A Red Carpet Affair- Panama City

When packing my carry on bag for this two week vacation of 50-100 degree temperatures along with hiking gear I forgot to pack my cocktail dress and stilettos. Upon arriving in Panama we learned that we had been invited by our friends to attend a special party to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Balboa discovery the Pacific Ocean in Panama. The event was organized by the First Lady with many politicians and famous people in attendance including the ex-President Sanchez, who spoke telling the story of Balboa. The evening was remarkable taking place under the full moon in the middle of the ruins of the old and original city of Panama.




Without proper attire this gringo stuck out with my "old lady" travel walking shoes with a skirt and t-shirt. With paparazzi and cameras flashing the entire night I laughed when they asked to take a picture of me. Hopefully the picture doesn't make it in the social magazine asking who is this gringo party crasher.



Once I got past the awkwardness of a red carpet entry, paparazzi everywhere, and my country bumpkin outfit I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of sitting with powerful people to celebrate an important event in their culture. Of course no event would be complete without outstanding wine, food of all sorts and a mini dessert spread fit for a President or two.


What a special and unique event. So thankful for our thoughtful friends to extend an invitation to this exclusive and memorable event.

Birds, boats, and barking monkeys oh my!

Panama City is incredible in the diversity of the scenery. Our third day in Panama we went up the Panama Canal to Gamboa Island. Gamboa is a rainforest lush with green and thick with humidity. We took a boat tour through the rainforest and saw birds, a turtle, iguanas hidden in shrubs, monkeys, and a crocodile (ok, it was dead and covered with vultures).

There were two varieties of monkeys and the second group hidden way up in the tree tops would let out a roar like a bear or a good bark like a guard dog at the sound of any loud noise that they felt was threatening.

On the boat back down the Panama Canal we were next to huge tanker ships slowly making their 8-10 hour trip from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing the dredging to widen the canal for larger ships was mind blowing as the ships are already massive in what is a very narrow canal.

Panama City

Here are a few pictures..


. Blog with stories and experiences to come.

Another Adventure

Normally the week and especially a few days before a trip one doesn't sleep as well in anticipation to getting out of town and seeing a new place. My whole life (until the past three years) nights before an early trip to the airport used to feel like Christmas- waking up each hour to make sure you didn't miss out. These days with multiple trips a month to the airport I have no problem sleeping the night before a trip and in some ways I feel numb to the idea of a new adventure and don't realize what I'm in store for until a day or a few hours before I leave when I must start packing. As such I'm heading out this weekend on a vacation to a new continent and region and now that I think about it, wow I can hardly wait!

I'll be blogging along the way as I visit Central America- Panama for the first time before continuing to South America- Ecuador with Quito, The Andes and The Galapagos all in the mix.

I look forward to sharing my adventures and experiences as well as some photos upon my return, as I take on a new continent.

Christmas DIY

It is easy to get stuck in the daily routine and not make time to be creative. I've never been an artist as far as painting or drawing but have always found hands on crafts a fun way to use the other side of my brain, relax, and in some cases get some frustration out.

Since I don't do it enough I put a DIY project on my 31 before 31 list. Originally, I planned to make a headboard but instead decided to buy a bed which seemed easier and sturdier. As such over the holidays I got the craft bug and made a quick cork tree one night. The big project which took about a month was my new tree skirt. It looks easy but hours and hours of glueing ribbon and burning my fingers with the hot glue gun I finally completed in 2013. I'm looking forward to Christmas next year so I can display these craft projects.

Ansel Adams?

I'm far from it- but after getting a DSLR camera for Christmas a few years ago and an expired Groupon for a photography class I decided it was time to learn. I finally cashed in on my expired deal and took a morning class to learn the basics. The best thing that came out of that class wasn't the skills I learned, but meeting wonderful Bobbi another participant who has a lot more experience. Since that one class Bobbi and I have spent the weekends shooting at the farmer's market at the ferry building and most recently at the San Francisco Zoo. I'm so thankful for her knowledge and tips as I begin to learn how to use the different settings for each situation.

As I begin to prepare for my trip to Panama City, Quito, The Andes, and The Galapagos I am becoming very excited about bringing my DSLR on a trip for the first time. I'm a little nervous about safety and the potential for blurry pictures, but am willing to take the risk for the once in a lifetime experiences that I'll be having. Who knows maybe my favorite setting will be automatic but I'm determined to put my new skills and knowledge to work.

In a few short weeks a new adventure will be ahead of me.

Kimpton's Exceptional Customer Service

I've been meaning to blog for a bit and have a list of topics I still need to write about. These other items will have to wait because today I can't think of anything else besides exceptional customer service that I received.

As many of you know I'm a big fan of the Kimpton Hotels, thanks to my constant business travel. I've always been impressed by the service and care that they give to all customers but especially the "Inner Circle" their elite loyalty level. Today they took their thoughtfulness and personal touch to a new level. After an upgrade to an enormous suite I receive my special welcome gift which is normally some fruit and water, which is my request in lieu of wine and chocolate. Today I received my normal snack requests but in addition Dora the Explorer snacks which they covered the Dora and wrote Laura and also a book, "Where Will You Be Five Years From Today?


Inside the cover they said that they really enjoyed reading my blog and could tell I liked to set goals so they hoped that this would help me to enjoy life. I've been going through some challenging times recently and trying to make some decisions so this book and the gesture meant the world to me. It choked me up and made me recognize just how important customer service is in everything we do. That extra touch made such a difference as they did their homework to learn about their client.

I don't have my next 5 years figured out but I've been working on it and know that this will help me get there. Thank you to the Kimpton Family and especially the Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City. You'll never know just how much your gesture meant and I'm forever grateful.