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Archives for August 2014

Campervan New Zealand

Written by: Amanda // Category: New Zealand

Derik and I spent the first three weeks living in New Zealand living in a campervan. Two months prior we made the quick decision to move continents, and we didn't give ourselves much time to research areas for general living, jobs, and housing. We didn't have a good feeling about just picking a random city to live in, and didn't want to feel rushed finding a job and a house. Our only obvious solution was to rent a campervan and drive around the country until we found a city that just screamed 'us.' We couldn't be happier with our decision to move to New Zealand so quickly, as well as taking that (almost)month to road trip around the entire country. What a gorgeous trip that was! Now that we've settled down and are starting to build a ... Read More

A Case for Travel Partners

Written by: Amanda // Category: Travel, Travel Blogging

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but lately in the travel blogging world, solo travel empowerment posts, explaining the multiple benefits of traveling alone, are being published almost daily. I'm all for traveling alone, and finding independence, but not all of us enjoy traveling alone. Talk about how awesome, liberating, life-changing it can be, but you're most likely not going to convince me that solo travel is better than traveling with others. I've experienced traveling alone in South America in my younger days, and I wasn't a big fan. Here's the deal. I'm a social butterfly. In fact, my love language is quality time; I enjoy people in my life! Traveling alone doesn't necessarily empower me, but makes me wish I had someone ... Read More

Getting a Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand

Written by: Amanda // Category: New Zealand

You might remember my original post about why we moved to New Zealand, and in it I briefly mentioned that we're here on Working Holiday Visas.  I had a lot of people express interest in the visa process, so let's talk a bit about getting a Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand.  I'm writing this specifically for citizens of the US, as I have no experience with what the process is like for citizens of 34 other selected countries, but I'd imagine it's not much different. What is a Working Holiday Visa?   The Working Holiday Visa (also formally called Working Holiday Scheme) is literally what it sounds like. Its a visa that allows you to work, travel, and play in one of the most gorgeous countries in the world. For most countries ... Read More

How to Survive Long-Distance Flights

Written by: Amanda // Category: travel tips

"You're like a five-year-old child." Says my sleep-deprived, frustrated husband who sits in the airplane seat next to me. Yes, it's true, I don't handle flights well. It's not that I have flight anxiety, it's the fact that I get bored so fast. Once the plane wheels leave the ground, I go a little bit stir crazy. I spend the first 30 minutes combing the in-fight magazines to check out the food and drink service, and see what sorts of tacky things the airline has for sale. Does anyone ever buy the airline souvenirs?  After that, the fun begins. I'm not sure why, but airplane seats seem to be the least comfortable seats in the whole world. It would be great if you only had to fly an hour or two, but living overseas guarantees you at ... Read More

7 Tips to Help You Grow Your Instagram

Written by: Amanda // Category: Blogging, travel tips

Instagram is a social networking powerhouse. Created in October of 2010, it's become one of the most popular social networking companies today. If you haven't started an Instagram account and you're wanting to get serious about building your brand as a travel blogger (or any other kind of blogger), I'd suggest getting on it now. Not only will Instagram bring traffic to your blog, but businesses have been known scout Instagram users to offer opportunities and free stuff ! I know a couple travel bloggers that had media trip opportunities (aka your job is to take pictures and review all aspects of your trip) just because of their Instagram following. My Instagram feed is a constant work in progress, but using these tips below has allowed me ... Read More

Why Russell, New Zealand Should be on Your Travel Itinerary

Written by: Amanda // Category: New Zealand

We started our New Zealand camper van adventure on the North Island (Auckland to be exact). We hadn't planned on going up the coast into Northland, but we were convinced by our van rental agent that we should. Our two day side adventure turned into four, and we found ourselves falling in love with the gorgeous landscapes. Also, can I say the Bay of Islands is one of the most gorgeous stretches of land on the North Island? We will most definitely be heading up that way next summer to enjoy some sand, sun, and some of the best fish and chips I've ever had. The town of Russell is a mere ferry boat ride from Paihai, and is jam packed with things to do. Granted, we visited during low season and 85% of all activities were closed for the ... Read More

10 Things to See and Do While Visiting South Korea

Written by: Amanda // Category: South Korea

We lived in Korea for 2.5 years, and made sure we set aside time to explore our surroundings. Korea is a little country, but packs a punch with festivals, landscapes, and historical places to visit. Sadly, we never made it to Jeju Island, which I'm sure would be on this list if we had gone! If you ever happen to be in the area, you'll have to be sure to visit a few of the 10 places I list below. Some of them are pretty touristy, where others are a bit off the beaten path. Cherry Blossom Festivals are held every Spring, usually in April. The cool thing is they're in a bunch of different areas of the country, but the most famous flower festivals are in: Jinju, Gyeongju, and Seoul. Not only will you feel like you're in a magical ... Read More

New Zealand in Instagram Photos

Written by: Amanda // Category: New Zealand

A small taste of New Zealand via my Instagram account. As I sit here wading through all the photos I took on my DSLR and organizing them into posts to share with you, I figured I might as well give you a 'preview' on what to expect with photos from my iPhone (well except the star photo, we all know that came from my camera). Derik and I both feel so blessed to live in such a gorgeous country! I love the fact that I can literally walk outside my door and snap a breathtaking photo. New Zealand has so much to offer! We're spending the weekend searching for penguins and taking the scenic railway across the country. Keep up-to-date via insta on for the latest and greatest views! ... Read More

Currently on Instagram

Our adventures may be few and far between nowadays Our adventures may be few and far between nowadays, but the ones we get to take are oh so sweet. 

