I Got to Play the Game “Create Your Own Running Adventure” in a Foreign Country

My run in London

It was equally thrilling and frightening to run in another country by myself, and I had originally bagged the idea altogether, especially when I was considering only packing a carry-on. But when I saw that our first hotel in London seemed to be adjacent to a park, I ultimately couldn’t resist bringing a couple of running outfits. 

I’d rather arrive prepared than have regrets. 

Essential to my kit? Bike shorts, a sports bra, a singlet, Goodr sunglasses, my current Hoka Cliftons, and my Spibelt. 

What I didn’t bring? My handheld water bottle and a hat. I just didn’t think I’d have room to pack everything. I would simply have to rely on my sunglasses, a headband, and carrying my regular water bottle. 

I needed some time to get acquainted with the neighborhood. I checked out how busy it was in the early morning hours, I looked down side streets while we were out and about in the evenings, and I asked our tour guides about the relative safety of the area. I was assured that the area was safe. 

My Garmin map of my run. Screenshot from my app.

When we first arrived at the hotel, it was clear that I’d underestimated the green area the map indicated. Shepherd’s Bush Green, which I’d planned to make the center of my running experience, was more like a postage stamp of grass in the midst of an urban jungle. It couldn’t have been more than a quarter of a mile around. And the UK seems to embrace the natural state of things, so the edges of the park were startlingly unkempt, although full of beautiful wildflowers. 

It turns out there was only one morning that I felt like I had time to venture out, as most of our mornings began early, and days included lots of walking. I averaged about 15,000 steps per day during the trip, which I’m sure made up for the abundance of good vegan food I consumed!

Monday morning was my run day. On our morning designated to sleep in, I got up an hour before my roommate and set out for a 5k run. I had a general idea of running around the green, then toward and around the mall that was close to our hotel, and taking advantage of some seemingly quiet residential streets nearby. 

I ran past two tube stations which were so crowded that I had to walk, it was trash day in the neighborhood, so there was much dodging of full garbage bags, and there were very few runners out. The runners I encountered didn’t wave like in America. They were all business!

If I had known where I was going, perhaps I could have been faster! Screenshot from app.

Perhaps I just looked like a dumb American, but I didn’t exactly care. I was running in London!

I wish I’d had a running partner on this trip because that would have made the experience more enjoyable, but I did have fun exploring on my own. I wish I’d had the time or courage to have jumped on the tube and run by the Thames or in highly recommended Hyde Park. I definitely would have been more adventurous with some company, though!

Some issues I had? Since I kept my phone on airplane mode the entire trip, I don’t think my Garmin was as quick to connect to the satellite. I had been running for about 15 minutes before my watch synced, so I missed much of the documentation of my activity. By the time, I know I ran at least a 5k, but I’ll never know for sure. 

I have no regrets about running, though, and generally felt safe on my adventure. I’m glad I didn’t let anxiety and self-doubt keep me from going, and I will forever have a run logged in London in my app!

Not only that, but my pink and blue Hokas perfectly matched the bright blue dress I wore later that day! My running shoes were the perfect accessory. 

Now if I could just get into the London marathon…

In the Globe Theater museum later that day in my blue dress and Hokas. Photo by author.

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Do you run when on vacation, even in a foreign country? I’d love to hear about your adventures!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy. 

Plantarium Cafe: Vegan Restaurant Review

Stratford-upon-Avon, UK

I loved everything about England, especially the vegan food, but my favorite place we visited was Stratford-upon-Avon. Our theater-themed trip of course had to include a trip to the birthplace of Shakespeare! 

The town itself was full of interesting shops, including vintage and antique shops where I not only found some great records, but the best souvenirs of the trip for my husband and older daughter. 

The inside of the Plantarium Cafe. Photo by author.

Around the corner from where the rest of my omnivorous travel companions were enjoying a meal and tea, there was an unassuming little vegan cafe called Plantarium. One of the highlights of our side trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, this gem delivered the best vegan meal of the entire trip. 

As the place where my companions were having tea did not have any vegan options for me, I asked if I could bring a vegan meal to enjoy with their tea and a pint of cider. They happily obliged. 

