Destinations, Dreams and Dogs - International adventure with a fast-track family (& dogs) of Old World values, adopting the Russian-Italian-American good life on the go…!

It’s been a week now, since Angelina Jolie shared with the world about her double mastectomy.  I used the news item as a learning moment for our children, not that they know who the actress in, nor much about breast cancer.  I explained the desperation, or determination, that one must have to make such a…

I have not seen my 16.5-year-old this excited since he joined the tennis team.  Bursting in the house, I heard his voice, “I have big news—really big news—good news—where’s Mama?” He and his father headed upstairs.  Petya had just gone back to work at his volunteer job after a hiatus of almost three months during…

In Jerusalem, there’s a place called the Temple Mount.  On this site, Solomon’s Temple, and later, Herod’s Temple, were built as a location to worship God.  During the 1967 Six-Day War, the small, nascent State of Israel was attacked by three Arab armies, yet still won East Jerusalem, reuniting the Temple Mount with the rest…

We just celebrated Mashenka’s birthday.  She turned 15 and somehow, our family has gotten into the habit of having a theme behind everyone’s birthday.  It might be an activity, sport, interest, or hobby of one of the children, around which we build their cake. This year, hers was masks. Our oldest daughter loves masks.  She…

Since I’m hopping all over the globe, I thought I might as well hop in topics, as well.  In this jet-lag induced state, I won’t notice any lack of continuity, and therefore, you shouldn’t, as well.  I’ll come back to Israel, don’t worry. It was while we were engaged in archaology on Virginia’s Eastern Shore…

Alright, we know snoring happens.  Men snore, some women or children snore, dogs snore.  But, like a lot of other things in life, we don’t need it in public.  Keep it to yourself, your own litlle secret, okay? For 13 hours on an international airline flight, I had to endure a nearby gentleman’s honking and…

This is not the first time I’ve had issues with rental cars.  Once I had to be rescued ontop of a mountain when I was reduced to only first gear.  That was an event, leaving the car to be towed, and hopping into another car with a guy from the rental company. Usually, I rent…

It used to be that I cared.  Not that I don’t care, but maybe I’m letting myself go, in more ways than one.  Well, I definitely am, but the point is, I used to be concerned about that.  Maybe I’m just too far gone to care.  Perhaps if I made the effort once again, the…

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “Johnny-come-lately” as a late arrival or participant “circa 1839 and derives from the phrase ‘Johnny Newcome’ used by British officers during the Napoleonic War to describe new recruits”.  When my kids started coming home from Russia to join our family, I was a first-time mother over 40, already married over two…

I could make many meaningful comments about the Holy Land, and I will, I’m sure.  But for now, let’s just say that there are other more pressing matters that are gaining my attention, such as why my rental car sounded like it was going to blow up from the first second that I got it…