Sadly, we live too far from wine country. But for a quick fix, we are within a short drive to seven wineries north of Houston. The Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail, with its seven participating wineries, host several events throughout the year. This past weekend was Wine and Chocolate Trail, where participants had two weekends to […]
Adventures
Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade (Part 2: Turkey)
Continued from Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade (Part 1: Sea Days, Greece, Italy) We arrived in Turkey without any expectations and were blown away by the exotic beauty and history! Similar in culture to what we had seen in Greece, but still wildly different. Our first exposure to Turkey was in Izmir (for Ephesus), […]
Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Jade (Part 1: Sea Days, Greece, Italy)
Continued from Under the Tuscan Winter Sky After one last panini in Rome, our shuttle took us about 40 minutes to Civitavecchia to board Norwegian Jade for a 10-day cruise around the Mediterranean. We would stop in two cities in Greece, two cities in Turkey, and one city in Italy before returning to Rome. […]
Under the Tuscan Winter Sky
Continued from When in Rome for a Week Just when I thought Rome was my happy place, I experienced Tuscany! During our week long stay in Rome before our 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, we took the train to Tuscany twice. As a wine lover, how could I not? Florence is only […]
When in Rome for a Week
Rome is my favorite city in the world (out of the 17 countries that I’ve traveled). Two years ago we stayed in the heart of historic Rome for an entire week prior to a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, and I fell in LOVE with the city. Our home base for the week […]
Becoming an Outdoors Woman as an Instructor
Continued from TPWD Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program The best way to get introverts to come out of their shell is to ask about something that interests them. In mine and my friend’s case, it’s rocks. My running partner and sometimes travel companion also has a geology degree, so we now teach geology together […]
TPWD Becoming an Outdoors Woman Program
A few years ago I found out about Becoming an Outdoors Woman, a program hosted by Texas Parks and Wildlife. This limited participation outdoor conference is held twice a year in various locations around the state of Texas, and teaches women outdoor skills such as hunting, gathering, and enjoying nature. It’s like Boy Scouts for […]
Finally Calling Myself a Runner
I ran for a year before I would call myself a runner. I thought I had to be fast or run long distances, or maybe something other than just me. I had participated in 5k races before, but I had to walk quite a bit, and I would be wiped out for the rest of […]
British Isles Cruise on Royal Princess (Part 3: Scotland and France)
Continued from British Isles Cruise on Royal Princess (Part 2: England, Ireland, Northern Ireland) Day 6: Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland & Excursion: Best of Scotland Highlands Oh Scotland, I love you. What a beautiful place! And not just the scenery, but the crisp air and the smell of earth and mist and green. We took a ferry […]
British Isles Cruise on Royal Princess (Part 2: England, Ireland, Northern Ireland)
Continued from British Isles Cruise on Royal Princess (Part 1: Planning and Pre-cruise) Day 1: Embark Royal Princess, Southampton, England What a ridiculously efficient embarkation! Rather than a cattle call line that I’ve experienced on other cruise lines, we were able to just walk up to the check-in counter. We were then given a number […]