Like many of you, I’m self-isolating and staying home as much as possible in an effort to help the spread of COVID-19. And if you’re reading this and you’re still going and out and living like normal, don’t! Do your research and understand how the impact of that is affecting… Read more
Honestly, I’ve been going over and over in my head about what I should write in this post. And still, I’m not sure of what to say, what to write. But what I do know is that life, the world, they aren’t normal right now and I firmly believe that… Read more
We are galavanting around New England currently and as I turn 33 today, celebrating in one of my favorite corners of the world, every year I like to look back on the previous year and see what lessons I learned. I am finding that as I get older, the lessons… Read more
Land of Marvels has been around a long time but a lot has changed over the many years I’ve been blogging. Some of you have been following along for years and years, others are new followers and just getting acquainted with LOM. I’ve also gone through a lot of renditions… Read more
I’ve long heard the comment “you travel a lot” said to me as both a compliment and as an insult. I’ve heard comments about how maybe I should be spending my money on other things or maybe I shouldn’t be jetting off around the world at such a breakneck pace…. Read more
Every year as November and December roll around, I find myself reflecting on my life for the past year: where I went, what I did, but also what lessons I learned, not only in my professional and travel life, but also in my personal one. And this year felt like… Read more
A few weeks back on our way to New Orleans, I found myself sitting in my window seat high above the world, giddy with excitement about traveling again after several months without anything but traveling for work or to see family. The trip was our first in a long time… Read more
I’m turning 32 today while in New Orleans, indulging to my heart’s content in beignets and Southern food. But as I celebrate another birthday today, I can’t help but think about all that this past year (and all the years before) has taught me, all the life lessons and all… Read more
I’m back from a couple week blogging break as we’ve moved into our little 1925 Dutch Colonial house in SE Portland and as I reflect on the past month and the past year in general, I realize just how much has changed. This year brought about a lot of different… Read more
While scrolling Pinterest a couple weeks ago, an image popped up that said “I love those days when my only decision is: window or aisle?” And in that moment, I found myself nodding – don’t we all crave those days? When big decisions don’t exist? When we’re headed somewhere new,… Read more
Happy 4th of July to all the Americans out there today! I won’t lie, I’ve been pretty low on inspiration this year so far. And between work (which has been crazy) and life (which has been crazy) and responsibilities (that never seem to end), sometimes it’s difficult to actually take… Read more
Today Nick turns 32 and I happen to love birthdays. I love celebrating and using birthdays as milestones throughout the years. I’ve been lucky enough to celebrate many many birthdays alongside Nick and in all of our years together, I love using birthdays to stop and reflect on the amazing… Read more
At the beginning of 2018, I started the year in a low place. In reality, I had been feeling pretty down throughout all of 2017 for a number of reasons and realized that to start the year off on a better footing I had to make some changes. While they… Read more
I’ve talked before here on LOM about my decision to not have kids of my own and knowing at a very early age that that traditional path just wasn’t for me. I’ve heard all the comments from people imaginable: “you’ll change your mind,” “you’ll miss out on so much,” “but… Read more
I’ve always whole-heartedly believed that travel shouldn’t be an escape from reality, that we shouldn’t want to escape from our normal lives because if we do, that means we haven’t built an everyday life we love. And for a long time, I really did love my life in Portland just… Read more