Travel Tips

I grew up in Palm Harbor, Florida, part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg Metropolitan area. My folks have been divorced for ages and both have remarried. My stepparents are terrific, you couldn't ask for better. When I was growing up, my mom and stepdad would pile all 5 kids in the car and take us on trips. Mostly to North Carolina or camping in Florida. At the time, I didn't really appreciate it. Most 12 year olds aren't terribly fascinated by civil war battlefields. But it did instill in me the desire to go places that I wanted to go and see things that interested me. My mom still goes to North Carolina. In fact, she and my stepdad now own 3 cabins up there. I finally got a chance to visit them in late June, 2005.

I attended the University of Florida from 1991-1996. I loved Gainesville and miss it terribly. I'm still an avid Gator Football fan, in fact, I think my love for the team grows with each passing year. My poor husband has to listen to football talk from August to January, sometimes longer.

After a short stint in the Army, I moved to Huntsville, AL. I worked there for about 8 months, before a friend called me up one day and asked me if I wanted to work with her in Kosovo. I jumped at the chance, quit my job, and 3 weeks later was on my way overseas. I spent 2 years working in Kosovo. I loved it. I had a great job, made terrific friends, and enjoyed my free time as well. We spent a lot of time in Pristina or in Skopje, Macedonia.

Chris and I met in Kosovo. We dated long distance for a couple of years, and married May 24, 2003. Our wedding was on the beach in Clearwater, FL. We honeymooned on St. Lucia and then moved to Germany. We lived in a small town outside of Boeblingen, which is itself outside of Stuttgart. We traveled every chance we had and loved living in Europe.

We lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado from Nov 2004 to Feb 2007. For a Florida girl who had spent the last three years in Europe, it was a major change. The altitude alone made me ill for a month. But, as with everything, we got used to the area. Living here provided us with new opportunities for travel. I am not the most avid supporter of Colorado Springs. Most people love it. Not us.

We had the great good fortune to move back to Germany. This time we settled in Bondorf, a small town near Herrenberg.