Gettin’ Carried Away

When I started my travel blog, I dedicated it to several people… mainly, my mother. Exactly one year later, here I am, celebrating her birthday (again) and the one-year anniversary of Gettin’ Carried Away.

I’ve already listed all the blessings I have received because of my travel blog, so I don’t want to do that again. What I need to do is express my love and gratitude to my blog’s number one fan: my mom. Even though I’ve written about her several times, I don’t think I could ever fully convey just how special Alice Williams is.

~* Mom, A 70s vixen in Hawaii *~

She’s the kind of mom who…

• … will run out to Walgreens to get travel-sized toiletries after we’ve teared the house apart looking for the ones she picked up (on a whim) a few weeks beforehand.
• … will take a scribbled travel checklist I wrote by hand and turn it into a more organized, typed Excel spreadsheet so that I don’t leave a single Tylenol, cough drop or Q-tip at home.
• … will comment on my blog posts as “Alice.” Not “mommy.”
• … will get excited about every travel writing gig I pick up, even if it pays peanuts.
• … will make a huge, home-cooked meal the day I return from a trip, even if I’ve only been gone less than a two days.
• … will quote me, from an article I wrote four years ago for the college newspaper.
• … will remember every single place I’ve visited and ever person I’ve met along the way.

I could go on and on telling you all the wonderful things my mom as done, continues to do and will always do. And you know what she’d say? “It’s all part of being a mom.” Because Alice Williams is the most selfless person I know (and I admire her greatly), I am GIVING gifts on the the day of my blog’s birthday!

First, EVERYONE that entered the FREE HOTEL STAY contest will receive a one-of-a-kind, custom-made luggage tag, created by yours truly. All 21 entries will be getting an email with a few questions so that the luggage tag will be personalized to perfection. Finally, the winner of two free weekend nights at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago is…

Andrew, The Brooklyn Nomad!

Thank you to everyone that entered the contest, to all my RSS subscribers, to everyone that stops by even for a few minutes and, most importantly, to my mom. Happy travels!