Living in Another Language

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Monkey Forest, Ubud

Written by: Amanda // Category: Bali

Can I start by being honest here? I think monkeys are the most unpredictable animal on the planet, and should not be trusted. I am slightly scared scared of them (don’t be fooled by the cover photo above), but that doesn’t usually deter me from visiting a place that has monkeys.  Is it okay to be scared and fascinated at the same time…especially of a creature that won’t likely harm me? We had previously visited Monkey Forest, Ubud back in 2012, and couldn’t help but "walking down memory lane" with a revisit last summer. There’s something magical about Monkey Forest, and it keeps drawing me back,  despite the fear I have with its main attraction. Magic I tell you. The particular day we re-visited was in late June, and at the height of ... Read More

Glamping Bali with Sandat Tents

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

If I had to put one thing, and one thing only, on a bucket list for Bali, Indonesia, it would *hands down* be to go glamping again. Yes, you heard me right, glamping in Bali! There is literally nothing finer in life than staying in one of Southeast Asia’s most luxurious tents. Let me tell you, for all those who have sworn off camping altogether: give glamping a go and I promise you’ll change your mind. Like most travelers researching all the tips, tricks, places, views, eats, etc for "the island of the gods," glamping in Bali wasn’t top of my list, or even at all for that matter, because I had no idea it even existed. As I searched for the less ordinary, more unique lodgings for our most recent trip to Bali, I stumbled upon Sandat ... Read More

Bali Cooking Class

Written by: Amanda // Category: Bali, Review, Tour Reviews

I've always wanted to join a cooking class. You'd think after visiting 20-something countries including Italy, Thailand, and Japan, we would have snuck a few in there, but alas, we failed to (shame). Because of this, we made it a point to schedule in a cooking class during our time in Bali, and for $27 USD we couldn't pass one up. Derik and I spent 30 days in Indonesian paradise last July, and found ourselves gravitating to Ubud on the days we didn't have anything planned. I'm not sure if it was the cheap villas, the cultural experience, or the mind-blowing food, but Ubud was love at first sight in 2012, and better yet in 2015. After reading a few reviews online, and our good friend Melanie (who, crazy enough, was on our tour through New ... Read More

Revisiting the Grand Mirage

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

One of the most unique things Derik and I have experienced in our travels, was the opportunity to revisit a place we absolutely loved a few years prior. As we were making plans to leave New Zealand last year and looking forward to our travels through Bali, Singapore, and Europe, Grand Mirage All-Inclusive Resort invited us to stay a few days while we were visiting Bali. We had an amazing time at the Grand Mirage in 2012 (how's that for a dated post), and wouldn't dream of declining such a wonderful and welcome invite! The Grand Mirage recently had undergone some management changes, and I was curious how those changes effected our stay, and if we would even notice the difference. Thankfully for us, it was just as we remembered, and we ... 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

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

[Bali] late night cruisin’

Written by: Amanda // Category: Bali, Food, Travel, water adventures

Wednesday night, after our lovely and adventurous 'water day,' we headed out yet again on the ocean. This time in style, on a banana yellow yacht. The day was perfect: not to hot,not to cold. To make it even better, we met up with Harriet (my good friend that teaches in South Africa with me here in Korea...well for 5 more days. :(  ) and her bestie Engela and they joined us on the cruise!       Overall, we had a blast on the cruise. Probably because 80% of it was joking and laughing with our friends. To be honest, I dont think we'd do it again if we go back to Bali, but it was a fun thing to do once!   ... Read More

[Bali] water adventure day

Written by: Amanda // Category: Bali, Travel, Uncategorized, water adventures

On the Wednesday of our vacation we had booked a steal-of-a-deal online for a water adventure day. According to what the online brochure said, we'd be jet-skiing, banana boating, fly fishing (no it's a ride, not actual fishing), snorkeling, making a trip to turtle island, and of course, the most exciting adventure of all...parasailing. We woke up bright and early on Wednesday and headed down the beach to begin our adventure. When we arrived, we were greeted by a young man just waking up from sleeping in a bed of lifejackets (what?!). We must have come even before they were open, so we sat around and watched them prepare for the day. The plus side to being the first ones there is that we got to do everything first! No lines, no other ... Read More

Grand mirage…a piece of paradise. [bali]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Bali, Food, Travel, Uncategorized

Grand Mirage. It lives up to it's name. It's a little chunk of heaven/bliss/all things good among everything else. All the food you can eat. All the drinks you can drink. All the watersports you can handle. Shows, live music, London Olympic coverage, and most importantly 24 hour room service. Derik and I opted to do this all-inclusive amazingness as the first few days of our trip...that way we'd have time to unwind before we headed out across Bali to explore and do fun things. We were not bored in the least at the Grand Mirage, in fact, we were almost always up to doing something! The first day we got up early ate a fantastic breakfast, went kayaking, ate a good lunch (which included swordfish and salmon), chilled on the beach, ate ... Read More

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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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