Personal Blog

January Reads Favorite all around: I KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT. Gave me a LOT to think about in terms of time management, something I feel like I thrive at, and work-life …

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. —Dr. Seuss At the end of last year, I set some …

After seeing Company for the first time ever a few months ago, I’ve become smitten with this musical. I’ve not spent much time with Sondheim’s works; they’ve not grabbed me like so …

I usually try to read a 50/50 mix of fiction and non, though I think non-fiction may have taken a lead this year. Below are my favorite reads from 2017. These are …

This post will be updated throughout the year with a review of every book that I read. Stats to Date: Dec 31, 2021 Number of Books: 46Number of Pages: 14,793Female Authors: 28Male …

Ever year, I set an ambitious reading goal and set out to read a varied mix of fiction and non-fiction books. I post these reviews on my personal Instagram but will be …

I switched away from Goodreads over to Storygraph this year. I’ve been meaning to make the move for a few years, but it was tough to give up a platform that I’ve …

The family hosted foreign exchange student Pau, an avid basketball fan, and surprised him with tickets to a Memphis Grizzlies game. Their mini-adventure included exploring downtown Memphis, the Peabody Hotel Duck March, …

The author recounts a long weekend trip to the Bourbon Trail with friends, exploring four distilleries and enjoying local cuisine. While not a whiskey enthusiast, she embraced the experience, secure in an …

There’s something I want to get off my chest. This has been weighing on me for a long time, making me feel guilty for something I don’t think should be guilt-inducing. I haven’t …

While we were on our honeymoon, staying in the beautiful Kailua Kona on Hawaii, we avoided doing much typically touristy stuff. We decided against the helicopter tour and dolphin experience after reading …

The alarm goes off three hours earlier than usual. I slam my hand down on the phone to shut it off. Waking up is hard enough. Waking up at 5 am is …

I’m an anxious person. Always have been. As a kid, I would stress out over things like talking on the phone (even to order pizza), not getting an A on an assignment, …

This post comes from my grandmother Mary Bell’s memoirs Squatter’s Rites: 101 Travel Stories for the Vicarious Traveler. She wrote them during the late 90s, her stories taking place as far back as …

My brother is in Ecuador right now, visiting a friend. Together, they are exploring the Galapagos Islands, making my dad and me supremely jealous — of what they’re getting to see, not …

As we dove deep into planning our six week European adventure, we talked about all the places we were interested in visiting — for me, Paris is always at the top of …

“English, Irish, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, German.” That was the mix of ethnicities that I could rattle off at a mile-a-minute whenever someone asked my heritage. “And possibly some Cherokee and Mexican.” …

A recent discussion with some friends made me think about the souvenirs we buy from our trips, the trinkets from vacation, the gifts for other people. Why buy anything at all from …

The birds wake me up, their incessant morning chatter yanking me from a lovely dream. I roll over, and for the briefest of moments I think this isn’t my bed and then …