That year I spent in Paris as a college student, I decided to go to Italy for Spring Break. I would have gone by myself, but ended up going with a guy I knew because he was planning on going as well. This made me feel better ten days seemed like a long time to […]

Yesterday I walked into a kitchen store and asked for a spoon sharpener. The patient woman behind the corner looked back at me and with great hesitation, asked, “couteau?” (knife) The communication thing can be quite humbling. Yes, yes, yes, we are looking for a KNIFE sharpener. I don’t remember being a toddler and having to […]

That year I spent in Paris as a college student pretty much changed me forever, as in, I decided to become a ski bum and wait tables in Aspen rather than pursue my studies as an international corporate lawyer. We are all affected by different places in different ways for a variety of reasons. France has […]

I’ve long been of the opinion that some days really shouldn’t be celebrated. Like Valentines Day: a manufactured holiday designed to make those who don’t have love feel like crap and to force those who do have love, buy cards and flowers wrapped in plastic for each other. St. Patricks Day and Cinco de Mayo are […]

In 1999, I had a pretty good job in downtown Seattle. On Monday mornings, during my commute, I’d contemplate the great adventure I had the previous weekend and would plot out my next weekend. When I realized I didn’t want to live for the weekends anymore. I got on the bus one morning, sat down, […]

If you’ve ever traveled to a National Park, specifically in the summer, you know it can be extremely crowded. But you might also know it’s pretty easy to leave the crowd  behind and find your own space. It’s as hiking that extra mile on the trail. The majority of tourists stay on the paved path. […]

Very needless to say, it’s been a difficult, depressing month for the popular majority of the U.S. During our Saturday morning post-trail run coffee and croissants, my friends and I launched into lamentations over the situation. We described mornings we didn’t even want to get out of bed, waking up, realizing this isn’t a bad […]

Here they come! The holidays have arrived and while we may be excited for the celebrations, we also know there will be stress, and dynamics with which we must contend. If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you know my default mental settings are worry and anxiety. My threshold for this stuff is so low, […]