Skip to main content

Posts

My Lightweight Pack

I’ve never bought and returned so many items in my life. Trying on clothes, trying to find those perfect sandals, the best dress. The most lightweight shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t make me itch.   Luckily, I had a lot of backpacking supplies from when we trekked down to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon and when I backpacked Europe in 2009. Oh! Forgot to mention that…we’re backpacking. It’s like a flashback to my 20’s. Why am I doing this again?  ;) The name of the game is Ounces. I need all supplies that enter my backpack to be as light as possible but of the best material so that it can withstand being worn often. The Camino Powers that Be recommend carrying only 10% of your body weight and since water weighs 2.2 pounds per liter, I’m not left with much room to carry clothes and supplies. Plus we have to account for all weather possibilities: hot, cold, rain, potentially snow. And cold weather gear takes up so much space/weight.  Truly, my main concern is the first two d
Post a Comment
Discover more »
Recent posts

Hola from Spain!

Helllllllo World!  It’s been a long minute since I last posted. Guess what? I’m off on another adventure. Just hopped aboard a flight to Spain. Well, Philadelphia first, then Spain. That’s right. Spain. Arriving in Barcelona at 9AM, Wednesday, March 29. Amber is flying in from Dallas and arriving within 10 minutes of me. Wahoo. The excitement didn’t really hit me until I arrived at the airport. But now it’s full on heeeeere! The when, what, why of Spain: I would call this trip a “last minute” decision. Amber has been theoretically planning an El Camino trip for about 2 years. Never had the thought to join her. Firstly, because Spain has never been on my radar of places to travel (so strange, because it’s appears to be a beautiful country) and secondly, because who in his/her right mind chooses to walk 580 miles? Day after day after day after day of walking.  But I heard the call of the mountains. The mountains always pull me towards them. So, when Amber mentioned that she starts the
Post a Comment
Discover more »

Big Bend National Park: A Stargazer’s Paradise

Living in Houston, I don’t often look up at the sky. Maybe if I realize it’s a full moon, I’ll find time to sit outside and enjoy the beauty. But the other days of the month? Stars don’t exist inside the 610 Loop of Houston. Which made our venture out to Big Bend even more spectacular. A perk to working for myself is that I’m able to schedule my days off whenever I want. So, when a nurse friend tells us she has 10 days off and wants to travel somewhere, we decided to go big. We narrowed down our destination to either northern Arkansas or Big Bend National Park. Then when vacations days were settled for the other 2 friends to take 6 days, we decided on Big Bend. You don’t happen to drive nearby or randomly decide to detour to Big Bend. The only reason you’ll  travel anywhere near the park is because you purposely decide to make the trek to west Texas.  It’s 9+ hours from Houston (not including stops for gas, food, or detours to Del Rio for scenic routes), or 200+ miles if you decide t
1 comment
Discover more »

Enduring the Pandemic Life

January. February. March. These months flew by, with me hard at work on surpassing 2020 goals. Then BAM! a pandemic struck and suddenly I had a new bestie (aka my bright red couch) and access to a friend’s aunt’s Netflix login and another friend’s Hulu login, plus the Parentals’ Xfinity account. Whew. How does anyone accomplish anything with so many show options? And so many crazy, I don’t know why I’ve just spent 8 hours watching this show, shows to choose from? It became a new obsession that I quickly (38 days later) put a halt to, and currently (as of yesterday), only allow myself to watch shows on the weekend (so far, I’m going strong!). Oh, did you hear? As of May 1, Texas professional home organizers were allowed to return to work. Yippee! At the time, my mom and I were anxiously (eagerly?) awaiting CoVid-19 test results (she had all the symptoms; I had zero symptoms, BUT we had just seen each other for the first time in almost 4 weeks and 3 days later she develops a
Post a Comment
Discover more »

Christmas Letter 2018

Hello Beautiful, Amazing, Wonderful People!  As 2018 comes to a close, I’m so thankful to those who’ve supported me over the last year. 2018 was a huge transition year for me. I entered it uncertain what the year would bring, where I would travel, who I would meet, even where I would be sleeping. Twelve months later, I’ve moved back to the city of my teen years, started a business, and am filled with a sense of rightness and jubilation. Many, many thanks to those who let me crash at their place when my life was filled with uncertainty. To those who sat down with me to talk out my business plan or brainstorm ideas.   To the remarkable people who frequently inquired about my progress and to those who have been praying for me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Today, we took my Aunt and Uncle to tour Galveston. On the drive home, my mom, Aunt, and I sang Christmas carols at the top of our lungs. Before you picture beautiful harmony, let me explain that on a scale of 1 make
1 comment
Discover more »

All Roads Led To...Houston?!

One year ago today, I hopped on a plane to Phoenix, Arizona, to begin a life of travel. I had just quit my parks and recreation job (3 years, 10 months…new record!), put all my possessions in storage (after selling/donating/trashing over 60% of it) and was jobless, homeless, and ecstatic about the unknown future. So, what made a 31 year old woman quit her job, vacate her townhouse, and say good bye to her friends and the life she’d known for the last 7 years? Maybe it was my navy brat childhood and moving every year. I developed a love to travel, to explore new places, meet strangers. Luckily for my addiction, my 20’s were all about traveling...working on cruise ships for two years, backpacking through Western Europe, visiting Central America, taking monthly trips when I settled down at a 9-5 job. I entered my 30’s and was content with a flexible job, recreational soccer/softball, and a good friend base. Work was great, but wanted more responsibility. So, I applied for
4 comments
Discover more »

Stick With Your Passion: Dry Tortugas

Decided to visit some friends in Miami and knock off three national parks (Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas). After a delayed flight, I finally made it to E’s house about 1:00 am (uff! So tired). His nephew was kindly waiting up for me (or perhaps just using my arrival as an excuse to play video games?). Then in the morning, N’s mom (mom and nephew were visiting from Wisconsin), made me pancakes and sausage! GREAT way to start off my vacation. Felt so spoiled. Hit the road towards the Everglades and saw my first gator on the long stretch of road into the park. I laughed out loud in sheer joy. I love alligators! I was so excited. Drove into Shark Valley Visitor Center which was located on the north side of the park. Then rented a bike to ride a 15 mile loop (and it was only $9/hour!). I’m thinking the overcast, slightly rainy weather (or maybe it being a Thursday in mid May) was the reason there were so many bikes available to rent (online reviews said there’s
2 comments
Discover more »