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Archives for August 2015

A Day in Ruedesheim

Written by: Amanda // Category: Germany, Photojournalism

You may have already noticed on Instagram and Facebook, but we're in Germany! We couldn't be more excited to spend a couple months with my sister, brother-in-law, and our two adorable little nieces (stationed here with the U.S. military). As the weather has started to cool, we've been enjoying the great outdoors as much as possible! I'm still bogged down with work, so that hinders me from permanently living outside (I have an insane amount of content to share with you from New Zealand, Bali, Italy, and Croatia). We decided to take a trip to Ruedesheim (Rhine River — wine country) yesterday after the weather once again pulled out for the win. As we arrived at one of the many parking areas in Ruedesheim, I couldn't have been more ... Read More

Living Expenses in New Zealand

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expenses, New Zealand

I'm writing this post because a year and a half ago when we were planning our move from Korea, I wish I had a reference point on living expenses in New Zealand . It was incredibly frustrating to be told "It's super expensive" yet have nothing to base it off of. Living in South Korea was also pretty expensive, and I just wanted to know in comparison how much we were going to have to budget each month and overall to make our time in New Zealand not the worst thing ever on our bank accounts. For all you fellow "I-want-to-travel-and-live-in-New-Zealanderers" hopefully you can use this as a general guide to help you get an idea of what things are going to cost while living, or even just visiting New Zealand. PLEASE NOTE: our living ... Read More

A Romantic Stay at The Gangsa Private Villas

Written by: Amanda // Category: Accommodation, Bali, Review

Relaxation, away from the hustle and bustle of life, is sometimes the best gift you can give yourself. Add a little romance and significant other to that equation and you have the perfect couples' getaway. There's nothing more refreshing than a few days relaxing in a private villa…just you, your loved one, the sun and a fruity drink or two. The Gangsa Private Villas Review The Gangsa is one of three private villa resorts owned by Kayumanis, a team of professionals committed to offering some of the most sought after villa retreats in Bali — which I can attest to being true the second we stepped into The Gangsa's grounds. Although the area of Sanur doesn't exactly scream luxury, Kayumanis has done a fantastic job creating an oasis out ... Read More

The Best Time of Day to Post on Instagram

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

Instagram. One of the coolest yet most frustrating social media networks ever. It can be such a finicky child to figure out, but once you get it, you can actually do quite well when it comes to exposure, followers, and engagement. One of the things I've noticed since moving to Europe is that my typical Instagram posting times (10am and 8pm) has not done me any favors over here. Unfortunately when I post at 10am in the morning it's 4am back in New York — meaning all my US followers are dead asleep and probably won't even see my post at all as it'll be far buried by the time they wake up. Alternatively, if I post at 8pm, it's 2pm back in the U.S. and most people are right smack dab in the middle of their work day — also no bueno for ... Read More

5 ways to encourage travel bloggers

Written by: Amanda // Category: Travel Blogging

Being a travel writer/blogger can be seem like one of the best jobs ever. I mean, what's not to like? We get to travel [sometimes] for free, stay at amazing places, take sweet pictures, and then share it all with everyone else. Although it seems like we're on a never-ending vacation, there is actually quite a bit of hard work behind being a travel blogger. What you don't see are the hours and hours spent behind the computer while visiting that "ultimate vacation spot" due to deadlines and obligations. Or the hours spent pitching stories and jobs, plotting future travels, taking pictures to share, and researching the latest in blogging/social media/computer-everything to stay up to date with the latest trends. I absolutely hated the fact ... Read More

A Luxurious Getaway at Samabe

Written by: Amanda // Category: Accommodation, Bali, Review

Derik and I absolutely adore Bali. We visited way back in August of 2012 (where has the time gone?!?), and knew from the second we boarded the plane back home that we were going to return. Luckily for us, after we decided to leave New Zealand, a few marketing opportunities came up in Bali, and it became the perfect 30-day stopover before heading up to Europe. After initially landing in Bali, we needed a place to relax and unwind from the stress of moving, and Samabe , a Bali all inclusive resort turned out to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Samabe Bali Suites and Villas Review I remember initially looking at Samabe's website and thinking, "Are you kidding me? This place is absolute paradise!" It's new, it's clean, it's private…and ... 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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