Hitting That 52+ Countries Goal in 2020

This year, I am the same age that Jerrie Mock (my grandmother and the first woman to fly around the world) was when she made her record-taking flight around the world. In fact, I’m exactly 18 days older than she was. So this year seemed like the perfect time to accomplish one of the two

True Budget Travel Essential: The Lavender Eye Pillow

I love good travel gear. I love good inexpensive travel gear even better. Best of all, I love good inexpensive travel gear that makes life better overall. And that’s why I’m mentioning the lavender eye pillow that I purchased for my husband for Christmas. I randomly found it tossed into the Christmas section at Target,

How to Get to Machu Picchu for $1500

If you’ve ever dreamed of doing Machu Picchu, but you’re on a super tight budget that doesn’t exactly allow you to hit up five-star hotels and dine in elegant restaurants, you may think it’s out of reach. I’m here to tell you that it’s not. In fact, I’m here to tell you that you can

Digestive Enzymes for…Kitty?

We here in the Pike household are cat people. So we’re always on the look out for products and services that help our kitty and the cats of others. And you see, our cat is adorable. She’s gray and fluffy and only weighs about six pounds, despite being fully grown. But this tiny ball of

You Know You’re a Writer When…

Here’s just a little fun, revamped and “restored” from my old writing blog that has been painfully neglected in recent years. You know you’re a writer when… …every other email in your inbox has the subject heading, “idea for book.”  And nothing is capitalized or punctuated because you didn’t have time for such frivolities before

The Healthy Life: Learning What’s Truly Healthy for You

A healthy lifestyle on the surface looks the same for everyone: proper nutrition, exercise, healthy weight maintenance, and emotional and mental support. But when you cut beneath the surface, we all have slightly different needs. And sometimes, it’s difficult to find those differences and what specifically works for you. With all the advertisements out there

The Most Haunted Places of Chicago: Tour Guide Style

Welcome to the wild and woolly Windy City, where the town takes a nickname for all the blustering windbags and conveniently happens to have that lake effect wind. We’ll be taking a brief tour through some of the creepiest, weirdest, and most haunted places of the city, as we pull that pea coat closer and

Fifth Time’s A Charm — How to Kitten-Proof Your Christmas Décor

Our six month old kitten is special. All kittens are, but Stardust is really something else. She’s high energy, a long leaper, and has a penchant for doing exactly what she’s not supposed to do. Including loving all things citrus and vinegar based. Aluminum foil attracts her instead of deterring her. The spray bottle takes

Seriously? Not Another Writing Blog…!

Hopefully my blog will be useful for folks looking to improve their craft and career – or hobby – as writers. I’ll be offering tips, thoughts, suggestions, etc. on writing in all the various forms that I do, including: Magazine and online publication articles Writing on Medium Pitching to publications Pitching to literary/book agents/publishing houses

Just Me

Writer, Novelist, Journalist, Actor, Director, Adventurer Rita Juanita Mock-Pike is the granddaughter of aviatrix, Jerrie Mock, first woman to pilot an airplane around the world. Rita has taken inspiration from her grandmother’s life and flight and pursued many of her own dreams in theatre, podcasting, novel writing. She now writes on travel, pets, faith, and