Look what happened now...
Ready, Set, Jet!
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I can almost see the weekend from here.
But there is something more building. It feels like a big change is right around the corner. Are you feeling it too? “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.” — Chinese Proverb Speak soon~ It's July! The summer is truly here, full of possibilities and never-ending heat. I gladly say goodbye to June, as I'm more than ready to move forward now. No more dragging my feet, feeling unsure about the future and the correct path forward. There are endless possibilities this month; from lazy beach days to gathering with old friends for fun-filled backyard parties. Let's dive into the charm of July and all the exciting experiences it brings. Sunny Adventures: July brings with it sun-drenched days that beckon us outside. Whether you're seeking sandy beaches or the tranquil beauty of lush forests, this month offers endless opportunities for adventure. Dive into the water, hike scenic trails, or simply relax under the shade of a tree with a good book. Let July be your passport to nature's wonders, and let the sunshine heal your soul. Let's eat all the summer vegetables! July is a paradise for food lovers, offering an abundance of fresh produce and delectable treats. Succulent berries, juicy watermelons, and crisp vegetables fill the farmers' markets, inviting us to savor the flavors of the season. Grab your apron, fire up the grill, and experiment with new recipes. From cooling salads to frozen delights, July is the perfect time to indulge in fresh food adventures. Time seems to slow down in July. With the excitement and busyness of the summer, I also seem to slow down more. Sounds like a paradox, but as my birthday approach I always become more reflective. What about you? How do you approach July? I'm more likely to linger on the deck or take longer after dinner walks. I also journal more, study more and spend more time just thinking over the past. For me, July is a great time to find a peaceful spot to meditate, journal, read or engage in activities that bring joy and tranquility. Yes, it's hot as Hades outside, but somehow we can make this work. I'm committing to being more flexible now and slowing down on work projects as well. No more trying to do everything at once. I want to enjoy the sun, the fresh food and work on my self-awareness. What are your big plans for July? Do you feel reflective or are you ready for summer to just be over? Let me know in the comment section.
I hope we can make July a time of self-discovery, rejuvenation, and growth. Let's embrace this July and make the most of the summer. Stay tuned for a backlog of adventure posts, new cooking/recipes and much more. Speak soon~ Hi,
It's me, celebrating the completion of another book! 🎉📚 As I type this, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I can't help but feel a wave of relief and accomplishment. The book has been out for a month now and is doing pretty well. I still can't believe its done and on the shelf! It's always a mix of emotions, the writing, editing, rewriting and then it all coming to an end. There is always so much more I want to include, but books shouldn't be heavier than airplanes so we have to stop somewhere; and it's always bittersweet to submit the last draft. But now I've had a bit of a break and am about to fully regain control of my schedule. Ah, the sweet promise of a good night's sleep! #Goals I can finally catch up on some much-needed rest and dive into fun summer activities too! A new hammock, a stack of fresh novels, and an ice tea within arm's reach. The perfect recipe for a lazy summer afternoon, wouldn't you say? Wishing you happy summer days! 🌞 Cheers-
It's really a beautiful weekend in the Southwest! I've been spending as much time as possible outside, but when it's time to come in these are the things I'm obsessing over.
Here is a quick weekend round-up of what I'm reading, watching, and eating!
What I'm Reading: Reaper Man (Discworld, 11)by Terry Pratchett
I'm more or less a fan of Terry Pratchett - but I need small doses at a time of his British wit. My goal is to read all the 41 Discworld books, I think I've read about 4-5 so far. (I better get with it, no?) Currently, I'm about 110 of 352 pages in this novel and enjoying the book more than I expected. I will do a full review once I'm finished. In the meantime, you can read my review of Good Omens here.
What I'm Watching: Resident Alien
Looking for something new to watch? Anything that isn't depressing? I highly recommend this quirky comedy from the Syfy channel. This alien romp is based on a Darkhorse comic book series created by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse. (Which now I believe I MUST read.) It stars Alan Tudyk and a talented cast of misfits. The comic series has been published by Dark Horse Comics in installments of four-issue miniseries since 2012. Five miniseries have been completed, and a concluding sixth miniseries is forthcoming. The tv series premise: After crash-landing on Earth, an alien takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor and wrestles with the moral dilemma of his secret mission, while also dealing with a 9-year-old boy who is the only person who can recognize he is an alien. (Wiki) And speaking of aliens...
