Courtney on Joining the Treks & Bites Team
For as long as I can remember, Mama and I have talked about doing something together business-wise. For a while it was that we would form a band (which would require both of us to learn how to play more instruments than what we currently do), then it was that we were going to write a musical together, then it shifted to owning some sort of company or business. Regardless of the idea, we always knew we’d end up collaborating in some fashion.
Well, the time has finally come, and we are both oh so excited. Having spent the better part of the past ten years in NYC, I would always look forward to the day when I’d be reunited with my family again. I love New York, I love Broadway, I love being able to do what I love for a living. But, it comes with sacrifice. And for me the main sacrifice is family. My family is really more like a group of best friends. My brothers, my parents, and I always have a blast together. And, don’t get me wrong, we drive each other crazy, too, but that’s part of the deal. We are always planning our next getaway or adventure or group phone call catch up.
Needless to say, I’ve always known in the back of my head that, barring any family move across the country to the “East Coast,” my days in New York would be somewhat limited. And I’ve always been ok with that. I’ve gotten to check off my biggest bucket list dreams, and literally “live the dream” for ten years. So, when the world seemed to turn upside down and Broadway shut down back in March, I fled to be with my family. With no real plan, I booked a flight for the following morning, packed a suitcase, and off I went. Little did we know that the one-month hiatus we’d been told about would actually turn into the better part of a year.
While I miss working, my NYC community, my Wicked family, and performing, I am so grateful to be with my family and truly so happy to be able to spend time exploring and adventuring. And! I am loving this new venture – joining my Mom on the Treks & Bites team to share our excursions and recipes with the world. We have finally figured it out! While food and travel is definitely the main theme, we also love sharing our goofy stories, silly rituals, and fitness ideals, all through the lens of being a loving mother-daughter duet. Who knows what the world will be like after 2020, or even next month, but right now I am thrilled to join my mama and so lucky to be able to share our experiences with you all. And since the world has become even more virtual than ever before, we’re rolling with the punches and preparing to serve up delish recipes and fun travel tidbits via these here interwebs. We hope you enjoy our stories and look forward to you coming on this journey with us. ♥️
Mama Ivy: Windfall! Courtsie joins me in Treks & Bites!
I don’t know what took me a minute to figure this out, but when Courts had to leave New York City and her “Wicked on Broadway” gig due to the COVID, I figured we’d only have her around for a month or so. And, what a glorious month it would be! We would finally have enough time to do so many of the things we love – mountain biking, playing guitar, singing, cooking, and generally goofing around!
Ever since she’s been an actor, we haven’t had her beautiful, sunny presence around the house for more than a week at a time. One-week family vacations, along with her dad and brothers are always a blast, no matter where in the world we are, but they always end with a feeling of nostalgia as each family member parts for their own neck of the woods. Waaaah! For Courts, that was always to the distant Big Apple.
It just so happened that as she arrived home, I was launching Treks & Bites to share travel tidbits and recipes from my many years as a newspaper columnist. Whoever knew that running a website could be so daunting and take so much time? Not, to mention the never-ending social media learning curve! So, when the lightbulb finally went on and I realized Courtsie was the perfect partner and would be around longer than we ever dreamt possible, I was thrilled when she said yes!
At long last, we have our mother-daughter duet, where we hope to put a spring in your step every single day, by sharing hilarious moments, funny stories, outdoor adventure, travel tidbits, and, of course, tasty and tantalizing recipes for you to try at home!
We hope you’ll travel with us on this virtual journey to magical places and flavorful spaces!
