An Exciting Empty Nester Adventure in Europe

adventure in Europe

adventure in Europe

Our adventure in Europe ~

Hi Friends!

Tomorrow I take off for my adventure in Europe. If you recall, I was invited to attend Tuscan Women Cook, an Italian cooking school in the hills of Tuscany. Yes, it is a pinch me moment.

 

I am grateful and excited to be invited and I can’t wait to share it with all of you!

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15 Amazing Restaurants in San Francisco to Visit Today!

amazing restaurants in San Francisco

amazing restaurants in San Francisco

Where to find the most amazing restaurants in San Francisco – We did all the “work” for you!

Searching for popular restaurants in the cities where we travel is one of my favorite activities! Every food and travel blogger likes to offer his or her own take on where to go, but more often than not, there are so many to choose from that their choices may not even be on my list. So… I wanted to share my current “favorites list” for the most amazing restaurants in San Francisco.

My husband Craig’s company is located in the Bay Area and working there is just part of his routine. So luckily for me, we have been traveling to San Francisco for quite some time. However, the restaurant scene of today is far more sophisticated and creative and dining out is more popular than it ever has been.

As hungry diners, our choices now are nearly infinite in the City by the Bay. Local chefs create original, tasty food that makes your heart sing and fulfills the current foodie frenzy. It seems that everyone is following the food and restaurant news and a laser-focused interest in popular cuisine is at an all time high.

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We Made the List! ~ Top Baby Boomer Travel Blogs 2017

top baby boomer blog

 

top baby boomer blogs


We were honored to be named one of the Top Baby Boomer Travel Blogs! Thank you Southwest Discoveries!

Southwest Discoveries

Last year we were thrilled to be on their list for the Top Senior Adventurers. Southwest Discoveries offers unique itineraries, with expert guides for some fabulous tours of the Southwest. If you have a sense of adventure, want to break a little further away from your comfort zone and be enriched and awed by extraordinary places, these trips are designed for you.

Mitch Stevens, founder and lead guide from Southwest Discoveries shares,”In 2016 we decided to separate the wheat from the chaff and give you the absolute cream of the crop in our blog post entitled the Top Travel Blogs For Senior Adventures. In that post, we rounded up 50 Awesome Senior Adventures Travel Blogs that we felt you should be following. These blogs will transport you to fascinating and beautiful places and provide tools, tips, and techniques to help you get the most out of your travel.”

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How To Have Fun With Your Adult Kids :: Food, Drink & Music

fun with your adult kids
fun with your adult kids
Sunday Brunch at Domaine Chandon, Napa Valley

 

How to create happy events when your nest is empty ~

Who knew you could have so much fun with your adult kids? At first when the nest was empty I had a difficult time adjusting to the lack of schedule and focus on the kids’ every need. As time went on I learned that I was in charge of my own happiness and had to turn that focus back on to Craig and me.

I realized that although our children are no longer in our day-to-day lives, we could lead successful fulfilling lives, as well as build an equally happy adult relationship with them.

Now that the kids are grown and living on their own, we need to change the way we hang out, but we can still have lots of fun (maybe even more fun).Two times in three weekends we have spent quality time with Nick and his girlfriend Kylie and it worked out perfectly!

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A Farm to Table Dinner in Big Sur With Outstanding in the Field

farm to table dinner

 

farm to table dinner
This is just a portion of the long, long table of happy diners at our farm to table dinner with Outstanding in the Field in Big Sur.

 

“We are Outstanding In The FieldSetting tables at the source of ingredients, serving from farm to table across the country.”

farm to table dinner
Last year’s Outstanding in the Field dinner in Santa Cruz.
Outstanding in the Field
The Santa Cruz dinner. You can’t even see the end of the table!

 

Last year we attended an Outstanding in the Field farm to table dinner on the beach, at the Secret Sea Cove, in Santa Cruz, at the longest dinner table you have ever seen. The sunset unexpectedly turned bright pink as we ate crab and avocado salad, drank buttery Chardonnay and talked with guests from around the world.

