via International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day.
via International Women’s Day.
Travel
Road trips, Euro trips, and National Parks.
International Women’s Day.
I have a confession to make. Up until today, and ironically enlightened by my husband (a dude) I always thought that IWD was just another pseudo, newly made up holiday in the inner sphere! It was today, 51 and 6 days old, that I actually researched the history. Turns out, it’s been a thing since 1908, around some of the Suffragette Movement, and officially deemed this day in March in 1977, as an International holiday. Needless to say, mind blown, and a little ashamed I haven’t been taking it serious this whole time in support of my sisterhood, and the strong, empowered, tenacious, Boss Ass Women who have fought the fight to prove one thing…WE’VE HAD THE POWER ALL ALONG! This I have always known! Pretty sure if I was born in the right decade, I totes would have been a Suffragette!
Our fight you see, I believe, has been to take it back, that frightening aura known as our power. From male dominated society, that out of fear (cause they sensed our power long ago) used the church, and culture, to ahem “keep us in our place” Thank goodness for rebellious queens. The ones who went against the grain, and endured the hardships, the arrests, the ridicule, the sacrifices for our collective future, and behold just a few generations later, look how far we’ve come. We have forced the very institutions who were instrumental in our oppression to evolve around us. We have forced evolution in barely more than a Century! How freaking powerful is that! We now have more females in leadership positions in government all over the world, and leading Fortune 500 companies than ever before in any time in history.
Man of the House…my ass! I guarantee you 90% of women run their households if they know it or not, or want to admit it. Trust me sista, if you’re reading this, your little Rome would crumble if you walked away more than 24 hours! So own it, YOU RUN YOUR EMPIRE! Be proud! We’ve earned it! Raise your daughters as strong, independent women, and my Boy Mom’s out there, raise your boys to be the men who respect a strong woman. No more of that “boys will be boys” crap! Now is our time, to continue to mold our future, and shatter those glass ceilings, we want equal pay, well guess what, I don’t foresee that being a struggle much longer, cause the ladies are large and in charge, and I guarantee are working on shooting that ceiling out first!
So in light of my enlightenment today, I assure you from now on I will celebrate International Women’s Day with a new vigor, I will shout it from the rooftops, I’ve marked all of my calendars, (it’s not on some, imagine that, still work to do ladies!)
We’re coming for you boys…#thefutureisfemale
M. ✊️👊💪🏻👑
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Antelope Canyon
So we finally did it! We hiked down into Antelope Canyon. This has been way high on the Bucket List for some time now. If this isn’t on yours, add it immediately!
There are a few things you should know however before you go.
YOU CANNOT HIKE THE CANYON WITHOUT A GUIDE! It is located on Navajo land, and they won’t allow access without one of the local tour companies that are located both at the canyon sites and in the town of Page. We did the lower canyon, the main tour companies for lower are, Dixie Ellis and Ken’s. You can book in advance (recommended) or try your luck and buy tickets on site. We used Dixie Ellis, and our tour guide was awesome!
Now, lighting and time of day are going to play a big role in the colors you’ll see down inside the canyon. 10:30am is usually prime time ( for those famous sun beam shots) and is usually booked, but nonetheless, it is truly amazing any time of day.
If you’re going anytime from May through Summer, it’s HOT. I mean it’s Arizona, it’s the desert. So this is what to expect…
Once you get to the site and check in, be prepared for lots, I can’t stress enough, LOTS of tour bus people. You’ll watch a ancient Navajo ceremonial dance, and then you’ll line up. Hopefully you won’t get stuck behind one of the large tour groups, because this can mean a 30-45 minute wait in the Arizona heat, waiting for everyone to slowly descend the stairs (some steep) into the canyon. There is also about a 150 yard walk in the sun and sand to get to the stairs themselves. Bring a bottle of water, oh and backpacks of any kind are not allowed, so forget that Camelpack.
Once you descend into the canyon, man oh man, breathtaking! So worth braving that unfortunate bathroom facilities experience!
I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Bucket. List. Frigging. Check.
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Techno Detoxing.
I’ve given up Facebook! Wow! Just typing it feels empowering. Well, Let me slow down a bit, it’s like day 3! I’m not going to say this isn’t hard. It is. I don’t think it should be, I’m a grown ass woman with responsibilities but trust me, it is. If you’ve ever tried this, you understand what I’m talking about.
