Karla Barber started her life's journey in Chicago but migrated north to Vermont where she spent her formative years. Her interests are many and varied. She was initially headed for a career in journalism, but abruptly changed her major to Computer Science during her first semester of college. She tried to minor in fashion design, but conventional thinkers in the school of engineering couldn't figure that out, so she took classes in design for ‘fun' and minored in business.
After a 22 year career in high tech, she retired in 2004 to spend more time with her family and get more involved in the local community. She serves on several non-profit boards including; The Women's Museum, the Foundation for Women's Resources, Greenhill School Board of Trustees and the University of Vermont School of Engineering Dean's Advisory Board.
She is the founding president of the Dallas Chapter of Women for WineSense and serves on the organization's national board as the Director of Technology. Upon retirement, Karla began pursuing a formal study of Wine; she holds wine certifications from the International Sommelier Guild and the Court of Master Sommeliers.
In addition to her B.S from the University of Vermont, she holds a masters degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas. Karla also is a graduate of Leadership Texas, Leadership America and the Power of Self.
Karla loves to travel, ride her bike, garden, and study Italian. She and her husband have three teenage sons. Like the Chinese language, the word ‘no' is simply not in Karla's vocabulary, she did live in Taiwan for two years after all. She loves to learn; and, the good news is there are so many interesting things to pursue in life!
Have you ever lost your passport or discovered it had expired days before your trip departure? Don’t panic, I have some good news – you can get a replacement passport easily and painlessly if you live in Dallas or any other city with a Federal Passport Office (see: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_4312.html for a map of locations).
A long weekend in Seattle allowed me the opportunity to sample some of the city's great dining options. An added bonus - halibut season had just begun - so all restaurants had special dishes to feature the fish on their menu.
When it comes to New Year resolutions there are three groups - those who DO make them, those who DO NOT, and those for whom IT DEPENDS. I'm in that third group.
I'm a traveler and the birth of my first son did not slow me down; we made 11 trips before his first birthday. He was an easy travel companion, if he was dry and warm he was happy.
My dogs, Ellie and Lucy, love riding in the car and they have logged many miles on our almost annual trek to the east coast and back. Having your canine friends along for the ride can add fun and adventure to your trip, but it does require a little more advance planning.
The other night at 9:30, the temperature here in Dallas was 100 degrees. We’ve been setting records all summer for the highest low temperature in a day and the most triple digit temperature days.
Potato salad is the perfect accompaniment to a summer picnic. There are many styles of salad prepared with potatoes as the base and each of us has a favorite. I prefer mine made with red potatoes (skins on) and with a touch of mustard to add a little zip. After some experimenting I have perfected my recipe.
There is a saying; "accident is the mother of invention". In my case circumstance is the mother of invention and it led to the creation of a very delicious watermelon martini.
A Girls Weekend is perfect for laughing, crying and cleansing the soul. My three BFFs joined me for the weekend in Chatham. We are a young version of the Golden Girls - lots of laughs, a bit of banter and always honest with each other. We cooked, drank wine, walked and shared our best advice.
There are the standard gifts; the tie, the dress shirt, breakfast in bed. If you are looking for a gift for dad, the father or step-father of your children, a grandfather, father-to-be, we have a few ideas to share:
More than a decade has passed since I found myself at a Women's Leadership conference reading a piece printed on purple paper that espoused all the great things women are capable of; it was powerful and the words made me feel empowered. But, when I got to the last sentence I sank into my chair and felt tears in my eyes
We at Good News Girlz love to travel lite. One roller bag and a carry on can cover us for three or four weeks with no trouble. We always start with Harriet's basic packing lite article. Layering is the solution for every destination at every time of year, but each itinerary and season deserves its own analysis.
A cherry tree in bloom is a lovely thing. Thousands of cherry trees massed and in full flower are awe-inspiring. To the Japanese through the centuries, cherry blossom time has been a reminder of the fleeting nature of life - of brief, intense beauty.
I love exploring Italy, The country spans 10 degrees latitude from the southern tip to its northern borders. The climate varies considerably from mediteranean in the south to cold continental in the north. Italy offers a wide variety of terrains to explore as well.
There was a 24 hour party in my attic; squirrels during the day and rats at night. We spent months fixing all the entryways that had been created allowing the presence of these party animals. I even encountered a squirrel face-to-face when I was replacing the screens over the ventilation holes - not sure who was more startled.
We expect some wildlife in urban settings: squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, even a possum or two. I've known for years that we had a family of foxes living in our backyard--a brood of kits was born under our deck about 15 years ago.
I regularly peruse the wine aisles at Whole Foods and occasionally wander down the beer aisle. On a recent Saturday I was intrigued and enticed to stop at a demo station featuring the recently released Infinium, champagne-style beer from Sam Adams. It was still early, so they
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