The Best Valentines Gift

Photo by aussiegall on Flickr

Our family doesn't make a big deal of Valentines Day, but this year I had a special request for my sons. It all started with a post I read on Litemind called Tackle Any Issue With a List of 100.

Instead of using my list to tackle an issue, I thought about another article, this one on The Simple Dollar about Maximizing the Free Things That Make You Feel Good, that suggested listing things you enjoy that are low cost or free. I decided to make a list of 100 things I like.

Most of the things I wrote down involved family and friends, being outside, and using my senses to see, smell, hear, taste and touch things. It included things like the smell of fresh cut hay, listening to a baby's belly laugh, and eating chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven.

The more things I wrote down, the more I realized how much the list revealed about me. I wanted to share it with my family, and I wanted to see what their list of 100 would include. So, I asked the boys to make their own list of 100 things they like.

The result was fantastic. The lists generated a lot of smiles, laughter, and agreement as we read through them. I also liked how it made the boys think of the simple things that made them happy. It really was the best Valentines gift.

Happy Birthday, Rambling Traveler!

Photo by jek in the box on Flickr.

It was one year ago today that I started Rambling Traveler. A place to share my thoughts about travel, it has also introduced me to an incredible community of travelers, including other bloggers. That community has provided more travel stories, tips, and other resources that I can share with my readers. It just keeps growing!

In the past year, over 57,000 visitors from all over the world have visited RT. After the United States, the top 5 countries that visited were:
1. Canada
2. United Kingdom
3. Australia
4. Netherlands
5. Germany

There have been over 98,000 page views. The most popular travel posts were:
1. Wall Murals of Quebec City
2. 10 Tricks to Meeting People While Traveling
3. Respectful Travel
4. View from the Bridge of Sighs
5. Glendalough Monastic Site

You came to RT by typing in www.ramblingtraveler.com or by referral from another site. The top referring sites were:
1. StumbleUpon
2. Google, Yahoo, and other internet search engines
3. Rambling Puzzles
4. MyBlogLog
5. Other Travel Blogs that have linked to RT

I'm looking forward to another year just as wonderful as the last one and I'm hoping you will be a part of it. If you have any comments or suggestions for Rambling Traveler, please let me know by commenting below or sending me an email.

Thank you!

Stacy

*according to jek in the box, that cupcake came from Trader Joe's. We have a Trader Joe's near us, I wonder if they have those cupcakes? I should probably get some to celebrate such a big day.

Happy New Year!

We enjoyed the days before New Years playing in the snow in Northern Minnesota. We spent our time snow tubing, sitting around a bonfire in the snow, ice fishing, snowmobiling and trying out snowshoes... and it was wonderful.

I imagine it will take a few days to get back on track after the holidays, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some stats from Google Analytics. Rambling Traveler had a great year in 2007. Since the first post on January 16th, we have had over 54,000 visitors from all over the world with over 93,000 page views.

Thank you to each and every visitor, because you all make this even more enjoyable.

A Ramble about Clutter

Photo by mandolin davis on Flickr

I recently read Peter Walsh's book, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. Peter is an organizer on TLC's Clean Sweep, one of the few shows that could make me consider having cable tv in our house. I love watching people clean out their homes and get rid of stuff that just weighs them down and gets in their way. Peter is a master at not just showing you how to declutter, but explaining why you save the things you do. Knowing why can help you let it go and prevent the collecting of it in the future.

Even though most people say our house is not cluttered, I think it is. We just do a good job of hiding and STORING the clutter. Those people also don't look in our closets, cabinets and drawers. Like so many people in America, we have too much stuff.

So, I'm in the middle of a major clean sweep of our house. I've done this before as the boys outgrew toys and our needs changed, but I'm going even deeper now. I'm getting rid of stuff we just don't use, and some of it is stuff that I've saved for years.

I'm also making my mother nervous, "You aren't getting rid of anything important, are you?" Important= anything that came from our past. Yes, I am. After 30 some years, I've decided to get rid of my Chrissy doll, my fisher price schoolhouse, and several other old toys. I have taken care of them through 7 moves and 17 years of marriage and I'm done. (Don't worry, Mom, I am keeping some old dolls and toys, just not so many)

I don't need to keep 25 things that belonged to my grandparents when having just 4 or 5 will help me remember them. The other 20 items can go to siblings and cousins. Holiday decorations that we don't put out anymore? Gone. Books we don't read anymore? Gone. Games we don't play anymore? Gone. Clothes we don't wear anymore? Gone. You get the idea.