I’m typically overwhelmed by an all-vegan menu, so I asked for a suggestion for my meal. The girl helping me first asked how hungry I was. We had been exploring the town for a few hours, so I was famished. But instead of ordering one of their larger meals, I opted for a toastie and a slice of cake. 

A toastie is kind of like a grilled cheese on steroids. The one I ordered had spinach and vegan chorizo. 

To make up for what I assumed would be a smallish sandwich, I added a slice of one of the three amazing cakes on the counter. I took her suggestion of white chocolate blackberry. 

My vegan toastie from Plantarium Cafe. Photo by author.

I ordered for takeaway, not emotionally prepared for what I was about to reveal. I sat down at the table, opened my sandwich, and immediately gasped. It was so beautiful! And my omnivorous friends were instantly jealous. 

Not only was it beautiful, but it was also absolutely delicious! I definitely had to have a moment after that first bite. 

After my first bite! Photo by author.

The rainbow bread was made by local bakery Panem in honor of Pride Month!

The cake was also yummy, and the slice was so large that I had to share. No one who tasted it believed that it was vegan.

The white chocolate blackberry cake. Photo by author.

If your travels take you to the UK to see all things Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, then you simply must visit Plantarium Cafe!

Plantarium Cafe. Photo by author.

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Have you ever visited Straford-upon-Avon? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

I Have Been Transformed Into a Snot Factory

The souvenir nobody wanted is mine

The most significant souvenir from my trip in the immediate days back home is a summer cold. It’s no wonder, with days on end of little sleep so we didn’t miss out on anything fun, logging well over 15,000 steps each day, with multiple hours in spaces with lots of people like airplanes and the tube in London, and with the stress of traveling, my immune system couldn’t keep up. 

I worked on Saturday, keeping a mask on around patients, but the cough worsened throughout the day. By that night, I had a low-grade fever. Clearly, I was in no condition to run 8 miles with my team on Sunday, so I stayed home to rest. By Sunday afternoon, my fever was 102. Ugh. 

I’m sure this is viral. All in my sinuses, draining down my throat, causing the coughing and headaches. I’m grateful it’s not in my chest. But it’s been a while since I’ve been this sick. 

Of course, I took a COVID test Saturday morning before going to work, as I didn’t want to transmit that to any of my patients. It was negative, thankfully. 

Was the trip worth getting sick for? You bet it was.

Does my husband appreciate all of the delightful sound effects as I clear my head of this fountain of snot? Absolutely. So. Very. Sexy. 

I should buy stock in Kleenex.

He’s currently running out to buy me meds to help alleviate all of this yuck. Luckily, we have some real Sudafed already. You know, the kind that you have to provide ID and sign your life away to buy. At least it’s easier to buy a gun than to start a meth lab. I’m obviously joking.

I’m already dreaming of my next trip to Europe. 

In other news, my older daughter has also returned from her trip to Europe to study abroad. I think she feels the same way about her experience that my younger daughter and I do. 

We came back to a country that is hell-bent on denying freedoms. I don’t even know what this new America is all about. 

Here’s to hoping that I get rid of this cold soon. I would prefer to focus a bit of energy on fighting for what is right instead of these snot-clearing rituals. Sigh. 

In a moment of sheer joy with my younger daughter in the theater district in London. Photo by author.

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Lead photo is my thermometer reading. Sigh. Photo by author.

Have you ever gotten sick after traveling? Tell me your story. I’d love to hear it!

As always, I hope you are safe and healthy. 

My Magical Trip to England

Traveling can change your life

Time in life as we age becomes increasingly measured by before and afters based on significant life events. Graduations, births, and marriages, for example. And now my life will forever be punctuated by my trip to London. 

To sum up my trip in one word, it was magical. My daughter and I had the best time, the group we traveled with was amazing, and we got to see almost everything we wanted to, plus things we didn’t know we wanted to see, all thanks to an organized trip with opportunities to participate in activities we never would have known about. None of this would have been possible without our amazing tour coordinator. 

A behind-the-scenes tour at the Royal Opera House was just one of these unique opportunities. We got to see the inner workings of the theater, the costume department, and sit in on a rehearsal of one of their operas. 

