged. And I expect the head tilts and dismissive tones when I try now. Even still, I hesitantly attempted to explain my feelings about a recent incident to someone recently. And as expected, she mocked me and gave me the "well, THAT was stupid" response.

So.I no longer make excuses or ask for pardon for my feelings. But it makes me sad that I have such a large social network but no one who'll even get me.

I can be screaming in a crowd of a thousand people and no one will hear me.

But my friends from Brisbane, Australia... both people listened patiently and then explained back to me how I'm feeling. Neither did it as a method of pacification. Both actually finished my sentences.

They get me.

Honor Him

We often forget the grand task our fathers are burdened to bear. They can only show strength - as it's unforgivable for the head of household to appear weak - but be conscious and empathetic when we cry. Lest we not forget that our fathers came home with sore backs and tired feet from working enough to keep us warm and sheltered.

When your mother coddled and protected you, your father nurtured your sense of independence and survival.

When your mother insisted you join teams and clubs, your father worked tirelessly to provide the means for you.

When your mother gave you a seed and helped you cultivate it and watch it grow, your father taught you to take it by its stalk and tear it down and use it to nourish one thousand other things.

Your mother taught you to carry peace in your body to settle the unruly. Your father taught you to put up with bvll$h!t it only once.

He is the gear that shifts you from resolution to determination. You cannot make your own family without carrying the weight and the honor of his name. And you can't look in a mirror and not see him looking back, assessing his work.

Your father granted you shelter.

Conditioned your strength.

Made you fearless.

Except for spiders.

Rooted your stability.

Demanded your integrity.

Made you better.

Honor Him.

- Michelle Russell

** Fare Alert **

R/T flight - Boston --> Dominican Republic for just $294...woohoo!!

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