The sedentary recluse who pulls an all-nighter once a year eating his way through unhealthy snacks says ”Ho ho ho and have another cookie.”
Wellness Wednesday: What Would Santa Do?
Wellness Wednesday: The Year-Round Christmas Colors of South Florida
Christmas decor comes naturally in South Florida, where red and green abound in my year-round garden.
Memoir Monday: How American Diplomats Celebrate Thanksgiving
For the first time, my husband and I did not have turkey for our Thanksgiving meal, choosing instead butter-soft filet mignon for our dinner-for-two this year. However, tradition is much on my mind. As US embassies, foreign service families, and ex-pats of all kinds celebrate America’s national holiday abroad, the events of the day are…
A Day With A Palm Tree: How to Spread Year-Round Joy with Christmas Lights
Holiday lights are spreading happiness and joy year round in Palm Beach County.
Memoir Monday: Birthday Breakfast and Anchovy Pizza
We all have celebration traditions. Mine are Birthday Breakfast and anchovy pizza. Here’s why.
Wellness Wednesday: How to Rev Up Your Workout Without Breaking a Sweat
I crossed a new fitness threshold last week when I added Tabata — a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) protocol — to my water workout. My 30 minute workout not only boosted my cardiovascular system, but also strengthened my core, my arms, and my legs. And it put me on Cloud Nine for the rest…
A Day With A Palm Tree: Florida Writers Triumph in the Royal Palm Literary Awards
It takes a village to raise good writers, and the Florida Writers Association’s annual flagship writing competition, the Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA), engages hundreds of “writers helping writers” annually. This year, 25 dedicated RPLA coordinators and nearly 200 judges reviewed an astounding 577 entries, providing in-depth critique geared toward helping each writer continue to…
EMBASSY KID: A MEMOIR. Episode 4: A Fragile Democracy Takes Hold in Venezuela (Caracas, 1958)
In the calm after the 1958 Venezuelan revolution, my parents hosted cultural ambassador Nat King Cole’s visit to Caracas.
Wellness Wednesday: We Are in Training for Life
As I got older, I stopped thinking of exercise as training, until a near-death illness changed everything.
EMBASSY KID: A MEMOIR. Episode 3: How My Mother Got Our Family Through A Revolution (1958, Caracas)
My mother never imagined that she’d be a part—time diplomat, mother of two bilingual kids, boss to a live-in maid, figuring out how to get through a revolution.