living proof of God's grace & living free to share hope, encouragement & adventures
Who’s the most influential person in your life? If you asked me this age-old question, I wouldn’t hesitate to answer: My grandpa. Though he passed away in 2006—when I was twenty-two—his impact on my life hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s grown stronger! Grandpa: September 2005 I could easily write a book on what I learned from Grandpa—and …
Continue reading The Most Influential Person in My Life: My Grandpa
Have you ever taken one of those Which Disney Character Are You? quizzes? I’m not ashamed to admit that I have. I mean, it’s hard to avoid those things, what with all the quiz variations, plus friends sharing results on FB. I see one, and I just can’t help myself—especially if it’s a princess one. …
Whether you prefer #travelTuesday or #Tuesdayviewsday, today’s post is for you. As I’ve mentioned in past posts, I visited Barcelona back in May. It marked my fifth excursion to Europe, second solo international trip, and first time in Spain. To be honest, though, Barcelona wasn’t a high priority destination for me until maybe March—when a …
I broke up with winter in January 2014. It was a toxic relationship that should have ended long before that—but better late than never! Moving from Michigan to someplace warm was a dream I’d had since oh, about the age of four. That’s when palm trees and beach scenes became a recurring theme of my …
Continue reading Ultimate Guide to Florida’s Gulf Coast Beaches
How could you travel to a foreign country by yourself??!! It’s a question I hear a LOT. And, I’m not surprised. Intimidation definitely deters many from solo travel— especially international solo travel! Even seasoned travelers aren't exempt. Preference also plays a major role here. You may have no desire to travel solo, and that’s perfectly …
Continue reading Is Solo Travel for You? Take My Ultimate 7 Question Quiz
If you’re reading my adventure blog, I imagine you have some sort of bucket list. Mine seems to grow longer as I cross things off. The more I do, the more I’m exposed to—and the more I realize I want to do. Please tell me you can relate! Let’s be crazy bucket listers together, k? …
Last spring, I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and it changed my life. Literally. It was the catalyst that took me from adventurous dreamer to adventurous doer – jolting me out of some serious ‘someday’ apathy. Suddenly, every single item on my bucket list felt not only achievable, but achievable in the NOW. …
Ever returned from a trip thinking about what you would have done if you’d had just one more day? Of course you have, right? It’s human nature to want just a little bit more. Ok. So we’ve established that you think about this, too. But, would you rather enjoy your favorite experiences AGAIN? Or, cram all …
As promised, I’m sharing my top must-dos in Paris, based on that 48 hour whirlwind trip I took back in January. Having only two days—a day and a half really, and less if you count sleeping!—I conducted extensive research to craft the perfect itinerary. And, I genuinely don’t regret a single second of how I …
Continue reading 7 Things You Must Do on Your First Trip to Paris
So, y’all know that Paris was my dream adventure. Aaaannnd my flight was unbelievably cheap ($467, thanks to one of Scott’s alerts). Still, my frugal self refused to spend more than $1k on the total trip, so I decided to limit myself to just two nights in the City of Lights. I know, I know. Two …
adventure and the girl 