"Whatchya thinkin' about?"

If I were you, I'd be wondering what you think about when you're biking for hours and hours day after day. I wanted to ask the man who's hiking from end to end, but I thought it might be too personal. We didn't even exchange names. People have asked me what I think about when I'm running, and it's always hard to come up with a list. Instead of mentioning the little odd things that flit through my mind, I end up saying, "not much" or "nothing, really." But when I sat down and really catalogued the things that cross my mind, I guess that couldn't be further from the truth. Here's my top 50:

1. FOOTWEAR

I don't have sensible footwear for a Minnesotan winter. Whenever I go home, I have these little flimsy slipper-flats, and my feet always get cold. I think I'll purchase a couple pairs of Dansko's off ebay. I can get two pairs for about 60 dollars, and then I'll have a black pair for my black outfits and a brown pair for my brown outfits. Red would work too. Red's very versatile.

And now that I'm on the subject, I've always coveted a nice pair of rain boots. I like the ones with fun patterns, and I once saw a pair with cute little penguins. And, If I'm being honest, I've always fantasized about owning a pair of soft mukluks (think UGGS, but so, so much better), and speaking of which, I'll need a sensible pair of winter boots to go traipsing through the snow with.

2. CUTE HUSBAND

It's true. He may be the nerdiest cyclist alive, but even with a do-rag and keen-clad feet, he's still good looking. He's got these fancy prescription sunglasses, and their shiny green reflection make him look like a cross between a fly and a super-serious German mountain climber. When it's warm outside, he breaks out a sleeveless cycling jersey that zips down to his belly button and screams yellow. He calls it his Gunther euro jersey.

When we cycle past fields of sheep, he bleats loudly and convincingly, trying to instigate a domino effect, and sometimes, he's quite successful. He says that he wants us to own sheep because he loves the way they sound. He's a city boy who wants to farm, and although he's never grown a thing in his life, he's desperate to try. He wants me to name the different pieces of farm equipment when we cycle by, but although I lived in the country, I can only supply the names like, "thresher," "grain auger," "plow," and "tractor thingy" indiscriminately.

3. NEXT MEAL

When we're cycling, I'm pretty much always hungry, and meals always have the added bonus of being our next rest stop. What's not to look forward to? Before we arrive in the city or village where we plan to eat, I wonder whether I might like something pre-made from the ready-to-go rack or maybe a loaf of bread with humous or cheese or both. I'll have a piece of fruit, and maybe Joshua and I will share a bag of crisps.

Once we've finished lunch, I immediately start cooking up a plan for dinner. Tortellini? Something with rice? We love those jars of Indian sauces, and most of the grocery stores have these handy little bags of fresh mixed veggies. English berries are in season now, and the isles are stuffed with punnets of super sweet raspberries and strawberries. I love the fresh apricots, and a banana is always cheap and good for energy. I think I'll have a flapjack for dessert.

4. INDIA

I'm a big fan of anticipation, and at this point, my tools of anticipation are an itinerary and a collection of images and stories I've seen and heard through our guide book and the internet. I'm looking forward to spicy, savoury food, brightly colored textiles, and big, bangly jewelry.

I'm so excited to see the Himalaya, and I can't wait to hike the Annapurna Circuit. What's the weather going to be like? What kind of clothing will I need? What will the Teahouses be like?

Joshua and I talk about whether or not we're going to bring our tent, and we wonder if maybe we'll rent a little studio in Dharamsala for a couple of weeks while we listen to the Dali Lama and volunteer. Leh should be fabulous, and I intend to buy a shalwar kameez and beautiful scarves to bring home. What's it all going to smell like? I'm at this stage where we have plans, but really, I have no idea what we'll discover once we arrive.

5. MY BLOG

I'm sure this comes as an enormous surprise to most of you, but I think about my blog - what I've written, what I'll write, and what people have commented - all the time. I love it. I love writing everything down, and I love knowing that someone out there reads it. I've always written e-mails when we've traveled, and although those were probably better written because I belaboured over them - sitting in little internet cafes, fretting about syntax and wit - writing every other day is so much better. I feel like I'm making something I can keep, and I feel so proud of myself for sticking with it. I've always known that I love writing, but I never wrote with any consistency. It's satisfying to know that I still love it - that I love it even more - when I really sit down and commit.

