“…This past February, my parents came for their annual trip over Chinese New Year, a propitious time to be with family. My growing spirit of adventure called and the warm beaches and clear skies of Vietnam seemed to be the answer. I was eager to spend this time of renewal and reflection with my parents. However, for me to look forward would require my father to revisit his past…something he had never wanted to do….”
“Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi?” on loop… that was my 90’s song from Patti LaBelle’s 1974 hit. Why that had to become my earworm to haunt my young adulthood says more about my aspirations than my reality, but it did pique my interest in foreign languages.
Flash forward a million years and I am a mother raising 3 humans in the 2000’s. I clearly went to the coucher 3 times, and it occurs to me that I’d really like my 3 citizens to understand that phrase above. Not exactly that phrase, but to understand French or Mandarin or any foreign language.
Cheap & Cheerful road trip never to be forgotten! We chose our destination, the Redwood National Forest, and mixed accommodations, travel, and food, high with low. Nature emerged the winner - stunning, truly breathtaking. Hide and seek amongst five foot ferns with trees towering above, it felt like the land of the dinosaurs. Our imaginations went wild as will every Star Wars fan who finds themself in the middle of Episode 6, better known as the Tall Trees Redwood Grove. This land was made for you and me...
Who says that travel is wasted on the young? I have never met a family that travelled whose children did not note the difference. Meet the Fitzgeralds... raising global citizens every opportunity they get. You can hear the experiences and empathy earned through their words and everyday actions. #TravelOn
As the days rolled along, there was way more to why this vacation was feeling like a vacation….
When was the last time your bathing suit was your uniform?
Or you felt a breeze across your belly and your back every single afternoon?
Or didn’t bathe for days because the ocean washed you?
Or didn’t brush your hair because the wind did?
Or felt the earth beneath your bare feet, between your toes instead of socks and shoes?
...I’m a romantic but I’m also a pragmatist. Romantically, I’m up for anything…case in point, 3 kids later! With kids, however, I think most moms feel that they must have solid plans for travel...After B.A., we fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world to see Penguins. Even though it will be their summer in Tierra del Fuego, it will be cold since we’re so far south, so we’re only spending a few days before flying to El Calafate. We’re looking forward to giant glaciers and panoramic scenery in Patagonia. This is also our respid, so we’re hunting down a traditional Estancia or nature Cabana...
“Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.” ~Dalai Lama
Elliot Smith, one of my favorite songwriters of modern times, died by suicide October 21, 2003. I was devastated. I had been living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico since the end of 2001 after the attacks on 911. Elliot Smith’s music had been a true place of solace for me. Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) was coming soon, and I and my boyfriend, who later became my husband, wanted to make an ofrenda (offering) in honor of Smith and others who had crossed over.
We lived on Calle Recreo (recreation street) and our large bay-like window was perfect for an altar....
