Blondie Babich, a.k.a. Christel Brown

So, I'm one of those rare creatures who finds it riveting to sit in random airport lounges overlooking runways, observing gate departures and arrivals. This may be why I also adore the beloved classic Christmas movie, "Love Actually". Check it out if you haven't seen it. 

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I discovered early on that I'm a student of human nature, pondering often what people are experiencing as they come and go, particularly in an airport or train station. Is it sadness? Anxiety? Anticipation? Joy? Who are they meeting at this end or the other? Do they want to? Do they need to? 

While my work led me love the smell and sounds of high velocity jet fuel and to freely admit I'm a supersonic freak with that "need for speed", my love of smaller aircraft began in summers at our lake house in North Carolina, where our neighbor had a Cessna 172 Skyhawk and a Piper PA-28 Cherokee. He generously and often took us kids up to test our flying skills. I was hooked.

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As for work, my career in project management spans aerospace, aviation, and several other industries, namely civil engineering, portfolio investment management, and oil distribution. Following my solo relocation to California from the suburbs of Washington DC, my first job at 20 years old introduced me to the fast-paced, crazy world of Indy racing, where I served as a VIP PR staff member, interviewing drivers and sponsors, traveling with, and serving as a personal assistant to Indy board members. Notably I found myself hopping Concorde flights to coveted locations, scouting potential racing venues. During these years "living" at the racetracks each season, I befriended and spent time with the likes of Roger Penske, Sam Winston (tires), Paul Newman (who taught me to make my first Rusty Nail and protected me with Dad energy against unwanted suitors), Gene Hackman, and the iconic James Garner, who were all staples around the tracks. I also developed friendships with many professional drivers. All along this adventurous path, I was drawn to aerospace and aviation, the fertile ground rooting my penchant for exploration and speed. As fate would have it, the racing world introduced me to the those two worlds, and for that, I'm eternally grateful. 

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My particular, mysterious love of Greece originated from childhood, starting as best I can recall when my mother pinned up a small wall calendar in the kitchen. As she flipped the page each month, revealing the most spectacular images you could ever imagine, I reveled at the bleached white domes, ancient monasteries, and stark white chapels jutting out of small outcroppings that overlooked the most stunningly blue water. Finding these visions pure magic and otherworldly, I asked, quite seriously, “Mommy, is this Heaven”? She answered, with absolute authority -- and I believed her wholeheartedly -- “Yes, baby, that’s definitely Heaven”. I'm convinced that, having never traveled across the sea, she meant this both figuratively and literally. In those years, I had no doubt that this landscape was indeed Heaven, waiting for me after I died. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered Santorini is an actual place on this planet that you can visit and, every time I'm there (16 times so far, as I write this), I toast my Mama and what she inspired within me without ever knowing it. 

I was 12 years old when my single mother died and, by some random, wonderful twist of grace and fate, I was lovingly adopted by family friends, who traveled extensively and passed that opportunity along to me. My newly adoptive mother regularly supplied me with historical novels to read prior to family trips. One memorable set contained a captivating series of novels about young love and coming of age by a Swedish author. Replete with characters based in remote mountain towns and villages in Sweden, those stories depicted vivid landscapes of clean fresh air and the humble, innocent ways of gentle people. I was hooked. Through reading, I fell in love with the idea of exploring distant lands, spending many long hours transported to unexpected, magical places, dreaming about people and vistas I'd never seen. As a young girl, I was already expanding my horizons, preparing for a future filled with seeing and doing, all wrapped in the hope and imaginings of a life I could create for myself. 

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During my 16th year, prior to a trip to England, Scotland, and Holland, my adoptive mother presented me with several books about European and British Royals, chockful of historical events woven into captivating fiction, to appeal to my teenage brain. I devoured those books and, when we arrived in England, I beamed with pride that despite my tender age I could act as the family tour guide, historian, and docent all wrapped into one. I knew who every King, Queen, Prince, Princess, and Wannabe was.

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By yet another stroke of fate, I was encouraged in my 20s to apply to radio broadcasting school in North Hollywood. I pursued that goal with fervor and solid success, carving a clear path into Broadcast or Radio Journalism, fueled by props from instructors and classmates alike. But to my everlasting regret, the grueling, the patchwork commute took its toll on me. With a demanding 9-5 job 5 days a week, I concluded that the hour-plus journey along Southern California freeways from the hectic borders of Orange & Riverside Counties (the 91 -- if you know, you know!) via manic thoroughfares, ending finally at the 101 in North Hollywood was unsustainable. Exhausted and defeated, I dropped the program, giving up my dream of the promising journalism career that so suited me. Lesson learned: If you feel led, called, or driven to something in this short, beautiful life, find a way to pursue it! 

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Fast forward to today: This podcast with my dearest long time friend Sandi -- who feels, like me, that we knew each other before we ever met -- blends our love and passion for all things travel and exploration, not just of places, but of the gift of life itself. As you listen, you'll find Sandi and I share the philosophy of making the most of life and encouraging others to do the same. It was indeed Sandi's sincere encouragement and technical know-how that convinced me to take this leap, opening a path I hadn't imagined for myself. With each of us holding a side of the same coin, this destined partnership merges my two passions into one, and I know Sandi and I are equally hopeful that you'll enjoy our meanderings and musings over all things travel and life. Above all, we hope you'll find inspiration to "give wings to your dreams" as you take this journey with us, learning and growing. Yamas!!