* This week, I have had extra fun email in the form of photos and brief trip updates from my Mom and Dad. They are visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and new little nephew! It looks like they are having so much fun. It is really making me look forward to my trip in April.
* In my text messages, I received a picture from SMS showing off his hotel room that he’ll be staying in when he travels to France for business. Le boo! I wish I was going! Unfortunately, my schedule is booked about 3 months in advance and this trip was planned in the last 2-3 weeks.
* I read Glynnis MacNichol’s No One Tells You This. A highly distilled description is this is a memoir of a woman during her 40th year. It was pretty good. My biggest takeaway is that I really want to go to a Dude Ranch in Wyoming now. This chapter was actually a small part of the story but the descriptions were really beautiful.
* I liked this article regarding the dictum, “Travel like a local.” The author argues that this is ridiculous since locals are caught up in the mundane details of everyday life. While, yes, locals may know of inside spots that aren’t in the guidebooks, it is ok to “travel like a tourist” and take in the sights and wonders of a new place. I completely agree with this perspective. I love checking out the tourist-y spots where I live because they are attractions for a reason! When I travel, I try to stay away from tourist traps when it comes to restaurants but when it comes to landmarks and museums, count me in!