MODEL MOMENT

In 1978, all the boys I had crushes on had one of two posters in their lockers: Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs. I was already a gawky middle schooler with braces, glasses, and greasy skin so these constant reminders of the ideal body did nothing for my self-esteem.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that THE Cheryl Tiegs was booked as a guest on the Q104 morning show in Cleveland the week I was filling in as co-host. Talk about intimidating! But, guess what? Tiegs is now 60-some, and she was about to see one of her sons graduate from high school. We talked about parenting, how to manage your hair in humidity, and what she thought of reality TV.

I was pleased to see she has allowed herself to age naturally, without any apparent plastic surgery or botox. You don't get many chances in life to re-do a 7th grade horror story, but this one turned out just fine!

ECUADOR: FROM PAGE TO PURPOSE

Reading can take you places you've never been before, or inspire you to go exploring for yourself. My trip to Ecuador began by reading about someone else's adventure. Rita Golden Gelman is the author of, Tales of a Female Nomad. She wrote about visiting the Galapagos Islands - a place I had never considered visiting before I sat down on a snowy December day and began reading.

With the help of two separate tour companies, Boundless Journeys (Galapagos Island tour) and Rustic Travel (volunteer vacations), I found myself on a plane to South America four months later. Here's a sampling of what I saw:

The obligatory "equator" picture (although researchers have now discovered the true equator line is several yards from here). I'm proud of this picture because of the two buses I took to get to this spot, despite not speaking any Spanish.

View from a tram ride in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. At the top, we reached 13,000 ft elevation. The view was amazing, but even more amazing was watching some rogue mountain bikers (with no helmets) ride their bikes down this mountain!
Each of the Galapagos Islands has completely different terrain and wildlife. One of the best hours I spent was with my daughter, here, watching sea lions surf. It was truly mesmerizing.
One of the islands we toured had so many iguanas, you had to work very hard not to step on them while walking. It felt like the Land Before Time.
We stayed with a host family while in Quito. Here's their daughter, Maria - a real life
Dora the Explorer!

Volunteering at an orphanage. These kids were adorable and so appreciative.

Dental care is so important for good health.
Here, the kids brush their teeth and spit on the ground.

Nap time.