My daughters are now 2.5 years and 6 months old. Life never slows down, but only gets faster with each day we’re blessed to live. Social media may not be a part of my life how it used to be, and instead I’m working on living life intentionally each day as we raise our girls during these crazy times. 💕
2020 has been a year has it not? As much as I love 2020 has been a year has it not? As much as I love social media, I found myself taking a break as the things we were all going through made social media so insignificant to me. 

In January/February I had a miscarriage. It was a horrible way to start the year, and little did I know it was just the beginning of it all. 

Even with the loss, hardship of moving back to the US in the middle of a global pandemic, and navigating our new lives here, we were given many blessings. The greatest of those was finding out I was pregnant again in March.

It’s a scary time to be pregnant right now, especially after a miscarriage, because doctors visits are very minimal. Also, Derik was never able to come to a single visit. I was terrified something would happen and I would be told bad news and have to face that alone. But God was gracious to us. 

We kept our special little secret to ourselves, and it wasn’t until our third trimester before we told immediate family and close friends. My pregnancy was very private for me, and a special time to bond closely with the babe growing inside me.

Our sweet little girl arrived November 30, and yes I had to deliver with a mask on, but she is perfect and I truly feel our family is complete. 💕🌈
 
“When a rainbow appears, it doesn’t mean the storm never happened or that we are not still dealing with its aftermath. It means something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy, and hope.”
I am in love. As I’m sure every other plant/mons I am in love. As I’m sure every other plant/monstera collector is when you get to behold such a beauty in real life. If there were ever #plantgoals, this is it. 

Since moving from Germany, it has been a long and slow process getting our life back to normal. All of our belongings have yet to arrive so we’ve literally been camping in our house on an air bed and camping chairs for two months. 😂 All that to say, having to start my plant collection over again here stateside has been so much fun! I will miss the plant prices if Germany, but the selection here blows my mind. Anyone else obsessed? We’ve lived here for almost 8 weeks now and I already have 11 plants 😂😬😬😬. I don’t have a bed or a couch, but by golly I have greenery. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️🌱
Oh my heart. I’ve been trying to figure out the Oh my heart.

I’ve been trying to figure out the words to say about our time in Germany, but my fingers can’t seem to type out how to express my love, gratefulness, thankfulness, sadness, and heartbreak I feel about leaving. Every country we’ve lived in has taught us something and has given us so many beautiful memories, as well as opened our eyes a little more to different cultures and ways of living.

But Germany was special. The first time we stepped foot into Germany was in 2015, and we loved it so much we stayed the extent of our travel visa (3 months). I was able to visit again in 2016, and then we officially packed everything and moved in 2017. Germany has always had my heart: the people, the festivals, the food, wine and beer, the immaculate home landscaping, and even all the rules that every resident is just expected to follow to a tee (like recycling every tiny scrap of trash). Our family grew from two to three while in Germany. Bringing our daughter into the world, and raising her for a year and a half in a different culture, will be one of the most beautiful memories of my life.

Our move was impacted by the COVID pandemic, and it took three long months of delays, red tape, and countless phone calls to get everything together so we could actually get on a plane and have our stuff packed and shipped to our new home. 
I am breathing a sigh of relief to know all the stress of everything is over and our new adventure can begin. I am mourning the loss of leaving Germany. I am in a weird transition right now trying to grasp it all, but here we are jumping into new things head first! We are back in the US for a while, in the beautiful state of Tennessee, and look forward to many new memories, travels, friends, and being able to spend time with family! 
Photos from my sweet and talented friend @juliejayphotos
I feel like I failed hard this year at Christmas m I feel like I failed hard this year at Christmas markets. We went to a total of ONE market, which is exactly 19 less than I told myself I would go to this year to make up for not going to any the year before 🤦🏼‍♀️(I was 40 weeks pregnant and not feeling crowds). I will say, it was a great one and the weather was so nice, we stayed out until the market shut down.

If there’s one thing I will miss most about Germany when it is our time to move, will be the sheer enthusiasm this country has for Christmas, and I’m not talking about consumerism. Food, laughter, friends, family, music, dancing: celebration. Also, Germany shuts down for not only one day, but THREE. Stores are closed, mail is not delivered, people aren’t out and about. Everyone is home enjoying time with family, and I love it. However, I may have gone into full blown panic mode Christmas Eve when I realized I had a total of 8 diapers to get us through until the 27th. 👀
We spent Thanksgiving back in North America: Whist We spent Thanksgiving back in North America: Whistler, Canada! A 10 hour flight from Germany , and I can’t say this one was better than the one we took over the summer on our trip to Alaska, but we survived! Entertaining a 11 month old for that long is much harder than a 6 month old, especially when they aren’t into sleeping on the plane AT ALL. 🤪

Whistler was beautiful despite the lack of snow, and we enjoyed our time with family, the delicious food, and as much sightseeing as one could do with a jet-lagged baby. 
This was actually my first trip to Canada ever, (unless you want to count the move my parents took up to Alaska from Arkansas when I was two. 😂🤷‍♀️ ) and I loved it! We would really like to take a big Canadian road trip someday and explore more of the country! 😍😍🇨🇦
Being a mama may mean I don’t always have time t Being a mama may mean I don’t always have time to put myself together, but I would rather spend the extra moments making special memories with our daughter that she can cherish forever. I doubt that she will look at this picture and see a tired, messy haired mama that’s barely had time to wash her face nevermind carefully apply makeup, but am hoping she will see a mama that never tires of carrying and cuddling her, or sharing new experiences with her. 💕
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