As a native Floridian, I offer up a unique perspective on the pros and cons of living in this sunny southern state. I lived in Florida for much of my life, but I’ve also lived elsewhere—in other places in the U.S. like Los Angeles, and I’ve lived abroad in places with a much lower cost …
I’m shucking my mantle of sophistication to admit I’m a Harry Potter geek. And as a Florida native-born and raised, it overjoyed me when I first learned that Universal Studios Orlando had bought the rights to develop a Harry Potter World. Yes, please! Is the Wizarding World Ideal for Hardcore Harry Potter fans? I wasn’t …
The travel memoir kick continues. Each month I read one memoir or travel-focused book. The last book giveaway of Behind the Beautiful Forevers was a serious selection and the giveaway generated a lot of interest. This month I review a different flavor of book: Cheryl’s Strayed’s memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific …
I have this tendency with my site to focus on the positive, to write about my travels, and sprinkle in my back story, my point of view, but very rarely my current life . And so, as I spent the last three months fighting overwhelm back home in Florida (writing a non-fiction book, handling family …
I spent a decade of summers in my childhood camping in the Florida Keys with my family; the Keys were a mere eight hour drive from our home and our nine days of vacation were gloriously free as my parents kitted and fitted us five kids with fishing poles and snorkeling gear and reveled in …
The U.S. offers a wide range of diverse cultures, foods, and landscapes. There’s just no denying our country’s natural beauty—our national parks are stunning, and I grew up soaking in the beauty of Florida’s coastal beaches. But there’s a fascinating world outside our borders, too. One we see far too little of since we internally …
The scenery on the Great Ocean Road in Australia reminded me of the blown Murano glass sculptures in Venice , Italy. This post was really inspired entirely by the photo below. Like a glass-blower, nature purposefully highlighted the scene with a sizable dose of reddish-orange limestone (two colors opposite on the color-wheel and therefore complimentary :). …
Last fall, I spent a day wandering the grounds of the Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Festival outside of Orlando, Florida. I’m habitually traveling in the spring every year and miss the one in my hometown, but I chanced upon one outside of Orlando last fall and the lure was too much to resist; I …