We visited towns outside of London, including Windsor with a tour of the castle, Stratford on Avon with all things Shakespeare, and Oxford with its connection to the Harry Potter movies.

With my daughter waiting to get into the theater to see Mama Mia. Photo by author.

Being a theater-themed trip, we saw four shows: Mama Mia, The Mousetrap, As You Like It, and The Show That Goes Wrong. My favorite was Mama Mia, followed closely by The Show That Goes Wrong. 

We took a boat tour of the city on the Thames. My favorite way to see a city is by water, and London was no exception. And the day that we did this was our best weather day with the most interesting sky, rendering my capture of London’s Tower Bridge epically perfect. 

The Tower of London bridge. Photo by author.

The food. Oh, my, the food. It’s so easy to be vegan in England. Everywhere we went in the city had multiple vegan choices, and every place we had a contracted meal through the tour company had a fabulous special meal AND dessert for me. In Stratford on Avon, I visited an all vegan cafe and was completely breath taken by how beautiful my sandwich was! I had no idea the highlight of my toastie would be the rainbow bread (all vegetable dyes). 

My beautiful vegan toastie! Photo by author.

I can safely quell the rumors that British food is bland and boring. It’s simply not true. I also expected to have lots of stomach issues during the trip because of my vegan diet. Not once did I need to take the Tums I packed just in case. 

Likewise, the perception that the British are rude is also incorrect. Of course, there are rude people everywhere, including in the US, but I found almost everyone we encountered to be lovely and eager to share information about their beloved city. 

Something came over my soul in England. I felt a tremendous sense of peace and belonging. I never felt unsafe here, even riding the tube. I felt at home, especially in Stratford on Avon. I didn’t expect to feel this, but forever grateful to have experienced this type of joy.

Part of this peace was being a part of such an amazing group. The adults on the trip were so great, easy to talk to, and on the same page politically. The young adults on the trip were smart, engaging, funny, and respectful. Everyone looked out for each other. 

I was impressed with how eco-conscious they are in England. All of the toilets were low flow. Greenways and roadsides were kept wild and natural. Food tastes better because there’s no high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors and flavors here. Cars are smaller. Public transportation is better. Segregated bike lanes are the norm, not the exception on roadways. The city is extremely pedestrian friendly. 

Our hotels required a key card in a slot by the door to keep the electricity on, including the air conditioning! We did figure out a way to keep the air on while we were not in the room, though, which was necessary, since many days were well into the 80s during our trip! 

My vegan lunch on Friday with a fruit juice flavored sparkling water. Photo by author.

There is a sugar tax here, so sodas with real sugar are taxed, and it explained the abundance of “diet” drinks available. But there were also many different and delicious fruit juice sweetened sodas that don’t exist in the states. My favorite was a rhubarb soda. 

And, of course, there were visits to pubs. I was surprised by the abundance of hard ciders here. As this is my adult beverage of choice, I was delighted with this discovery and loved tasting several different ones!

Connecting some of the places and stories I heard about England with songs by British artists was enlightening. Our tour director was also a fan of The Smiths and made sure he pointed out some specific things to me, which I deeply appreciated. 

Speaking of music, there were other great discoveries. We got to see the venue where David Bowie played his first official gig. And I scored a couple of albums: a compilation that includes a song by The Smiths and a UK-printed REM 12” single. 

The REM single I bought in Stratford on Avon with a crown from the recent coronation in the background. Photo by author.

Other souvenirs included some ancient coins for my husband, as he is an avid relic hunter, a vintage clutch for my older daughter that we bought in the cutest little shop in Stratford on Avon, and a pair of beautiful earrings from the Windsor Castle gift shop. We tried to avoid the more traditional tourist items, but I couldn’t resist a tea towel with sights from England. It was too cute!

Our trip wasn’t all magic and sunshine, however. Our first day was greeted with a room mixup in our reservations. They thought my daughter and I were the same person (her name is Anna), and slighted our group by one room. One of the days, our bus broke down, and the one they sent us to replace it had virtually no air conditioning. That was a long hour trip back from Oxford. And the operations coordinator scheduled a trip to a market that happened to be closed that day. But they compensated with tickets to ride the London Eye! Our last hotel also had room mix-ups, including sending some of our group to rooms that were already occupied! But it did get sorted.