The more stuff I box up for charities, family, and a possible yard sale, the better I feel. If you want to try it, I've found several helpful articles about decluttering online. If you have any good decluttering stories, I would love to hear them.

Related post: Living and Traveling Simply

I'm sharing the above picture because that is where I would rather be than dealing with all my stuff.

Rambling Traveler Featured on TravelBlogs

I previously mentioned TravelBlogs in my article, How to Find Good Travel Blogs. The site features narrative travel blogs and includes links to current stories on those blogs.

When Eric first asked if I would be willing to do an interview for TB, I was a little nervous. What would he ask, and would I be able to answer his questions in a reasonably articulate manner? As it turned out, my first ever interview was painless and is now posted on the TravelBlog site. Check it out and see what you think.

For TravelBlogs readers who are coming to Rambling Traveler for the first time, Welcome!

*The above picture was taken 4 1/2 years ago at Six Flags in Denver. I'm posting it because it makes me smile. And yes, my then 6 year old is wearing socks with his sandals. He insisted.

Fall Colors Jigsaw Puzzle

Warm, sunny days are giving us some great chances to view the fall colors in Minnesota. Although I started Rambling Puzzles for my online jigsaw puzzles, I thought I would share a puzzle of those fall colors here on Rambling Traveler.


Just click on the above image to solve the puzzle online at JigZone. I'm showing it in a 48 piece classic cut, but you have the option of changing it on the puzzle's page at JigZone.

Rambling Traveler meets Go Backpacking

When we decided to go to Maryland, one opportunity I wanted to take advantage of was meeting Dave from GoBackpacking. I've been following Dave's blog as he plans and saves for his upcoming round the world trip. He is leaving the country in just a few weeks, so this was a chance I couldn't pass up. I sent him an invitation to join us for drinks before we left D.C., and Dave graciously accepted. He suggested Ireland's Four Courts in Arlington, Virginia and I'm so glad he did.

Set up like a traditional Irish pub, it reminded me of our trip to Ireland and the several meals we had at pubs just like this one. Even though I ordered an Irish beer (Smithwicks), I couldn't resist the non-Irish 5 Layer Dip with refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, tomato salsa and grated provolone and cheddar cheese. It was delicious.

It was great to visit with Dave. We talked a lot about travel and blogging. His eyes light up when he talks about his trip, and his relief that physical therapy is helping his knees. I'm excited for him with his upcoming trip and I can't wait to hear his stories from the road.

Dave, I hope you will give me a call if you are ever in Minnesota so we can compare local Irish pubs.

Rambling Puzzles

For all my new readers from JigZone, and for all my regular readers who enjoy puzzles, I've started a new blog called Rambling Puzzles. This is where I'll post my free online jigsaw puzzles from JigZone . The puzzles will be made out of photographs featured on Rambling Traveler and other pictures I've taken. My first puzzle was posted this morning. Enjoy!

Related post: A Ramble about Online Jigsaw Puzzles

A Ramble about Online Jigsaw Puzzles

***UPDATE*** October 8, 2007- I've started a new blog called Rambling Puzzles where I will be posting Rambling Traveler's online jigsaw puzzles.

I learned something new this weekend. There are free online jigsaw puzzles. I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me. My addiction to jigsaw puzzles started when I was a little girl and I helped my grandmother put 1000 piece puzzles together.

When our sons were younger, I took a break from puzzles. When you have very young children, it's difficult to keep a puzzle out on a table. Little hands reaching up to grab the pieces, maybe putting the pieces into their mouths. It isn't a good situation.

But now you can go to JigZone.com and choose from hundreds of puzzles that you can do on your computer. My boys are older now and they no longer eat puzzle pieces, but the option of playing online is still worthwhile. No missing pieces, no worries about where to set it out. I also like that I can do a puzzle in a short amount of time.

