Hello, hello! So my walk begins on the first day of my 25th year. I thought, what better day to start a blog than on my birthday? This year I am happy beyond words to serve as the Global Programs Horvitz Fellow for SeriousFun Children's Network-check it out. Our Global Programs serve children in eleven different countries, quite a few of which I will see for myself this year, starting with....INDIA! I'm leaving on a jetplane, Emirates to be exact, on Saturday morning. So, not even a week into my 25th year, I will have set new records in terms of time spent in an airplane and distance from home. (my mom is super excited about this, you should ask her-not nervous at all :) The near future also brings a couple trips to New Orleans (first for a half-marathon and then for the Women's Final Four) and a road trip to Knoxville TN to see my coach inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Big. Timer.

BAM! Big things are happening :) I am also super excited for the return of my incredible Idahoan friend Jenna K Peterson, who has been serving a mission in Argentina for the past year. She's scheduled to set foot on US soil around mid-July yahoooo! 

Here is the quick story behind the title of my blog and the purpose of it: Entitled, 'I took a walk,' this blog will serve as my travel journal for all of my family and friends. With trips to India, Vietnam, and possibly Botswana and Tanzania, I want to document and share the wonderful stories about the incredible work I'm doing on behalf of SeriousFun, as well as the funny moments and crazy adventures. Likely I'll throw in stories from my domestic trips as well...heck, stories from my home-base of New Haven, CT may even find their way in here, too.

So bookmark this blog page, check it every now and then, and enjoy. I leave you with this quote from my new travel journal, 'They should tell you when you're born: Have a suitcase heart, be ready to travel.'

With love (and a tummy ache from birthday cake),
Mary