Allow Me to Introduce Myself

About a year ago I became ordained as a Wedding Minister for my daughter’s wedding, and I discovered that I loved every part of the experience. So I decided to start a business as a Wedding Officiant, and I am thoroughly enjoying this new endeavor and the lovely people I’m meeting.

But before I started my Wedding Officiant business, I spent decades working for a major airline, mostly in ground customer service at various airports, including Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles (LAX), and Albuquerque, New Mexico, which I now call home. I love to travel, and the job gave me the ability to do so relatively cheaply, although, as you may know, airline employees always fly standby, which carries its own set of challenges. There were times when I stood by for flight after flight, but they all went out full and I didn’t get on. As Jerry Seinfeld once said, standby often means you’re standing there waving ‘bye to the plane. Nonetheless, I loved having my travel benefits and I was always grateful for the opportunity to see much of the world.

One of the primary reasons I wanted to write this blog is to encourage older women like me to step out of their comfort zone and travel, and if there is somewhere you want to go but there is no one who wants to go with you, then don’t hesitate to go by yourself. I have traveled solo many times and have found so much about it enjoyable. Let me share a favorite solo travel story: I was in Paris, and I wanted ice cream from the world famous Bertihillon at their shop on the Ile de la Cite, but they close at 8pm, and it was 7:30pm, and I had not yet had dinner. So I had my ice cream (two scoops, of course) and then I wasn’t terribly hungry any more, so I grabbed a slice of pizza from a bakery and, rather than get on the metro, I took a long walk back to my hotel. A travel companion might not have thought all that was a good idea, but I completely enjoyed all of it. I’ll expound more on the joys of traveling alone in upcoming articles.

So today, in April of 2022, after almost two years during which, along with the rest of the world, I’ve had little opportunity to travel, I’m blessed to have three trips coming up almost back to back: I’m going to Sao Paulo with a friend, to Paris by myself, and to New York with my two daughters. More to come on those trips.

I’m often asked what my favorite destination is, which is a very hard question to answer, because I love many places for many different reasons. But years ago I decided that my favorite place must be the one I’ve visited most, which would be Maui. I used to go at least once or twice a year. And using that criteria, my favorite city must be Paris. I never get tired of Paris. I love to choose a neighborhood and then spend a day getting lost in all the back streets, shops and cafes.

There’s so much to see, so many wonderful people to meet, so much to experience. I hope you’ll enjoy my articles and that they’ll encourage you to never lose your sense of adventure. I hope when you travel you’ll go with a sense of wonder and joie de vivre.