Traveling With Judi . . . .

My sweet mama passed away last night and although she will be missed GREATLY, I’m so happy her soul is finally free!! She has struggled a bit since my dad passed almost 8 years ago (they were 2 peas in a pod and inseparable during their 60 years of marriage!!), and her increasing dementia didn’t help (but she remained loving and kind throughout)!! She was a sweet, kind mom who loved and cared for us deeply, ALWAYS wrapping us up in the warmth and support of her prayers!! Towards the end, she couldn’t always remember exactly who we were, but she remembered that I was her “traveling daughter” and she’d begin every phone conversation over the last few years with “where are you now?” She and dad instilled a love for the world in all of us, and she loved hearing about (and seeing pictures) of where my latest adventures had taken me! She finally got her wish to “move up north” (a phrase she used in almost every conversation I had with her the last year or so - and because of her incre

For those who are on quarantine and possibly bored, I've created a bit of entertainment for you!! For those overwhelmed with caring for children or other "pandemic-related chaos," feel free to save this for another time if it's too long!! So when I last left you, I was unexpectedly back at Gredos and ready to start my third week of talking nonstop as a volunteer in the English immersion program! Durdaana had made it back home with her broken ankle (and has since had surgery to put in a plate to stabilize the bone so it will heal more strongly.) Needless to say, all hell has broken loose since then and my travel plans have been upended in wild and interesting ways!! I'll fill you in on my unexpectedly wonderful time in Madrid in a future post, but since I've had numerous inquiries on how I'm doing and what's been happening, I thought I'd fill you all in at the same time!! (I've included lots of details and a "blow-by-blow" accou