Veronica James's Blog, page 126

Seeking Something Strange in Stockholm

On our second visit to Stockholm we figured we should seek out the stranger side of the city. From smörgåsbord, to history, to street art, see how we did... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Un-nesting. Could it be Blissfully Real?

I'm constantly searching for material that dispels my internal anti-mantra, "You are a bad mommy. You shouldn't be so happy that your children have left the nest. You are a bad..." In my latest frantic search, I came across a theory that I love. Un-nesting.

Suzanne Koven, M.D. writes in her post for Psychology Today entitled "The Un-Nesting Instinct":

"Celia's story started out sounding pretty familiar-a cliché almost. She was fiftyish and going through menopause and, in addition to the weight gain and hot flashes, she found herself irritable and sad. Her children, she told me, were a particular source of sadness. "You mean because they're growing up, moving away?" I asked. 'No,' answered Celia, 'Because they're... CONTINUE READING >>

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A Look (and Walk) Inside an Active Volcano

At Hawaii Volcanoes National Park got the chance to go beneath the earth’s surface inside a volcano’s network of lava tubes. Yes, we were technically inside of an erupting volcano! If that sounds a bit intense, it is... CONTINUE READING >> 

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An Empty Nest Couples Tip: Do Something Completely New Together

Like most couples, we entered the empty nest phase of our lives pretty much the same way we entered the world, starry-eyed and clueless.

An anxiety-inducing mixture of excitement and terror.

We had our big now what? moment and stumbled ahead, knowing that we had to do something to reconnect as the couple that fell in love all those years ago.

We've found that the key is... CONTINUE READING >>

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The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Jobs

We recently had the chance to speak with Susan Shain  on a topic that we get asked about all of the time, how to afford travel. Her new book, The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Jobs: How to Have Fun, Make Money and Travel the World, is loaded with ideas that we are happy to introduce it to our readers...

CONTINUE READING >>  

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Venturing through Ventura on California’s Gold Coast

Over all Southern California is extremely bike friendly, but some places are friendlier than others. We aren’t big fans feeling like we might wind up like a bug on a windshield. Luckily, just a few miles up the coast the quaint beach town of San Buenaventura is a very different story...

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No, We Won’t Buy You a…

Our main goal as parents was to end up with happy, healthy, self-sufficient adults.

We can't tell anyone how to do this -- everyone's different and Lord knows we made our share of mistakes along the way -- but we can offer an insight that we've gained through our own offspring's transitions from childhood to adulthood.

Don't give kids everything they want, just everything they need.

A whole lot of what they want is stupid crap and... CONTINUE READING >>

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Cycling Through a Culinary Exploration of Cuban Cuisine

While we were preparing for our bicycling adventure in Cuba with Backroads Travel , we spoke with several people who told us not to expect much from the food. This fit right in with our preconceived notions of the island but, like most all of them, proved to be false... CONTINUE READING >> 

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The Empty Nest Through a Husband’s Eyes

There is much more to beauty and allure than physical appearance. Years of shared experiences, and the comfort of complete compatibility, more than make up for any lost youth, no matter what these marketers splash across our screens.

As men, we see those images too, and have been persuaded -- no, programmed -- into thinking that we all want supermodels who think about nothing more than fun times and a lot of beer. Well, I have two things to say about that:

First... CONTINUE READING >>

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An Offshore Adventure to California’s Channel Islands

I am a rock, I am an island. Paul Simon could have been describing Anacapa, just off the California coast. We don’t think he was, but it is a practically perfect fit.

On clear days we have been able to spot the rocky outcrop poking out of the Pacific... CONTINUE READING >> 

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