Living in Another Language

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What 1,095 Days of Travel Has Taught Me

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

On February 16, 2012 we hopped aboard a plane bound for South Korea with two carry on bags, two personal items, and four checked bags. Little did we know our short year in Korea would turn out to be three years abroad, but here we are. We've since downgraded all we own from those four checked bags to two due to international regulations and hard core fees (problems with living outside the US), but it's been for the better I think. Our expat anniversary also aligns with the blogiversary of LIAL. I started this blog back in February of 2012 as a way for my family to keep in touch with us. Look at it now?! I would have never dreamed I would be sitting here, writing for thousands of loving followers. From the bottom of my heart, thank you ... Read More

So You’re Going on Your First Cruise…

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

We just returned from our very first cruise (EVER) a couple weeks ago. Cruising Carnival Spirit was such a wonderful time of relaxing (not having to worry about visas, immigration, hotels, food, or things to do), it was just what we needed as we begin our 3rd year of living abroad. Before we left, I spent a couple weeks scrolling through online articles, trying to figure out exactly what I needed to know as a first time cruiser. Sadly all I found was a bunch of people that I'd like to label 'chronic cruisers' leaving comments for first timers that really didn't help at all. I think after 20 or so cruises you tend to forget the first time you hopped on a ship, and exactly what your fears and apprehensions were. If you're just about to ... Read More

10 Ways to Save Money for Travel

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

The number one question we get asked over, and over, and over again is: "How can you afford to travel and live abroad?" I'd like to delve into this topic over the next couple months, as it's not easily answered in one simple blog post. The ability to live and travel abroad isn't as unattainable as you might think; It takes practice, patience, and dedication. I have so many thoughts I'd like to share with you on the topic, but for now let's just keep it simple. One of the most important aspects of traveling (and living abroad) is the money-factor. Duh. Believe it or not, you don't have to have a ton of cash or a lavish lifestyle to afford a nomadic life. Most of us that travel have become self-proclaimed pros in the area of saving and ... 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

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

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

Why You Should Travel in 2015

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living, travel tips

The truth of the matter is, this year went by too fast as years normally do. Now that we're heading into the last month of 2014, we're left wondering where all the time went, what exactly we did with ourselves, and did we actually do anything about the past year's resolutions?   I'll be writing a 'looking back on 2014' post at the end of December, but I'd have to say I loved this year. It's been on of my favorites! I also have high hopes for 2015, and look forward to seeing what kind of opportunities come our way. The older I get the more I realize how short life is, and that makes me want to make sure I'm living it the best that I can. “I beg young people to travel. If you don’t have a passport, get one. Take a summer, get a backpack ... Read More

Five things you should do before you start traveling

Written by: Amanda // Category: travel tips

1. Get the larger passport book. There's probably a 50% chance that before you move abroad or start your international travels, you'll need to renew or apply for a passport. The standard issue passport book comes with 17 exit/entry visa pages, but believe it or not, there is an 'extended' passport book that can be given to you at no additional cost, with a whopping 43 exit/entry visa pages.  I'm just kicking myself that I didn't get one of the larger books when I renewed my passport after getting married; only four years in and I have only three pages left to fill. We all know how much of a headache getting a new passport book is! 2. Consolidate your things. I used to be a chronic over-packer. I was the girl that literally packed ... 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

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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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