top of page



Finding Life's Joy in a Favorite London Tour
I’ve been thinking a lot about these travel posts. I know it’s not my normal thing, and I always wonder if people see this and roll their...
jillaripa
Feb 4, 20255 min read


London's Iconic Sights
Enjoy our London exploration experience!
jillaripa
Jan 16, 20255 min read


Live Theatre in London
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday like I did, and are enjoying jumping into a new year filled with resolutions and new perspectives....
jillaripa
Jan 8, 20254 min read


Christmas and Covent Garden
What kind of Christmas person are you? Sorry. I don’t have a quiz for you to take, but you can probably categorize yourself. You might...
jillaripa
Dec 18, 20244 min read


The Making of Harry Potter at Warner Bros. Studio London
My experience at the Harry Potter studios in London with a few tips to help!
jillaripa
Dec 9, 20245 min read


London. A Few Travel Tips and a Historical Pub Tour.
I recently spent sixteen days in Europe, and I am dying to share with you all about the beautiful places we visited and how grateful we...
jillaripa
Nov 18, 20248 min read


Weight Loss Stories: Desperation
That asshole! That complete and total asshole! Really? He towed my car! Is this really happening? No matter what I do or how hard I work...
jillaripa
Oct 29, 20242 min read


Weight Loss Stories: Judgment
So, Pam told me about where to have the absolute best Italian food in town, and she would know. She and Matt have been to all the hot...
jillaripa
Oct 22, 20245 min read


Weight Loss Stories: Shame
Suddenly her dry mouth and pounding head reminded her. The sleeping boy next to her served as another reminder of where she was and why. ...
jillaripa
Oct 14, 20242 min read


Weight Loss Stories: Silverlake Wrangler Girl
She had always been thin. In school, sometimes people would call her chicken legs. She did wish her legs were more…shapely or something,...
jillaripa
Oct 2, 20245 min read


The Skinny Bag
When I quit teaching last year, one of my main goals was my health. Or at least that’s what I called it. Man, I’ve got the best speech...
jillaripa
Sep 9, 20244 min read


Bags at the Red Sea
On the night before we moved into Eveline’s , I had a dream. It was following a stressful day where I was the crazy lady in my car...
jillaripa
Aug 28, 20246 min read


Interviews for BroadwayWorld
Click on the photos to access the interviews Ivan Ortega and Gabriella Ramirez with Miscast Theatre Company Jenny Lavery of San Pedro...
jillaripa
Mar 25, 20241 min read


Reviews of San Antonio Regional Theatre with Broadway World
Click on the photos to access the articles Mean Girls at The Majestic Theatre Ann at Classic Theatre Threes at The Overtime Theatre Lyric...
jillaripa
Mar 25, 20241 min read


My Neighbor Worked for NASA!
We live in a relatively new neighborhood. In fact, when we moved into our house, we were one of the only houses on the block. Most of the...
jillaripa
Aug 28, 20237 min read


Teachers Don't Need Capes
I stole this image from FaceBook, but it was just too perfect not to use here. And wow is it accurate... I'll admit I'm writing this in...
jillaripa
Aug 8, 20235 min read


Coach Travia
I’m pretty sure that for a theatre person, the correct answer to, “what is your favorite movie?” should be some deep masterpiece that the...
jillaripa
Jul 31, 20238 min read


Something New. Day 40
I thought on the 40th workday since I quit teaching, I'd give you an update on my new journey. I read through my post from May 30,...
jillaripa
Jul 24, 20234 min read


Snorkeling
We just got back from a 7-day cruise! It was the perfect get-a-way, and we had so much fun! Maybe you noticed I didn’t post last week. I...
jillaripa
Jul 18, 20233 min read


Bassoon Besties Bustin' a Move
My high school band only had one bassoon player. Me. In fact, I’ve only met a few other bassoon players in my life. We are a rare breed....
jillaripa
Jul 5, 20236 min read
bottom of page