What I'm Cooking: Vegan Chickpea Cookie Dough (So much better than it sounds!)
Truth - I'm not a fan of cookie dough. I know some people would rather eat raw cookie dough than bake the damn cookies. (I'm not one of them.) But then I found this vegan, raw cookie dough recipe, and all that changed. This healthy alternative makes a nice dip or can be eaten alone as a snack. The simple recipe is here: Cookie Dough but be warned, you will be making this regularly. Have a great weekend! This post contains links to buy the book on Amazon, I receive a few pennies if you purchase (the price doesn't change for you) and it helps to offset the cost of the website. Hi Travel Fam! How are you? It's been a crazy, busy, fun month, hasn't it? I hope you have been having some fun and travel adventures! I'm at home for a bit longer, but while I'm here we are eating well and trying new, amazing vegan recipes. I'm just back from the market and wanted to share my mini veggie haul. Spinach, Romaine Lettuce, Snow Peas, Bananas, Onions, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, Lemons, Zucchini, Tofu, Tomatoes, Oranges and avocados! Oh and Jalapeños peppers! I also bought frozen mango chunks, blueberries, cherries and strawberries for smoothies. I was still fixed pretty goood for beans, mushrooms, kale, carrots, limes and garlic. Do you have stuff you buy all the time? This is my normal mid-week shopping trip. But today the Jalapeños were on sale for something like .25 a pound! Pictured is approx. .45 cents worth lol. #Win Have a great weekend~
Hello Fellow Travelers! I hope your having a fun week. I’m planning a series of trips and working up a travel budget this month. If your like me, you know its important to budget carefully for your travel, I need to make every dollar count. I would rather spend money staying in Paris, than spending money on hidden hotel fees or disguised rental car charges! So I thought I would write a series of posts on the lessons I have learned about obscure charges and hidden fees. Your Flight Booking your flight online can be costly if you make a mistake. As soon as you get the conformation email, check to see that your name is spelled right and your travel dates are correct. If they are not, call the airline immediately. Most of the time when I have had an issue of this sort, they have cheerfully changed the tickets with no extra fees or issues. BUT I also called within 5 minutes. The longer you wait, the more likely you are going to be charged a fee. If you have to change your flight date the airlines will often charge fees so high they are not much different from the airfare itself. I had this happen last month, I bought a ticket for a work trip and then it was pushed back. We bought the insurance, but there was a “change fee” even with the insurance that made the flight almost the same price. To avoid this look for a website or airline that offers a flexible booking period. They do exist, but you may pay more…but if your unsure of the dates of your trip it might be worth it. As I said I didn't save anything with the trip insurance on that flight. But I have seen people (my mother for one) buy and use insurance for cruises that have refunded their entire trip when they ended up canceling because they were to ill to board. It might seem like another added expense that you would wish to avoid, but it can save a lot of money in the long run.
