The Couple of Things

I was recently interviewed for a magazine article about empty nesting from the Dad's point of view. As usual, I was happy to add my two cents.

 Most of the questions involved the logistics of pulling off our GypsyNester lifestyle, things like selling the house, making an income, traveling and the like.

But one question completely caught me by surprise... CONTINUE READING >>

We have a winner!

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A Little Talked About Sign of Aging & Mysterious Peruvian Ruins

Here's the thing.

My best features come from my Romanian roots. I've always enjoyed having dark hair and blue eyes. I am psyched that my "gray" hair is silver, some people pay big bucks for that. Dracula was Romanian, and by most accounts was a particularly handsome man-thing.

That being said, we Romanians are a very hairy people.

My beloved Grandpa not only had follicles growing out of his ears, but in his later years his lobes looked like small woodland creatures. My stunningly gorgeous mother had quite the collection of... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

Exploring Mysterious Ollantaytambo, Peru

Gawking up at the stonework that covers the entire side of a mountain in The Sacred Valley, we were truly in awe.

No one knows how the stones were cut, because a metal hard enough to cut granite was not available at the time of its construction and an explanation of how the rocks were moved up the mountain has never been... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Preparing for Queensland Though Aussie Slang - and a Visit with the "Nut Roll Nazi"!

We're heading to Queensland in a week - and couldn't BE more excited!

It's our first time visiting Australia and while doing our pre-game research / planning / drooling we discovered that, sadly, our knowledge of Aussie colloquialisms was limited to dated Crocodile Dundee movies and Outback Steakhouse commercials.

Realizing this had to change, we hit... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

Underbrinks Bakery, A Visit with the "Nut Roll Nazi" of Quincy

Underbrink's Bakery is a trip back to a simpler time when baked goods were made with care, by hand, from scratch and with really cool vintage equipment.

Owner and baker extraordinaire, LeRoy Rossmiller the self-proclaimed Nut Roll Nazi, maintains old fashioned ways. He showed us all of the inner workings while delivering a running commentary popping fresh with humor and sarcasm.

Since opening as a traditional German bakery in 1929, this little shop near... CONTINUE READING >> 



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Grandchildish Behavior

I've had two unexpected conversations recently that have given me pause for reflection. The first was with my father-in-law while dining over Mexican food in Kansas. While catching him up with our kids' lives, he asked me if they were dating anyone of note. I told him that at the moment there were no significant others. Then, the bolt out of the blue,

"Oh, you must be sad that you won't be having grandchildren anytime soon."

The next exchange was with my daughters, The Piglet and Decibel.

“All of our friends' mothers are on crazy grandma patrol. How come you aren’t nagging us about having babies?”

It started out as gentle teasing, but... CONTINUE READING >>

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The Long and the Shorts of it All

When women get to be “of a certain age” questions of appropriateness inevitably rear their ugly heads. I think I have squarely hit that certain age. With a vengeance.

My questions of appropriateness have actually turned into a LIST of questions of appropriateness:

Should I stop wearing shorts?

What about sleeveless blouses?

Is my hair too long?

When should I stop dying it?

Should I do something about my wrinkles?

The shorts quandary is a tough one for me. It’s on the top... CONTINUE READING >>

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Are We at the End of Days? This Mayan Says...

Did the Mayans know something we don't? Does their calendar predict our eminent doom?

We had no idea where these ideas came from and, being lovers of this kind of stuff, set out on a quest for the truth.

We even went as far as traveling to the ancient and mysterious ruins at Tulum in Mexico to ask a REAL Mayan (with a great sense of humor!) what the official scoop is. Here's what we found:

In 1957... CONTINUE READING >>

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Getting Ready for South America

The time has come! You voted for it - now we'll deliver! And we couldn't be more excited!

We're heading to South America and, starting June 1st, we'll be live-blogging our journey through Ecuador, Peru, The Galápagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Cusco and much, much more!

We want to be sure we cover EVERYTHING, so please be sure to leave a comment about what you are most interested in seeing on this trip!

Are you interested in the animals of The... CONTINUE READING >>

A Great Deal on the Brooklyn Bridge

New Year's Eve in The Big Apple and your GypsyNesters were seriously contemplating a Times Square, ball-dropping extravaganza. After a bit of research and chatting up of locals, we felt that wading into a crowd of a million people, getting frisked and herded into little fenced-in safety areas, then standing for hours with no restrooms, food or libation is no way to ring in a new year. Even an article entitled "Fear Conquering & Ball Dropping," as hilarious as that would be, could not entice us to spend that much time needing to pee.

So, what to do?... CONTINUE READING >>

The Long and the Shorts of It All

When women get to be “of a certain age” questions of appropriateness inevitably rear their ugly heads. I think I have squarely hit that certain age. With a vengeance.

My questions of appropriateness have actually turned into a LIST of questions of appropriateness:
Should I stop wearing shorts? What about sleeveless blouses? Is my hair too long? When should I stop dying it? Should I do something about my wrinkles? The shorts quandary is a tough one for me. It’s on the top... CONTINUE READING >>

A Great Deal on the Brooklyn Bridge

New Year's Eve in The Big Apple and your GypsyNesters were seriously contemplating a Times Square, ball-dropping extravaganza. After a bit of research and chatting up of locals, we felt that wading into a crowd of a million people, getting frisked and herded into little fenced-in safety areas, then standing for hours with no restrooms, food or libation is no way to ring in a new year. Even an article entitled "Fear Conquering & Ball Dropping," as hilarious as that would be, could not entice us to spend that much time needing to pee.

So, what to do?... CONTINUE READING >>

The Long and the Shorts of It All

When women get to be “of a certain age” questions of appropriateness inevitably rear their ugly heads. I think I have squarely hit that certain age. With a vengeance.

My questions of appropriateness have actually turned into a LIST of questions of appropriateness:

Should I stop wearing shorts?
What about sleeveless blouses?
Is my hair too long?
When should I stop dying it?
Should I do something about my wrinkles?  read more

My Dirty Little Secret

 David and I have one chick left in the nest. He graduates from high school in June. And I am marking the days. I keep a gigantic calendar and mark a red X each day. For my son's sake (and to avoid horrified looks from house guests), I keep the calendar between the mattresses of my bed.

I'm fully aware how bad this looks, so I will explain myself. I LOVE MY KIDS! But, when June 8 rolls around, I will have spent almost twenty five years of my life raising them. I deserve this dirty little secret.

This callousness does not make me impervious to the emotional milestones along the way. I recently received my son's cap and gown picture taken at his school. My heart literally ... read more