JigZone lets you select an image, choose how many pieces (up to 247), and what shape you want the pieces to be. I checked out the travel section and there are some great photographs from different destinations.

If you sign up to be a member, you can upload your own images to make puzzles like I did with the above picture from last week's Friday Photo Post. Another benefit of being a member is the chance to compete against your friends and share your solve times with each other.

Are you a fan of jigsaw puzzles? Check it out and let me know what you think. Or, do you already know all about this and I'm just way behind?

Minnesota Humor

I see a lot of those emails that get passed around, making fun of people who live in Minnesota, and I smile because sometimes they are so true. For a glimpse of life in Minnesota, here are some of my favorites:

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE MINNESOTAN WHEN:

* "Vacation" means going up north past Brainerd for the weekend.

* You measure distance in hours.

* You know several people who have hit deer more than once.

* You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.

* You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.

* You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.

* You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

* You don't go to bed without watching the weather forecast.


From Jeff Foxworthy:

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through l8 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Minnesota.

If you’re proud that your state makes the national news 96 nights each year because International Falls is the coldest spot in the nation, you might live in Minnesota.

If you have ever refused to buy something because it’s "too spendy", you might live in Minnesota.

If you know how to say Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Edina and Shakopee, you might live in Minnesota.

Six Months of Rambling Traveler

Lower Falls, Yellowstone National Park
Photo by Don Cashman

It is hard to believe that it has already been 6 months since my first post on Rambling Traveler, although sometimes it feels like I've been doing this for much longer. It seems kind of geeky to celebrate it, but I've read that the average lifespan of a blog is 3 months, so I'm proud of this little anniversary.

We've had 21,000 visits with over 37,000 pageviews. Most of the traffic came from:

1. StumbleUpon with 14,000 visits
2. Direct with 2,400 visits
3. Google with 2,100 visits
4. Bloggers Choice Awards with 400 visits
5. MyBlogLog with 300 visits

Thank you to everyone who has visited this blog, left comments, and stumbled or linked to my articles!

A Navel Orange

This card made me laugh out loud at the store. I bought it to put on my refrigerator, and there is stays, making me smile whenever I see it.

Just a ramble, and not at all travel related.

The Power of StumbleUpon

***UPDATE*** June 17, 2007- I've now added a basic guide to StumbleUpon for beginners.

My recent post on the Quebec City wall murals drew a lot of attention from StumbleUpon and its members. Thank you, Nathan at Ubertramp, for the initial thumbs up. Over a 5 day period, that post alone received over 20,000 pageviews. Wow. Did I say thank you, Nathan?

If you have a blog, and haven't tried StumbleUpon, I suggest you check it out. Stumble your favorite articles, join groups that share your interest, and when you see other members with interesting pages, add them as friends. It's also important to increase your fan base so the articles you stumble have more exposure. For more information, Dosh Dosh has a good article with tips on how to use StumbleUpon to drive massive traffic to your site.

If you don't have a blog, you should still check it out. It's a fun way to surf the web, and meet other people with similar interests. The web pages that show up when you stumble have been given the thumbs up by other viewers, so they are usually from better quality sites. When you find a site or specific page you like, be sure to give it your own thumbs up. If another member has pages that interest you, add them as a friend so their favorites will show up when you hit the Stumble! button. A word of warning: be prepared to spend some time at your computer because it can be addicting.

In my sidebar, I have a StumbleUpon button that you can click to see pages and sites that I think are interesting. If you like what you see, consider adding me as a friend.

*the picture above is me visiting with Samuel de Champlain at the Quebec City Mural.

A Ramble about Roadside Montbresia in Ireland

In the past four months, I've had several people find my site through a google search for "montbresia" or "picture of montbresia". Although I mentioned montbresia in my post on the Dingle Peninsula, I didn't include a photograph. I was going to suggest trying the image search function of google, but when I did the image search, there were very few pictures of montbresia in the results.

I couldn't do anything less than post some of my pictures of the montbresia we found growing all along the roadsides in Ireland, especially on the Dingle Peninsula.

A Ramble About Maps

I have a fascination for maps. Whenever we plan a trip, I spend a lot of time looking at different maps, checking locations and possible routes. I think my fascination has to do with the possibilities I see when I look at a map, not just for routes, but for experiences. Curiosity about a new place leads to dreams about traveling there. It's all about possibities.

