Torrey Pines, California
— 47 Comments

A Year in Review: The Highs and Lows of 2017

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”. – Confucius

As the year draws to a close, I always find it important to take the time to reflect upon the last twelve months of my life. It never ceases to amaze me how frighteningly fast time goes. In a blink of the eye, my children are 11 and 13 and I’m nearing 50 (well still four years to go but still the number lurks inside my head). I see now where my dad came up with this funny way of telling his age to others. Instead of 46, I am 36 + 10.

Yet on a more serious note, I reflect back on a year filled with many wonderful highs and of course those not-so-pleasant-but-part-of-life lows. To be quite honest, I was off to a rocky start in 2017 with the change in our nation’s leadership and all the threats to my uttermost, sacred beliefs that followed. I unexpectedly found myself in a downward spiral of anxiety and despair as so many of my values and beliefs on human rights, the environment and just being a decent human being, were and continue to be threatened. Thankfully I caught myself about eight months later and am back on track with the help of some serious soul searching, mindfulness meditation, spending more time outdoors and with family, and an overall avoidance of the depressing, hateful news which oftentimes feels like a powerful, never-ending machine in this country.  

As the year comes to a close, I look back with bittersweet memories and continue to move ahead and hope. I hope that the world is a better place for our grandchildren and all the people suffering even though it terrifies me to think of all the issues they will have to face.

As I complete my seventh year of blogging, I realize more than ever why I started blogging in the first place. To have a voice and to offer some sort of inspiration in a world filled with so much ugliness and sadness. There is so much beauty in the world. So much hope. I found it on the streets of Haiti and in the eyes of the children all around. In all the amazing people around the world doing good and putting in their effort to make the world a better, kinder more just place for all.

I hope that you have found some inspiration in my pictures and words. I greatly appreciate all of the truly special friendships I’ve made through my blog. It keeps me writing! So, without further ado here are the highlights of 2017. It was hard to pick the right pictures since I tend to take so many but alas I found these ones that each had a special memory attached to it. Hope they will do!

Exploring the remote Osa Peninsula

White-faced or Capuchin monkey

White-faced or Capuchin monkey is one of four kinds of monkeys found in the Osa.

Laguna Chocuaco, Rancho Quemado, Osa Península, Costa Rica

Playa San Jocesito, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

A view from my horse (looking back to where we came from)

Sunrise over Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Family trip to Costa Rica

CULTURE
Juncal Glacier, Chilean Andes
— 29 Comments

Serenity Found in the Chilean Andes

“Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity”.- Thich Nhat Hanh

I just returned from a little over a week in Central Chile and am filled with the serenity of being in one of the places I love best, the mountains. While I have much catching up to do, I will take it slowly and allow myself time to reflect on what a remarkable experience I had. There is nothing like being outside in the mountains to take you away from all the worries and problems in this world. Far away from the internet, the ugly news and media, I feel so utterly free I could cry in tears of joy. If only I could keep that serenity inside me forever. But we all know it is not possible. The constant bombardment of news is difficult to ignore and hard to bare. So I will work on trying my best to avoid it.

I look forward to sharing my trip with you. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from my six-hour hike to the Juncal Glacier, located two hours outside of Santiago in the heart of the Andes.

“Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people”. –  Jawaharlal Nehru

Juncal Glacier, Chilean Andes

Chile TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
— 94 Comments

Six Years of Blogging and Leaving Behind a Shadow of Me

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow”. –  Helen Keller

When I started my blog on a whim back in January 2011, I honestly had no idea what on earth I was doing. As a stay-at-home mom of two young children, I was desperately looking for a little piece of me. An outlet. A voice. A way of doing something different than changing diapers and playing with legos and dolls. I had done a lot of traveling and had kept my stories in a series of hard-covered journals stuffed in a dusty box in the back of the closet.

Yet a life-changing trip to Nepal in November 2010 was the defining moment that pushed me into action and prompted me to put away my pen and paper and do something more daring. To share my stories online for anyone to read. I typed up my first series of posts (which looking back now admittedly are not very good but I can’t delete them for nostalgic reasons) and have never stopped writing since.

Fast forward six years and my blog has become an enormous part of my life. I have shared over 1,200 stories and thousands of pictures documenting the highs and lows, adventures and misadventures of my life. I have made amazing connections with new friends from all over the world, and have experienced new opportunities that never would have come my way without my blog. It has opened doors and also has opened my own mind and heart to some of the injustices in the world.

My blog has literally changed my life in so many profound ways, and in an essence my blog has become a shadow of me.

“When walking through a valley of shadows, remember that shadows are cast by a light.” – H.K Barclay

P1020514-1

Traveling to India in the spring of 2013 as part of Mom Bloggers for Social Good where I visited slums and saw light, darkness, pain and hope.  Seeing hope and light within the dark shadows changed my life. I continued to explore this avenue of social good and advocacy work by visiting Haiti, Ethiopia, Nicaragua and Tanzania. And I hope to do more!

CULTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
Karanga Camp Machame Route Kilimanjaro
— 70 Comments

The Path Ahead

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives”. – Henry David Thoreau

As 2016 draws to a close, it is time to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’ve yet to go. It always comes as a surprise that the year has moved along so quickly. Time seems to flow faster and faster each and every year. It astounds me.

As my children grow older I realize that the years they have left at home are less than those difficult exhausting years behind us when each day felt like an eternity. Now when I look back with nostalgic eyes, I wonder where the days of diapers, meltdowns and sweet moments of kisses and cuddles all went. I miss those days yet I didn’t have a lot of time for myself.

Now it is time to plan for the path ahead. The words of poet Mary Oliver sing inside my head, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? Those words both inspire and haunt me as I find myself at a crossroads a bit unsure of which direction I want to take. Will it come to me before it is too late? Before I settle in to the comforts of life? Let’s hope so. I don’t ever want to look back with regrets of the path not taken.

Kilimanjaro

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shira Camp, Machame Route Kilimanajaro

“Every every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley”.-  Theodore Roethke

Shira Camp, Machame Route Kilimanajaro

Happy New Year!

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
Lake Harriet, Minnesota
— 226 Comments

Anticipation of the Year Ahead

“We must go ahead and see for ourselves” – Jacques Cousteau

As yet another year draws to a close it is hard not to anticipate the year ahead. For me, the year ahead comes with deep, dark apprehension as we bring in a leader whose policies on everything I stand for frighten me. Our planet, our rights, our tolerance and acceptance of others, and our relationships with powers in the world. The election was a very dark day for me. I have tried desperately to understand but it is impossible. Instead, I will focus my efforts as I always have in the past: Continuing to use my voice to advocate for the voiceless and stand up for my beliefs. I refuse to be silenced.

I will continue to live in the moment and practice gratitude for every blessing I have: My family, my health, my freedom, my ability to follow my dreams and my quest to make a difference in the world even if it is small. Everything counts – perhaps more than ever before.

As we move into full blown winter, I end my post with some of my favorite captures of nature at its best. These were all taken last week as winter finally arrived full force into Minnesota. I don’t recall ever seeing such a surreal sight. We had a huge snowfall and then suddenly the temperature dropped to a mind numbing -24 F wind chill. The lake had not yet frozen over so in the morning steam was rising from the open water into the sunlight.

I layered up in two pairs of long underwear, two face masks, wool socks and hat and went on a run around my favorite urban lake. I admit that the first five minutes were bone chilling cold yet as I rounded the corner and saw this unearthly view it was worth it. All the darkness lifted and an enormous smile of gratitude crossed my frozen face. There is so much beauty in the world if only we can see it, breathe it, feel it and embrace it.

Lake Harriet, Minnesota

“Our way is not soft grass, it’s a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upwards, forward, toward the sun.” – Ruth Westheimer

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
Mitchell Lake, Ely Minnesota
— 38 Comments

My Best Travels of 2016

“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return”. –  Leonardo da Vinci

I love this quote. Living in Southwest Minneapolis, our home is right under the flight path to   the Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport and over the years I’ve come to know when the “big boys” or 747s are coming in to land from their 12-hour flight from Japan. At times, the planes can be loud and annoying, especially during a summer evening when we want to dine outside. Yet being close to the airport comes in handy when you are a diehard wanderlust. Simply looking up in the sky and watching the planes come and go makes me feel excited about the next adventure.

Today is my birthday and I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful loving family, good health, caring friends and another year of amazing adventures. As the last month of the year comes to a close I reflect back on all the fantastic travels both near and far. I’ve been to some new places and some that I haven’t been to in decades. All in all it has been a terrific year of adventure.

Here are a few select memories from some of my favorite destinations of 2016.

TRAVEL
Mitchell Lake, Ely Minnesota
— 40 Comments

Nature’s mirrors of reflection

“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another”  – Mahatma Gandi

This past June, we took a family trip up north to Ely, Minnesota one of the main launching off points to explore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or BWCA). This expansive wilderness area in northeastern Minnesota covers 1,090,000-acres (4,400 km2) of the pristine Superior National Forest and is filled with lakes, streams, waterfalls, forests and wildlife. Its preservation as a primitive wilderness began over one hundred years ago, and its protection was solidified in the signing of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978. Today, the wilderness area is managed by the US Forest Service.

The BWCA is a magical place where you often feel as if you are stepping back in time to an easier, more peaceful way of life. You are awoken each morning to the melodic cry of the loon or lulled to sleep at night by the chirping of the crickets or croaking of the bull frogs. You can easily spot deer and sometimes fawn and if you are lucky you may even see a distant mouse, wolf or a bear. It is a truly remarkable place that has given us so many gifts and with the passing of the US National Parks 100th birthday I was reminded how blessed we are to have such an amazing network of protected parks (both national and state), forests and wilderness areas around the nation.