I mean, what did I do with my time 10 years ago? 10 YEARS! I’ve been a slave to this for that long. Saying that aloud is a little more sobering than I thought! But seriously, how did we manage without it? I mean there was the whole raising teenagers thing, and working ungodly hours at the hospital and maintaining a household. So how did I ever find the time in the first place right? I think it was gradual. At first, for like the first few years I didn’t even understand how it worked, so it was an every now and then thing that caused more frustration than it was worth. These were the “Facebook illiterate” years.
But then those crafty little techno hipsters at Facebook got wise to the struggles of the “Facebook challenged” and started making it easier to figure it out, Hell, they even started gearing it towards us! (Eye rolling the whole time I’m sure as they wrote the middle age algorithms) the next thing I knew, it was the first thing I did when I opened my eyes, my morning cigarette so to say! I had to have it. My excuse of course was it was “a way to stay in touch with family” or “share pictures” and it is good for those things. It’s helped me reunite with old friends, but really It feeds into our FOMO! A soapbox for shouting your opinions, (some people use this more than others and shouldn’t) and our voyeuristic tendencies as humans. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Unfortunately as technology makes leaps and bounds daily, there are darker sinister forces that use all of this to their benefit. Most of the pragmatic, sensible among us can see right through this and move along, unfortunately common sense doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden. This has become a little exhausting for me lately. So I decided to take a break.
This is what I’ve noticed in the past 3 days…
1. I had no idea how many times a day I picked up my phone to check it. It’s a lot.
2. I had no idea how difficult it would be to not have it, to just mindlessly scroll through.
3. I had no idea how much nonsense I chronicled about my day. Until you have nothing to post on.
4. This is the hardest. The FOMO. That doesn’t end with the teen years. I clearly still have it. Bad! I hate not being in the loop.
So this is where I am, Day 3. Is it hard? Yes. It really is an addiction. Is it the hardest thing I’ve had to do? NO. I think anyone can do it if they try. I’m not saying I’m giving it up forever. Just a brain break for a while. I think it’s good for us to technology detox occasionally. (I’ll check in on day 10!)
Besides, there’s always Pinterest! 😉
Happy Instagramming.
M.
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Horseshoe Bend.
On our road trip home this year from Washington State to Texas, we wanted to hit a few places we haven’t been before to cross off of the list. Horseshoe Bend was one of them.
This is a must see when in Page, AZ. or doing a Glen Canyon/Lake Powell or Grand Canyon vacation. If you are visiting in the summer, my best advice is do it in the morning, or very late in the evening. Page in the summer is HOT! And frankly it gets crowded as the day goes on.
There are a couple of things you must prepare for. This is a little bit of a hike, 1.25 miles round trip. First up a short steep hill, then down to the rims edge, all in sand. I wouldn’t call this wheelchair accessible, or for anyone not in good health. It’s somewhat strenuous. And remember it will seem easy going down, but you need to get back up. BRING WATER! And I would definitely wear a hat. There is no escaping the sun 100%
Now the most important thing you should know if your going in the next few months, is the best vantage point is closed and under construction for improvement. This was a huge disappointment for us. It was started in November of last year and should have been finished by now. But when we were there in June. It didn’t look like they were close to finishing. So what does this mean? It means you will have to get very close to a unrailed cliff edge to try and get a picture of the whole Bend, and it will be difficult to do. Especially if you have a fear of heights. And PLEASE mind your small children and pets near the cliff edge.
These were the best shots we could get. (Along with some trailhead shots)
I absolutely still recommend this as a must see in Page/Glen Canyon area.
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Turning 50 and Hugs…New Orleans style.
Well this is the year that me and all of my best girlfriends turn the Big 5-0. As luck would have it, we’re all New Orleans ladies. With the exception of myself, who is a Texas, California, Texas transplant. Everyone else however, still lives back home. My family included. So I’ve had the pleasure of traveling back to New Orleans quite a bit this year. For that matter, I even had my own Big 5-0 Unicorn Rave there! I mean that’s where all of my family and lifelong ride or die peeps are, so why wouldn’t I?
