Traveling light is definitely a skill. Depending on where we are traveling in the world, if something was not packed, there is a good chance it can be purchased at our final destination. Say, though, you are all cozied up in Botswana’s Chobe National Park with tons of elephants, giraffes, leopards, and many other fine animals, and run out of toothpaste, well, you have to make do without it for a small time being. I never ran out of toothpaste, but I can state with experience

Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny. —C.S. Lewis The tip of the iceberg for travel in 2026 for our household began with a recent trip to Colorado (we flew). Over the years, I’ve come to realize that travel of any kind is my therapy. It’s not lost on me that it’s a privilege to travel. If it helps my psyche to indulge in the culture and rhythm of new cities (hey, even old ones), then it was all worth it. I relax. I push myself to figure

Do you like to read about strong, industrious, soul-seeking women? I do! Have you ever wondered where the women are through time in stoicism, art, literature, medicine, and even education? Yep, you read that right, men led the way in education for centuries. So, where are all the women in history? It’s a question that has lingered in my mind since I was a little girl, reading about so many accomplished men and their works or gifts to mankind. Looking back at the philosophers,

For the last several years, I’ve used the 1996 Broadway Musical Rent song, written by Jonathan Larson: Seasons of Love, as my signature sign-off for the year. The song’s lyrics ask what the proper way is to quantify the value of a year of human life in 525,600 minutes. Here is the equation: 365 days × 24 hours per day × 60 minutes per hour = 525,600 minutes in a year. Plus, over the last two weeks, I’ve been pondering how to end my blog on the last day of the year, capturing

Ohio in October: Six Days, Countless Blessings My mind is overflowing with gratitude for six days on the road last week, where I’ve had the chance to visit many wonderful people — a college roommate on Kelleys Island, Cross-Country teammates in Bowling Green (including two Olympic Gold Medalists!) for a Hall of Fame Event, and family and friends in Cleveland with catch ups and dinners out. It was a great solo trip to the Midwest, and my heart feels both full and rested. Somet

Travel is fun and great and is part of my healing therapy journey of being a long-time cancer-fighting Mom. I do not take any trip for...

Ciao! The first time I looked through that Window to Tuscany , I could almost taste the fresh Tuscan air—crisp (still spring), earthy...

It's been a minute since my last post, but I traveled to Richmond, Virginia, last week for the Road2VA quilt show and spent the week...

Ciao! Ciao! The title of my post was the mantra my sister-in-law Beth repeated several times as we hustled around Rome and Florence in...

Ciao! Let’s talk Gelato! For starters, on this delightful dessert in Italy (and many other places), I am a bona fide weirdo when it comes...

Ciao Ciao Roma! Despite having pinkeye now with itchy eyes and gunk blurring my vision at times, I had eagle eyes in Rome in May 2025 to...

There is a lot in life to be thankful for, and our trip to Italy (and any travel, frankly) was a huge blessing for my family and dear...

Access to the Pantheon had historically been free for centuries, even millennia. Thirty years ago, I walked in and out of this site at...

The Villa Vada in Poggibonsi was a terrific place for a baker’s dozen family and friends to rest, reset, and roam the breathtaking Tuscan...

On May 2, 2025, we boarded a "Swiss" operated well-known airline, Austrian Airlines. This airline and others are under Star Alliance...