6. NAMES

This is going to sound very girly and perhaps baby-crazed, but what's a blog for unless it's used to embarrass yourself? I've always loved names, and although I've made efforts to elevate this interest to an intellectual level, it's a bit of a stretch.

I love old names: Josephine, Louise, Myrtle, Tallulah, and Emmeline. I like Georgia because I love Ms. O'Keefe, and I like hippy names like Grey, Fiona, Arrow, and Violet. For boys, the old biblical names - Ephraim, Ezekiel, Mordecai - appeal to me, but I also like Oliver, Henry, Luca, Huckleberry, and Liam.

Every once in a while, I'll ask Joshua if he likes one of the names, and so far, the only ones we both like are Grey for a girl and Huckleberry for a boy. Yup, girly, girly, girly.

7. WHAT TO DO WITH MY HAIR

Don't laugh. This is serious business. If you had hair like mine - fine, thin, straight in the middle, curly by the hair line, and oily after just 24 hours - you'd wonder too. If I keep it short, it looses its curl but has more oomph... If I leave it long, it's curly but stringy. I might like to have an edgy style, but I worry that my head is too small and my jaw isn't strong enough for a really close crop. To make matters worse, I don't like too much product, and I can't be bothered to blow dry my hair every day. Should I dye it? Should I cut it? Should I leave it? You can see my predicament.

8. THE MEANING OF LIFE

Just when you were thinking that my days are filled with frivolity and stuff and nonsense...

To be honest, I think Joshua asks himself this question more often than I do, but whenever he does, he likes to double check that our world views mesh. When he whips out the big questions like, "what's the point," and "why are we here," I have to admit, I get a little miffed, but then - realizing that perhaps a bit of reflection is called for - I try to give him a good and honest answer.

Usually, I'm quiet for so long that he thinks that I've forgotten the question or maybe I'm thinking about something else, but truthfully, I just don't know. Really serious answers like, "to love one another," and "to mend that which is broken," don't feel completely genuine either; if they were, why would I spend any time writing or loving art or drinking wine and traveling the world?

In the end, I don't think I'm much good at the serious questions or serious answers. I guess I know what I like and what's important for right now, but if I'm pressed to think bigger and broader, I loose my bearings and I get lost in the landscape.

9. WHETHER OR NOT TO BECOME A VEGETARIAN

At Catherine and Donal's, I made my big vegetarian debut, but I've been dithering about this decision for quite some time now. Joshua raises a good point: animals eat each other. Hyenas eat deer and wolves eat caribou, etc. How can it be unethical to eat animals when even animals eat each other?

At this point, knowing what I know about the amount of resources that go into raising livestock and the practices that are used in industrial meat production, it sort of goes without saying that I won't be eating just any kind of meat. But even when I consider humanely raised and slaughtered local livestock, I still think I might not want anything to do with it. Is it ok to eat pulled pork or bacon if I can't stand the thought of slaughtering a pig? I don't know.

10. OUR FUTURE FARM

We've cooked up all sorts of plans to buy and build a farm, and we have thought of a couple options: 1) we buy land (15 or more acres) and we build an Earth Ship (a semi-sub-terranean home built out of earth-rammed tires) 2) we buy land with a home already on it, and we renovate. Either way, we want a big garden with a huge berry patch. I want to keep bees, can and preserve, and learn how to make goat and sheep's cheese. We want to learn how to shear, card, dye, and spin fibres, and mostly, I just want a home in the country with animals and things that grow. I want snowy winters with roast root vegetables, and I want to eat big old watermelons in the sunny summer. I want to rake leaves in the fall, and I want to live near family.

11. WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WITHOUT GOING CRAZY

I can work very, very hard, and I'm extremely goal-oriented, but I just can't think of many jobs that I would be willing to do 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year. What do you look forward to? When do you have time to do all the things that are really important, like making things and writing and raising kids and being with animals? I suppose the only answer is to find something that I love so much that it doesn't feel like a task or chore, but I can't imagine what that would be.

Sometimes, I just think of a million and one ways to make a little bit of money, and I fantasize that when I add them all together, they would be enough to live. I'm not sure if they are realistic, but they ARE things that I think about: 1) growing an extensive berry patch, and then preserving tons of jam to sell at farmers markets and local food stores, 2) cultivating bees and selling their honey, 3) making good-smelling soaps and lotions and cosmetic thingys to sell, 4) making skeins of different kinds of fibres from the animals that we own, 5) building a bed and breakfast or some kind of retreat for people to come and stay, 6) writing grants, 7) boarding animals, etc, etc, etc.

