• Throwback - Travel

    The Vast Nostalgia of Addresses Past

    March 13, 2023 - By 

    I have moved a lot of times and lived a lot of places. Different cities, different states, different countries. And whenever I re-visit a place that I have lived before, I expect it to have changed. But on a couple of occasions, it hasn’t. Which, oddly, is even worse. You would think that going back to a place which remains the same would be like dipping your toes into a warm pool of nostalgia. Oh! Here is the same wallpaper that I stared at while I sat at this same kitchen table and ate buttery cinnamon toast from the same…

  • Fun - Travel

    Laughing out loud on an airplane

    August 24, 2021 - By 

    I recently flew – by myself – on an airplane. There was a time in my life where this wasn’t such a novel experience. (In fact, this one time it was a dual novel experience. Ha ha. Sorry not sorry.) ANYWAY. So I’ve done my fair share of flying but ever since having young kids people look at you all weird if you pretend you don’t know the toddlers at the airport and try to board without them. (I’m joking. I’ve never done this. And luckily my kids are remarkably good fliers as long as you ply them with enough…

  • Family - Fun - Travel

    The Drum Circle

    January 27, 2019 - By 

    Our vacation on Siesta Key wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the Drum Circle. Held every Sunday, one hour before sunset, the internets told me it was a fantastic (and free) family event, filled with brightly-colored dancers and jugglers, performed on the pristine white beach of Siesta Key, where performers encouraged visitors old and young alike to hula-hoop and children danced happily to the beat of the drums. Even the ladies sitting next to me on the plane said they had been, and sang its praises. So we went. EXPECTATION REALITY One more time, for fun… EXPECTATION REALITY It…

  • Family - Fun - Travel

    Siesta Key Vacation

    January 26, 2019 - By 

    This past week we took a family vacation to Siesta Key. The four of us, along with many members of Chris’s extended family. His mom (who initiated this trip and generously provided the rental accommodations as part of her Christmas gift to us), his sister and her family, his other sister and her husband, and his cousin. In total, eight adults and four kids ages 5 and under. At least our adult-to-child ratio had the kids outnumbered 2 to 1. Our rental was amazing and beautiful and had this gorgeous upper deck perfect for watching the full lunar eclipse on…

  • Fun - Travel

    Maybe you shouldn’t be in charge of the sailboat

    January 21, 2019 - By 

    As soon as we were settled in the rental house, we made the two-block walk to the beach. It was cold, but that didn’t stop us. The beach was everything we could have ever wanted. Pristine, white sand. Turquoise waters. Gorgeous sunset. However, if you look at the two photos above, you will notice something missing from our pictures the rest of the trip. It’s this guy and his boat. He had clearly run aground. A crowd gathered to watch. Beach patrol and emergency responders arrived. The guy refused rescue, saying he wanted to remain on his boat. Eventually, the…

  • Family - Throwback - Travel

    Blue Jeans and Plaid Shirts

    January 20, 2019 - By 

    1999 marked the beginning of the end for mall culture. I should know. I grew up as a teenage girl in its heyday. I still remember the Britney Spears poster displayed in the window of the record store, and the glitter eyeshadow at Claire’s. My sign-language class performed Frosty the Snowman on the mall stage during the holidays (Fun fact: to this day, I can still sign the entire lyrics to that song). When I was 14, our girl scout troop did an overnight sleepover at the mall with hundreds of other lucky teenage girls. These were the years that…

  • Fun - Travel

    Cats and Chickens

    December 12, 2018 - By 

    I went to Key West and I mostly took photos of cats and chickens. No, seriously. If you’ve ever been to the southernmost point of the United States, then you’re aware that chickens – both hens, roosters, and their offspring – freely roam the streets. These so-called “gypsy chickens” are super cute if you’re a tourist, and – I would imagine – super annoying if you’re a resident. I was a tourist and therefore, I delighted in taking photos of these wild fowl. And since you see them everywhere… well, I ended up with lots of photos of chickens doing…