Next we will discuss Frequent Flyer Programs. Catch you later~ Hey! How are things? I'm in the middle of planning a trip today and was thinking about some of the more interesting questions folks ask me when I'm traveling. Now don't get me wrong, for me travel is a way of life and meeting interesting people and having adventures is part of the fun. But I must be very approachable, because people do not hesitate to ask me off hand questions at every turn. Is it just me or does this happen to everyone? "You don't look like your passport!" Said by every customs agent everywhere. I usually reply, "Thank God! Because I was ill then," or something like that. They have never given me any real grief over it, so I must not look THAT DIFFERENT, lol (The picture is rubbish and I will not post it, lol but take my word for it!) But I honestly don't tend to look the same in any pictures and since I color my hair as a hobby, I do tend to look different everyday. (As you may have noticed on here.) Next common question: "Where's your husband?" I don't get offended anymore when people (men) ask. I guess for some people (men) it's tough to imagine a woman traveling that much? Another really common question I hear is: "What are you doing here?" or "How did you get here?" People seemed surprised that anyone would visit their region or even their countries. Usually I answer pretty straightforward, by telling them a plane or a train or a bus or whatever. I always run into people who have never left their own countries and cannot image anyone coming all the way from America to see their area. Travel really is a mindset as much as anything else. Leaving Rotterdam, Norway a youngish train attendant was talking to me about which route was best to take to get to the port and seemed to be caught off guard by me returning to America via a ship. "How long does it take? It takes 6 months, right?!" Funny but a lot of people still seem to think it takes months to cross the sea. #WTF?! The number one question French women ask me, when they find out I grew up in south Texas: "Are cowboys real?" Another common question I hear is: "Is Trump for real?" It is usually asked by everyone who sees my American passport. Another common question or actual statement I hear often in England is: "There is nothing older than 200 years in America! Nothing there to see so you come to Europe!" Ugh! I usually just smile at this and walk away, because its not my job to educate people. This is Chaco Canyon in New Mexico it was occupied from around 800A.D., to the 1,200s. There are plenty of Native American sites across America that are even older.
What are you often asked when you travel? I'd love to hear so leave me a comment below. See you at the airport! This is my 8th blog post of 2018. Last year I blogged 127 times, that makes 10.58 blog posts per month, almost 2 blog posts per week. HEY THAT’S NOT BAD. Considering that it is a luxury to actually have time to sleep. I even made the effort to update the look of the website and added video headers, plus some new pages. I have also opted to add a few affiliate links. I’m actually not sure if I want to continue them, we shall see. I also tried to refrain from bitching about work and being constantly exhausted all the time. My 2018 new year resolution is blog at least 3 posts per week. I have never really cared if anybody reads this silly little blog, it has been more about documenting some of the places I’ve been and the insights I’ve had. So I am always surprised that people do follow. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU! 🙂 for your continued support. Okay back to reviewing 2017... This is somewhat surprising. We are still here, on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. I post mostly landscapes and of course food picture from here or random selfies, lol. Honestly I am so in love with the mountains and the blue sky here and of course the house. We have a nice garden and mostly this feels like heaven. So I try to keep the house tidy and minimal even though it's big 2 story with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and a huge bonus room I use for an office, but I don't actually talk much about the house. The kitchen is nice, much better than what we had in the UK, but not as well thought out as the kitchen in France. But it works for us, as you may have noticed I am sharing more food picts and recipes. More Vegan Food I have posted more and more vegan recipes and cooking stuff in general this past year. Mostly because I have been home more and have the ability to cook more. I still want to remind you I am NOT a food blogger. 2017 hair I think I have taken more selfies in 2017 than all the past years combined. Remember when you wondered what I looked like? Yeah, those days are long gone. But back to my hair, it is still blonde - And yes, I’m bored with it. I considered cutting it off this year, but I think I will wait another year. It grows pretty fast though and if I do not flat iron it you can see it is really thick. Using the flat iron may make the style look better - but I hate how thin and flat it looks. :( Travel in 2017 Travel this past year was sparse. Well, compared to other years when I'm running back and forth to NOLA, Florida or France. But I did mange a few adventures... Janurary here in central New Mexico started out snowing... I am still impressed with snow. It was fun for a few days and then it was over. #Goodtimes Jan - left the odd snow storm and headed to New York City. It was dark, cold and snowing there too. But New York is always amazing no matter what the weather is like. This trip was part busines/part fun. In February we left the dark and flew to Iceland. This was a destination that's been on my son's bucket list for years, but I was not that excited. But guess what? I LOVED IT! And totally not what I expected. It did snow while we were there, but we still managed a night trip to see the Northern Lights. We stayed 7 days and it was not long enough. I'm sure we will return soon. March was a short Vegas get away and April was me at home planting a garden and experimenting in the kitchen. May I had company and showed them around the area here. You can read about it here. I also started a mini food diary to share what I eat (people still ask) and what I typically purchase at the market. August I began "What Are You Reading?" A quick review of my recent reads and such. Work was still very busy, but I made my mind up I was going to make time to read and relax more. September another review and of course the hurricane hitting my home in Texas. I actually didn't talk much about it. Maybe this year I will be able to share more, it's just completely overwhelming. STILL. October was Halloween and I was supposed to go to NOLA for a right old party, but I came down with a bug and spent it in bed. #FML (But look out this year!) November I blogged about American Myths and more book reviews. We debated on going somewhere exotic for Christmas, but decided against it. After spending the holidays in Europe and other amazing places it was nice to just stay in and chill for a change. We did explore around the area, here some. Check out this short video if you want to see an ancient Native American site we hiked. I also posted more about my not so secret love of flowers and house plants this past year. So I posted more about gardens and houseplants than ever before. It's not quite an obsession, but almost. So all in all it was a great year. We didn't travel as much as usual, but that's okay too. I'm so thankful we are able to live in a nice place, with lots of natural beauty and good people.