12. WHETHER OR NOT I WANT TO BE A TEACHER

It might come as a surprise to everyone, but my experiences teaching in New Orleans have made me more than a little bit wary. Sometimes, I think I might just need distance, but other times, the more distance I get, the more I think: why in god's name would I ever, ever, ever want to do that again? Every day, I wake up and I realize that I don't have to do anything that makes me miserable today, and I feel so, so thankful. I don't have to go to fourth block. I don't have corral students into my classroom and pretend like mad that they're all learning. I don't have to be yelled at by behavioral specialists or made to feel like I'm a piece of shit by anyone walking by who sees a student out of their seat or their head down. I don't have to create lessons and watch them fall to pieces every day, and I don't have to be surrounded by hopelessness. I don't have to see my students fail and know I could have done something better, something more, but just not know what it is or how to do it. I don't have to feel guilty every single day that I didn't try hard enough and my students didn't learn, but most of all, I don't have to go into a classroom in a school where students who need everything are given nothing.

When I think about it, and I actually, I try not to, I don't know what was worse: at the time, I hated and dreaded the personal things like being yelled at, cussed at, threatened, and demeaned. And now, it's the guilt that sticks, because really, the most awful part was watching kids who despite everything, I actually really, really loved, fail and flounder and die over and over again. And really, the two of them were always connected. When students or staff treated me poorly, I felt miserable and helpless to defend myself because I knew that I really wasn't helping. It's hard not to believe the bad things people say to you when everything around you is going to shit and nothing you do or don't do makes it any better.

I don't want to absolve myself or make it seem so impossible that no one could possibly hold me accountable for my actions. I do wish that someone could have come in and seen it all fairly. I wish someone could have seen the ridiculous things that were so wrong and so not ok, but also see what was really within my control. Perhaps this isn't very professional, and this really isn't how things work in the grown up world, but I think what I really needed was someone who I really respected and trusted to come in and say, I know you're trying really hard, and I know that you really care. Let's see what you can do to make things better. Some things aren't within your control, and that's not right. That's not how it should be, but here's what you can do. I'm afraid that maybe someone did come in and say these things, and I was just so sorry for myself that I didn't listen.

I don't know how I can go back and teach. I'm afraid that I've learned nothing and I'll cause my students to fail and then I'll be evaluated and they'll tell me that I really am shit and that's why my students are failing. I don't want to do something I'm not good at, and I really don't know if I can be good at teaching. I know that the people who love me want to tell me that I'm good at teaching and that things will be different, but I also know that they want to make me feel better and they don't want me to feel guilty about the last two years.

I guess the next natural question is, why are you even thinking about it then? And there are a couple of answers: 1) it's one of the only jobs I can imagine doing. I can't be in an office, and I'm not qualified to do much else. Even if I went back to school to qualify myself for something else, what would it be? I would do Social Work, but really, I would do it for the same reasons that I would teach. I want to work with people, and I want to do something that matters. 2) I do love being a part of that moment when students begin to think on their own. I love teaching them skills and then watching them create something that they're proud of. 3) It's one of the only jobs I can think of that would also give me enough time to do all the other things I also want to do: keep bees, can, preserve, spin, cook, write, and read.

13. WHERE WE'LL LIVE WHEN WE GET BACK TO MINNESOTA

I'm not sure whether we'll be living at Yvonne and Dave's for a while or if we'll rent our own apartment or if we'll do something crazy like live in trailer or buy an old farm house, but beyond that uncertainty, I'm already decorating. I'm sewing big, droopy curtains the color of ochre, and I'm draping them in front of sheer lace curtains. I'm printing out our best photos, framing them, and painting the rooms using their colors. I'm buying posters of paintings that I love and hanging them all over the walls. I'm cooking in the kitchen, and holding dinner parties for family and friends. I'm cuddling with my husband, my dog, and my cat on the couch, and we're watching a movie. Outside, I'm starting a garden, and we're walking on paths through the snow (not at the same time, of course).

