After a busy April on the move, I made a very conscious choice to spend the vast majority of May at home in Las Vegas. This month I worked on getting caught up on all the work that had been set aside during my travels in April and exploring a variety of new restaurants and activities in and around Las Vegas including driving an exotic car through Red Rock Canyon and taking a helicopter ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We also went camping in Zion National Park, where we spent a day hiking up the Virgin River.

During the month of May, my work was published in the following places:

On Rodale’s new lifestyle website:

• The Art of the Thank You Note
• Gift Etiquette

In the May 2013 print edition of Desert Companion:

• A Family Affair
• The Road Less Traveled Read More…

I’ll be the first to admit that I am incredibly fortunate. As a writer, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to many interesting places, stay in incredibly nice resorts and experience things that few people will ever get to experience. I’ve also seen people in my position become jaded about these things, always expecting more with higher expectations. I never, ever want to become one of those people, and so I am very selective in the opportunities I pursue, and I am always incredibly grateful when someone offers to host me so that I may go somewhere new, stay somewhere exciting and do something I never would have done on my own.

That said, I admit that one thing that bums me out about my job is that I do the vast majority of these things on my own. While fully acknowledging how truly awesome these experiences are, I also admit that it’s often lonely to do them alone. The classic example I use when people ask me about this aspect of my job is the time I stayed on a private island in Vietnam. I had my own villa, butler and private pool. I also had a huge fruit basket and a couple bottles of wine in my accommodations. The island was beautiful and relaxing. Everything about this place spelled romance, and yet I was totally and completely alone. This is just like the time I went snorkeling in St. John’s, drove exotic cars through Red Rock Canyon, rode in my first hot air balloon, skied the slopes in Vail … well, you get the idea. Read More…

A lot of people ask me about what I’m working on at any given time, so I’ve decided to start sharing updates on a monthly basis about where I’ve been and what I’m working on. Every month is different and every project is different, but the freelance life always keeps me busy!

During the month of April, I worked on a handful of articles for several regional publications. I also spent about a week furiously editing a book for one of my clients. You can find my published work from April in the following locations:

In the spring 2013 issue of Massage Envy’s magazine, ME:

• Boost Your Brainpower

In the April/May 2013 issue of Acadiana Profile:

• From Ashes to Architecture

Online at USA Today’s Experience Las Vegas site:

• Surprise Me – You think you know Las Vegas? Think again! Read More…

I feel like the United States has seen an increasing amount of senseless violence in recent years. From the Colorado movie theatre massacre to the Newtown tragedy and the shooting/car explosion that killed people just a few short miles away from my home on the Las Vegas Strip, it seems like bad news is such the norm sometimes that I’ve become a bit desensitized to it.

And then the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon happened. This tragic event, more than any of the others that have come before it, shook me up. Perhaps it’s because I have a friend who works at a water station on the course every year (she was at mile 23 this year). Or perhaps it’s because these are my people. This is my community. Read More…

All this talk about gay marriage has me thinking: How common is that 1950s family consisting of a married man and woman with two children?

The other night, my husband and I were having dinner with our current foreign exchange student, and my husband said that we may be the closest thing to a “normal” family. If normal consists of a 30-something couple without their own children but an extended branch of non-blood-related kids from other countries and a brood of pets and foster animals, then, yes, we’re a normal family … and I love it exactly the way it is. Read More…

With two deadlines met within the past two days and two more articles due within the next 24 hours, I shut off my computer, turned off my office light and wandered into the living room. It was 8:30 on Thursday night. My husband was out with the guys. Our foreign exchange student was holed up in his room, exerting creative power over his music. And I, well … I was exhausted. I’d been juggling interviews and research and emails and appointments all week, and I just needed a moment of rest.

I turned on a single light. I dropped a Pure Moods CD into my ancient CD player and scooped up our oldest, smallest dog, sinking into the couch with her in an attempt to lull her into a lazy state of mind before tucking her in to her kennel for the night. Our oldest cat began the laborious bathing process on my left. Our slinky black cat tucked into a loaf and closed her eyes on my right.

For a brief moment, I thought about getting up and grabbing my phone from the counter, where it was plugged in to charge. If I was just sitting on the couch, I might as well catch up on my Twitter feed or my Facebook updates or my Words with Friends game or …

But wait. I was exhausted. My body felt like a melting lump of lead, heavy and overburdened. My eyes just wanted to close. My thoughts wanted to tip toe in their own directions. Read More…

The other morning, our foreign exchange student was flipping through AFAR, one of the few magazines I continue to subscribe to because, quite frankly, I just can’t keep up with all of the magazines I love. The latest issue focuses on food from around the world and related experiences, and while the topic doesn’t interest me so much, my reaction to the magazine was typical. One of the first things I did was flip to the contributors page, and then I scanned the masthead. Why? Because I’ve gotten to know so many people in my industry that I like to see who is writing about what and for what publication.

I am constantly impressed by the opportunities my friends and colleagues create for themselves or are given, and the stories that result because of these opportunities. In an industry that has the potential to become competitive and catty, I celebrate others’ successes because it keeps me jazzed up about my own work, and it inspires me to do more, work harder and stretch my skills to become a better writer and editor. Read More…