September is National Passport Awareness MonthHowdy!! Well, here we are mid-week again! Today is Kelsey's first Brownie meeting of the school year. As the co-leader with my friend and fellow mom, Lori, we will launch our first troop meeting with the earning of the "Pets" merit badge. We have a guest speaker today - my dog Liberty's vet, Dr. Silverman! I know the girls are going to LOVE this meeting, as Dr. Silverman has promised to bring a special pet to the meeting! I'll update you tomorrow with pictures and a full report of our fun Brownie meeting! I thought you would be interested in knowing that September is National Passport Awareness Month. That's right! With only a little bit more than a week to go till the end of the month, I wanted to remind you of the importance of having an up-to-date passport. If you do not have one, now would be a good time to apply and get the process underway. See TC's Tips - 4 Steps to Getting Your United States Passport. Passports are good for 10 years for adults (16 years old and up) and 5 years for kids. Did you know that according to The Los Angeles Times, in 2013, 117.4 million Americans held valid passports versus only 7.9 million in 1989. That's a huge increase in the number of Americans who are traveling internationally and seeing the world in 25 years. A little "Passport" trivia, courtesy of The Guardian.com * The term "passport" was being used by about 1540. It remains a matter of debate regarding the origin of the word passport, but it is believed that the name might have began with the idea of individuals passing through maritime ports or through the gates in city walls, which is "portes" in French. * Passports as we know them today began to be used in the early 20th century. * The passports of the future are already here! Malaysia was the first country to feature embedded microchips and biometric data like photographs, fingerprints and iris patterns. The U.S. will incorporate these technologies beginning in 2016. In other travel news this week, I was so happy to hear that all of the passengers and crews from both American Airlines flights that required emergency landings in Dallas two days ago are safe and sound!! Remember to have a phenomenal day! -E | Win a Trip to Peru!Hi all! In exactly one week from today, the kids and I will be on the road! Beginning our NM Road Trip! Woohoo!! I also just found out that a couple of friends of mine leave for Peru on that same exact day! They are heading down to hike the Inca trail and to see the Amazing Machu Picchu ruins! Ya know the way I am, so I'm totally excited for them and also super jealous! Dave B is even jealous about this one... We know first hand how wonderful the experience is, and know that we want to go again!! It was an absolutely wonderful journey, as well as an adventure that we'll never forget! Totally EPIC! Just last week I added my name in a Hipmunk & ZOZI teamed contest that had been emailed to me for the ultimate getaway! Win a trip for two to Peru including: Round trip airfare Accommodations The ultimate Machu Picchu hiking package (GoPro, Fitbit, Suunto Watch, and more) Enter to Win Good Luck!!! Another thing that I was so excited to come across was information on where I can find Fall Colors in SoCal! I didn't even realize we had any, but thanks to my friend Jeff Hester (creator of the highly acclaimed website SoCal Hiker), and one of his posts Aspen Grove in San Gorgonio Wilderness, now we know exactly where to find all of that gorgeous Fall color that I've been missing so much! And something that I can't forget to mention is how my little Cosette was so happy that she got to ride Bareback yesterday! She had been wanting to do so for quite some time, but has been too bashful to ask, and when her instructor suggested it to her she just lit up! Not to mention what a Rockin' Awesome job she did at riding! Way to go Cosette!! Lots of travel prep work, website work, and chores for today - so not much to write about. But plenty for me to do. So I'll wish you a Happy Hump Day and catch up with you again tomorrow! -T |