Where in the World is Alex?

I've gotta say, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" a game show from the 90s later (and more memorably) turned board game from my childhood. Carmen is a master thief, criminal mastermind, and leader of a gang of crooks, who spends her time galavanting across the game board of the world. The ultimate goal of the game is to obtain a warrant, capture one of her criminals, and find the stolen items, all by answering geographical trivia questions.

I was reading up on the show, since I only barely remember the board game and very much only recently learned that it was also a show, but apparently the contestants were referred to as "gumshoes." This-- I also only recently learned-- is a slang term for private detectives referencing the thick, soft, quiet, gummy or rubbery sole of their shoes. My shoe of choice definitely has a little more heel and volume to it, so maybe I'll get back to the drawing board for my spin off's verbiage. Although I suppose I am not the contestant, you all are, so maybe I'll wait for your input before making any major changes.

The rules of the game are simple and very Clue-esque: answer a question correctly, move your pawn, collect clues, and eventually, make an accusation. The rules of my game might also need some changes though, as the only crime I'll be committing is having too much fun (oooooof too cringe?). The chase my contestants will be on is more so for the happy, for the sunsets, and for the adventure.. y'all are coming with me, right? That's honestly my favorite part of the travels. I have-- particularly recently-- been able to reconnect with so many old friends, while also making some new ones!! I knew there would be plenty of "small world" moments here in Baltimore, they seem to occur everywhere I go, so naturally there would be a surplus as I am so close to both where I grew up and where I spent my early 20s.

I have decided that game play starts with the person who has last been on an airplane, which I guess would be me as I am currently finishing this blog post in the air.

The game.. or show.. or.. this bit is getting a little confusing.. lemme just tell you, my current location, Baltimore, is thanks to a desire to be closer to home as a break from the far away travel nursing locations. A majority of my travels here are to and from Johns Hopkins.

Once inside though, I feel like I'm still traveling quite a bit since it is a rather large campus and often involves me walking around pretending like I know where I'm going until I finally get to my destination. Between that and just walking around the unit from room to room, I sure wrack up a bunch of steps. Last week, I had one shift where I walked 6 miles.. which doesn’t even seem like that much anymore because recently I’ve been averaging 5 miles per shift. When I’m not walking around the hospital, I can be found walking (or driving) around town to explore some coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and shops.

Oh and the water, of course I found the water.

Other places I've ventured to in the last two months include back to Charleston to see some of my favorite dancers crush it on stage. I'm already looking forward to venturing back to see the next show in April! It would be absolutely lovely to be back on stage with them, but I suppose the next best thing is cheering them on from the audience. I'm also hoping for a little more time on the water (and in the warmth) in my next visits, Baltimore is mighty chilly these days!!

My desire to be on the water is largely likely because of the little tease I got when I ventured out of the country to Tulum, Mexico for a long weekend getaway. If you ever find yourself in Tulum, I highly recommend staying with our two new besties, Ana y Jose.. or at the boutique hotel named after them rather.. same thing though, right? I frankly felt like a celebrity princess on a perfect low key yet lavish getaway-- which was a nice change of pace from my typical go-go-go full speed ahead pace. I’m still day dreaming about the sushi at UKAMI, iguanas at the ruins, and of course gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.

While Carmen may be running from the law, I am simply just always running on to the next thing. Upon arrival back to the states, I slept fast before a few shifts of work and then ventured up to PA for my favorite weekend of the whole damn year, THON! This year proved to be extra special with an INCREDIBLY impressive record breaking $15 million raised FTK. If you're interested in learning more about THON, you can hop back to a previous post I wrote. This was my 9th THON which makes me extra looking forward to next year!!

Shortly after THON, I was back in PA for a weekend in Philly with my sisters and mom. We were celebrating my sister's and mom's birthdays which had been more than a month ago, but thanks to someone's schedule, we had a tough time picking a weekend.. wonder who's fault that could've been?! The short, but very sweet, visit included exploring the Banksy's exhibit, dinner at a board game restaurant called Thirsty Dice, and brunch at Sabrina's. Unfortunately, we only had enough time to play two games (one of which I was the winnnnner of!!) which meant we didn’t get to play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, but it is worth mentioning that I was in my version of her ensemble with the matching hat and coat. Looked a little something like this.. only not red, that's thanks to a little photoshop and imagination.

It honestly doesn't even matter what I'm doing with my girls, we always have fun.

Up next, or rather right now, I'm truly channeling my inner Carmen with a long weekend in San Diego!! Naturally, when one of your best friends tells you she got selected to present at a conference, your first response is "congratulations," but your second is "do you want a travel buddy?" ..and the answer is almost always yes, especially when you remember that you both have matching Carmen red sweatsuits and accidentally wear them at the same time.

Beyond that, my future travels include Spain and Seattle-- apparently I'm on an 's' kick, maybe that could be my next game.. scategories style! Any suggestions?