I recently put a 50x32" map on the wall over my desk (see quickly taken picture above). I like to look at it when I read about places people are living in or traveling to. The boys will look at the map and ask questions, too, which I think is great.

*** One map I'm not too happy with right now is the one at the Great Turtle Race. I don't know what happened, but my turtle, Drexelina, is not swimming. She is over 200 miles behind the lead turtle, Windy. The map at the race site actually shows Drexelina on land! No news on what she is doing, though. I just hope she's okay.

A Ramble About The Amazing Race

I admit to a weakness for reality t.v., especially The Amazing Race, but sometimes I can't stand to watch it.

Can someone please explain why Charla and Mirna speak broken English with such strange accents when they are talking to people in other countries? It is so annoying, and it is driving me crazy. They are both so incredibly rude and then they wonder why no one will help them. It is painful to watch.

note to the cousins: I've never been there, but I'm pretty sure that Spanish is not the official language of Poland.

5 Reasons Why I Blog

Thank you to Dave at GoPacking for tagging me on this one. This was a good opportunity for me to do some serious thinking about why I started Rambling Traveler and what I hope to accomplish with it. So, taking a deep breath, I am ready to share my 5 reasons.

1. It is a great way for me to share my travel experiences and encourage others to get out and explore different destinations.
Okay, I totally copied Dave on this one, but it is so true. I love to travel, and I want to tell people about the places I've been to. I also want to inspire people to get out and see this incredible world we live in.

2. It puts my hours of travel research to good use.
Anyone who knows me will agree that I spend a lot of time reading- books, magazines, websites, travel brochures, etc. My blog gives me a chance to share what I've learned with others, and a good excuse to keep reading.

3. Community
I have met so many incredible people online. People with amazing stories, great tips, and kind words of encouragement. When I see the quality of what's out there, I sometimes wonder who I'm kidding by trying to join in, but I'm learning so much that I can't leave.

4. Something to do
I have three children in school, but I didn't want to go back to work full time. My blog gives me something fun and interesting to do, but allows me to still be there when they need me. No worries about taking time off for a sick child, helping at school, taking care of household appointments, or traveling.

5. A chance to write
Again, I'm copying Dave on this one. I enjoy writing. I've kept a journal for over 15 years, and this is another way for me to record some of my experiences. I'm also hoping it will help improve my writing skills now that I'm writing for an audience.

Now it's my turn to throw down the gauntlet. I'd really like to hear from:
Ian at Brave New Traveler
Timen at in my All Stars
Paul at TravMonkey

What are 5 reasons why you blog?

A Ramble about Site Stats and Top Posts

Rambling Traveler has been up and running for two months now. I thought I would take this opportunity to share some stats, courtesy of Google Analytics.

We have had 882 visitors from all over the world (click on the picture for a closer look)


Your favorite posts so far?
1. Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle
2. Driving around County Clare
3. Frederick, Maryland
4. Ecological Footprints
5. Driving around Lake Michigan
6. Photography Tips for Washington D.C.
7. Planning a Trip
8. Catherine Watson and the Sunday Travel Section
9. Top 10 Travel Articles This Week
10. A Ramble about my Husband

Thank you for visiting!

Trip Advisor Goes Video!

Check out TripAdvisor's latest press release. It's all about their new video category, where users can upload their travel videos. Why am I so excited? I have uploaded several slide shows to the site, and TA asked me some questions about my experience to include in the press release (sdcash is my user name on TA). This might be my 15 minutes of fame, so don't miss it!

A Ramble about 40 year old choppers

My brother Scott has a tech blog, Moving to Freedom.org, about free, or open source, software. I confess that I don't understand half of what he is talking about, but sometimes he writes an article that I really get.

Yesterday was like that. I love that he has good memories with something as simple as chopper mittens. I also like how he uses the choppers to share his outlook on life. I envy Scott his writing skills, but I'm also so proud of him. Awesome post, little brother!

I know this doesn't have anything to do with travel, but it kind of fits with the winter theme I've got going this week, sort of. Maybe. Oh well, check it out and see what you think!