a whole hearted living blog
I’ve never been a beach person. Between the heat, blazing sun, lack of shade and molten lava-like sand melting the soles of my feet it’s hard for me to find much to enjoy. Applying sunscreen is sticky and stressful – missing an inch of skin…
The best part of being in the Dominican Republic so far is seeing everyone’s reaction to Cora, and I don’t expect that will change. I know Dominicans are accustomed to travelers, but it seems they’re not so used to seeing two Americans with a smiling,…
Peru’s Shutdown On the evening of Sunday, March 15th, just hours after reaching Máncora on the far Northern coast of Peru, the Peruvian President declared a national state of emergency in response to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19. Peru enacted 15 days of military-enforced, nationwide…
Four days ago, Charlie and I woke up in the Amazon jungle and listened for the sound of rain falling on our thatch roof hut. Rain meant we could go back to sleep instead of dragging ourselves out from under our mosquito net to meet…
If someone had told me Charlie and I would be spending the last weekend of 2019 with an indigenous family on a remote island in Lake Titicaca, there’s no way I would have believed it. But that’s exactly what we did. Two days after Christmas,…
Since stepping off the plane nearly two months ago, Peru has been an experience in nonstop sensory overload. From brighter colors to spicier flavors to manic drivers, the whole country seems to have the volume turned up. The air is saturated with the sounds of…
And just like that, the first leg of our South American journey is coming to a close. I’m trying not to be too sentimental about it – I know there’s a lot of trip left – but I don’t like the idea of any of…
I’m happy to report, things are looking up at Spanish school. I only say that because a new batch of students arrived on Monday, which means I’m not the worst Spanish speaker anymore. I know, the ego is a terrible thing. It’s easy to spot…
We are one week in and my list of favorite things in Lima is growing. Number one is the district we chose to call home, Barranco. It’s considered the city’s most romantic and bohemian neighborhood. Judging by the young couples making out on every motorcycle,…
Our bags are packed, the refrigerator is empty and Charlie’s head is freshly shaved. We’ve been vaccinated for typhoid, had our dental cleanings (and one filling – that would be me) and filled our prescriptions for malaria, traveler’s tummy, and migraines. Our picture frames, books…
I woke up on this Monday morning with two words on my mind: Holy. Crap. First of all, it’s dumping snow outside despite being 75 degrees yesterday (and I’m not mad about it). Secondly, tomorrow is my 37th birthday (um, what?)… And lastly, my head…