My sons class have been doing state projects this year. He absolutely loves researching the states and listening to my stories from the places I’ve been. I have told him about how he had been to the place that invented the hamburger, Louie’s Lunch in Connecticut, when he was about 2. We also talk about how, at the age of 10, he and his siblings have already been to 28 of the 50 states and how each one holds something different to discover.

I visited his class to volunteer and help with the state projects. I myself, having been to 42 of them, was eager to share some fun stories with the kids about each of the states they had chosen to learn more about. This started me thinking about all of the special memories I have from my travels and how important it is to see new places and meet new people. I discovered my love of a good road trip early on with parents that were always up for taking us on an adventure. I learned through traveling with Up With People in 1996 that the best education comes from experience and that you can never learn more than when you’re out of your comfort zone. My cross country road trips with my husband, husband and kids, and then just me and the kids taught me even more about the importance of sticking together as a family. This rings true during tough situations in your own backyard, as well as when you’re in a new place only relying on one another. I still have 8 states to see and so many countries as well. My love for travel and adventure will continue, but so many adventures have already made me who I am today. Here are just a few of the special memories, experiences, and lessons that I have collected from some of the states that I have been fortunate enough to visit.

Colorado: This state is the first one I had ever visited on my own, without my family. It was the beginning of my time as a cast member of Up With People. It was here that I would learn about being homesick. It was here that I would learn that language barriers are nothing to new friends. Denver’s weather taught me to always be ready for anything. Four seasons can absolutely happen in one day there! I also learned that as beautiful as the mountains are, I am an ocean girl. That salt water is in my soul and it always has been.

West Virginia: My experience here always sticks out in my mind. I was 19 years old and doing community service in an elementary school. My eyes were opened when I saw racism firsthand. I had grown up with friends that were caucasian, African American, Asian, Puerto Rican, Cape Verdean and never thought twice about it. I was blessed to live in a community that welcomed everyone. I was fortunate to have learned about racism in history books, but not the playground. Then, flash forward, and here I am in 1996 doing community service with people from several different countries and states, speaking many different languages, and having plenty of various skin tones. There is ONE little white girl here in this class. The other kids were all African American and all bullying her, leaving her out, making fun of what she could or couldn’t do. It was one of those moments when confusion sets in and you don’t know any other way to react, but to remind ALL of the children that we need to get along and that skin color NEVER matters. I was never on the receiving end of racism and I know I am lucky for that. I know even today that it is hard to not be white in this country. I personally think it’s disgusting. There is a song from Up With People, my favorite one they have ever sung. It is called, “What Color is God’s Skin”? I know it by heart. “I said it’s black, brown, it’s yellow, it’s red, it is white. Everyone’s the same in the good Lord’s sight.” Please remember that whether you are black, brown, yellow, red, white, or even purple, it is always ok to be kind and never ok not to be.

Missouri: The best thing that ever happened to me in Missouri was meeting my host family in St. Louis. We were housed when we traveled with UWP in host families. This, by far, was my favorite one. Opening your home to someone, especially a complete stranger, is a gesture that shows a big heart. The Kennedys opened their home and made a spot where they have forever stayed in my heart. Keeping in touch with yearly Christmas cards was nice. Then Facebook changed my world for the better by giving me an easier connection. My husband and I made sure to stop and be “hosted” again when we drove cross country in 2001. I was thrilled when I finally got them up to Cape Cod and a day on the beach. When I think of my time spent in St. Louis, I think of the arch I was too scared to ride up in, the riverboat gambling, and these friends that will always be a part of my life.

New Mexico: I learned quite a bit about the Mormon religion in New Mexico. I may not choose this for myself, but I respect the heart and kindness given to me by a very good friend at the time who was Mormon and her family. Again, an eye opener and another reason to not judge based on media or stories we hear, but to be open to learning about people different than yourself.

Nevada: Here I learned that telling me that, “It’s not so bad if its 120 degrees in the desert because it’s a dry heat” is just bullshit. It’s still hot as hell and uncomfortable and sucks. Best off inside a casino for sure.

