How to Plan a Family Vacation With Adult Kids and Biking the Monuments of DC

We've had this fantasy about whisking our entire family off to an exotic location for some time now. Imagine the five of us blissfully getting away from it all, laughing and sharing our experiences as we sip umbrella drinks while the sun sets into a tropical ocean.

Putting together a family vacation after the kids are grown and living on their own seems like it should be a snap compared to traveling with toddlers, or worse yet, teenagers.

So why is it so hard? 

With no roadside diaper changes, exploding sippy cup disasters... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

A Patriotic Journey: Biking Washington DC's National Mall
We were in a city like no other in America.

Or anywhere else for that matter.

We mounted our trusty wheeled steeds and headed out for a day of awe inspiring monuments and memorials. And we got to bust a few myths as well... CONTINUE READING >> 

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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!

Click to see who won!

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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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16 Boxes

Almost everyday we hear somebody say “I live vicariously through you” or “ I wish we could do what you’re doing.” As inviting as it may seem, it’s probably not the lifestyle for everybody.

There is actually quite a commitment to chucking it all and becoming a gypsy. It takes a dash of nerve and a pinch of intestinal fortitude to get rid of everything you own except a handful of personal items that can be fit into a few boxes.

16 boxes to be exact. Close to 30 years of marriage and 3 kids later, we're whittled down to 16 boxes, most them in storage. Many of these boxes are tagged to go directly to the kids... CONTINUE READING >>

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Oh My Stars!

Looking up at the night sky at an out-in-the-boondocks National Park sent my thoughts wandering, as only the night sky can. Then came a shocking thought:

How long until we can no longer see the stars?

Sitting up and scanning the land around me I saw the bright dots from tiny little towns - and, alas, the Park itself - enough light pollution to hinder me from observing what The Ancients or Magella... CONTINUE READING >>

Fear Conquering & Writing A Will

In the union of David and I, I am the less fearless. David has always been the adventurer - I am the homebody, the helicopter mom, the worrier. Selling the nest and heading out into the big, wide world, for me, was stepping outside the box. WAY out of the box.
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My biggest concern was to have our affairs in order, in the event of my certain demise. It's essential for me to be sure that the kids are not burdened when I go down in flames in a hang gliding / bungee jumping / snowboarding / street food eating episode... CONTINUE READING >>

The Plan is No Plans

On the same day that we officially became "empty" nesters, the very day our youngest started college, we boarded a plane headed for Zürich. We didn't really plan for the two events to happen on the same day, it just worked out that way.

What WAS planned was to... CONTINUE READING >>

Oh My Stars!

Looking up at the night sky at an out-in-the-boondocks National Park sent my thoughts wandering, as only the night sky can. And then a shocking thought -- how long until we humans can no longer see the stars?


Sitting up and scanning the land around me I saw the bright dots from tiny little towns -- and, alas, the Park itself -- enough “light pollution” to hinder me from observing what The Ancients or Magellan... CONTINUE READING >>

Fear Conquering & Writing A Will

In the union of David and I, I am the less fearless. David has always been the adventurer - I am the homebody, the helicopter mom, the worrier. Selling the nest and heading out into the big, wide world, for me, was stepping outside the box. WAY out of the box.


My biggest concern was to have our affairs in order, in the event of my certain demise. It's essential for me to be sure that the kids are not burdened when I go down in flames in a hang gliding / bungee jumping / snowboarding / street food eating episode... CONTINUE READING >>

The Plan is No Plans

On the same day that we officially became empty nesters, the very day our youngest started college, we got on a plane headed for Zürich. We didn't really plan for the two events to happen on the same day, it just worked out that way.
What WAS planned was to spend time together and to do the things that obligations had pushed aside before. The three years between our older girls leaving the house and the boy flapping his wings gave us plenty of time to decide how we wanted to spend, or at least... read more

Oh My Stars!

Looking up at the night sky at an out-in-the-boondocks National Park sent my thoughts wandering, as only the night sky can. And then a shocking thought -- how long until we humans can no longer see the stars?

Sitting up and scanning the land around me I saw the bright dots from tiny little towns -- and, alas, the Park itself -- enough “light pollution” to hinder me from observing what The Ancients or Magellan... CONTINUE READING >>

Fear Conquering & Writing A Will

In the union of David and I, I am the less fearless. David has always been the adventurer - I am the homebody, the helicopter mom, the worrier. Selling the nest and heading out into the big, wide world, for me, was stepping outside the box. WAY out of the box.|
My biggest concern was to have our affairs in order, in the event of my certain demise. It's essential for me to be sure that the kids are not burdened when I go down in flames in a hang gliding / bungee jumping / snowboarding / street food eating episode... read more