The London Eye. Photo by author.

Even so, I was so sad to leave a place where I felt so connected and at peace. 

My first steps back in the US were stressful and anxiety-inducing. It was the first time this entire trip that I felt this way. It started with noticing the now familiar haze of smoke from Canadian wildfires that mostly obscured the view of the Charlotte skyline. I was not prepared for returning to such poor air quality. And especially weird were the signs warning travelers that they couldn’t bring their guns on the plane as we passed through security for the second time on our return trip. Only in America do you see such ridiculous things. 

Only in the US will you see such ridiculousness. Photo by author.

I’m happy to see my husband and fur babies again, but I am also eager to return to England someday. I will be forever changed by this experience. 

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Lead photo is from the streets of Oxford. Photo by author.

Do you find traveling to be life-changing? I’d love to hear your stories!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

Having the Time of Our Lives!

London is Amazing!

London is certainly a different world in some very good ways.

I’ve now been here for 3 days and it still doesn’t seem real. You see sights you have only seen on TV or in movies, and it’s not like you imagined they would look like in real life. 

As I documented before, I was really concerned about not looking like an American. But it honestly doesn’t matter what you wear here. Literally, anything goes! There are lots of plain white and black trainers (sneakers!), but also plenty of Doc Martens, Converse, and Vans. Lots of dresses, too. I have embraced the trainers and dresses look. 

We just got back from seeing Mama Mia, and I was assured by those in the group who have seen it in New York that this version was way more risque! And the production was absolutely amazing. 

In the theater district with my daughter. Photo by author.

My daughter and I are having the time of our lives!

I think we were most anxious about the flights, but both went fine. Spending 7 hours on a plane in such tight quarters for our transatlantic flight was not pleasant, and the entertainment system was down, but we had the most delightful companion in our row of 3. 

Traveling eventually to South Africa, our new friend is a professor at a public university in Florida. We instantly connected over the politics in her state, and the recent death of both of our fathers and realizing we are becoming the other side of the sandwich generation. 

Participating in an EF Educational Tour has been as low-stress as could be. Our tour director knows all of the ins and outs of London. The meals for our dinners have been delicious, all with a specific vegan meal AND dessert for me! I’ve never felt like being vegan was a burden on this tour. 

Part of one of my lunch meals from the M&S Market. Photo by author.

Speaking of food, everything I’ve had has been absolutely amazing. Seriously. The first bite of every meal has made me pause and revel in the goodness. There are vegan options almost everywhere we have been. Being vegan here is so easy that I may never leave!

Adventures have also included riding the tube, a bus tour, the changing of the guard and Buckingham Palace, seeing Windsor Castle, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Opera House. 

With my daughter at Windsor Castle. We even toured the cathedral where so many royal weddings have taken place. Photo by author.

The weather has been hot by English standards. Yes, the tube is as hot in the summer as everyone says it is. But it’s definitely not the oppressive humidity of Virginia, and it’s been breezy. 

The other adults on this trip have been wonderful company, and it’s been great to recognize that my daughter is now one of the grown-ups. She loves this fact. And the other high school students on this trip are just awesome. So engaging, so funny, and so respectful. They give me hope that this world may eventually get back on track.

I’ll have more soon. 

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Lead photo is with my daughter with a traditional telephone booth. Because it’s a required tourist photo op! Photo courtesy of the author.

Is there anything I should do in London in my free time? I’d love to hear your suggestions!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

We Did All the Things This Weekend

So many life changes. So little time!

There was work on Friday. And then there was a rehearsal dinner. And then time with family. And a graduation early Saturday morning, followed by a funeral, and then a wedding. And Sunday began with a 4:45 AM alarm to run with my team. And then Father’s Day celebration dinner. And, oh, yeah… I’m leaving for London on Wednesday!

To say last weekend was busy would be an understatement. 

