This year I am on sabbatical from my work. Instead of teaching I will be doing two internships. The first internship starts next week and is at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institution. I will spend 8 weeks there taking classes and working on the science of disasters. Check out the website for EMI: http://training.fema.gov/EMI/ When I [...]

After I finished the Camino de Santiago I took the train to Porto and then on to Lisbon. I loved Portugal. I actually don’t have time to do a cool write-up for Portugal because of my travel. So I’m posting pictures only and the three things I want you to know about Portugal are: 1. [...]

Some of my friends would say I am lucky. I ABSOLUTELY agree. I have had some terrific once-in-a-life opportunities. The only bad thing that’s ever happened to me was loosing my father at 19. So what do you do when you’ve had a charmed life? I say inspire others. I teach because I love being [...]

The biggest takeaway for me was the people. There was such a variety of ages, nationality, and stories. It’s hard for me to express how quickly connections are made. I met some really terrific people and the most shocking part about my journey is I got to say goodbye to most of them. What I [...]

Now you all know I couldn’t go on a trip like this without devoting one entire day to food. Everyone knows I love food. Most of my Facebook posts are of pictures of my food. I workout simply so can eat, anything, and still look good. Which gets more challenging with age. So I want [...]

Something I didn’t expect about the Camino was the level of openness. Everyone is walking the Camino for a reason whether they know it or not and one way to gain insight into your quest is through the connections you make along the way. I am generally a guarded individual. The only people I like [...]

One of the most interesting things I experienced on the Camino was pace. Everyone has one. My pace has always been fast. Not sure why. Maybe because I am a futurist and I’m always looking, thinking, and moving ahead. On the Camino I thought a lot about pace. Not just on this journey, but also [...]

I want to start off day 25 by acknowledging the real hero of my journey and that is my feet. I have asked a lot of them over the past month and they’ve responded well. Not a single blister! Now I’ve seen some jacked-up feet along the way. Some people have so many blisters I [...]

There are a lot of statues, murals, and tributes along the Camino. Here are some that I encountered along the way. Which number is your favorite and why? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. [...]

Today I walked with John and Susan and it started me thinking about friendship. What I know most about my childhood is that I spent a great deal of it alone. I was a total tomboy and I loved fishing. I remember fishing for hours and hours all by myself. The few friends I did [...]