What is Outstanding in the Field?

Since 1999 we have set the long table at rural farms and urban gardens, on mountain tops and in sea caves, on islands and ranches. Occasionally the table is set indoors: a beautiful refurbished barn, a cool greenhouse or a stately museum. Wherever the location, the theme of each dinner is to honor the people whose good work brings nourishment to the table.”

farm to table dinner
A perfect afternoon in Big Sur with Nick and Kylie

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Tales from our trip to Austin + an elegant & (possibly) haunted hotel

trip to Austin

 

trip to Austin
The magnificent stained glass dome in the lobby of The Driskill Hotel in Austin, TX

Fun times on our trip to Austin ~

Our trip to Austin was filled with several unique, new adventures, not the least of which was a stay in a haunted hotel. What? Some say that The Driskill, which was built in 1886, with an obviously rich and compelling history, may possibly have some uninvited guests!. Read below for more about this…

trip to Austin

The Driskill

trip to Austin

 

As you walk in to the grand marble lobby with towering columns and spectacular stained glass dome, you sense that you have somehow stepped back in time. Luxurious and opulent, with a magnificent staircase on one side, you can almost smell the history in the room.

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A Life-Changing Trip to Kenya with Global Heart Journeys

trip to Kenya

 

trip to Kenya

A Life-Changing Trip to Kenya ~

While attending the most recent Women in Travel Summit, I was immediately drawn to, as well as fortunate, to spend time with my new friend Linda Higdon. Linda’s personal story opened my eyes to an opportunity that I never knew existed.

trip to Kenya

Just imagine traveling through East Africa’s cosmopolitan capital city of Nairobi, along the verdant slopes of Mt. Kenya and out to sweeping high deserts where you will personally meet remarkable women shaping change in contemporary Kenya.

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Dreams Do Come True, It Can Happen To You!

dreams do come true

 

dreams do come true

Really, they do. Dreams do come true. In just a few weeks, I will be traveling to Italy to attend the Tuscan Women Cook culinary program in the Tuscan hill town of Montefollonico. I am so grateful for the invitation from Rhonda and Coleen, the two Southern California entrepreneurs who purchased this unique, established cooking school about one year ago.

dreams do come true
Coleen and Rhonda

 

Coleen and I connected through an article that I had written and have been fast friends ever since. I plan to share my experience in Italy through video, right here on the blog and through other midlife travel bloggers. So please check here and on Instagram, as well as Facebook for some fun photos and juicy details. For this trip I will be traveling without my empty nester partner Craig, but will try to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity. (LOL) Are you kidding? I can hardly sleep!

I have loved to cook since I was a young girl and having the opportunity to learn from real Italian nonni (grandmothers in Italian) and cooking their personal recipes is immeasurable.

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Our Super Fun Trip to Magnolia Market in Waco

trip to Magnolia Market
trip to Magnolia Market
The sun was shining and the visitors were happy!

 

Our trip to Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas ~

trip to Magnolia Market
We had a great time in the small town of Waco

 

trip to Magnolia Market
The famous silos!

 

Magnolia Market is a dreamy home design “theme park” suited for everyone! This unique destination is a bit of a cultural phenomenon drawing visitors from all over the world. I was prepared to enjoy myself, but pleasantly surprised to absolutely love every detail of this one of a kind spot!

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A New Online Travel Magazine for the Over 50 Traveler ~ A Must Read!

online travel

A Brand New Online Travel Magazine Adventure!

Two award-winning travel writers, Janice and Irene asked me to be one of the original contributors for their online travel magazine Getting on Travel, which offers a fresh take on luxury for the travelers over fifty. Now this is not to say that everything we write isn’t for just about everyone, but we are focusing on the people whose children are grown and flown from the nest, with more time to spend traveling.

At this time in our lives, our travel requirements have changed a bit and really where can we go to find this type of information? Both Janice and Irene are avid world-wide travelers and knew that this generation has seen a bit of the world. We are looking for fresh ideas and to find new experiences. Most of us would like a little added comfort and luxury when we travel as well.

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