14. MAKING NEW FRIENDS

Lesley says I need to ask the Universe for the kind of friends that I want, so here goes: I want funny, artsy friends who'd rather come over or go walking and skiing than go out to a restaurant or go to a show. I want homey people who live in the same city and want to be more like family than acquaintances. I know I'm asking for a lot, so I'll leave it at that :)

15. SPANISH

This is my BIG GOAL. I want to learn Spanish. I want to be able to have a real conversation. Ideally, I'd like to find a Spanish-speaking someone who speaks about as much English and I speak Spanish. We could it would be nice to exchange skills.
Once I've learned Spanish, I'm going to use it all the time. I'm going to think in Spanish, and I'm going to watch Spanish movies without subtitles. When I have kids, I'm going to teach them Spanish, and when we go on vacation, we're going to go to Spanish speaking places. I'm going to teach ESL again, and when we're done with class, I'm going to speak to my students in Spanish (and English). I want to learn Spanish!

16. BLACKSMITH

I also want to learn how to Blacksmith. I want to be able to make big metal sculptures and put them all over my garden. I like the idea of wearing a big protective hat and holding a blow torch.

17. WRITING A BOOK

I've had a story cooking in my head for years, but I just haven't summoned the gumption to set aside the time and write it. Wouldn't it be awful to really take a stab at what you know you love to do and what you think you might be better at than anything else and then realize that you're rubbish? Yup. It's enough to prevent me from trying so far.

18. TEACHING ADULT ED CLASSES

When we lived in Tacoma, I was a teacher's assistant in an ESL class, and I LOVED IT. I wish I could make enough money doing it, because I'd do it in a heart beat.

19. A TRIP TO TAKE WITH MY SISTER

My sister is probably one of the most beautiful, wonderful women alive, and she wants us to go on a trip together! I think we'll start small: I'll take her to the North Shore or something when we go back to Minnesota, but after that, the sky's really the limit, isn't it?

20. THE CARAVAN I WANT TO BUY SOME DAY

I've always called them trailers, but when I explained to Ruth that I'd like to have a trailer some day, she looked very perplexed. Apparently, here in the UK, they call them CARAVANS.

While I'd love a sleek, silver-bullet airstream trailer, I'd settle for just about anything. I love the vintage trailers, but really, anything under 3,000 dollars would do. I'm going to rehaul the interior, and it's going to be the cutest little trailer you've ever seen. We'll take it to Glacier and Yosemite, and we'll have long, inexpensive vacations wherever we please.

21. THE OUTDOOR GEAR I WISH I HAD

When I walk into REI, I seriously covet everything. I want the big puffy jacket, the fuzzy fleece sweaters, the hard-core mittens, the sensible pants, and the fun work out clothes. I want a new pair of fish-scale skis, and I'd love a new bike and some flattering cycling clothes. A kayak would be fantastic fun, and I'd also love a canoe. I'd buy a fleece liner for my sleeping bag, and a proper camping pillow that had some fluff to it. I might even want an attractive, sporty watch (if they exist). Yup, if I had loads of money to spend on myself, I think I know where I would spend it :)

22. WHY I LOVE MY HUSBAND

As most of you already know, I'm pretty much the luckiest woman alive, and I have the most wonderful husband ever. He keeps my ibuprofen in his front pocket, and he pops them out and hands them to me when my knee starts to get a bit sore. He gives me big hugs in the morning, and when we're biking, he wants to know what I think about almost everything. He tells me I'm beautiful all the time, and he seems to think all my contradictions and quirks are just fine, even grand :) He's good at so many things, but most of all, he wants to grow and change and be better all the time.

23. WHAT I'M GOING TO WEAR WHEN I'M A STUDENT AGAIN

I'm a big fan of tights and lots of layers, but I've yet to perfect the look. I know that there will be lots of scarves, and of course, big bangly earrings, but I need the boots to finish the look. I'm going through thrift store withdrawal.

24. RETIREMENT

Namely, the retirement of my parents. I want them to all live on a great big farm with me :) If they won't do that, then I want a nice little guest house where they can come and stay all the time.

25. KIDLETS

Although I'm sure you'd never be able to tell by this posting, Joshua is actually the one who wants kid's tomorrow. Actually, he wanted them yesterday, but since that's come and gone, he'll settle for tomorrow. And while I might be a bit terrified by little children (what do you TALK about with them?!), raising kids with Joshua sounds like one of the best ideas so far. I want to take those kids on the best adventure ever, and I want to make a really happy home.

26. THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE

I'm in the market for more ridiculous adventures, and I think hiking the Continental Divide might do it for me. It's crazy, it's big, and it would be so very beautiful. When could we do it? Can you do it with kids? What about kids that are half grown? Could we do it when we're old and they're grown?

27. IF WE CAN'T HIKE THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, WHAT OTHER CRAZY THINGS CAN WE DO?

We could hike the Superior Trail. We could bike across the United States. Could we learn how to kayak and do something crazy with that? What about snowshoeing? Skiing? I want to something big.

28. GOAT'S CHEESE

Is it easy to make? How do you milk a goat? Where do you buy the bacteria? How much can you sell it for?

29. ARE SHEEP STUPID?

People say they are, but some of them have such soulful, wise eyes.

30. BEE KEEPING

How much does it cost? Where do you get the bees? How do you get the honey out? What do they do in winter?

31. A FABULOUS GARDEN

I want tons of vegetables and things that grow up lattices. Although I used to think that I would only prefer plants that you can eat, I think I might like some flowers too. I'd love to be able to cut them like Lesley does and put them in little vases all throughout the house.

32. HOW I WILL DECORATE OUR HOME

I've already discussed my grand plans for picture frames and curtains, but I'd also love a kitchen with brightly painted cabinets. I like walls with wainscoting, and lots of blue paint. I might like to create funky tile mosaics and nail up strange architectural details like floating fireplace mantles and broken wooden chairs. I'd like to have shelves for all of my tins and I'd love to collect vintage cookware. Wallpaper is my favorite, and I can't wait to find old flea market furniture to fix and decorate.

33. WINTER SPORTS

I haven't had a snowy winter in over six years, and I'm excited to move back home and live in the cold. I love swishing through the snow in skis and plodding through snow-heavy trees in snowshoes. I love the crunch and how cold air is the freshest air you've ever breathed. I love the wintertime.

34. ADVENTURE RACING/ ORIENTEERING/ SCAVANGER HUNT

Joshua and I have been planning on designing fun adventure races for our family and friends. We love to watch the Amazing Race, and we want to put up different courses in state parks and on our farm. We'll have prizes and good food, and afterwards, we'll have a bonfire.

35. MONEY

I'm a thrifty lady, and I'm always thinking of ways to thrift more and spend less. Before I go to the check out counter, I count up our purchases in my head and make sure that we don't spend more than 15 pounds a day on food. When we plan our campsites, we go for the ones that will be cheaper, and try not to spend more than 30 pounds a day, total. We've done pretty well so far, but I am always looking for corners to cut. Joshua's a bit more moderate, and he keeps me sane. I never want to be so thrifty that I can't be generous with others.

36. PRETTY, PRETTY ENGLAND

First, we cycled through Dartmoor, through misty moors, heather, and cows. Then, we pedaled through Cornwall, appreciating seaside vistas and sweet little homes near the beaches. In the midlands, we relaxed on the flat plains and loved the square hedged plots with sheep and bucolic villages. The Peak District was impossibly striking, with huge rock formations and great sweeping valleys, and in the Lake District, we loved the mountains and dales with sparkling lakes. In the Penines, we sweat through moors and mountains, loving the treeless landscape, and now we're in the valley again, surrounded by green things.

37. WHETHER OR NOT WE'LL MAKE IT TO JOHN O'GROATS

I'm not going to lie; at first, I had serious, serious doubts. After the first week of pedaling through Cornwall and Devon, I thought the hills and rain might kill me. Once it stopped raining every day and the land leveled out, I became concerned with my knee. It ached so badly that by the time we arrived in Bath I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to continue. Ever so slowly, the knee's been on the mend, and in the Peak District, I began to think for the very first time that we actually might make it. The Ibuprofen seemed to work wonders, and we were able to do some very impressive hills.

I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, because I know that Scotland will be a beast, but I think it just might be possible :)

38. HOW THE ARCHITECTURE CHANGES IN EACH TOWN

It's true; it started with grey stone, turned to a cheddar-colored brick, moved to semi-timber and thatch, then went back to stone. Near Liverpool, the homes were a red brick, and then in the Lake District, they became grey and stony again. I think it's fascinating that people use what's available to them, and their homes reflect the resources surrounding them.

39. WHETHER OR NOT I'LL EVER GET TO BE A WRITER

I'm writing now, and that's a start, but I'd love to be a real writer. I know most people never do, but I'd love to make money by writing. That would be the best job in the whole world.

