Gaby and I flew into Dublin with plans to make the three hour drive to Northern Ireland & it was a great decision. The drive to Ballymoney was a breeze and we were able to take our time & just enjoy the scenery. As we neared the B&B our GPS started acting a little wonky & we found ourselves making several wrong turns including one that landed us in a dead end that turned out to be someone’s driveway –…
I am obsessed with Pinterest. Admittedly, I spend way too much time on Pinterest. It’s borderline unhealthy. My boards are mostly filled with pins that inspire me to channel my inner-Martha; and quite frankly, are things I probably will never have the time to make, but still, I get my pin on! Then two months ago to the day, June 28th, Angela (#optobff) got engaged (insert happy squeal here)!!! I knew I wanted to give her a special gift, so…
Driven by pure excitement, Gaby & I were ready to hit the ground running once we landed in Dublin. There was a little delay thanks to a debacle at the ATM, but unlike our first trip to Ireland, the car rental went off without a hitch. All is well that ends well. A quick shuttle ride to the car lot & several turns later, we found ourselves on the highway towards Northern Ireland, ready to get our vacation started! In…
How awesome would it be to have a girlfriend that enjoys traveling as much as you do? A girlfriend you could make spur-of-the-moment plans with that she actually follows through with? Let me tell you, it’s pretty darn awesome! Gabriela is that girlfriend for me. I called her with a crazy idea to travel. Somewhere. Anywhere. As soon as possible. The craziest part? She didn’t find it the least bit crazy. By the next day she had approved time-off from…
The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea.” – Isak Dinesen It’s been a very stressful couple of months for us. J left his safe, secure job of ten years for a computer start-up that requires late nights, early mornings or way too often – no sleep at all. And me? Well, it’s the daily struggle to balance the “optolife” of endless studying, long days seeing patients & still finding time for myself and my…
Football is one of two sports that Jay & I enjoy watching together. For someone as accident prone as I am, the only thing worse than playing sports is watching sports with the exception of football (and hockey), of course. As I’m sure you all know, this year the Patriot’s are playing the Seahawks. It’s kinda like old home (Boston) vs. dream home (Seattle) for us. To make things a little interesting we’ve decided to divide our household & root…
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that makes wigs for children suffering from hair loss as a result of various systemic conditions including cancer and alopecia. I heard about the organization many years ago when I was graduating from high school; and I wanted to help, but back then the criteria to donate was pretty strict. During those days, my hair was anything but healthy; it was dyed and fried to be exact. Years passed; and I forgot all…
Despite harsh winters & humid summers, East coast living suits my little family. Life on the east coast would be perfect if it weren’t for the distance separating us from our family & friends. Since moving from California six years ago, we’ve only had a handful of visitors for short periods of time and we’ve returned to California even less than that. The times we do spend with our loved ones is few & far between, but it’s always so…
Greetings from the “Sunshine State!” We did it – Jay and I pulled off the great escape! We flew my mom in from California to babysit her fur-grandbaby, packed a few suitcases, and fled from the cold. For the next seven glorious days we will be cruising around the Caribbean, doing nothing more than soaking up the sun with a drink (or two) in hand. Up next on the itinerary: Princess Cays, St. Thomas, & St. Maarten. Let the festivities…
When I took this photograph, I remember thinking ‘God works in mysterious ways,’ and immediately I felt a sense of calmness wash over me. To find such seemingly delicate flowers growing amongst the jagged rocks was both unexpected and incredibly beautiful. The natural juxtaposition – delicate & rough, light & dark, soft & hard – held a symbolic meaning for me. To me, it represents strength & growth in spite of adversity. At the time, and now still, I can…