Observing multiple life changes in a single day is, in a word, exhausting. Wrapping up high school careers, mourning a life lost too soon, and celebrating the union of a perfect couple meant there were many emotions on Saturday. 

I’m incredibly proud of my younger daughter. Her graduation ceremony was at 8:00 AM. We are lucky that her school went first of the four in our county, otherwise, attending any of the other events that day would not have been possible!

My younger daughter accepting her diploma as displayed on the jumbo tron! Photo by author.

The graduation ceremony was pretty nice. I was impressed with the commencement speech from our superintendent. He used the sandwich analogy to describe their high school experience. They started normally, then COVID hit, many learned online during the pandemic, but we finished kind of normally their senior year. Two clean pieces of bread with a big old mess in the middle. That about sums it up. 

We then celebrated the life of a dear friend. Her husband passed away last September. Brenda was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Her absence from this world will certainly be felt. 

After about an hour at home to rest, we went to my niece’s wedding. She and her husband have been dating since middle school. It’s the stuff of fairy tales! So if you think that kind of love never happens, that you don’t meet your soul mate when you are still just a kid, think again. They are a precious couple. 

With my husband at the wedding. Photo by author.

And throughout all of this, I’ve been preparing for our upcoming trip. I’m usually anxious when I travel, especially when flying, but this time, I’m relatively calm. I’m truly excited to go on this journey. This trip of a lifetime. And I get to share it with my younger daughter!

As my younger daughter and I prepare for our adventure, my older daughter is having the time of her life in Copenhagen and Amsterdam. She has been keeping us updated about her adventures. She’s even managed to find all the vintage clothing shops there. 

I was contemplating taking a break from blogging while we are gone, but with wifi in every place we are staying, writing may help me process my excitement and keep me sane!

I also decided to take running clothes. We are staying right by a park. That seemed like a sign. Plus, there’s a gym in the hotel with treadmills!

Life has been exciting recently. And it’s about to get more so.

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The lead photo is with my running team coaches on Sunday. Photo by author.

Are you going through multiple life changes, too? I’d love to hear about it!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy. 

Book Banning in Hanover County Public Schools Has Begun

The school board passed the measure 5-2

The hot ticket on June 13th was the Hanover County School Board meeting. 

I arrived at 5:30 to ensure that I would have a place to sit, and as I strategically parked my car on the street rather than the parking lot of the building, I noticed a man getting a giant sign out of a car near mine. 

I waited a few minutes in my car before trying to find my people waiting outside to get in. But as I walked around the corner to the front of the building, I was greeted with an onslaught of profanity. 

There was the man in the car with his sign. He’s the same one who was harassing high school students all over our region. His sign says “F*ck Biden” on one side, and “Infowars” on the other. He had a buddy also holding a sign which said “Stop Grooming our Children.” He must have also been responsible for the giant waving inflatable that also proclaimed “F*ck Biden.” 

These guys had nothing better to do on a Tuesday. It’s funny that they protest profanity in books but display it freely in public. Photo by author.

Yet our librarians are apparently the ones corrupting and grooming children. 

Yes, my county’s school board heard comments about and voted on a new process for reviewing books in our public schools. In simple language, it’s a policy to make banning books easier. 

I was number 32 of 46 on the list of public speakers last night. The chair of the board allowed all of us to speak, and it was a packed house. 

This was my statement: 

I am a constituent in Hanover County.

My highest level of education is a Master’s Degree. 

I have two children who are products of Hanover County Public Schools.

I am a product of a public school system in Virginia and of a Southern Baptist upbringing. 

I strongly oppose the new policy on reviewing books for circulation in our school libraries. 

You say that this is not a policy to ban books because children could still access books in public libraries or purchase them. However, the same “parental rights” groups who are pushing this policy are also trying these tactics sitting in on our Pamunkey LIbrary board meetings. Not every family has the means to purchase books. This policy will disproportionally affect marginalized students. 

I have the right as a parent for my child to have unlimited, age appropriate access to quality literature in school. Our children explore the world beyond their safe familiar bubbles in the best way through books. They learn other points of view, develop empathy, and satisfy curiosity. 

If apathy is the enemy of democracy, and empathy is the enemy of fascism, then ignorance is the enemy of civilization. 