Kansas: Bobby and I did a trek across Kansas. The sun was out that day, no rain. Yet it almost seemed like hail or something was hitting the windshield at a rapid rate. We kept having to clean the windshield and use the wipers to see. After a while, we stopped at a Subway for lunch. We went inside and ate. When we came outside and saw the front of the Jeep, it was covered in dead pieces of monarch butterflies! It was so gross to see! I had a problem for a few years after that, thinking butterflies were pretty! I will always remember it “raining butterflies” in Kansas.

Georgia: I have two great memories here. In 1996, I was lucky enough to be at the Olympics in Atlanta. Atlanta was cool, but the feeling surrounding an Olympic Games is amazing. I was part of an Up With People cast that performed at a special opening ceremonies they had specifically for introducing softball as an Olympic sport for the first time. Not THE opening ceremonies, but still super cool. Years later, my kids and I fell in love with Savannah. The gorgeous city is filled with the coolest ghost stories, eclectic restaurants, beautiful scenery, and, of course, it was the first time I visited a place where I could walk down the street drinking an alcoholic beverage! Oh, and also people are way nicer in the South. It’s a fact. Not that we think we are rude up here, but you can see a difference as you drive south or west out of the Northeast.

Louisiana: We wanted to check New Orleans off the bucket list. So, one day, we decided to drive from Mobile, Alabama over to see the city. We had no idea that the traffic easily rivaled New York City. FOUR HOURS. That’s how long the drive took. The bumper to bumper traffic was definitely not my style, especially not with 4 kids, including a 3 year old that needed to pee! My older son had previously helped his brother pee in a bottle before, only to get his hand peed on. So, this time, the younger of my two daughters volunteered to help. She got a cup for him to pee in and helped him maneuver around his seatbelt to get his little wee wee out. As she was trying to aim it into the bottle, I heard the screaming. “HE JUST PEED ALL OVER MY SHIRT AND MY FACE! ITS IN MY EYE!!!!” This was definitely NOT funny to her, but holy crap did the rest of us laugh! I’ll never forget that ride and I am sure she won’t either!

Vermont: Ben and Jerry’s and a marathon. This is where I ran my very first marathon. Memorial Day weekend 2002 I ran the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT. I did it with my husband and my awesome cousin. We raised $12,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 5 months after my mom had lost her fight with AML. It was a gorgeous course and a very emotional run. It was one of the best things I have ever done and one of the most beautiful races I have ever run. A few years ago, I went back up to VT. I took my kids this time and surprised them with a little road trip. We had a blast! Lake Champlain was breathtaking, although cold to swim in and the Ben and Jerry’s tour and free ice cream was definitely a hit for us all!

Maine: I had never really grown up going to Maine, since we always spent the summers on the Cape or went south. I didn’t grow up skiing either. For a few years before my husband died, we would see friends on social media posting their pictures from Point Sebago Resort up in Casco. It looked like so much fun, a modern day “Dirty Dancing” type vacation. I was far more into travelling and planning new adventures than Bobby, so we never got up there. Then he died in May of 2015. I decided that this was going to be the summer. I called and booked a cabin. I packed up a weeks worth of everything I could think we would need and drove up for our inaugural visit. That was 5 years ago. This summer we will have our 6th trip up there. We all fell in love. I found that I was relieved in a sense that we had never taken the trip when Bobby was alive. It might be strange for someone else to understand, but it gave my children and I a chance to make new memories. We always remember him in the things we do and the places we go. Up there though, it’s different. We don’t have to also carry an air of sadness remembering the time we did something there with him. This is also a place where all of my kids can do their own thing and be happy while I actually sit on the beach and read a book. It truly has become the one week a year that I really do relax!

I have far more memories than I have been able to relay in just a blog post. Many more places I have seen and people that I have met. Traveling is the best education I have ever received and given to my children. The lessons and memories are always so unique and irreplaceable. I will conclude with just one more state…

Massachusetts: Well, this is where I have been born and bred. I love seeing new places, but there really is nothing like coming home. This is where my life has always been anchored. Through the losses and the gains, the friends and the family, the loved ones lost and the loved ones born, to our history, our sarcasm (Proud to be a Masshole), our foliage, and the sunsets over the ocean, this is home. As the saying goes, there’s no place like it!