My Love Letter to Mexico

Mexico City. As you fly above it, you see miles and miles of sprawl. You see cement buildings built too close to each other; it doesn’t feel safe. You see miles of brake lights as the cars are backed up. But look closer and you see more. You see the brightly colored murals all over…

2022 – A Year of Growth and a Return to Travel

When I think of year 2022 I think about the famous first line in Great Expectations: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  After two years of COVID restrictions, we got back to travel in a big way this year, doing extensive travel in the US and Europe this year.…

Salvaging a Beautiful Trip Out of Travel Misfortune

I have debated how to start this series. Planning our trip was full of hope and excitement. Much of our trip was amazing and unforgettable. But there were some things that happened that put a large damper on the trip. It was a beautiful trip, but it was not a perfect trip. In the end,…

2021 – The Year that Surprised Me Most of All

Every December I like to reflect on the year and write a blog post wrapping up the year. After two rough years I entered 2021 with something I have never done before:  no goals and no expectations. I did not have any travel plans set in stone. I did not set any measurable goals for the blog, my career, or my life. I wanted a reset year. I wanted a year where I could just be; rest, relax, and recharge. It turns out that was exactly what I needed. 2021 was the year I saw an immense amount of growth, both personally and professionally.

When Cancer Hits Again

Readers of my blog followed along two years ago as I learned my father had cancer, had a 12-hour complex surgery, and thankfully recovered and is now 2 years cancer free.  I, to this day, thank MSK every day for saving my father’s life.  But while I was praying for my dad, I forgot that…

When COVID Happens Away from Home

We knew we were taking a risk.  We weighed it repeatedly in our minds.  Do we travel to New Jersey in December?  Or do we stay home for the holidays?  After taking abundant precautions, we decided to go to New Jersey.  And then…the worst happened.  That is right, we all got exposed to COVID-19 …. …

2020 – The Year the World Changed Forever

I went back and read my 2019 end of year blog post I had to laugh.  I thought 2019 was the year of change. 😂😂😂.  I had no idea.  2020 turned out to be the year of change…for the entire world… How it started: The year started off great.  In February we went on a…

Jumping into a New Life

Sometimes in life everything works well. You career is on track, your home life is on track, and you are happy and healthy. Sometimes things are all off balance making you off balance. Work is hard, family has issues, health is not on track. Sometimes things get so off balance, you feel like you are…