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That is the plan for January 2026. I lived there as an exchange student when I was 18, and have kept in contact with my host family and friends, and visited a few times. I love them and Brazil so much, and now DH does too. I am ecstatic that this is a very, very real possibility. I just applied for a Delta Credit card to get the 70,000 points. That won't quite cover the ticket, but it will get me a good part of the way.

Yes, apply for your passports NOW. You never know when a good deal will show up. When AerLingus started flying out of Minneapolis they had incredible deals to Dublin, but wawa, work. :( Delta opened a direct route to Mexico City a few years ago, and we jumped on that: $250 round trip!!! Typically $500-700. Or cruises, if you can be flexible like retired people often can, you can get great fire sale deals, but you're going to need a passport :)

I definitely have an appreciation for art but have very little "real" art in our home. I remember going to a local art fair in my 20's and falling in love with a tree sculpted out of brass. It was a bit over $200 which was A Lot of money for me at the time. I found a way to scrounge up the money and purchased it. It found a place in every apartment and home I ever lived in and now has a home in DS2's apartment. He has great sense of design and has a very eclectic art display! A patient once made me a very cool vase and DS2 will take ownership of that too. I bought a very nice piece of pottery at an art fair in Sarasota last year with the plan to decorate our new FL residence with it. I've decided to make a beach/tropical nook in our bedroom since we are staying in WI. Just ordered shells and starfish to fill the pottery bowl and ordered coral and bigger shells to sit on shelves.

How did I miss that you were spending a month in Brazil? When are you going? Note to self, get that damn passport!

My parents and in laws grew up poor also, but did well! I celebrate anyone's hard work and perseverance to change their economic situation. I had a front row sea****ching the hard work as my parents prospered. I did not prosper in the same way financially for my own reasons, but I am rich in many, many ways and am very satisfied with my life. Probably too much explanation, but I don't want anyone to think that I begrudge them their hard earned success. But it is also true, I do love encouraging people to "buy it". :)

My benefactor Aunt is the one who has has given me many pieces, and she is a true collector. She bought me my first piece of real art when I was 18, and she was visiting me in Brazil. It was a watercolor of a historic building where we had dinner one night. When she really got into the art world, she was working with an art dealer who brought a piece to her attention. My Aunt liked if but wondered if it would go with her decor. The dealer said, you need to decide, are you going to be decorator or a collector? Either is fine, but I need to know. My Aunt ultimately decided to be a collector, and I love her collection so much. Each eclectic piece has some of her energy. She also made decisions to support diverse groups of artists. And I don't know how she does it, but she has these diverse pieces that speak to her displayed throughout her home (also not gallery style), some sculptures and textiles thrown in the mix, and it all works. I love to walk through her home and visit my favorite pieces when I am visiting her.

I must say from the sampling of art I've seen amongst our tribe, there is an abundance of good taste!

I took one class in Art History in college. I'm hoping to take it again when I am retired. The U of M allows senior citizens to audit classes for $10. :)

I love to spend other people's money. I think you should buy even more art, and rotate your collection!

Buying real art has not been a financial possibility for us, BUT, we have some beautiful pieces that have been passed down from family who could. They bring so much pleasure. So you should buy some more and feed the artists and your soul. :)