I can no longer sit back and watch this unfold. I’m here to voice my opinion, and yes, my opinion matters. There are more people who think like me in this county than you realize. 

I know that reading books helps people develop empathy, like the feelings toward people who are Jewish that I developed when I read books like The Diary of Anne Frank and Night by Elie Wiesel about the Holocaust. Or the concern I felt about racism by reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, or The Bluest Eye. Reading the last two books also helped me realize that the abuse I endured as a child was not my fault.

An ignorant society is not valuable to civilization. It’s merely more controllable by those in power. Humans are curious by nature, and squelching the opportunity to quench this thirst is soul crushing. One only needs to read books like 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury to understand this type of misery. 

But our democracy is sliding into a theocracy. Soon our world might look that the one that Margaret Atwood describes in the Handmaid’s Tale. And that is not the world I want to live in. 

Edited education is a handicap.

And it all begins with banning books. 

Of the 46 speakers, I would guess about ⅔ spoke against passing this policy. Many who spoke for the policy are elderly and no longer have children in public schools. And of the younger people who spoke for it, two couldn’t even pronounce library correctly. They pronounced it “LIBARY.” 

But guess what? The board voted to pass it anyway, giving our appointed school board, none of whom are currently educators or librarians, full power to ban whatever books they want. Under this policy, books should go to a library committee for review, but the school board has the ultimate authority. 

And then they proceeded to ban 17 books, one of which I spoke about that night: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. They also decided not to follow their policy to have these reviewed by their library committee, for this would be like the Supreme Court tossing a decision back to the lower courts, and why do that when the Supreme Court exists. 

All 17 books are on a list of about 120 titles that the conservative group Moms for Liberty has decided are too vulgar for public schools. This is the list the school board is working from. 

I’m so grateful my last kid in the system graduates Saturday. The very program she went through, the dual enrollment program in cooperation with one of our local community colleges, is in jeopardy now, as well as any AP or IB curriculum. 

Teachers will now have to go through a painstaking process to catalog every book in their classrooms so that it can be approved by their administrators. As if they don’t do enough free work. 

Hanover will lose teachers. This is a giant step backward for our educational system. 

My button and sticker I wore to the meeting. Photo by author.

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Lead photo is of books in my library. Photo by author.

Are ridiculous book-banning policies being passed where you live? I’d love to hear about it. 

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy. 

Learning to Fly

Sending my kid off on a big adventure

Cars were everywhere, parked every which way, in cattywampus lines three deep. Trunks were flying open, luggage was being frantically pulled out to the pavement, and loved ones were hugging goodbye, with everyone frantically trying to get their people off on their adventures.

This was the scene at the departure dropoff at Dulles National Airport yesterday.

The panic and chaos were tangible. I tried to outwardly remain calm, but inside I was just as freaked out as my daughter. She was driving, so I told her to just park and throw her hazards on, and we would hope for the best! We took a moment for a selfie before she embarked on her journey.

With my older daughter just before we said our goodbyes. Photo by author.

I had carefully practiced my goodbye speech to her: part love, part calming her anxiety, and part pride, but all of that went out the window in the urgency of events. She got her bags, we hugged, said our I love yous, and she was off. 

I saw a meme yesterday that talked about how parenthood is simply teaching your kids how to ride a bike over and over again. It’s just one big act of letting our hand off the back to their seat as they ride away on their own. This is a great analogy. 

At 21, my daughter is technically an adult now, but she’s still my baby. And yesterday marked her first international trip without a grown-up. And even though I knew she could handle all that this entails, I still worried!

She was a bit anxious, but I tried to reassure her of each step once she got to the airport, and I reminded her that there would be people who worked there who could help. The goal was simply to check her bag, get through security with her carry-ons, and relax at the gate.

Once I dropped her off, I made my way back to Richmond via the parking lot that is I-95. Luckily, my phone readily pairs with Apple Play in her car, and I had plenty of forgotten tunes to keep me company. Traffic was heavy, but for the most part, other drivers were well-behaved. 

I was overwhelmingly tired when I got home. I guess part of that was relief that I got her there safely. 

