I am sure you are asking yourself why this adorable French Bulldog is the featured photo on a blog about museums.  This past Spring our dog Ruby was diagnosed with cancer so we spent a lot of time taking her to and from the vet, to radiation every day for 3 and 1/2 weeks and then she started chemo. Between Ruby’s treatment and my daughter’s end of school year activities before I knew it, we were in summer and I hadn’t been to any museums in NYC.  I did manage to see the Psycho Barn, “A large-scale sculpture by acclaimed British artist Cornelia Parker, inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper and by two emblems of American architecture—the classic red barn and the Bates family’s sinister mansion from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho .”  This was pretty cool and did you know there is a bar on the roof of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Seriously. My husband and I went to Rome in June and we did all the usual touristy stuff.  We hadn’t been in 15 years so we went to the Coliseum, the Catacombs, the Vatican and took a day trip to Pompeii, fascinating.  We also decided to see the Capuchin Crypt on the recommendation of two friends.  If you have never gone to this museum then it is worth a visit if you plan on visiting Rome.  I don’t want to give anything away, just go see it. Can I just point out that they are still using the Pompeii Amphitheater for concerts?  This blew my mind.

I also committed to running the Chicago Marathon for a charity called Every Mother Counts.  An organization dedicated to raising awareness about maternal health.  Check them out.  www.everymothercounts.org.   I don’t know if you have ever trained for a marathon but it takes up A LOT of time.  You get to see some interesting sights like the big wine bottle apartment along the West Side Highway.  I don’t know how else to describe it, it has a kitchen, bed and toilet and is bigger than some studio apartments I have seen.  Also,  the beautiful beaches of East Hampton at the crack of dawn when no one who is sane is out.

After what seemed like a summer of endless running and horse shows, did I mention that my daughter is an Equestrian?  

Summer became Fall.  I went to Haiti with Every Mother Counts, just three weeks before Hurricane Matthew hit.  Yes this is me running/walking in Haiti.  I am sure you may be asking, what’s with all the running for Every Mother Counts?  The barrier for most woman around the world to safer motherhood is distance.  Many women have to walk at least 5 Kilometers to reach any kind of medical assistance and on bumpy terrain like in this picture. It’s hard to do this not pregnant.  98% of maternal deaths are preventable so that’s why EMC is working hard to raise awareness about something that can be fixed and why I spent most of my summer running. 

Unfortunately our little Ruby lost her battle with cancer in September right after I returned from Haiti, leaving us heartbroken.  

On a happier note, I raised over $10,000 for Every Mother Counts and ran the Chicago marathon on Sunday October 9th, 2016. 

I didn’t want you to think that I haven’t been doing anything the past 6 months.  After a week of lazing around, I did run a marathon after all, I am now ready to resume my museum adventures.   Stay tuned….