What up, blogosphere?

After years of cajoling, I've succumbed to my mother's request for a blog.  

I have always been ambivalent about blogging. On one hand, it's a way to share my travel adventures with my family and friends. On the other, it feels like homework. 

But when I said goodbye to my parents at the airport in Newark and, between hugs and kisses, they gave me a list of everything I had to promise to take pictures of (the outside of my house, the inside of my house, the view of my house from down the street, the view from my house of said street, my bedroom, the kitchen, the hallway from the bedroom to the kitchen...), I realized I had no choice in the matter. I had to blog. 

So here goes...I'm a blogger! At least until jet lag wears off and I get cable.