Derik and I always knew we were to eventually make it back to the United States, and after 3.5 years of making our home in foreign countries, and a six month full-time travel stint through Asia and Europe, we thought it was high time to enjoy a more familiar side of the world. The problem was, we couldn’t put a finger on where exactly we wanted to go, because nothing really screamed "New Zealand" the way we wanted it to. You read that right, New Zealand. After traveling for 6 months and visiting multiple countries, we began to realize how homesick we were for the place we just left. I’m not sure how NZ captured our hearts the way it did (actually, who am I kidding, of course I know how it happened…if you’ve ever lived or visited New ... Read More
Exploring the Alamo with Jord Watches
Hello LIAL readers, I’ve missed you! As much as I’d love to say I’ve done a great job keeping up with my blog, fact is, I haven’t. Whomp whomp. Here’s the reason why (not that you’re concerned about it): Derik and I moved again — this time to Texas! I also managed to squeeze in another trip to Europe last month, so between the two, I’ve had little to zero time for personal blogging. I have however kept up with my IG account, so if you want a quick recap of what we’ve been up to, check in there. That being said, I really miss blogging. I have so much accumulated material to share with you from the last year +, I could probably blog every day until my fingers fell off and then some. I’m also considering a name change/re-brand (domain has ... Read More
Exploring Kenai Fjords National Park with Major Marine Tours
First of all, I can’t believe it’s been since May that I’ve blogged. I didn’t mean to take such a long break — I was trying to soak up every last minute I had in Alaska before leaving. I’ll be posting all about our adventures hopefully for the rest of this month and next, so we can move on to other things and new destinations! I’m super excited to share with you today about our time touring the gorgeous Kenai Fjords National Park with Major Marine Tours! I had a really good friend from Germany come visit me the last few weeks of June, and we wanted to take a cruise to see both the glaciers AND wildlife, and couldn’t quite decide what tour to choose. This is where Major Marine comes in, they had such a variety of cruise tours on their ... Read More
Hiking Bodenburg Butte
Oh hi, just checking in with you all once again from the lovely and blooming state of Alaska! The weather has been absolutely stunning the last few weeks, and instead of snow, we have bright green leaves, pollen (boo), and muddy hiking trails. Because it’s been so nice, the snow boots have been swapped out for hiking shoes, and the siren call of the outdoors has us enchanted and ready for adventure. There was one particular day a few weeks ago that was overly gorgeous, so my good friends (with their awesome dog Reggie) and I hit up Bodenburg Butte, which is a low mountaintop 16 miles from where I live. I grabbed my new Jord Wood Watch for our hike, because a watch that reflects my love of adventure and outdoors deserves to participate on ... Read More
Hatcher Pass with Pins To Kill
I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated you all on where we are/what we are doing, but if you follow along on Instagram, you know by now that we’ve been up in Alaska since October. We have loved every second of being up here, and will miss it like crazy when we leave. I am so behind with amazing pictures and stories to share with you (hello 3-month European adventure), that I haven’t even thought twice about posting on Alaska … until now! The weather has been a real gem lately, and I just received some gorgeous leggings from Pins to Kill, so in true Alaskan form, I took my butt outside (in the leggings of course), and went on a bit of an adventure with my sister and friend the other day. I insulated my leggings with a pair of ... Read More
PNW Coast with Jord Wood Watches
Derik and I had the pleasure of visiting the Pacific Northwest over Thanksgiving break to see family and friends. While we mainly stayed in the Portland/Vancouver area, we couldn't resist going out to the coast to revisit where it all began, and enjoy a day full of memories, delicious food (at our favorite coastal stop: Camp 18), and to take a few pictures with our amazing watches from Jord Wood Watches that we had received a week prior. When Jord contacted Derik and I to do a review on their watches, I immediately fell in love with every single watch as I surfed through their site. Not only are they 100% unique in comparison to other watches, the designs, the craftsmanship, and the presentation of each watch was beyond ... Read More
Pearl Harbor
Since today is Veteran's Day back in the U.S., it only seemed fitting to post something a bit patriotic. I already wrote from my heart on how I feel about Veteran's Day on Instagram, and from reading that you'll know I am very proud of our enlisted: past, present, and future. If you haven't thanked a veteran or a military service member yet for the things they have done for our country, you better get on it. Back in January we had the opportunity to tour Pearl Harbor during our time in Hawaii with my family. Both my father and my brother-in-law are currently serving in the military, and my brother is also quite the history buff, so visiting this historic site was top of our list. We spent about 3 hours walking though the visitor ... Read More
Not Captured on Camera
Wouldn’t it just figure that one of the most amazing and unforgettable experiences of our lives happens when we don’t have our camera? But isn’t that just how it works? It’s either your battery dies, your space is used up, or you forget the camera all together. I swear it’s some sort of karma which is forcing you to use your photographic memory and really absorb the ‘unforgettable experience’ without you sitting there fiddling with gadgets and missing the opportunity to envelop yourself in that moment completely. Our last day on the Big Island, Hawaii proved to be one of these experiences. We went snorkeling in Honaunau Bay, which we found out after talking to the locals, that this was the snorkeling gem of the island. I’m so mad at ... Read More
Pololu Valley, Hawaii
I'm so excited to finally be sharing about our month long trip to the Hawaiian Islands! We visited Maui for a second time, and then added Oahu and the Big Island to our list of places we've been to. To this day my husband and I can't figure out if we like Maui or the Big Island better...love the vibes of Maui, but we love all there is to do over on Hawaii. We spent a lovely 2 weeks on the Big Island, and on one of our first days there, we decided to explore the gigantic island a bit. Took us a few hours to get from Kona to Pololu Valley, but the drive was beautiful and there were plenty of small towns to stop in, shop, and stretch the legs. To get to Pololu Valley, you drive north from Kona on the main highway until you reach the end of ... Read More