I am partner to the man of my dreams, a mother of three amazing kiddos, and I am a forever and incorrigible wanderer. Travel is my passion, meeting people "where they are" is my fuel. Where to next?
Truthfully, there are so many vivid memories from this adventure that in hindsight I am not sure I can adequately retell them all. The best I can do at this point is share the highlights that stick with me – and show through photos the awesomeness of the ecosystems we were priviledged to be guests … More Galapagos Wanderings: Part 2
We visited four of the southeastern islands – San Cristobal, Espanola, Floreana, and Santa Cruz. When we re planning our trip, no two traveler reviews could agree on which islands were “the best”…and we found that each of the islands we visited had its own unique landscape, complement of animals to see, and land and … More Highlights of our Galapagos Wanderings
It is very clear now that all the hype about the Galapagos islands is no hype. Our five-day boat tour of four of the islands was from moment one until the very end a truly magical – and humbling experience. While so many places in the world are abusing and ultimately destroying natural ecosystems, … More Our Galápagos Adventure: Exceeded Expectations
Our time in Quito came to an end after a lovely dinner with our new friends Sebastian and Andrea. They treated us to what apparently is a real favorite “foreign food” – pizza! I know, funny to eat pizza in Ecuador but it actually was delicious, thin-crusted, and chock full of fresh veggies and on … More Into the Andes: Isinlivi at 9842 feet
Our last full day in Quito was exactly that – full…a day of varied encounters and wide-ranging emotion for me. We started our day with sharing coffee and conversation with two incredible young professionals who have devoted their time and energy to a foundation whose mission is to educate people about the most common cancers … More Meeting Helping Hands and a Family Festival Day
This was our first full day in Quito and we hired a guide so we could get a local perspective on this very diverse city. Luis, a native of Quito, turned out to be a great guide and had a wonderful personality that matched ours well. He was very willing to let us practice our … More Touring Quito: A City with Many Faces
This all started maybe six weeks ago when Andrew and I were discussing our insatiable wanderlust and the fact that we didn’t have a “global adventure” on the books for the foreseeable future. We’d hoped to do a home exchange in New Zealand in 2018 but this wasn’t coming together. We have business and some … More Up in the Air: Quito, Ecuador
Ruthie and I had been plotting a Mom/Daughter adventure ever since our shared journey on the Camino in Spain a few years ago. That 15-day backpacking trek across the northern part of the country (about a third of the entire route) was an incredible turning point in our relationship. Ruthie’s teen years were challenging and … More Belize…Worth the Crazy Journey!
We were blessed with the opportunity to join about 30 people from the Pacific Northwest to participate in the celebration of the marriage of Ben Glassy and Anita Kasina in Vijayawada, India last month. Ben and Ari have known each other since they were small boys on Mercer Island, and over many years Andrew and I … More …And Now, India.
With departure from Barcelona rushing up to meet us at the end of August, Andrew and I decided there are a few last ditch adventures we want to squeeze in before be bid adieu to having Europe in our backyard. There is zero chance that we will not be back to visit and roam our … More Why does my heart hurt?
Living La Vida Loca 