HI! You’ve found me.

Welcome to my little space on the inter-webs; nice to meet you– I’m so glad you are here. I’ve been dabbling in writing on the internet since 2005 [yes, that long!]. Thank you so much for stopping by–I hope you’ll stick around and keep reading!

Blog Beginnings

On Sunday Morning is an amalgam of all the blogs I’ve had before.. My first blog was my first attempt at creative non-fiction or perhaps realistic fiction where a made up character (or not) wrote about life as. as a healthcare worker in a level 1 trauma center/ level 3 NICU + PICU. My next blog focused on my 16 month journey through every country in South America. The rebirth focused on random travel experiences in USA and Europe, and finally my last blog depicted my 2018-2019 experiences as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer In Rwanda.. 

I started blogging way back in 2005 as an outlet and stress reliever for my first ‘adult’ [and serious] job. I experienced a quarter-life crisis, took a leaved of absence to explored an entire continent. In 2015, I graduated from nursing school, changed careers, and visited some of the lesser known places in Europe. 

My goal is to merge all those experiences into one, cohesive blog that will [sort of] read like an autobiography of sorts–with a healthy dose of realistic content, creative non-fiction, photography, and travelogues. Is this even possible? I don’t know, but this is my story and I hope to tell it well. This blog has been the one constant in my adult life.

The tab On Sunday Morning blog will have all post in reverse chronological order. The Night Shift tab is best read as a story starting with Chapter 1. Likewise, the Peace Corps tab is organized into what happened before I left, while I was there, and plans for after service. Finally destination-unknown tab is loosely organized by country.

Why On Sunday Morning?

Let’s be honest. As a person who has a day job in healthcare, historically most of my Sunday mornings have been spent working. But there was a time–Peace Corps time– when I lived for Sunday mornings. On those Sunday mornings, I’d wake up late, scramble some eggs for breakfast, wash clothes and dishes by hand. Then hang them out to dry. Around 11AM or so, I’d begin the 5k walk up and over a few of Rwanda’s 1000 hills to Huye. At the junction of the paved and dirt roads, I knew I was over halfway to the city. 

Sometimes I stopped in the bar at the bottom of the hill and had an ice cold Fanta Citron; others times I mentally prepared myself for the giant hill that leads in/out of Huye. But once there, I’d meet other PCVs for lunch, go market shopping, hang out at the pool, catch some free. Wi-fi, the possibilities were endless. Then, I’d visit another PCV and we would cook some other worldly delicious meal and end the evening watching downloaded movies. It was always what I imagined Sunday mornings should be–farmers’ markets, lunch with friends, cooking… Because on Sundays (mornings and afternoons), I was free. Free from PCV responsibilities and free from village-life.

So is On Sunday Morning a travel blog?

Not exclusively. Traveling is one of my favorite activities, but I’m not exactly in the most ideal position to write a blog that focuses on traveling the world. I work have a career in a decidedly not travel related field.. I have yet to go to South East Asia, or Central Asia or any parts of Asia, really. Still haven’t made it to Australia. Or New Zealand. Or the Middle East. 

But I want to–one day–and my bucket list gets longer every day. So, obviously, I can’t really give any profound travel advice about going to places I’ve never been. 

I always hurt myself without even doing anything adventurous and I always forget something crucial. Like my passport. It’s no secret that I honestly don’t have a clue when it comes to round the world planning, or packing, or malaria prevention. I actually got malaria while taking said pills. And didn’t when I eschewed prophylaxis.

Is it a personal blog?

Well, not exactly. I mean it’s personal to me, but certainly not a daily log of my life.

I am passionate about travel, hiking, exploring, grass roots health care, education and conservation, reading, and creating the perfect combination of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. On the blog you’ll find a collection of travel stories [and misadventures], and kitchen experiments [more misadventures] I find interesting. 

I have studied monkeys and tagged turtles in the wild, fell in love with lemurs, chased cats all over the world. I’ve rescued sea turtles on the coast, taught health classes in Spanish [and Kinyarwandan and Kiswahili!], and built proper stoves ventilation in the Andes mountains. I’ve brought babies into the world and seen them out. Toxicology and wilderness medicine fascinate me.

I am cynical but optimistic, tough but kind, honest, sarcastic, introverted, yet assertive. Working in health care has given me an appreciation of dark humor. Political correctness does not live here. Myers-Briggs calls me a INFP. It means for the life of me I cannot make concrete plans; it also means that I am an introvert, intuitive, and that I am sensitive (whatever). And if enneagram is more your style, I’m 4 or a 9 depending on the version I take.

Life is not meant to be rush through– hurried, anxious and rushed. We’ve been told many times before that this is not a dress rehearsal, but know all too well that this is also not a play. This is life and the only one we’ve been bestowed with – let us occasionally remind ourselves of that. My life has never followed a linear grid and I’m constantly taking what most people consider ‘a chance.’

Slow down. Breathe. Live

Stick around. I promise… you’ll want to see what I do.