“If we don’t explore grief and go into it, we will never be able to touch that edge of the depth of our love.” — Mark Groves When I heard these words in my favorite Podcast last night, I quickly wrote them down so I could remember them forever. I often feel like grief is […]

On my first trek in Nepal to Everest Base Camp in 2019, I wanted to add on a trip to Pokhara afterward but simply didn’t have the time. When Amanda and I began planning our 2020 trek on the Annapurna Circuit, we planned a few extra days to spend in Pokhara.  As our days on […]

There are so many people who trek in Nepal without a guide and have an amazing experience. But after 2 treks in Nepal with a guide, I can honestly say that although you CAN go without a guide - I don’t think you SHOULD. Nara has been my guide through both the Everest Base Camp […]

I’ve heard it said that a heart full of gratitude doesn’t have room for sadness. But lately I’ve been carrying both of these emotions, and not even separately but as if they are somehow entwined. This year has been full of moments so heavy that I’ve had to learn how to carry some and let […]

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s a day when so many of us decide to share our stories of how suicide has touched our lives - whether as survivors of suicide loss or of suicide itself. I’ve struggled with depression for most of my life. As a teenager, I dipped my toes into the […]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 6 months since Amanda and I were gear-shopping in Kathmandu and preparing for our big adventure on the Annapurna Circuit. As we spent the day wandering the streets of Thamel in search of sleeping bags and micro-cramps, we had no idea what was in store for us over […]

Before my most recent trek on the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, my friend Amanda and I decided to meet up in Mumbai first to spend a few days exploring the capital city of the Indian State of Maharashtra.  Formerly called Bombay, Mumbai is a bustling and densely populated city on India’s west coast. It is […]

To complete our itinerary for the Annapurna Circuit in 2 weeks, we had to cut off the first few days of the trek by taking a Jeep.⁣⁣⁣⁣We spent one night in Besisahar (the traditional starting point) before squeezing into the back of a Jeep the next morning for the 5 hour ride to Chame.⁣⁣⁣⁣The mountain […]

Travel changes us. I thought about this as I was riding a local bus in Nepal. The Allman Brothers came up on my playlist and as I heard those lyrics “When it’s time to leave, I hope you’ll understand that I was born a ramblin’ man,” I thought about the first time I traveled as […]

Grief is my story, and not only mine - but so many others. So why are we so silent about it?  It’s because we’re not comfortable with sitting in the hard spaces, and even more so, we are uncomfortable with talking about it. It seems like people are always trying to look past their loss […]

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞? Let’s talk about POSSIBLE TRUTHS.  When we live with anxiety or trauma and find ourselves triggered by things that happen in our lives.. we often leap into the worst possible scenario right away.  We all know what happens in that space, right? It’s […]

The Everest Base Camp trek was a dream of 10 years, and the journey of a lifetime for me. There were many reasons I have dreamt of it for so long.. but the ultimate reason that has grown exponentially over the last several years was that I wanted to really challenge myself mentally and physically […]

One of the great things about grief, and also at the same time, one of the very worst things... Is that you will survive it. But, you will JUST be surviving for a while. And one day, you look up and realize that you've spent so much time surviving that you didn't really spend any […]

I would be lying if I didn't say that the Holidays have almost always been difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, my Grandparents (and my Aunt and Uncle) spoiled me no matter what time of year it was.. But Christmas became complicated as soon as I was old enough to really understand my emotions. […]

Several years ago, my Grandma was rushed into Intensive Care (not for the first or last time,) and she coded on the table during a blood transfusion. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I remember standing in the dining room at her house when I found out she had coded. I […]

I took Furio to the vet Tuesday to discuss removing his tumor that has grown really large. It seemed in slow motion as she said, "I don't think this is a Lipoma." Flashback to years before, sitting in the very same office with Sam and my sweet Rocco and hearing the C word. That day […]

I miss Grandma the most on stressful days. Whether it was a long day at work or something more stressful - she was always a phone call or short drive away. She always calmed me down and took my mind off of the things that were bothering me. I always tried to appreciate my time […]

One year ago, my family gathered to remember my Grandma's life. It had been a couple of months since she had taken her last breath in this world and my heart still hurt as much as it did the day that we lost her. As I carefully applied my makeup, I wondered whether my efforts […]

We share so much of our lives on social media. We share our photos, our adventures, our thoughts. We debate politics, we try to inform people of things that we are passionate about, and sometimes we may even share our deepest inner thoughts. Sometimes. Scrolling through Facebook is like standing outside of someone's house and […]