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Archives for December 2014

LIAL Reader Survey 2014 RESULTS

Written by: Amanda // Category: Blogging

Thanks for sticking with me the last couple months as you've patiently waited for the reader survey results (I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat and stuff)! I have FINALLY tallied up all the numbers and some things really surprised me! A big thank you to the 250 participants: you have not only made my year, but you have helped me figure out my reader-base that much more. I am eternally grateful! Let's get started: What is your age? Are you male or female? Where are my male readers?! I do for a fact know I have them! Do I? Where are you from? Also had 2.70% from France, 2.70% from Denmark, 2.70% from Belgium, 2.40% from Sweden, 2.40% from Germany and 26 other countries were listed! Wow! I never realized how broad of an ... Read More

Travel Insurance: Yay or Nay?

Written by: Amanda // Category: travel tips

The age old question for any chronic traveler (especially those on a budget). Travel insurance tends to be a bit on the spendy side, and can be a real burden to those contemplating if it's something that's necessary or not. I used to be wishywashy about travel insurance. Not sure why, could have been the sticker shock associated with it I guess. Confession time: we spent our first two years traveling abroad without it. I am so thankful we stayed happy, healthy, and without injury. I just saw us as two average, physically fit, 20-something year olds, wandering the world with as much as we could fit in two checked bags. Why would we need insurance for that? As the years go by, I've slowly changed my mind. We purchased our first-ever ... Read More

Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography

Written by: Amanda // Category: New Zealand, Photography Tutorial

New Zealand is known to have some of the best starry sky visuals in the world. It's probably due to the fact that this little country is known as having some of the cleanest air in the world. I've enjoyed getting out and shooting the night sky a time or two while we've lived here, and after sharing a couple of those posts (found here and here) I thought it was high time to write a tutorial on how I take my night sky pictures. Astrophotography is a tricky thing. Not only do you have to get the light settings just right, but the proper infinite focal placement is insanely important. If you happen to stumble upon a quiet, clear night, head out and try your luck! What you need: -A camera with manual settings and manual focus -A ... Read More

And We’re Off!!!

Written by: Amanda // Category: Uncategorized

The moment of waiting is finally over, our passports are being put to good use, and we're out discovering some more of the amazing world we live in! Just letting you know as a little PSA, I won't be replying to comments, posting on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for the duration of our vacation. Derik and I are going phone, tablet, and computer free, and I'm looking forward to a little R&R away from things! Don't worry, I'm not going to vanish entirely for three weeks: I have some lovely posts lined up for you! I look forward to reading all your comments when I get back. Wanna know where we will be? December 18th-30th South Pacific Cruise out of Sydney destinations being: New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and then back to ... Read More

Yonderbound: Make Travel Planning a Breeze

Written by: Amanda // Category: travel tips

I'm a last minute accommodation booker. Why? I absolutely hate spending hours looking at hotels, reviews, and then finally digging around the interwebs for a good discount on the hotels that look the best to me. Derik and I typically use Agoda and Booking.com for reserving accommodation for our travels, but after the experience we had in Boracay, I've almost given up on them altogether. Enter Yonderbound. When I was first told of this spiffy new travel booking site, I was a bit skeptical. Oh no, here we go again, another confusing, time sucking, site to reference just so I can get the best prices. But, once I actually took the time to check out their site, I was blown away by how easy it was to search, book, and save something for ... Read More

Things All Expats Do But Won’t Admit To

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living

First of all, I'm currently working on getting those survey results to you, and I'm so thrilled that 250 of you participated! Love seeing what you had to say and what you're interested in with LIAL. It's quite the feat to get that post up showing you all the stats, but I'm bound and determined to have it up before the week's over. Now, let's talk a little bit about expats. As you know (or maybe you don't), Derik and I have been living overseas since February of 2012. We began our expat journey on a little industrial island in South Korea, and then decided to move over here to New Zealand after 2.5 years. We're not 'professional expats' by any means, as there are some folks out there that have lived abroad for more than a decade! I'd like ... Read More

Wellington, New Zealand

Written by: Amanda // Category: New Zealand

Before moving to New Zealand, Derik and I were 70% sure we were going to settle down on the North Island in Wellington. The city somewhat resembles the quirky, active, inviting atmosphere we left back in Portland, Oregon, and we were ready for that again. We were still open to other places, and that's why we decided to campervan around New Zealand until we found the place that fit us. We chose Dunedin which happens to be near the bottom of the South Island. It's not quite the hustling, bustling little city as Wellington is, but it's full of history, things to do, and coffee shops. Derik was also given a great opportunity job-wise, so that was a huge factor in our decision to stay. That being said, in the brief time we had in Wellington, ... Read More

12 Songs for Your Travel Playlist

Written by: Amanda // Category: travel tips

Derik and I love music. My husband probably even more than myself, as he ALWAYS has something playing on his phone. I'm one of those people that really enjoys listening to music…but not so much as background noise. That's why I can't listen and write-I get distracted! Blame it on me being a music minor in school for three years (that was before I realized majoring in two different fields and minoring was complete suicide…especially when you're on a 4 year graduation track). While traveling, music is a great way to kill the in-flight time and soothe a stressed-out mind. Derik and I just booked a 12 day cruise through the South Pacific for Christmas (thankful to his boss for surprising us with some time off !!!),  and then will be ... Read More

Currently on Instagram

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. 💕
Oh Switzerland, you beaut.🇨🇭 We spent a coup Oh Switzerland, you beaut.🇨🇭 We spent a couple days enjoying the beautiful weather in the land of chocolate, cheese, mountains, and cows with bells 😍😍🤩. If you remember, we visited the same area  a month shy of two years ago but but the weather was quite the opposite! I’d have to say though, when you visit such a majestic and beautiful area, it doesn’t matter what the weather is, you’re going to be in awe and love it anyway!
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