What My Special Needs Niece Has Taught Me about Life and Laughter

My niece is a totally unique individual. 

Not in that “everyone’s a snowflake” kind of way. She’s truly unique.

Because of a wonky chromosome, each cell in in Anna’s little body is different from every other cell in the world. There is no one else like her.

At birth… CONTINUE READING >>

My niece is a totally unique individual. 

Not in that “everyone’s a snowflake” kind of way. She’s truly unique.

Because of a wonky chromosome, each cell in in Anna’s little body is different from every other cell in the world. There is no one else like her.

At birth… CONTINUE READING >>

Keeping Koalas Safe, Sound, & Cuddly

Some of the most readily recognizable Australian icons are animals, and we found more than a double dose of them in Queensland at The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside Brisbane.

As the name suggests, we got up close and personal with koalas, but we also got to feed kangaroos right from our hands… CONTINUE READING >>

Some of the most readily recognizable Australian icons are animals, and we found more than a double dose of them in Queensland at The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary outside Brisbane.

As the name suggests, we got up close and personal with koalas, but we also got to feed kangaroos right from our hands… CONTINUE READING >>

Fear Conquering & Gliding in a Sailplane

Considering that I have now jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet in Australia and paraglided off the sea cliffs of Lima, Peru, one would think that I would have no fear of sailplaning.

And I didn’t. Until I did.

I had about three-week’s notice before… CONTINUE READING >>

Considering that I have now jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet in Australia and paraglided off the sea cliffs of Lima, Peru, one would think that I would have no fear of sailplaning.

And I didn’t. Until I did.

I had about three-week’s notice before… CONTINUE READING >>

Veronica Glides in a Sailplane over New York State!


An unbelievably beautiful experience. And, yes, also scary. Of course, Veronica gets in her usual goofy “fear questions” between gasps and panic peeps… See the whole story here >>


An unbelievably beautiful experience. And, yes, also scary. Of course, Veronica gets in her usual goofy “fear questions” between gasps and panic peeps… See the whole story here >>

The Pisté Résistance: A Surprising Discovery in The Yucatán, Mexico

In our travels it is often a slice of unassuming, everyday life that delivers the unexpected, and satisfying, taste of a destination.

As a gateway to Chichen Itza, we expected Piste to be dominated by tourist traps, but we found the exact opposite.
We couldn’t resist an evening enjoying some genuine Yucatán life… CONTINUE READING >>

In our travels it is often a slice of unassuming, everyday life that delivers the unexpected, and satisfying, taste of a destination.

As a gateway to Chichen Itza, we expected Piste to be dominated by tourist traps, but we found the exact opposite.
We couldn’t resist an evening enjoying some genuine Yucatán life… CONTINUE READING >>

Why We Call Our Adult Kids “The Spawn” (and how they got their nicknames)

Every once in a great while we receive comments like this:

Please don’t refer to your children as “spawn”. It sounds so disrespectful…

AND

You refer to your daughter as “Piglet”…  How would you like being referred to as “piglet’ or “spawn”?” Have you ever asked her?

I’ve wanted to respond for a while now, but it didn’t feel right before I got my hands on the hilarious evidence behind our nicknaming… CONTINUE READING >>

Every once in a great while we receive comments like this:

Please don’t refer to your children as “spawn”. It sounds so disrespectful…

AND

You refer to your daughter as “Piglet”…  How would you like being referred to as “piglet’ or “spawn”?” Have you ever asked her?

I’ve wanted to respond for a while now, but it didn’t feel right before I got my hands on the hilarious evidence behind our nicknaming… CONTINUE READING >>