Dr. Princess: Europe

Welcome back to Freeky Friday! I know I've been inconsistent with this series lately (hopefully you've been following along here instead!), but I couldn't resist chiming back in for the summer's final prompt. Seriously! It's almost fall! Crazy, huh? Anyway, the final topic of 2012 is:

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

In 2011, we got married, bought a house, started new jobs, and moved to the suburbs. It was an incredible year, but it was also an exhausting one. In 2012, we fixed a leaky pipe, and I blogged sometimes. I think I needed a chill year to catch my breath after last year's excitement. But tranquility is not in my nature. I'm best when I'm busy, my mind is most clear when life is chaotic, and I'm most productive when working toward a distant goal. After a year of placid, I'm ready for some plans!

My most exciting plans of 2013 are several years in the making. You see, Dave and I really wanted to do a big Eurotrip for our honeymoon. Then, we fronted most of the bill for our wedding. We decided to save our travel plans for our first anniversary, but then we bought a house. Life, mostly its financial aspects, kept getting in the way. I was reminded of one of my favorite on-screen couples, and their similar roadblocks.

{via currycooqoo | yes, I teared up while browsing through "Up" screencaps}

I refused to let life interrupt our "Paradise Falls plans" any longer. We budgeted carefully, and I'm proud to say that we are officially and definitely going to Germany and Austria in April 2013!

So far, we've booked tickets to the opera in Vienna (obviously), and we've begun to research our route.

{via Google}

Such a tiny portion of such a breathtaking continent! It makes me lust after all of those other fabulous places that we won't have time for. In the other hand, we'll get to see a lot in our short, 11-day trip. We'll get to see things like this: