Faith on the Move: Kirk Whitney
Sometimes my work helps me meet friends half a world a way, but sometimes I find new friends in the New Evangelization right in my own hometown. Such is the case for today's "Faith on the Move" spotlight traveler, Kirk Whitney. … [Read More...]
Enjoy a Virtual Tour of Our Lady of Aparecida Shrine
In advance of World Youth Day, travel and Church devotees who cannot take the trip to Brazil are being treated to a "virtual tour" of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida. … [Read More...]
Basilica of the National Shrine Summer Organ Recital Series
If you find yourself in or around Washington D.C. this summer, one "must see" sacred destination is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. … [Read More...]
Best Western De Anza Inn – Rooms with a View
We chose the Best Western De Anza Inn for our weekend journey to the Monterey Scottish Games and Celtic Festival at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. While Monterey, California is host to some amazing hotels adjacent to the Bay … [Read More...]
Top 25 “Travelers’ Choice” Landmarks – How Many Have You Seen?
TripAdvisor recently announced their 2013 "Travelers' Choice" Top 25 World Landmarks list. I was surprised in viewing the list that I have had the privilege of traveling to seven of the top sites listed. … [Read More...]
Meet the Tourist
Meet the Tourist
As a Catholic who loves her faith and a frequent adventurer who's always up for a new journey, I thought it would be fun to combine my two passions into a new blog. I'm a wife and mom, a writer, a speaker and an impassioned traveler. … [Read More...]
Recent Adventures
Rwanda Journal #11: SILC, Strategic Support and a Celebration
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. While my body is officially back home in Fresno, California today, my heart and mind remain torn between this place and the green hills of Rwanda, half a world away. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to share my reactions to the experience I've enjoyed as a Catholic Relief Services Egan Fellow. Today though, I wanted to share with you the final installment of the last few days in Rwanda. Today, we'll pick up on last Friday's memories and … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #10: A Bishop, A Bashed Nose, Goodies and Experts
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. First of all, please accept my apologies for the abbreviated post yesterday. While the hotel we stayed in -- the Centre Saint Andre owned by the Diocese of Kabgayi in the Muhanga district was beautiful, the Internet connectivity (and the hot water -- as my photos will prove) leaves much to be desired. It's probably just as well... I've been averaging about five hours of sleep per night here in Rwanda, so one night without Internet did me the favor … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #9: Holy Mass, Coffee Growers, Genocide Memorial and Our Lady of Kibeho
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. Mass, Our Lady of Wisdom, Diocese of Butare This day started with an early wake up call -- we were off to Mass bright and early at Our Lady of the Miracles, the Cathedral in the Diocese of Butare. As a gift to our group, our celebrant Father Jean Baptiste Kazinda said Mass in English. We were joined by the amazing "Good News Choir" with young people who had come from St. Dominic's prayer to join us in praise and worship. I simply can't wait … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #8: Grief, Forgiveness, New Friendships and Selfies
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. Today's journal entry is going to be exceptionally short. While the day was filled with amazing memories, I am operating on three hours sleep (too much Rwandan coffee yesterday!) and less than ideal working conditions. My "office" tonight has me perched on the edge of the bathtub in my hotel room, the only place I can muster up even a one bar of internet connection. If your first reaction is, "Ewwww, yuck!" then you haven't seen some of the sights … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #7: CRS Rwanda, Episcopal Conference & Kigali Memorial Centre
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. The more time I spend in Rwanda, the more I see it as an amazing place of both contradictions and of consistencies. Permit me to ponder this for a few moments before I recap today's amazing highlights. First: contradictions. This came to my mind today when a friend commented on one of my earlier blog posts with his impression that my photos contradicted his perceptions of Rwanda as a "third world" country. I think this commenter's perceptions … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #6: Arriving in Kigali, Rwanda
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. Greetings from Kigali, the capital city of the country of Rwanda and our first destination after a very long day of travel. Praise be to God, our flights were completely uneventful. After a four hour layover in Ethiopia, I hit "the wall" -- the lack of sleep kicked in. I vaguely remember snapping a photo out the window when we were briefly on the ground in Uganda, but I can't find that shot anywhere on my phone so maybe I dreamed the whole … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #5: Addis Ababa Airport
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. As I write this, I'm sitting in Terminal 1 at Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia, waiting for our connecting flight to Kigali, Rwanda. Try as I might, I can't truly get a fix on the time. My computer clock says 10:12 pm, which tells me that for my husband Greg at home in California it's still Saturday night. Hopefully he's happily celebrating a Fighting Irish football victory over USC. For my friends in Boston who have been at the Catholic New Media … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #4: Catholic Relief Services Egan Orientation
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. Today started bright and early with a wake up call that roused me from a short but delicious sleep. Our hotel -- the Days Inn Baltimore Inner Harbor -- is only a few short blocks from the Catholic Relief Services headquarters. You can't imagine my excitement when we came up to the CRS building. I have been waiting for this opportunity for such a long time, but even more importantly I work online on a regular basis with several contacts from CRS. To … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #3: Baltimore and Books
Follow all of my Rwanda Journal posts here. Today was a full day of travel. And I'm only really just getting started. My alarm went off at 3:30 am Pacific time in Seattle... sufficient time for a shower, a quick kiss for my sleepy husband Greg (we said a proper goodbye last night) and a dash to the airport. Interestingly, my towncar driver Alex was a very friendly 26 year old from Ethiopia who spent the twenty minute drive to the airport educating me on the tribes of Ethiopia. We had a … [Read More...]
Rwanda Journal #2: Packing and Planning
Today I did something I haven't done any time in recent memory: I turned on my email autoresponder. … [Read More...]