Mitchell Lake, Ely Minnesota

Sunrise

Conservation/Environment Global Issues Minnesota SOCIAL GOOD TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY United States Weekly Photo Challenges
— 52 Comments

Looking up to the Sky

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow”. –  Helen Keller

Lately I’ve been a lot of looking up. Craning my neck to look up to the sky and watch the clouds move or capture the illustrious hues of a summer sunset in Minnesota. For me, looking up has always been something that inspires me in a metaphorical kind of way. I often think about my favorite Helen Keller quote and of all the obstacles she had to overcome in life to achieve her dreams. I am reminded to look up more often instead of looking down or even worse, away.

Sunset Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis MN

I have been spending a lot more time this summer chasing the sunset. Perhaps getting a new puppy has inspired me to get out even more than I normally do (which is a lot as I love being outside). Yet little did I know how important it was to find peace and beauty each and every day by watching the sunset. Even if I only am there for a few brief moments to look up and capture the spectacular dance of changing colors and light, it has an extraordinary impact on me. I feel lighter footed when I leave and more connected to our planet and the comings and goings of each day. Furthermore, I finally feel at peace. 

CULTURE Global Issues TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges
Lake Superior, MN
— 29 Comments

In the Blink of an Eye

“My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time”. – Steve Jobs

Time seems to go by in the blink of an eye. It seems like just yesterday I was a child playing in the sun. The next blink I was graduating high school and off to college. Another blink I landed my first job, and then was married, had children and turned 43. It took a whirlwind weekend in New York to realize how insanely fast life is going and how time never seems to slow down.

I was out dancing with some of my dearest friends from the social good blogging world to Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and it struck me how long it had been since I’d heard that song and furthermore how much longer it had been since I let go and danced. It frightened me.

Lake Superior, MN

CULTURE SOCIAL GOOD
Lighthouse at Duluth Harbor MN
— 9 Comments

Reflections on the meaning of Memorial Day

For me, the long weekend for Memorial Day will always symbolize the onset of summer. It is a time when everyone packs up their cars and heads to the cabin “up north” or visits one of Minnesota’s numerous state parks or lakes. It represents freedom in more ways than one. The freedom of summer and of course the freedom that we are so lucky to have living in this country. A freedom that so many brave souls have fought for and died for.

My grandfather, father and two uncles were both in the US Navy. For my dad, it was a life-changing experience. At the tender age of 19, he set sail and saw the world. He told me that he will never forget the time the ship pulled into a harbor in Italy. It was the early ’60s and his young eyes had never left the United States before. He noticed that there was a large mob of Italians waiting for the ship to pull into port. Was it a welcome? he thought surprised.

Slowly the ship moored and once it was fully secure, the desperately awaiting crowd did something that stunned my dad. They ate. What on earth are they doing? my father asked an older, more experienced shipmate. Eating dinner he replied with a deep, shameful look in his eyes. The locals were so hungry that they feasted off the ships garbage for their meal. It was that moment in which my dad realized how truly fortunate he was, and moment that would be passed on to his children over the years.

His three year service in the Navy began a life long passion of travel and seeing the world. A passion that passed on to me and has never left my soul.

Lighthouse at Duluth Harbor MN

A holiday weekend away from home, along the North Shore of Lake Superior got me thinking. What does Memorial Day truly mean? And what does it mean to me?

Minnesota TRAVEL TRAVEL BY REGION United States
— 28 Comments

The Depth of Me

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscape but in having new eyes”  – Marcel Proust 

I always love a good philosophical photo challenge and this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge “Depth” happens to just fit the bill. The host of this week’s challenge Ben Huberman discusses the many different angles and perceptions of depth whether it be in the depth of field, the depth of color or texture or the depth of someone close to you. I felt that depth also offers a reason to look deep within oneself and examine what we see.

Through the practice of yoga, I’ve really began exploring the issue of “self” and “self-reflection”. I’ve learned a lot through the power of using my breath and the strength and flexibility not only of my physical but also my mental self. I truly believe that this self-examination into the depth of my soul has made me a much more balanced, peaceful person that helps me be a better person, mom, spouse, friend and writer.

As personal as it can be, taking time to look deep within our souls can be quite healing. Not only does it bring about long known revelations about who we truly are, it also evoles into some kind of acceptance and peace. I believe everyone has something they can personally work on to make them truer to themselves. For me, it is trying to use all my positive energy for good and not let my type-A personality frazzle me. It is taking time to slow down and stop and smell the roses in life. Relax. Breathe. Embrace. And enjoy each and every moment.

Photography and writing is a way for me to express myself and reflect on my life. If I use the approach of diving deep down within my photo collection and digging out the pictures that most describe my heart and soul, here they are.

CULTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY Weekly Photo Challenges