Now that you have The backstory for this post, I’m going to tell you my absolute favorite thing about going back home to New Orleans. It’s partly the food, but it’s mainly the HUGS! If you’re not from there, you’re scratching your head right now. If you are from there, you totally get what I’m talking about. You see, we are huggy people! I guess because most of us are part Italian, Irish, Spanish or French. And by “huggy” I don’t mean the barely lean in with a little awkward pat on the back type, I mean, full body, long, strong, heartfelt, soul cleansing, energy transferring, I’ve missed you sister type! The kind that say, “We love you, you are missed, we’ve got your back no matter what, you’re always a member of this tribe!” Kind of hugs. Sometimes they are probably inappropriately long. (Nah) And you will get these hugs from every member of the family! And time nor distance will dial down the huggyness, They are rejuvenating.
So if you’ve never been to New Orleans, put it high on the bucket list and go! Go for the food, the ambiance, the charm, the culture, the history, the party. But mostly go for the people…they are good people, the best kind I know.
They will ask you “How’s ya mom anem?” They’ll ask you if “you ateyet?” And then they’ll give you a big soul cleansing hug! I can’t think of any better “Lagniappe” than that.
Hugs to y’all.
M
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Arches.
We have been trying to make it to Arches National Park for over a year. I am happy to report on this road trip, it was a priority and bucket list check! I love checking off the list!
We actually stayed in Moab the night before, and were glad we did. Beautiful area and an ATV lovers dream! Great shopping and restaurants. We opted for the Moab Brewery, it was Tuesday and 25 cent wings were on in the bar…craft beer on tap and eat your weight in wings for under $20! Heaven.
Okay back to the park. $25.00 entry fee, I always recommend buying the park pass $80 for the year, and it pays for itself in one vacay. Totes worth it. We were lucky and were there in early March, so crowds were slim to none. (How I like it) late Spring and Summer it gets packed! So plan for crowds and all that implies. There are a decent amount of easy hikes in the parks that do not disappoint. I recommend Double Arch and the North and South Windows for sure. Delicate Arch is a much longer, strenuous hike to get up close and personal. The viewpoint hikes are easier, but for me kinda disappointing view wise. We were limited for time so unfortunately couldn’t tackle the longer hike. (Next time Arches, next time) the 18 mile drive through the park is beautiful and doesn’t disappoint. It’s definitely awe inspiring.
This one is definitely worth the trip. If it’s not on your list, add it immediately!
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Snake Wranglin
We’re off! Heading cross country to Washington. I cannot tell you how much I love these road-trips. Not just for the destination (We adore Washington) but more so for the adventures we stumble into along the way. I can tell you from experience, it’s the “no plan” trips that are the best!
Day 1 heading out of Texas did not disappoint! We innocently pulled into a gas station, somewhere outside of Llano, yes this was another Michelle pit stop. I hop out of the truck and head into the store, when I notice this cage attached to the back of this Jeep. But there’s something in it…”what in the fresh Hell?” “ARE THOSE RATTLESNAKES?” I yell. Then I hear this thick Texas twang “yes ma’am” (the owner of the slither mobile) I’m like “what” “why” “what” My husband is staring in Awe with his mouth open at this point. This wasn’t a couple of snakes, this was like 40! He then proceeds to tell us he is a snake wrangler headed to the Snake Rodeo. He was also the Grand Champion wrestler 3 years straight!
Naturally my next response is “can I take some pictures?” He says sure. He then proceeded to take my phone and OPEN THE CAGE!!! I’m like “oh no that’s not necessary” to which he responds “oh it’s alright, they’re quiet right now” as these words leave his mouth, I notice he’s shy three fingers on one hand and has a little atrophy in his arm. (No doubt from a quiet snake bite) and takes me some nightmare inducing pictures.
It’s the next thing he says that leaves me in mouth dropping awe. He tells us the story of his “roundup” that day and the words “I threw that one at my son”…”cause I seen about a hundred of them heading under some rocks”…(insert crickets) all I could utter was “WOW!”
As we walked away, thanking him for the lesson. My husband goes “did he just say he threw a snake at his son?” Me: “yep” then I see his son get into the car, he was like 12!
So the moral of today’s adventure is…don’t ever think you’re a mean or bad parent. There are people who throw rattle snakes at their kids!
Safe…I don’t even know.
M
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Seasonal regret.
It’s winter. I’ve been in a funk. My daughter says it’s Seasonal Depression. But if I may be honest, life has tested my tenacity the last couple of months. It has been one near trauma after another, my girls were in a terrible accident over Christmas, the sudden loss of my beloved Aunt on New Years Eve, and the usual aftershocks that follow major life trauma. The hits as they say, seem to keep a comin. I’m weary. It has all compiled and thrown my Crohn’s into overdrive, so on top of the emotional stress, there is the physical pain to now endure. I’m weary. Did I mention that? This isn’t me. I am The Rock! The rubber cement that holds it all together! But I’m weary.
