Pura Vida! It's English translation means pure life or simple life, however its more than just a phrase. It sums up Costa Rican's culture and way of life.

In the Spring of 2019, my son Ben and I set out to see a destination at the top of my bucket list – Machu Picchu.

I have been intrigued by the island country of Japan for a very long time. Lush, mountainous and botanically diverse - I've dreamed of visiting their gardens. Culturally and religiously very different from my own - so interesting!

As soon as we got all of our kiddos settled at their respective universities my husband Jimmy and I left our empty nest and hit the road!  We set our sights on circumnavigating the entire island of Ireland and what a fun time we had – an amazing adventure to celebrate our new phase of life.