Judy grew up in a military family. Her early exposure to different cultures, foods and ideas influenced her world view. Learning how to not pack up and move every two and half years has proved to be one of life's great challenges. Now that she's managed to live in Dallas for 22 years, it's possible that she has conquered the restlessness of her early life. The same cannot be said of her career choices. Well in to her fifties, she is still open to new opportunities.
In January, after twelve years as a stay-at-home mom, she started a program in health and nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and as of July 2009, she is a Certified Health Counselor. From first grade to Law School, she attended 18 different schools, graduating from Oglethorpe University with a degree in History and Political Science before going on to graduate school.
She earned a Master's degree in Library Science in 1973 and a law degree in 1977 both at Emory University. Four years at the Department of Interior practicing Environmental and Real Property law somehow led to a fifteen-year stint at Fannie Mae.
After three years in the legal department, she moved into management. She served almost ten years as Senior Vice President of the Southwestern Regional office in Dallas, overseeing 250 employees and over 300 lenders in a ten state region. She retired in 1996 to spend more time with her family.
During her stay at home years, she got reacquainted with her husband and children, took up exercising, polished up her healthful recipes, and erased the effects of fifteen years in corporate America. Judy wrote a book, not yet published, but there's plenty of time. She volunteered for her sons' schools, her community and her church, and organizations including Children's International Summer Villages and Boot Camp for Goddesses. She joined three book clubs because left to her own devices, she reads books the world will not long remember. And because old habits die hard, she travels the United States and the world.
Mellanie True Hills calls herself a heart survivor because of blockages and atrial fibrillation. I call her a good hearted woman. In 2003, three weeks after near death on the operating table, she undertook a mission to help other women understand and avoid heart disease.
Dig out that fabulous red dress. Pull on those red cowboy boots. Grab that flashy red leather jacket. Friday, February 3, 2012, is National Wear Red Day®. It's not just for Valentine's Day anymore. We may not look like celebs in haute couture, but we can all show our support for heart disease awareness in our own way!
Our trip to Sicily began on the east side of the island in Syracuse, a city with deep Greek roots. We visited the Greek theater and the Archimedes museum. The Romans built on and over the Greek ruins they found. Then came the Arabs and Normans. Sicily is a wonderful blend of cultures left behind and stunning mountain and seascapes. From Taormina we had close up views of Mt Etna and in Monreale we visited an 11th century church and cloisters.
Sicily is wild and wonderful--unexpected, whimsical and thrilling. In winter, the crowds are smaller, the weather cooler and more changeable. Everyone from the Greeks and Romans to Normans and Arabs left their mark on this small island and you'll find lots to see and do on a winter visit.
Nothing grabs my attention quite as quickly as someone behind me on an airplane sneezing uncontrollably. Avoiding germs when traveling can be difficult, but there are ways to dodge them, or at least reduce the chance that your fellow travelers will infect you.
My only memory of Venice from a trip taken with my family when I was six years old involves my gelato, attacking pigeons, and their aggressive dominance of Piazza San Marco. My image of Venice rivals a scene from The Birds. Finally, after over fifty years, I made a return trip and have fresh, more pleasant memories of this beautiful city.
Tucked under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, at 279 Water Street, is a small red brick building that has been sitting there since 1794. The oldest serving tavern in New York City, it's been a food and beer shop, a restaurant, a pirate bar and a brothel. It hasn't been a brothel for a while now. In 1979, a young couple purchased the building, remodeled the space and opened the Bridge Café.
Close your eyes and imagine a trip to New York City. If you're like most people you visualize the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center covered in dollar bills. Visiting New York can get very pricy. All those luscious dinners out and high-end hotels eat into your travel budget. However, with some clever planning you can spend your whole trip free-wheeling around New York. Get out your sturdy walking shoes and some sunblock--there's lots of ground to cover.
Those of us with gluten allergies or celiac disease are somewhat used to interrogating wait staff on what we can or cannot eat. It's a totally different experience at Company Café in Dallas, Texas. Gluten eaters may find themselves asking for the gluten version of things because pancakes, French toast and bagels are gluten free, unless you request the full flour version.
New York City's Times Square. Can you think of a more romantic way to spend New Year's Eve? It's fun to do if you're prepared, patient, and warmly dressed. It's not the only thing to do in Manhattan on December 31 though. The city will be hopping.
High in the Andes, nestled in among the mountains, the Inca people discovered a wide swath of land so fertile and hospitable, they named it the Sacred Valley. Corn, potatoes, and grasses grew on the terraces cut high into almost every mountain, but down in the Sacred Valley peas, beans, asparagus and other luxuries were cultivated. From Ollantaytambo at the west to Pisac one hundred miles east, the valley is lush with crops that can be grown in any season as long as there is water.
By day five of our 8 day trip to the Galapagos Islands, we had over 1000 photos each. We had a tough time picking our favorites and may have to do three or four of these photo journals. If you'd like to see more, just give us a call, we're happy to do slideshows for anyone who asks!
Machu Picchu. The very name conjures up romance and mystery. Hiram Bingham, a real life Indiana Jones, who discovered a city hidden by jungle growth for centuries. The Minesterio de Cultura brochure presented to every visitor makes it clear that Peruvian government and at least nine other locals and explorers knew about Machu Picchu at least forty years before Bingham came over with his camera in 1911 and made his "rediscovery."
Travel expands horizons and introduces new concepts, unexpected people and opportunities you've never had. Sometimes, not often, those things can happen right at home. Last week Karen and I drove twenty minutes from our homes here in Dallas to the remarkable world of the Jjim-jil-bang or Korean bathhouse. We walked into King Spa and Sauna with no clue of what we were doing. It didn't matter-everyone was very kind and we got tips from fellow bathers as we went through the day.
Peru's natural beauty is breathtaking-the mountains, oceans, lush valleys, but the first thing we learned upon our arrival in South America is that the cities don't always have the same charm. We spent three lovely days visiting friends in Lima, touring all the top sights and eating all the local specialties, but our recommendation is that you take a quick tour of Lima, eat at least one meal and move on.
Considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world, Machu Picchu is on the list of travelers everywhere: they've either been or they mean to go someday. For those who haven't been, the uncertainty arises in the method of ascent. Am I strong enough to make the trip? Do I trek the Inca trail or take the bus? Herewith some tips.
The Casablanca Valley, a beautiful area about 45 minutes from downtown Santiago, is lush with vines and filled with wineries. Driving to the coastal cities of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar last January, we stopped at the Casas del Bosque vineyard in the Casablanca Valley for a tour, tasting and lunch.
On January 7, the New York Times published a list of 41 places to visit in 2011. At the top of their list is Santiago, Chile. We got to Santiago January 5, 2011 entirely by accident. We knew we wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, and Santiago seemed like a good stopping point in between. After spending time in all three cities, Santiago tops our list too.
Part memoir, part opinion, part stand up routine, Nora Ephron's latest collection of essays, I Remember Nothing, feels like a conversation with an old friend. Some of what she says is impressive and memorable; some is stuff everyone knows and believes; some is kind of weird and makes you wonder why it came up. But all of it is fun.
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