At least our dog, who was clearly stressed out that morning over the abundance of luggage and what that might mean for her, was ecstatic upon my return, eagerly greeting me at the door and grinning ear to ear for the rest of the evening. 

We got a text when she was boarding and a phone call at 1:45 AM our time letting us know she arrived safely. 

I thought that getting that call would allow me to finally fall into a peaceful slumber rather than tossing and turning with worry, but instead, I started writing this post in my head. 

She is in Copenhagen for a three-week study abroad program. I’m so excited that she has this opportunity through her school, and I’m eager to hear about all of her experiences!

This is not her first trip abroad. She traveled to Costa Rica with her Spanish club in high school. That trip didn’t make me nervous because we dropped her off in the care of her teachers. This time, though, she would have to navigate the airport on her own. 

My daughter, after she safely arrived in Copenhagen. One of the first pictures she sent to us. Photo courtesy of my daughter.

Dropping her off yesterday was almost worse than when I left her on her first day of preschool. I felt myself welling up with tears as I walked back to the car, but then I didn’t have time to get upset! I had to move that car out of that maze of confusion, with so many drivers honking and frustrated. I just had to take a deep breath, find my calm in that storm, and get out of that mess. 

I will venture out on my own international trip next week with my younger daughter. We fly out of Richmond, which is far less busy than Dulles, thankfully! We are looking forward to going on our own adventure together to London on a well-organized school trip!

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Lead photo is by Pexels for WordPress.

Are you watching your babies grow up into adults right before your eyes? It’s bittersweet, for sure. I’d love to hear about your experiences!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

I

When Gun Violence Hits Too Close to Home

Mass shooting in Richmond, VA

The atmosphere today seems just as heavy as the mood here in Richmond, Virginia. 

Our skies are hazy and a weird version of dark, and as much as the sun has been desperately trying to show us its light, it’s struggling to break through the smoke from the wildfires in Canada drifting all the way to Virginia. 

It’s smoky enough that I warned my patients before taking them outside, and prepared them for the nasal onslaught of the smell from the fires. My patients with respiratory issues aren’t offered a choice to go outside. The air is just too irritating. I have asthma. I know. 

The poor air quality and my lungs’ reaction to it simply walking in and out of buildings means that I have not been running this week. I don’t have the option to run on a treadmill right now.

And as I said, the sky matches the mood.

We had a shooting in downtown Richmond last night. A 19 year old started firing at graduates from a Richmond high school as they were leaving the Altria theater. 7 people were shot. A son and his father were killed. 5 others are still in the hospital. And a 9 year old girl was hit by a car as she fled the scene amidst the chaos.

If you aren’t familiar with Richmond, the Altria Theater is one of the most beautiful venues in the city. Traveling Broadway shows are featured here. And just last year, Michelle Obama spoke at a Richmond Forum event. It borders Monroe Park, which used to be the home base of the Monument 10k, one of the biggest running races in our area, and is adjacent to the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. 

I have literally run through this area hundreds of times on group runs with my marathon training team. Unhoused persons are routinely fed here. College kids hang out here. It may be downtown, but it’s not an area people typically avoid. 

To have something so violent happen in a place with which I’m so familiar is extremely unsettling. I have friends who work in that theater. I have friends who used to teach at the high school whose graduation was being celebrated. My heart aches for them, as their intimacy with the violence is far greater than mine. 

Gun violence seems so abstract when it doesn’t happen in your neighborhood, your region, or your state. We tend to keep ourselves emotionally distanced from the trauma because we have to for survival. It’s simply too much grief if you try to immerse yourself in it. 

In our area, you of course hear stories about isolated shootings here and there. But this time feels different. The families impacted were simply trying to celebrate the achievements of their graduates. Lives have been gravely impacted as they were just beginning.

When will enough be enough?  Clearly, thoughts and prayers to prevent death by guns are not working. But the fight to limit gun rights seems futile. 

Why does the NRA have the right to buy off our lawmakers? 

In 2010, the Supreme Court heard the Citizens United case, the outcome of which was to protect corporate involvement in politics. This is how it happened. This is how companies can simply buy politicians. When in their chambers, lawmakers should have to wear jerseys bearing the logos of all of their major contributors. It’s only fair to openly disclose that information, right?