I'm also thankful for you, taking the time to read my silly little blog. I appreciate it and the encouraging emails I get from ya'll. Thank you for your friendship and support! Do you have big plans for this year? I can't wait to see what adventures 2018 will bring! See you at the airport- It's hard to believe it's almost Christmas! I've got most of my shopping done and wrapped. (So I will not be tempted to give it away early, lol) and just need a few little things for stocking stuffers. My list isn't that long so it will be a breeze, fingers crossed. I also spoke to my family in Texas today and told them I was not coming for the holidays. So Monday I will start mailing gifts to them. Well, I will mail some, Amazon will take care of the rest, thankfully. My brother called to discuss Christmas and tell me about the freak snowstorm they had this week. It usually snows in south/central Texas once every 10-15 years and turns into ice, a big mess and lots of traffic accidents! And people freak out. (See the news story here) But, fortunately this time it was just pleasant snow for about 24 hours and then was warm again. It does make it seem more like Christmas. It has been snowing here in New Mexico off and on all around us. But mostly it has just been cold, but it is winter after all. We have a short day trip to Santa Fe planed for next month, so we should have really nice snow pictures then! The bananas went into these vegan flourless cookies. I think I have finally found the holy grail of oatmeal cookies. These cookies were amazing! Let me bake one more batch and then I will post pictures and the full recipe. I am glad to say I will not be having any guest or be running around the country like a crazy person this year. A staycation seemed like the thing to do originally because I had so much work to do, but I actually am caught up now, thanks to an amazing new admin and extra help! #WIN! So we could go to Texas..but the more I thought about it, the more I knew sticking with the original plan was the right thing to do. I'm so excited about taking time off from work and just staying home and not having any commitments. It may sound lame, but after the busy ass year I've had it sounds like heaven to me. Okay, I'm off for my morning walk and then to work. See you at the airport!
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Ms One~🌍 Welcome to My Adventures! 🌱 Foto Friday's
🗣️ Featured Blog Posts: Nature-Inspired Creativity: Overcoming Creative Blocks by the Bay: An easy way to overcome writers block. Plant-Powered Living: Raw Till 4 This an older post, but a great place to start it you want to eat healthier. "Life Lessons": Foto Friday: Glass & Light Join me in reflecting on the simple joys and lessons life brings our way. 🌟 Connect with Me: 📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msoneworld4me/ 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsOneWorld4Me 📌 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/msoneworld4me/ Follow for Daily Inspiration 🚀 Upcoming Adventures: Stay tuned for my next travel destination and upcoming blog posts. Where should I go next? Share your suggestions! Share Your Ideas 📚 Book Nook:
Join me in exploring captivating worlds through book reviews and literary adventures. Discover Books here: https://www.msoneworld4me.com/apps/search?q=book 🌿 Vegan Corner: From mouthwatering recipes to tips on embracing a plant-based lifestyle, find your daily dose of green inspiration. https://www.msoneworld4me.com/apps/search?q=recipes ✨ Join the Conversation: Share your own travel stories, vegan recipes, and life musings. The best conversations happen when we share our experiences! Archives
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