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Columbus, OH (Nov 10-14)

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I was invited to attend the UCEA conference in Columbus, Ohio as part of the doctorate/i4 team from East Carolina University. There were two sessions I collaborated with them in planning and presenting. The first was a symposium session on the uniqueness of the international doctorate program. Not only does it include both United States based and international school/district administrators, it also has an embedded equity, social justice focus. The second session I supported was on the nested coaching model. As an i4 coach, I had an inside look at how the model supported active school leaders in looking at math instruction.  In Columbus, we stayed near the conference center which is closely located near downtown. We went to a progressive dinner, we ate at a local noodle shop, and Mexican restaurant. It was an all around wonderful time with the ECU crew.
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New Hampshire (Nov 4-7)

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My best friend from high school, Crystal, recently moved to Andover, New Hampshire. I have not spent a lot of time on the east coast, much less in New England. I decided while I was on my travel sabbatical, the fall would be a perfect time to visit.  Crystal picked me up from the Boston airport and we drove about an hour to her super cute cottage by the lake. That first night she made dinner while we caught up on our lives and she shared with me all about her new job and place. The following day we went on a hike at Franconia Notch state park and then headedto the town of Littleton. It was like being in a storybook. We ate, shopped, and visited the local brewery (Shilling). Best day ever! The following day, Crystal took me to the New London library, where she is the director. We walked around the town of New London and then proceeded to an apple cider farm for a tasting. The New Hampshire country side is gorgeous, especially with the tree leaves turning to red, orange, and yellow. ...
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Palm Springs (Oct 24-26)

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My friend and I went to Palm Springs for a quick fall getaway. This happened to be the weekend of the atmospheric river in San Francisco. I do not know how we actually got in the air and survived the turbulence but a little over an hour later, we landed in Palm Springs. We immediately grabbed lunch and then spent the rest of the day at this amazing oasis pool side- reading and resting.  One of the highlights of this trip was seeing our first principal and great friend, Kevin Truitt. He is living his best life! He made us the most incredible food and drinks. His house is gorgeous. It was so fun to catch up and share old stories from when we were together at Mission High school. 
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San Diego/Ohana Festival (September 30-October 4)

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We first stopped in San Diego to see Milly. We celebrated her birthday and had some much needed beach time.    Kevin had tickets for the Ohana festival featuring Pearl Jam! He went the first night with his friend Rob and then Bam and I joined him the following evening. It was a perfect night weather wise- not too cold and not too hot. There were incredible bands during the day, including Brandi Carlile. PJ came on right at sunset. They played a solid two plus hours. The best part was seeing Bam rock out and dance with his dad and all the PJ superfans. 
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Tubing and Hot Springs

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 Our last stop on our Costa Rica adventure was in La Fortuna. After a 3 hour drive we went to get our covid tests before we checked into the hotel. We got our results in the hotel and they were negative (yay!). We went to the hotel pool, had drinks, swam, and looked at the massive volcano with clouds circling around the top. Then we went to the hot spring pool at the hotel, which is naturally heated by the volcano. It was very hot but very cool too. We went back to the room to shower and change for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Restaurante Tiquicia. The food was amazing we had garlic shrimp and shrimp pasta. Our favorite was the shrimp pasta. We finished off dinner with amazing coconut flan.  The next day we had an early morning to go tubing; so we got breakfast then changed and got on the bus. On the way, we stopped to grab water shoes and pay for the tubing trip. We got to the little farm where we rescued a rabbit from a big cement pit. We also saw a sloth, a huge i...
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Tamarindo (Surf, Shops, and Treats)

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  We had a couple of days in Tamarindo, CR.  Bam took another surf lesson (these waves were perfect!) Bam, with his instructor, used this opportunity to work on paddling and balance.  We had some time to do some shopping and try a few spots for great eats. This beach town is definitely bigger with lots more to do. There are lots surfing, boats, and tourists. Fun fact, howler monkeys were right outside our bungalow one morning, and there was a mama with her baby. Shaved Ice Break (Patacones bowl for beach lunch) (Bam at sunset bar and restaurant)
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Zip-lining and Turtles (written by Bam)

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(This Blog post is 99% written by Bam) After a very early morning we headed over to Miss Sky’s zip line tours at the Nosara Beach Hotel. Everyone got their harness on and we went on a 30 minute drive to the zip line starting point in a military truck. I was really feeling the nerves when we kept going higher and higher. We got there and we went over the rules and safety precautions. I was ready to go but nervous, so I went towards the end of the group, so I could watch how to do it. Not long after it was time for me to go, the guide pushes me onto the line and I yelled “aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”! At the end of the line, I was pumped to do the half a mile long zip line. Mom went, then dad went. We did 13 lines and some we did together as a family and some alone. After we were done with the 13 lines, we did a 30 minute drive back to the hotel where we started. We went home, changed quickly and then went back to our favorite lunch spot Howlers for more carpaccio. Halfway through lunch, mom want...
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