Myles’ Birthday 2022

Home

People often ask me, Dan Navarra, why I work hard at TMI, used to spend so much time on the road, and basically missed out on my family. As a lifetime million mile flyer on American Airlines (almost two million) and nearly a million on United, I tell them I may not have been involved with everything my children did, but being out of town one or two nights a week helps the marriage, and quite frankly my sanity. Madeline agrees with me completely on that. Five years ago, I would have said that I missed traveling for work like I used to, but that isn’t true anymore. Being on the road isn’t what it used to be. I still like it, but once a month is just fine.

My parents taught me to be a hard worker, and that in addition to the brains God gave me and the education Purdue gave me, I have been fortunate enough to do fairly well with regards to my professional life. I have only had 4 jobs in the past 40 years. We make a good living, but we are not overly materialistic. Most anything that could be considered a luxury in our home was probably a gift or for a very special occasion. We don't run out and buy the latest in technology, or new cars every year, or go to fancy restaurants every night. We have no problem with clipping coupons and saving a buck here or there on a purchase. To me, absolutely everything has a value, and I'd rather spend $2,000 on a piece of art that I would enjoy thoroughly for life than $80 on a pair of tennis shoes that I'd only wear for a couple years.

We live a rather simple life, in a very nice, but not extravagant home in a very nice, but not extravagant neighborhood. We believe in family and moved to Florida in 2015 in order to keep our family together after our daughters moved there three years before us. Over the years we've even extended that family with an "open door" policy to our children's friends, our relatives, neighbors, and a couple of foreign exchange students who've lived with us for months on end.

If we have an extravagance, I suppose it is in experiencing life, because you never know how long your life will be. I tell people "I work so that I can vacation." Clients actually tease me that I go on vacation once a month. I just smile and nod my head. Madeline and I love to vacation, as do the kids. We love new places, new scenery, new cultures, and new adventures. In 2008 I made it to the last of the 50 states, and Madeline accomplished the same feat in 2013. Someone told me that we should strive for “100 by 100”, which I can only deduce means 100 countries before I turn 100 years old. That sounds good to me.

Our vacations used to be so full, that we often needed a vacation after our vacation. I've been told that I planned our vacations in such detail that I actually scheduled meals and restroom breaks. That's only partially true, but in a nutshell, we loved to see what God and Man has created and we make the best use out of our ability to enjoy those gifts. Our vacations are a little more relaxed as we get older, but we do still like experiencing something new.

We love to photograph our vacations and share them with our friends. Conversely, we love to look at our friends vacation photos as well. Click on a link and you'll see some of the fun things we've done in the past. And although my wife tells everyone this is "my" site versus "our" site, Madeline pretty much agrees with what I say here.

Text Box: N.A.
Text Box: USA
Text Box: S.A.
Text Box: Carib
Text Box: Europe
Text Box: Africa

Check out my e-books

Text Box: Vacation Time Line
Text Box: Florida
Text Box: Our Homes
Text Box: Family: 1960’s-2002
Text Box: Family: 2003-2012
Text Box: Family: 2013-2022
Text Box: Family: 2023-Present
Text Box: Mäggi 
Text Box: Ana Paula
Text Box: Alicia & Mel’s Wedding
Text Box: Myles & Amaya
Text Box: Dana in Hawaii & DC
Text Box: My Favorite Pictures
Text Box: 50 States