I first spotted them as we drew into the parking lot of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's Visitor Center. Stunned at this unexpected, extraordinary beauty, I hopped out of the car almost as soon as Ed had put it into park.

Redolent of the spices of India, and especially warming during cold winters, Chai tea is a delicious beverage that has migrated from India to, well, everyone! You can find Chai tea lattes at Starbucks and other coffee shops, recipes on Pinterest, and premade at the store. But many of them have strange ingredients - and weak spices.

We all love literary travel (of course. As evidenced by us being regular readers and avid consumers of literature of all types. But I digress). It’s an interesting way to learn about the world, much different than what you’ll get from guidebooks.

I first noticed the incredibly beautiful art of my friend Yuliya Talinovsky on my facebook feed, as she was in Newfoundland for a bit with her family, and I LOVE those row houses in St. John's. It's amazing how once something is on your radar, how you keep seeing it. Her paintings kept popping up, and I kept being so very happy to see them. Guess what? Her kids are also extremely talented - I'm so happy that this love of art and painting is growing in this world.

My very first overseas assignment working in Study Abroad was a summer London program. Can I tell you, it was one of the best summers of my life? I loved the students, I love London. You can’t go wrong.

An artist of an inspirational talent, Luba Kostenko was branded an art prodigy whilst still attending Secondary School of Art in Leningrad, Russia. She entered the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Leningrad in 1965 where she was taught by the distinguished professors E. E. Moiseyenko, I. P. Veselkin, P. T. Fomin, D. A. Shuvalov, and A. A. Mylnikov. 

Cruises are a great deal – you’ve got all your transportation, lodging, meals, and activities rolled into one price. You can travel the world, see new sights every day, and not have to unpack more than once. There are incredible sunrises and sunsets (my favorite part). You can find time for romance or kids clubs, swim, take excursions, learn new things, and eat well.

We've all been there - packing and looking at the huge pile of STUFF on the bed, and looking at the very small suitcase. How to reconcile the two? It's stressful!

You may have seen our Artist of the Month, Mark Hicks, before on Wandering Educators - we love his work, and have shared much of his art.