We had the good fortune of connecting with Jaime Carpenter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaime, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
One of our greatest victories has been showing our kids through world travel, that anything is possible. We know that every day is ours to take advantage of and ours to enjoy. We have been able to meet all kinds of people and expose our children to new cultures inspite of medical challenges that our kids were born with. We wanted to show them that they can still do amazing things!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
After our two children were born with Glycogen Storage Disease Ia, a very rare life threatening liver condition, we thought our dreams of traveling the world were over.

Our journey through life hasn’t been without challenges, but we’ve learned that challenges often come along with victories.

One of our greatest victories has been showing our kids through world travel, that anything is possible. We know that every day is ours to take advantage of and ours to enjoy.

When we started our travel journey, life was very different. In a former life, (Pre kids and pre GSD diagnosis) I was lucky enough to be able to help Olympic and NCAA Division I athletes stay healthy and manage injuries. For a long time, that’s who I was. I identified who I was with what I did for a living.

When life changed, and it was time to hang up my sports medicine shoes to take care of my medically fragile baby, I felt a little lost. I felt like I had given up a part of who I was. The transition to full time motherhood was harder than I imagined, but I was willing to do anything to keep my little lady safe.

Years later, as we started our travel journey, I never would have guessed that I would find my soul in the beautiful places we would visit. Those beautiful places inspired me to capture moments, share our story with the world and again, I found my soul, this time through a camera.
Sometimes life throws unexpected things in our paths and we feel like we are going to lose our minds… but then we end up finding our soul.
I hope our journey can inspire others with a sense of hope, perseverance, and the desire to live your dreams.
Into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul — John Muir

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If you’re a lover of the outdoors like me Boulder is the place for you! Boulder Valley has more than 300 miles of bikeway, about 155 miles of hiking trails, and tons of epic rock climbing spots! Being outside is good for the soul! My favorite spots and the spots I love going with my family:
-Chautauqua Park & the Flatirons
-Royal Arch
-Mt. Sanitas
-Lost Gulch
-Gross Revervoir
-Boulder Canyon
-NCAR Trails
-Boulder Creek
-Eldorado Canyon

Places that are a drive away:
-Rocky Mountain National Park
-Roxborough State Park
-Peak to Peak Highway- Especially in the Fall
-Nederland

Some other great places to visit in Boulder:
-Pearl Street Promenade- great place to stroll, eat, shop & people watch
-Boulder Farmer’s Market
-Foothills Park to see the Paragliders
-Fiske Planetarium on the campus of the University of Colorado- Laser light shows, planetarium shows
-University of Colorado
-ABC Climbing Gym- Rock Climbing Gym specifically for kids!

My Favorite places to eat:
-Moe’s Broadway bagel- as a NY State born girl, I gotta have my bagel place!
-Tangerine- Killer eggs Benny!
-Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage- huge slices!
-Rincon Argentino- Amazing Empanadas
-Nopalito’s- Great Mexican
-Blackbelly
-Dushanbe Teahouse- Ornate landmark building that was shipped piece by piece from Tajikistan & rebuilt creekside!
-Avanti Collective Eatery- Prime location on Pearl Street offering great selection of foods (Pizza, Middle Eastern, Taiwanese, Venezuelan, Jewish & American Farm to Table) with an epic view

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We couldn’t have started on our journey around the world without the help and encouragement of our kid’s doctors, nurses, dieticians, occupational & physical therapists. We also want to recognize all of the Glycogen Storage Disease Families around the world who live hour to hour, day to day in order to make each day “normal”.

I’d also like to thank all those who have inspired me and encouraged me along my photography journey.
Sometimes life throws unexpected things into our paths and we feel like we are going to lose our minds, but then we end up finding our soul. I found mine again through a camera.

Website: www.carpingthediems.com

Instagram: @carpingthediems

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carpingthediems

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4TghDpGKvkKb01BXELrs2A

Image Credits
First 2 Family Photos- Rene Porter of Stella & Callypso All of the Rest- Jaime Carpenter

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