Daily Wanderlust: the glitz of Fremont Street in Vegas

The now burgeoning Downtown Las Vegas has always been a favorite spot of mine. Throughout my time in Sin City, I have spent many a night (and day) hanging in a place where old clashes with new, young clash with old, in the most colorful of ways. One thing I never get tired of? TheContinue reading “Daily Wanderlust: the glitz of Fremont Street in Vegas”

2013: Life-changing moments as an expat

“Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes/Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear/ Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes/How do you measure, measure a year?” — RENT, Jonathan Larson How do you measure a year? This year, it was all about defining moments as an expat in Thailand. Moments that changed my life, momentsContinue reading “2013: Life-changing moments as an expat”

Escape of the Week: Downtown Las Vegas

Downtown Las Vegas has always held a special place in my heart. I remember the first time I ever went to Vegas, fresh off of my ninth grade year in high school. My father drove us down past Fremont Street and the glittering lights and seeing Vegas Vic welcoming visitors to town with an armContinue reading “Escape of the Week: Downtown Las Vegas”

Goodbye, Prius

She sits in the lot at CarMax, her dark gray exterior even darker against the overcast winter sky in Maryland. I blink back tears, then head inside to sign her away. “Well, this is really easy,” the sales clerk says to me across his desk in the fluorescent lit office. “Just sign here and here,Continue reading “Goodbye, Prius”

‘Twas the night before Expat Life

“You’re moving to Thailand?” It’s been since February when I knew my future would take me to Thailand and I would become an expat. For nearly five months, my life has been in this stop-wait-move pattern. Stop. Wait. Move. Stop. Wait. Move. It gets tiresome after awhile. And severely emotionally draining. Five months is aContinue reading “‘Twas the night before Expat Life”

The daughter of Las Vegas: an interview with Bugsy Siegel’s daughter, Millicent

//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js // <![CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ]]> It was about 66 years ago when Millicent Siegel’s father, Ben “Bugsy” Siegel wrote a letter to his wife addressing his oldest daughter’s smoking habits.“I don’t like the idea of smoking at all, I would point out to her that it is not ladylike atContinue reading “The daughter of Las Vegas: an interview with Bugsy Siegel’s daughter, Millicent”

On the open road …

It’s dark, but above me I can hear the pitter patter of little feet on the floor. Little voices delighting in the morning. I roll over. It’s too early. I’m too tired. But, I’m awake. Awake. In Denver. Starting Day Four of my Life After Las Vegas. Laying in bed at my aunt and uncle’sContinue reading “On the open road …”

The price of becoming an expat

  Curled up in my lap, light blue eyes heavy with sleep, Jagger barely whispers to me, “will you bring my back a coconut to drink from?” I fight tears as I twirl his blonde shaggy hair between two of my fingers. “Absolutely,” I promise, even though I know there’s no way I am goingContinue reading “The price of becoming an expat”

The time I quit my job again

I have no intention of  quitting my job so soon after returning from Red Mountain Resort. Except, the words from the shaman and my reiki practitioner echo in my ears: remove what it is from your life that is causing you the unhappiness. And, while I am no longer unhappy, I certainly do not enjoyContinue reading “The time I quit my job again”

The first sign

The blinking red of my Blackberry alerting me to a new e-mail catches my attention as I sit on my couch, only a few days after returning from Red Mountain Resort. I’m still happy. Still blissfully happy. I pull up the e-mail on my phone and scan it quickly. Holy. Shit. It’s from Elephant NatureContinue reading “The first sign”