going gypsy Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

international womens day, amazing women, travels with tam — **Lisa Ling is one of my favorite CNN journalists.**

I have written many articles about amazing women. Each one of them makes a considerable contribution, as do many of the women we hold as role models such as Michelle Obama, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, Dr Sylvia Earle, and those role models who have left us, such as Maya Angelou, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks…there are so many of them, so valued, so respected.

But what about every day women who are making a difference? Who praises them? Hopefully someone does. I hope each one of us does our best to make the world a better place, in our own way. I could not possibly give you a complete list of the women I admire, there are simply too many of them. Some of them would not want to come out of the shadows, would not want any links leading to their online presence. I will respect that, but I still want to try and acknowledge them. Others are bloggers, or activists, or scientists, or business women who are online and would not mind my sharing.

Why do we have a day to celebrate women? Women are still not equal in our world. Women do not earn the same as men do, the biological fact that women carry children holds them back professionally, men in most societies do not man up and do their share of raising children or taking care of the home. Women are still bought and sold against their will, undergo genital mutilation, are sold into marriages they do not want, and forced to hide their very faces from the world. Women still have to fight for every inch of ground. Damned right we should celebrate women! Here is a small group of women whom I admire, and who are making a difference simply by living their lives.

diana herself — **Diana is an incredible photographer, and everyone who sees her photos is inspired to help conserve our waters!**

Turn It On Fitness — Juetta Myers West is a long time friend, from junior high school. We have reconnected, and she is living her dream, she created Turn it On by Juetta West, a crossover line of athletic fashion wear! Pretty daring! An example to all who are afraid to take a risk.

ashley-rader — **Ashley Radar of Making Midlife Matter.**

Elena Peters of Making Midlife Matter.

Helene-headshot1 — Hélène Tragos Stelian is an active midlife woman, writing books and devoting herself to her blog, Next Act for Women. Hélène blogs about what women are doing with midlife, their “next act”. She writes about amazing women…every woman on her blog is an inspiration.

nancy hill — **Nancy Hill of The Women’s Legacy Project. Inspiring women to tell their stories! Check out this blog…it is filled with remarkable women!**

Nancy is a realtor in Alpharetta, Georgia and has received many awards for her achievements...but her crowning glory is SHAMROCKIN' FOR A CURE. She and her husband helped found this charity which donates to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and have served on its board ever since. Generous woman! — Nancy is a realtor in Alpharetta, Georgia and has received many awards for her achievements…but her crowning glory is SHAMROCKIN’ FOR A CURE. She and her husband helped found this charity which donates to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and have served on its board ever since. Generous woman!

denise herzing — “For 28 years, Denise Herzing has spent five months each summer living with a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins, following three generations of family relationships and behaviors. It’s clear they are communicating with one another — but is it language? Could humans use it too? ” Check her research out at the TED Talks!

**Carol Cassera believes that we all recreate ourselves through living our best lives. She explores life after death, humor, and everyday experiences. All of her posts are interesting!**

tree tahoe — Lyn is an amazing woman. How many lives has she contributed to? She has worked for and with children for the last 25 years, through handling international adoptions to working with behavior problem children. She is a strong, admirable, and inspirational woman…a shy woman, so I won’t give too much information!

Cathy Chester, author of An Empowered Spirit. Cathy is amazing…she writes a health blog, and keeps up her spirits, and everyone else’s, by sharing her life with us. Cathy has MS, but she lives with it, manages it, and keeps on going. Truly amazing.

My dear, dear, dear friend Lauri who has dealth — My dear, dear, dear friend Lauri who has dealt with so many health issues and manages to live the fullest life you can imagine! Lauri has beaten cancer, and manages her MS beautifully. She keeps moving. She always says it’s no fun getting older, but since Lauri still runs around like a twenty year old, I don’t see it! And, she was right there with me when I needed it the most….when Randy was ill. Keep rocking it, Lauri!

1515010_10200841225665582_2032594788_n — Deanna has a terrible disease and she has to fight every single day to keep it under control, and keep herself well. She suffers more than she admits, and always shows a positive face to others. Strong, strong woman.

12803026_10207647278755644_8329634244905326844_n — Doreen is amazing! Her book, The Stranger in My Recliner, is the story of how she and her husband literally took in an 80 year old woman off the street. What generosity! Obviously Doreen is a special woman.

I have left out SO MANY WOMEN. Please, in your comments, tell us about a woman you think is amazing! Let’s acknowledge as many amazing women as we possibly can!

I share this sentiment! (photo from gypsynester.com)

What is a gypsynester? You can learn the full answer to that question at www.gypsynester.com, but basically, it was a couple’s decision to sell everything they owned after their last chick flew the nest, and hit the road. And along the road, tell their story. I’ve long enjoyed their blog, and now they have a book, called Going Gypsy! Look above this blog, and you will find a link to it at Amazon! The book tells the story of this daredevil couple, but for Amazing Women Wednesday, let’s talk about Veronica, one half of the Going Gypsy equation.

Veronica’s story is not a typical one. Going from a 16 year old who left home, to a wide eyed bride at 19 (yes, to the same guy!), and a soon-to-be-hovering helicopter mom at 21 is not the progression one normally expects. To make it even more interesting, her husband, David, was a working musician from the time they met, until they sold up and took off in an old RV. You have to admit, their marriage has beaten the odds.

They had 3 children whom they affectionately refer to as the “spawn”, and David worked on the road, playing with a band, and in Nashville as a professional musician. Veronica worked odd jobs and raised children while David toured. While they were living in Nashville, Veronica had learned quite a bit about computers, and she started helping people here and there with her knowledge. She ended up building quite a successful SEO business. In the meantime, for various reasons (you’ll have to read the book!) David decided he wanted to get out of the professional Nashville musician scene, and after searching for a while, he found employment playing in St. Croix (US Virgin Islands). Veronica sold her business, and they moved the family to the island of St. Croix (told you they were not typical!) where David played at various clubs on the island, and Veronica worked at her children’s school as a volunteer.

The three Spawn grew up, and by the time the last fledgling (known as “the Boy”) flew to college, Veronica and David had that moment all future empty-nesters have: now what? They did not like what they saw on the internet….empty nest seemed to bring up maudlin people who mourned the loss of their little ones and waited around to get old and have grandchildren. They did not see this as a possible “next phase” of life. So they sold everything, and started to travel, and to try things they had never considered before. www.gypsynester.com started as a way to keep friends and family informed, but has turned into an award winning blog.

I don’t know about you, but I think this is a gutsy move! The Helicopter-Mom, a self confessed hovering craft, became a gypsy, with no permanent home, traveling and experiencing life, first in the USA, and now, all over the world. They have been everywhere, trying out different cultures and ways of life, and they just keep going! Veronica has been an inspiration to many women who wanted to do something different, but were afraid to. And now, a book!

Going Gypsy is their story, from their youthful meeting to their current travels. It is a marvelous read…both David and Veronica take turns narrating their story, and it is never dull! I highly recommend reading it…it may give you a few ideas!

Randy and I toyed with this idea, but when he became ill, we realized that living on the road would not be possible for him. We, and I, travel as much as we can, and enjoy following the adventures of this innovative couple.

Veronica is an Amazing Woman because she didn’t follow the normal path…she didn’t want to sit still, looking at empty bedrooms, and waiting for grandchildren. Instead, she went off on an adventure with her man, and she has blazed a trail for others seeking something different during midlife! Kudos, Veronica!