My daughter and her boyfriend went to Barcelona this week, and were surprised to find that their AirBnB rental had no air-conditioning. Even though they live in Miami and are used to the heat, they still had a hard time sleeping at night without the comfort of A/C or even a fan. That got me started thinking about surprises I’ve encountered and lessons I’ve learned while traveling.
Category Archives: Life
A day out in the Venetian Lagoon: Burano and Torcello
My youngest spent his first semester in college studying abroad in Rome; I, of course, leapt at the chance to visit him (I did miss him desperately, but ITALY). We decided to split our time between Venice and Rome, so that we could experience the Acqua Alta, or “high water”, which causes floods in Venice twice a year.
What I’ve been reading – May edition
Have you heard of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy? Anne’s blog is one of my favorites – if you’re an avid reader like me, you’ll love her! I’ve participated in her annual reading challenge for the last few years, and have enjoyed expanding my reading repertoire. Anne writes a “What I’ve Been Reading Lately” series and I always look forward to her list, so thought I’d write a similar post for all of you! Here’s a look at what I’ve been reading this spring.
Mother’s Day gift ideas for someone who has recently lost her mom
Mother’s Day is not the same for me since my mom died seven and a half years ago. The first year after she died, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I no longer had a mother with whom to celebrate (obviously, I still celebrate the fact that I HAD a mother, but her death left a gaping hole which I particularly feel on Mother’s Day), and the weeks of commercials leading up to the day only intensified my feelings of loss.
Living in Limboland (aka dealing with uncertainty)
Fun fact: I have moved 20 times in my life. I have lived in my current house for 5 years and 9 months, which is precisely three months longer than I’ve ever lived anywhere else. After 20 moves, I am in the first house I’ve ever really loved.
An April goals update…
Happy Saturday everyone!
Back in March, I wrote about my ideal day and my “feeling goals”, and said I would post an update in April. I’m at a family wedding this weekend so am sharing this quick update today in lieu of a travel-related post.
Steps I take every day to stay healthy

What an ideal place to practice yoga! Photo by CATHY PHAM on Unsplash
A few years ago, after my mom died of cancer, I decided to make my efforts to stay healthy more intentional. I thought long and hard about the positive steps I need to take every day to be healthy, both mentally and physically, and have tweaked a few over the years. I’m not sure anyone will be interested, but I thought I’d share them with you today, as I feel so much healthier and more energetic when I do these things consistently!
My Travel Bucket List
Hello! I don’t know if everyone has a travel bucket list, but I definitely do. It seems the more I travel, the longer my list gets…does this happen to anyone else? I meet other travelers, and they tell me about cool places they’ve visited, and wham, another place goes on my list!
I thought I’d share mine today…I’d love to hear about yours as well!
A Quick Life Update…and how I want to be remembered
Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely St Patrick’s Day weekend! My husband and I ended up driving to St Louis for his uncle’s funeral; it somehow seems fitting than an Irishman should be buried on St. Patrick’s Day, doesn’t it? I had a post almost completed on the steps I take every day to stay healthy (it will be up later this week), but then something the priest said during the homily turned my thoughts in a completely different direction.
My Ideal Day (and my “Feeling Goals” for March)

The view from my front porch – my happy place!
Hello everyone! I have been home for an entire month now, and as much as I love my time at home, I’m getting bored with my routine! Does this happen to anyone else? I have fallen into a cycle of going to bed too late, not sleeping well, and then feeling sluggish all day, so I’m going to change things up a bit for March. Here’s my plan…