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

Only a couple hours left of a favorite May holiday - Mother’s Day. Yes, Memorial Day and the weekend can be a favorite, but honoring mothers is a special time. I thought about it all day with greetings coming in from near and far with several sets of threads of various groups I belong too. It’s a great way to keep in touch, wishing each other a Happy Mother’s Day, and feeling the love poured out from our own loved ones. Plus all the dog and cat moms, whose animals love them d

Yesterday was a good friend’s birthday. I reached out to her early in the morning to celebrate her milestone bday - 65 and Medicare eligible! Later in the morning, I headed to a funeral for another good friend’s husband's celebration of life, with the mass and reception following (he passed away last month). These two celebrations reminded me how fragile and fleeting life truly is. How many more birthdays will we have? How many summers do we have left? For me, it’s a wake-up

In the midst of a beautiful location with well appointed buildings and hotel style “dorm” rooms, almost a dozen quilters descended on the Eastern Shore of Maryland to sew, eat, and build our community of fiber artists. The amazing sewists here are terrific friends too. We push each other in whatever projects we are passionately working on, and the ideas flow like a fast river. In fact, the huge property we are on, Pecometh Camp & Retreat Ministries, is nestled on the Chester

The game of Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States. A few weeks ago, the International Olympic Committee added Pickleball as a sport in the next games (2028 in Los Angeles). I couldn’t be more thrilled of this new added sport to the roster. Hey, they used to have Breakdancing (hmmm) and Baseball/Softball (I can see this more as an Olympic sport). Pickleball is a wickedly fast paced game. It was started in 1965 by a Congressman in Washington State with tw

There are certain things in life that are never mistaken, like ocean waves crashing down on the beach, the sounds of a crying baby, and the distinct smell of pine in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The sound of the wind weaving through the trees are also a big treat, and luckily we were able to take advantage with big and deep breaths on the Flatirons range this morning. The deep blue skies with a few slowly moving puffy white clouds for good measure, and the company that I hik

When there are people in our lives that have made huge impacts on humanity, we’ve got to shout them out, or at least, I do. Dr. Aziza Shad is one of those people. Recently, she received a prestigious award from SIOP (International Society of Pediatric Oncology) in Lagos, Nigeria. She gratefully, and choked up when her name was called, received the Friend of SIOP Africa Award, a new award started a year ago! This is like winning the Oscar for Pediatric Oncologists worldwide. D

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,

Except for one day a couple of weeks ago in Charleston, SC, when I wore short sleeves because it was finally warm enough, I've been repping the wool socks, a turtleneck, a wool sweater, and a fleece jacket since last fall. That is my indoor wardrobe, plus either jeans or leggings - with side pockets. There were also a couple of days in Richmond when it was warm enough to wear springier clothing, but I still wore long sleeves and pants. Today, in the Mid-Atlantic, it got to 93

Maybe it's a good thing to have many irons in the fire of life. Sometimes it can be overwhelming on what I "need" to do, but more importantly, what I want to do and can't get to it, whatever it may be. It could be something as important (to me) as a blog post. They have been skimpy lately because I am playing a lot of pickleball, visiting family in Virginia, working on my book, Joy Ride Journeys, and creating T-shirt Quilts for my wonderful clients. I am one lucky gal that