40. WHO I AM

This is probably one of the most upsetting questions that I ask myself, because I can never supply a satisfying answer. It's true that sometimes I'm very nice to myself, and I have a hard time figuring out what is being honest and what is being paranoid and mean. I find myself wishing that I had a tidy personality that I could identify and deal with efficiently. I wish I knew all of my strengths and all of my faults and I could play to the former and squelch the latter.

Joshua loves the TV show Dexter, and while some episodes make me cringe, I've liked others. In particular, there's this line where Dexter's sister Deb says, "you just decide who you want to be and you go after it. There's no point in worrying about what you've done wrong." (Or something like that.) I love that attitude, because I find it so much easier to identify what I'd like to be than who I really am. I'd like to be a creator, a friend, a confidant, and a cook. I'd like to be someone people want to be around because they feel valued and safe when they're with me. I want to live a life that's interesting and full and a little bit crazy. I want to be like Joshua; I want to always grow and be better.

41. NEW ORLEANS

Most of the time, I try not to think about New Orleans. She makes me upset, and I can't help but feel like I failed for two long years. But sometimes, I think about how much I loved those creole cottages and pulled pork sandwiches. I loved the smell of jasmine at night, and I liked living close to Sarah and making friends with my new sister in law. Our house was beautiful, and our landlords were so nice to us. It wasn't all bad.

42. GUATEMALA AND BOLIVIA

I want to go there! I want to volunteer in an orphanage, and I want to speak Spanish. I want to fly down a zipline in the rainforest, and I want to see the hotel made of salt.

43. WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER WE'RE DONE WITH OUR TRIP

Will I get a job right away? Should I substitute? Where will we live? What will Joshua do? Would this be a good time to write my book? Will I start school immediately? Should I intern and learn how to write grants? Can I take arts and crafts classes to learn all the things I've been dreaming about learning?

44. APPLICATION ANXIETY

I should really apply to school. Should I go for my Masters in Art Education at the University of Minnesota, or should I just get another bachelor's in Education from University of Wisconsin River Falls or Stout? Should I try to be certified in something other than art? How can I do that?

45. HOW UNFLATTERING BIKE SHORTS ARE

I don't care how muscular or skinny your legs are. Bike shorts are the most unflattering pieces of apparel. They pinch in all the wrong places, and they leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. Once they come off, you have these stark tan lines, and when you put them back on, the little elastic grippers pull at your sun burn. I feel compelled to tell Joshua that he's only allowed to take pictures of me from the waist up, even though my legs are more toned now than they've ever been. Who made bike shorts? I'm sure it wasn't a woman.

46. HOW TO BE A BETTER DAUGHTER/ NEICE/ SISTER/ WIFE/ FRIEND

I'm so terrible at keeping in contact with people, and I feel horrible about it. The blog helps, but I know that relationships require a little bit more than a blog. I've been trying to send post cards, and when we get home, I've resolved to never miss a birthday ever again. I still hate the phone, but maybe there are ways to get over that? Most importantly, I want all the people I love to know that I love them.

47. THE FIVE YEAR PLAN

Joshua is much more scientific about The Five Year Plan. He has a little note book, and he draws charts and graphs showing me how we'll make money, when we'll build our home, and when we can have kids. I think we're both a little impatient to start living the life we want NOW, but sometimes, we're just a bit too impulsive and spontaneous to stick to The Plan. Either way, it's fun to think about all the things we want to do and all the ways we could make it happen.

48. THE BOOKS I'M READING

Yup, I'm a day dreamer.

49. OTHER TRIPS I'D LIKE TO TAKE

I need to go to North Africa some day. Of course, Guatemala and Bolivia have already been discussed, but it's also a shame that I've never even been to Mexico. In terms of Europe, I'd love to go to Croatia, and I have to see Tuscany, Florence, and Venice. Some day, I'd love to see Scandanavian Fjords, and I'd really like to see the Northern Lights. I've never been too fussed on Asia, but I think I might really like to go to Thailand and maybe even Mongolia.

50. WHAT KINDS OF GIFTS I SHOULD BRING BACK FOR MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Don't be shy; if you know you'd like something, just tell me what it is! I'm going to buy you something anyway, so there's no harm in asking. I'd much rather give you something I know you'll love. If you don't ask, I'll just have to guess, and more often than not, I'll end up getting you something I've already gotten you before or something I'd like to get for myself :)