“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” — Robin Sharma

The first time I read this quote I literally got chills. I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world, but somehow, I never made it out of the “someday” category.  When I read this quote, I thought… What am I waiting on??? To have the money to afford it?  (aka:  To be too old to go?)  Well, unless I win the lottery (which I don’t play) I’ll NEVER have the money to actually afford it. So, Scott and I decided we weren’t going to wait any longer.  We compiled our bucket lists, and have set out to check off every item on them. Panama? Check! San Francisco? Check! Chicago? Check!  We’ve done a little traveling in the past… Saint Lucia, Mexico, New York, etc., so expect some memoirs on those trips, but what we are most excited about are the trips to come!

A little about me:  I’m a registered nurse.  I have two daughters, one living in New York and the other in high school (hence, the “almost” empty nest). I love reading, photography, food, drink, art history, yoga, and all things Italy — I haven’t been yet, but I’m head-over-heels in love already.

I hope you enjoy following along on our adventures. This blog is a work-in-progress, and we are learning as we go, so suggestions are welcome.

I’m in my mid-40s, a graduate of the University of Alabama, and managing editor of a weekly paper in my hometown area of northeast Alabama.

I got the travel bug early on. My dad is a former welder who used to work power plant shutdowns for a couple months every summer. When school got out, we’d all pile into the car and go visit. I saw Niagara Falls, Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Windsor, Canada, downtown Chicago and lots of other places within a few days’ driving distance by the time I was 12 years old.

I remember always being amazed at how different (and wonderful) the places we visited looked in person compared to the travel guide I had studied on the way. It is the search for those brief moments of wonder and awe that have steered me, in more recent years, towards Las Vegas, Key West, Cancun, Boston, Charleston, Memphis, San Francisco, St. Lucia, Nashville and New York City, to name a few.

Our idea for creating this blog was to share the magical travel moments we have experienced with friends and family, and other would-be travelers like us. Maybe we can inspire someone else to do what we like to do as often as we can: drop it all and spend a few days in some place we’ve only seen before in a travel guide. Let us know how we’re doing.