About
Hi. I'm Greg. I've thought about creating a website for a long time, but was never sure what exactly I would say. Just recently, I got the urge to create a platform that I could share my knowledge and experiences with others around the world. I thought a lot about what topics I would want to focus on, and decided the things I am most passionate about in my life are pets, traveling, and fitness. So with the help of Google AI (and feedback from a few friends), Paws, Passports, and Push-Ups was created.
For the last 15 years, I have been employed by an independent pet food retailer, working with pet parents to help give their pets the best life they can. I love helping people find the best food, supplements, and supplies that will cause their pet to thrive. I hope to be able to use this website to extend my knowledge and experience to help people with their pets, no matter where they might be located.
Several years ago, I joined a gym for the first time (I had never really even set foot in a gym until then) and started working with a personal trainer. The trainer I worked with for quite awhile moved and I never found another one that I really connected with. About the same time, the dog I had started getting old faster and I was spending a lot more time and money at the vet, so I chose to step away from the gym. A little over 5 years ago, right in the middle of Covid, I started talking with the owner of the crossfit gym across the alley. I got some good vibes from Danny, and after awhile I decided to ask him if he would be willing to train me. At the time, gyms were pretty desolate because of Covid, so it was a good time to start getting back into the swing of the gym. I had never done any type of crossfit training before; all the training I had done before was more strength and cardio, so it took a lot of trust to try something so different. In time I realized crossfit was not really the type of training I preferred, and Danny has done an amazing job of blending crossfit and strength training. It took awhile, but I realized my body remembered a lot of what I had done years before. In the last year, especially, I've really seen how much improvement I have made, and in the last 3 months I have figured out how to make my training connect with my body in ways I never expected. I plan on getting into a lot more detail about that as this website progresses.
I have always been intrigued by other countries and cultures. When I was young, it was my dream to go to Australia, which I did quite awhile back. I went a long time before I did much traveling again, and started by going to Boston very regularly every few months. I got in the habit of taking time each year around the time of my birthday to take a trip as a present to myself. When Covid happened most people just stayed in their homes and didn't go anywhere, and if you did, you had to wear a mask. With my job in the pet store, I worked the entire time. I didn't do anything but work since most all social venues were closed, so I was able to save up money. After a time, the one thing you could do was travel. You had to wear a mask to travel, and in airports, but once countries opened up to visitors, all you had to do was show proof of vaccination to visit. I figured there was no point in staying home and doing nothing, when I could get out and experience the world! That's when my love for travel really started. Over the last 6 years, I have been to Germany and Barcelona several times, and also to Portugal and Turkey, and am planning another trip to Turkey soon. I have learned a lot about other countries, and also about the hoops you have to go through to travel to other countries, including the entry requirements for visiting foreign countries (especially Europe) as an American. I plan on sharing my travel experiences, including things I have learned to help navigate traveling to foreign countries, as part of this site. People in my life have told me I have experienced a lot through my travels that others would be interested in hearing about, so this site is a way of going about that....finally.