I am pleased and honored to feature Monique Gascon's amazing and inspirational post about her passion for traveling. Whether you are an avid travel enthusiast or an armchair traveler wanting to see more of the world, you will find this reflection fascinating: I often wonder what factors motivate a person to become a traveler. Are …
You know you miss your kids when…
You know you miss your kids when...you take screenshots of your daughter while Skyping with her from Seoul, South Korea. You miss your other daughter so much that your weekly highlight is reading her latest blog post: You know you miss your son, and his girlfriend, when you spend far too much time poaching their picture …
Weekend Excursion
This past weekend's excursion to Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Carmel far surpassed my expectations. My husband, Justin, and I set out to make the most of a long weekend and packed two days full of fun. The first stop was Vallejo, California for the Pirate's Festival.     Camera's slung around our necks, we delighted in capturing unique people and images.      Next, we …
Day 33 “I See Red”
 Red is a passionate and powerful color!      I love red! Red hearts and red roses symbolize love.      "Redness" ignites feelings of loving life...and taking pictures to prove it!      Yet beyond all the red expressions I am so used to seeing stateside, I found this vibrant color interwoven throughout the culture of Argentina.      How can one not …
Day 30 “I Feel Pink!”
I feel pink today!          As I rifled through South American travel photos for yesterday's post, the "pinkness" really struck me.          Argentina and Uruguay love colorful buildings, and you see pink everywhere.           Pink reminds me of feminine solidarity (sorry guys). Throw in a little purple and self-confidence soars. Below is my daughter, Elya, in …
Day 22 “Time for Exploration!”
Today was surreal. Many unexpected occurences happened so quickly that I could not filter them all while in the midst of work. Students brought me poems they wrote; quite profound for middle schoolers. A colleague informed me of an opportunity knowing my passion for developing technology trainings. My editor left a cheery message with an encouraging complement, possible completion date, and suggested title …
Ethos
Ethos There are moments in a mother's life when you see your child's past, present, and future flash before your eyes. Recently, this happened to me when I saw the following article about my daughter, Elya, on the front page of the UCLA International Institute webpage. Senior Writer Kevin Matthew astutely captured the essence of …
Catch Up
 Elya's previous Asian Travels Catch Up             This morning I awoke with a massive "Parental Hangover." The throbbing began in my shoulders and radiated up through my skull. The last couple of weeks preparing for and then experiencing my daughter's departure overseas proved more challenging than anticipated.            Today I'm going to climb back …
JoDee Luna Art 