In an effort to pull myself out of my latest midlife funk. I’ve started looking inside. Digging deep so to say, trying to listen to the Universe, what are you telling me. This is one of those times where I would walk into a church, and ask God for guidance. What path do I take. I’m lost, help me. Today, a little light crept in. I’m beginning to realize this isn’t a seasonal funk, but more of a seasonal regret. Yes the Season of my life at the moment. You see, I’m at the point in midlife, where you start to regret all the things you didn’t do. All the languages you wished you’d learned, not going to college, or joining the military, not reaching your potential, wasted time, fear that you allowed to control you, just all of it. Except here’s the thing, the very profound thing, if one turn, one decision was made differently along the way, one twist of fate, my path would be different, and I wouldn’t have the greatest blessings in my life. My beautiful children, my amazing husband and our life and all of it’s adventures. And for these I regret nothing. They have been my most amazing life adventure. So what if I can’t speak 3 languages. Sometimes when you have to pause and look deep inside, two things can happen, you will let regret consume you and win, or You will find your grateful again. Today, I found the latter. Gratitude is the path out of the dark.
Life, you have tested me. It’s not the first time, I’m certain not the last. But I will not let you allow regret to ever win. Seasons will change, the fog will lift. And as my grandmother used to say “this too shall pass.” (Even if it feels like a kidney stone.)
Safe midlifeing.
M
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Empty nesting.
This is a little bit of insight. I hope it helps some of you on the cusp of this time in life.
I actually sat and stared at the screen for 15 minutes before writing this. Where to begin? So many feels. So many levels. I expected none of them. I was/am prepared for none of them.
I know as parents, we sacrifice to raise our kids to be the best they can be. To not have the struggles or make the mistakes we did. To make sure they become successful adults. We look forward to the moment when they will fly and leave the nest. I think this desire kicks in to full gear around 13, aka…Puberty Hell! Before that, they’re still relatively cute. But soon there would be no more waking up to the morning chaos getting them to school, calls from teachers, teenage angst and drama, daycare, summer camp, and the mysterious window left open that syphoned our money away! (Insert ridiculous grocery bill here!) The light at the end of the tunnel. I know my husband and I counted down the day’s.
But here’s the thing. No one prepares you for the overwhelming feeling that takes over when that last chickadee flys the coop. The “what now?” You see like most empty nesters, my husband and I are just touching 50. Not retired, and don’t have an RV waiting to be driven off into the sunset on a round the world adventure. (Yet.) It’s a little bit of an adjustment to go from being pulled in 5 directions, and solving the daily crisis that arises, to absolutely no one needs you. You have all of this extra time to fill. And frankly you did your job successfully. They’ve flown, graduating college, adulting, being responsible, making grand babies, and careers. Way to go parental peeps!
It really hit me recently when our last one drove off in a U-Haul with his little family in tow. They weren’t out of the driveway 15 minutes, and my husband looked at me and said “well, what do you want to do now?” I was at a loss. “I don’t know.” “Like right now? Tomorrow? This weekend? The rest of our lives? I don’t know.” I really didn’t know I would need an itinerary! That’s when I realized we’ve got all this time to fill now. There are no distractions or people around as a buffer. It’s just me and this dude! I’m really grateful I actually like and love my husband! I can see where this would turn into a problem for some. But it does take a little work to get back into being just the two of you. The “empty nesters.” So as a first step to embracing our new found “aloneness” that night, we slept with the bedroom door open (first time in 13 years) and I walked to the fridge at 2am in just my underwear! I know, TMI, but it was a pivotal baby step. It made me remember why we were excited for this time in life in the first place. We got our privacy back! We got “us” back!
It still takes some work, but it’s getting easier and feeling more normal everyday. Like it should be. I have time to take pottery classes if I want, cook or not cook, go out to eat on a random Tuesday, work in the yard together, and find some hobbies we both enjoy, and kick up the traveling a notch! (Honestly though, that not needing a robe thing is still my favorite!) I did recently get calls from each of the kids needing different advice…How to cook a favorite dish I make, how to get dog vomit out of carpet, and an “I’m missing home.”
I guess they do still need us after all. (But from afar.) 😉
Happy nesting.
M.
The real life adventures of a Creole Gypsy 