If we want to get to the root of the problems in our political system, we need to begin here. Because what we have now is a system of corporate sponsorship and greed that dictates our laws. And, yes, this includes religious organizations. (Watch “Shiny Happy People” on Amazon Prime.)

We could go into more depth about the second amendment and what our founding fathers had intended. We could discuss the differences between gun powder packed, single bullet muskets in use when the Constitution was first written and the AR-15’s responsible for the loss of lives in most mass shootings in the United States today. We could explore the nuances of background checks and how laws are written to allow for loopholes (like purchasing guns from gun shows, for example), but again, this seems like wasted effort. 

It’s just like beating your head against the wall. Lawmakers have been bought. They no longer represent the people. 

It’s time for this to change. 

Now is not the time for apathy. It’s time to get mad. It’s time to fight for our babies. 

Where else in the world is gun violence the leading cause of death in school aged children? Where else in the world is homicide the leading cause of death in pregnant women? Where else in the world are there more guns than citizens? Nowhere. 

This is the United States in 2023. 

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Lead photo is the skyline of Richmond from the T. Potterfield pedestrian bridge. Photo by author.

This Wednesday edition of my blog needed to be said. I will not have a post on my usual Thursday this week. 

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.

London Calling…

My first truly international trip

Although I have technically traveled internationally before, I don’t really consider the British Virgin Islands an international experience. It was a day trip from the USVI.

But I’m about to embark on an epic adventure to a city that has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager. I can’t believe I’m going to London! 

Even better, I get to share this experience with my younger daughter. We became pretty serious about day-tripping during the pandemic, satisfying a bit of wanderlust by heading to the mountains to escape the confines of our home, but this will be our biggest journey yet! And while we are in London, my older daughter will be in Copenhagen for a study abroad.

My older daughter, younger daughter, and me. Photo by author.

My younger daughter’s theater teacher decided to organize a trip to London. We jumped at the chance for us to join! We are now less than one month away from our dream coming true. 

School trips are amazing. My older daughter got to go to Costa Rica with the Spanish club when she was a junior in high school and had a blast. My husband and I kind of assumed our younger daughter wouldn’t have the same opportunity due to COVID, but we were wrong!

All of the logistics are planned, including travel to and from the city, the itinerary, and lodging. All we have to do is show up with our luggage. It definitely takes a lot of stress off of me!

I think it’s so important to immerse in a different culture through travel. Americans tend to keep themselves in this bubble of superiority, thinking that our culture is the best. Learning that other countries are also wonderful is a good life lesson. 

Now I’ve been trying to build a wardrobe for this trip that won’t scream, “I’m an American,” which is probably one of the most futile tasks ever. I will be with a bunch of high school kids. Of course, I will look like a tourist! 

We’ve been encouraged to pack light, which is a challenging task. I’m a big fan of Doc Martens and want to take these, so I will likely wear these on the plane. These are well-loved and broken in and super comfy for walking. I bought some white sneakers for walking since apparently my bright pink Hokas are not considered fashionable in Europe. I have lots of basic colors, a nicer trench-style rain jacket, a blazer, a couple of pairs of jeans, a dress, and a skirt. I hope it will be enough.

My accidentally vegan Doc Martens! Photo by author.

I’m sure that I’m overthinking my clothing choices way too much!

I’m looking forward to seeing what kinds of vegan eats are available, as London is currently ranked the most vegan-friendly city in the world!

I’m not looking forward to spending so much time on a plane. The longest flight I’ve done up until now was across North America. The flight across the pond will be a bit longer.  

I also have to call the airline and inform them that I’m vegan. We do get a meal on our flight. I do hope it’s decent. I’ll also bring snacks just in case.

I’m feeling more excited than anxious for this trip. I suppose part of that is because the travel company has already taken care of every detail. And I’m super excited to live this experience with my younger daughter before she heads off to college in the fall.

I can’t believe I will be an “empty nester” in August. 

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Does anyone have any tips for traveling to London? I’d love to hear them!

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.