Living in Another Language

a travel & adventure blog

  • About
  • Blog
  • Destinations
    • Asia
      • Bali
      • Borneo
      • Japan
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Norway
      • Poland
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • Fiji
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
    • North America
      • Alaska
      • Hawaii
      • Texas
    • Cruises
  • Reviews
    • Accommodations
    • Tours
    • Locations
    • Products
  • Photography
    • Tutorials
    • Photojournalism
  • Travel
    • Guides
    • Travel Tips
    • Expenses
    • Travel Blogging
  • Work With Us
Sunburn Remedy: Instant Pain Relief and Overnight Healing

Sunburn Remedy: Instant Pain Relief and Overnight Healing

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

Summer is quickly approaching, and with that comes long days outside, lounging at the beach, and the inevitable sunburn. Some people are just lucky and usually tan instead of burn, but if you're anything like me, my pasty white German skin soaks up those rays a little too fast. The beginning of summer is usually torture for my poor skin, as I'm an avid sun lover. Don't worry I ALWAYS put on my SPF, but sometimes I forget to reapply. But then there's days like this last Saturday, when I had no idea I'd actually be getting sun at all! Derik and I participated in a community garage sale and were able to get rid of a bunch of stuff we had laying around the house unused. The thing was, apparently we didn't get their early enough to set up, ... Read More

One Year of No-Poo

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

A year ago today I stopped using shampoo and conditioner cold turkey. To those of us that practice this method, we refer to it as 'no-poo.'  I've only used shampoo and conditioner twice since my no-poo journey began, and that was during my summer vacation when I forgot to bring my BS and Vin mixtures with me. Now that it's been a year, I feel like I can give a somewhat proper review of the process, as well as shed some light on how I've gone so long with this method, and why I'm going to continue this process indefinitely (or as long as I see fit). First of all, as my other no-poo posts have been overtaken by the comment monsters (I have 2 jobs and can't just sit there and answer questions all day people! I need to hire someone), you ... Read More

A Post About My Hair

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

Hi, I'm Amanda and I've had the same hair since my sophomore year in college. To put a date on it, I guess that would make it almost 7 years (is that terrible?). I've never been much for change, and have always been somewhat of a 'plain jane' when it comes to hair, but hey-it works for me. After writing a few posts on here about my hair and the fact that I don't use shampoo, I've had (strangely enough) multiple people ask me how I style it. Here's the thing. I hate spending time on my hair. I make it a point to take less than 20 minutes on my locks each and every day. To me, styling my hair and putting on tons of makeup is just a waste of time. I have plenty of other important things to do then spend hours getting ready in the bathroom. ... Read More

Let’s Talk About ‘No Poo’ (FAQ 2)

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

I'm feverishly trying to catch up from my 9 day vacation away from my blog. I've waded through hundreds of emails, managed to catch up on sponsorship duties (thanks for being patient ladies), and am just now working on my blog comments. Thank you so much for hanging in there with me! I have a couple posts in which I receive at least 4-5 comments a day from, and those are my posts about 'No Poo'. It's a nightmare to me to even think about trying to answer all those comments from vacation! So I've decided to write yet another follow-up to my original post: I Don't Use Shampoo. It's been well over six months since I've stopped using shampoo and conditioner. If you are unfamiliar with the term 'no poo,' it basically means nixing shampoo ... Read More

‘No poo’ frequently asked questions

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

Most of you know that I've been without shampoo and conditioner since February. Yes, since February. My hair couldn't be better, and I'm now able to go one day short of a week with grease-free hair. I've written two previous posts about my no poo adventure, the introductory post here and the three month update here. My blog has been absolutely blowing up with readers from all over the web curious about nixing shampoo out of their lives all together. There have been quite a few questions published in my comment feed, and I've decided to use these questions to write a FAQ about no poo. Let's get this no poo party started! "How much of the mixtures do you use in a setting?" The baking soda/water mixture and the vinegar/water mixture should ... Read More

No gym membership required

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

A month ago I guest posted over LB in Wonderland. LB is such a sweet, fun, honest girl, and I had a blast writing for her. I never mentioned the post on my blog, so I thought I'd share it with you (I'm currently over my head with things to do...so this is pretty much a  blogging cop-out) I rarely speak of my fitness regimen, but as of today I am proud to announce that since being in Korea I've lost a total of 15 inches in measurement throughout my body. Get this...I did it without stepping foot into a gym. I'd love to share my thoughts and how I did it with you. If you've already read this post...I'm sorry...just wait until Thursday (or Wednesday if i'm SUPER ambitious) I'm cooking up a GREAT post for ... Read More

I STILL Don’t Use Shampoo

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

It's official. I've been on the no poo method for a quarter of a year. For all of you who aren't sure what the heck no-poo is, it has nothing to do with going to the toilet. It's a term used when talking about not using any sort of shampoo on your hair. I know, now you're thinking, "Wait. What? You haven't used shampoo in THREE MONTHS?" Yes. It's true. And my hair looks and feels amazing. The picture above was taken last week, so as you can see I'm not a dirty grease-ball. So what is no-poo exactly? It's eliminating shampoo and conditioner out of the picture entirely, and substituting baking soda and vinegar in it's place. The baking soda acts as the cleaning agent in the hair washing process. You only use enough to cleanse your hair, so ... Read More

For every woman

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty

I've always had a passion for people. I ended up getting one of my degrees in Sociology because I loved people so much. It's always fascinating to me to learn about someone's life, everyone has a different story, and a basis for why they are the way they are. I see most people a different way then most...which is crazy for me to say especially since I worked customer service for 6 years. I have helped the rudest of customers, had people call me names, throw food at me, and do anything short of spit in my face. I can't help but think...what made that person lash out the way they do? Family life? Work life? The way they grew up? I'm not here to talk about people in general, but more specifically women. It's no small secret women are ... Read More

DIY Lip Balm

Written by: Amanda // Category: Beauty, Recipes

My lovely friend first introduced me to the idea of making lip balm a few months ago. When she mentioned that the recipe was identical to Burt's Beeswax, and I was sold. We decided to save our lip balm making adventure for when we would meet up with another friend Sandra for her birthday. That 'meet up' happened this past weekend. After ordering all our ingredients off of Iherb.com, and the lip balm tubes off of ebay, we were set to go. Looking back at the process...I'll tell you, I've never had so much fun making something! It was a mix between a mad science project and an easy cooking recipe. What you need: 1/4 c. Beeswax 3/4 c. Coconut Oil 3 Tbsp. Shea Butter 1 Tbsp. Lanolin 15 drops of Rosemary Oil 30-40 drops of Peppermint ... Read More

Next Page »

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. 💕
  • About
  • Design
  • Work With Us
  • Contact

© Living in Another Language 2012-2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Site design by Alpine Lane.