By Adria Carey Perez *This article contains affiliate link(s). Any affiliate link means that I may earn advertising/referral fees if you make a purchase through my link, without any extra cost to you. It helps to keep this magazine afloat and allows us to compensate our writers. Thank you for your support.* Underwater archaeology, coding, French, wilderness first aid, data visualization–this is just a sampling of the courses that I have taken online. Some of these have been just since ...

By Sallie Lewis Longoria It’s coming on Christmas, and up and down my street, twinkle lights glow softly, like summer fireflies. While my own home will soon be decked for the holidays, the house next door remains dark and shuttered, a lingering reminder of what I lost. My grandparents – who I called Honey and Popo – were many things to me. Friends, first and foremost, role models, teachers, travel advisors, and much later in life, next-door neighbors. Together since ...

By Adria Carey Perez Planning a summer vacation and asking, “Should I take my kids to a developing country?” The short answer is: yes, but… Last summer, we decided to go to Colombia. Not to a resort or with a tour group, but on a two-week, meandering road trip covering cities, beaches, and jungles. With our three kids, ages 4, 6, 9. Was it difficult? Yes. There were times during the trip when my husband and I looked at each ...

By Adria Carey Perez Windblown hair, sun-kissed cheeks, open ocean swimming, and fresh fish for dinner are the dreamy side of the boating coin; the other side is full of, “get away from that edge!” and sun poisoning and the joy of being confined in a small space with your family for a whole day with no escape, unless you have the swimming prowess of Diana Nyad. With the hope of a day out on the boat with kids landing ...