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Search Results for: lately

Lately in Korea

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

It's actually been a whole heck of a while since I've written a lately post. I figure it's about time you know what's up with us as we continue our journey of living (and traveling) abroad. >> I've been designing my life away. Six full designs in the last couple of weeks, plus I'm in a constant state of rebranding. That being said, I've started a design blog over at The Suitcase Designs! If you're interested in what I've been designing, premeades, Blogger & Wordpress tutorials, my referral program, and more, you should probably follow along via Bloglovin' (yes the design blog has it's own Bloglovin' page! eeeep!). >> We found a Thai restaurant in our town. It's owned and operated by the sweetest Thai family. I'll tell ... Read More

Lately [10]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

The only thing that's been on my mind lately is the vacation that's literally just around the corner for us! I'm super excited about our trip to Borneo! It's been very strange trying to plan our vacation; Borneo isn't the typical tourist location. To be honest, I didn't know much about it until earlier this year. This island holds one of the oldest rainforest in the world, and has a fantastic tropical feel as well. We are wanting for sure to do a hiking trip up the largest mountain in SE Asia, a canopy walk, and a snorkeling trip; the rest will have to be on the fly. Unfortunately, due to the 'newness' of it hitting the tourist scene, I was unable to book anything online besides hotels! It's scary yet exciting at the same time. An unplanned ... Read More

Lately [9]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

This is actually two weeks worth of pictures. I was out camping last weekend, and didn't get a chance to make my Lately post. 1///// I was in desperate need of summer clothing, and Amber agreed to go with me to Busan. We tore it up shopping at H&M, and had fun walking around Shinsegae (largest department store in the world). You can imagine my surprise when I walked by this display at one of the high end retailers. What the heck?! Can anyone explain to me how this outfit works. 2/////During our trip I tried bubble tea for the first time. I was not disappointed. 3/////I also bought this scarf. I didn't realize until I got home that the pattern reminds me of Lisa Frank Designs...to a T (where did this expression come from ... Read More

Lately [8]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately, Uncategorized

1///// Started the week off with a bang making homemade lotion and a sugar scrub. (Thank you Amber!)I'll post the recipe soon...or you can just go to Amber's blog and check hers out! 2///// I broke a record and went a whole SEVEN days without having to wash my hair. By day seven I'm proud to say my hair was still fairly fresh feeling. I couldn't believe on day five I could wear my hair down! Have you read my last post about not using shampoo? 3/////I also severed ties with any sort of my 'tomboy' self that may have lurked around from childhood. I bought two different shades of lipstick. I still am in slight denial as this picture clearly shows. 4///// I've always had a crazy love for cherries. As a matter of fact, I have absolutely ... Read More

Lately[7]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

I'm somewhat embarrassed that three posts are coming out of my blog today. Apparently the week was shorter than I thought. I usually do Lately posts on Thursday, but I decided to trade my blogging time in for a good ol' Jillian Michaels workout. Borneo is coming up quick (2 months!) Without further adieu, Lately: 1/////As most of you know, we went camping for the long weekend we were given in celebration of Buddha's birthday. We traveled up the coast with the destination of Seoraksan National Park in mind, and took our time enjoying the sights. And camping. And bonfires. 2/////Camping breakfasts are unbeatable. I don't care if you're a gourmet 5-start breakfast restaurant, camping meals will always win. 3/////We saw a ... Read More

Lately [5]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

  1. The week started out with live music, drinks, and a ton of fun with my awesome friend Deanna. I'll be sad when she leaves in June (although she's not wasted any time with her countdown till 'America'), and will be taking applications for a new going-out buddy. 2. The 'mogis' (mosquitos) have pledged an all out war with me this year. In one night alone I had 9 bites on my right arm. That's just counting the bites on ONE arm!!! Derik and I have taken extra precautions to make sure they stay OUT of our house. If something doesn't change quickly, I'll be eating garlic by the clove. 3. My trusty 350w blender of 4 weeks decided to call it quits on Wednesday. I was not amused. Especially since I was making a double batch of ... Read More

Lately [4]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living, Lately

1. The week started out rough, I'm not gonna lie. I was sick all Sunday night, woke up and popped my car's tire on the way to work, left my house keys in my car when I left it to drive D's car home, and then paper-cut the side of my eye at school. ...thankfully the day got better when the husband pulled the superhero card by: replacing the popped tire on his lunch break, sending me encouraging texts the entire day, and making me homemade (to die for) asparagus soup for dinner. Sigh. Am I lucky or what? 2. I ordered an outrageous amount a healthy amount of chia seeds off of Iherb, and have become OBSESSED with them. I love to put them everything. Smoothies, juice, yes...and even water. 3. Speaking of obsessed...is anyone else as crazy ... Read More

Lately [3]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Lately

                        This week absolutely flew by for me. It scares me just a bit that it's already almost MAY and I just feel like 2013 started. Is this what it feels like to get old? Time gets faster and faster? Yikes. I'd hate to feel what it's like when I'm 60. The week was pretty uneventful, but I did enjoy the nice spring weather! -I bought six pairs of shoes a couple weeks ago, and have not been disappointed. They've been (by far) the  most comfortable shoes I've ever bought. All of them. -Last weekend Instagram had a photo challenge that encouraged pet portraits. Jazz reluctantly participated. Speaking of Instagram, check mine out here. -I'm still on my smoothie kick...trying to drink one green smoothie a day ... Read More

Lately [2]

Written by: Amanda // Category: Expat Living

                           This past week has absolutely flown by. Here I am writing my second Lately post. The week started off fantastically with spending the weekend in Seosan, with our college friends Ethan and Sandra. Not only did we make DIY lip balm, but I learned how to make sushi (I can't believe I have never made it before). I've recently acquired an obsession for gel nail polish. The stuff is fantastic. If you haven't tried gels, I highly recommend it. The polish can stay on for 2 weeks without a single chip. I've also been obsessed with Demi Lovato's song 'Heart Attack.' I can't believe I'm admitting that. I bought a new sweater that's so darn comfy I wore it twice this week with no shame. I also am ... 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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