"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off Wow, I can’t believe it’s been almost three months since I’ve published a blog post. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to write about for months; it’s just been difficult to sift through what is worth writing and what should or should not be shared. I thought I’d come gliding into the new year with tons of epiphanies and revelations to share, but, alas,

"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." - Les Misérables I’ve been in Paris for 11 days now, and I’m finally writing for the first time since I got here. I could tell you about the fun, interesting language course I’ve been taking (but had to miss due to a ridiculous cold this week), the cool new friends I’ve made, and the view from my Airbnb rental that I make myself look at every time I feel homesick so I can try to transform that sadness into gratitude. An

I once had a counseling professor who told our class, “The way you do anything is the way you do everything.” For the most part, I have seen the wisdom of this quote at play in my life ever since. For instance, if someone regularly leaves a large tip for servers, then they are probably generous with their time as well. Or if someone is super loving when they talk to dogs they meet on the street, then they are most likely really supportive when conversing with their friends. I

Day 15 of 15: "Woke up in London yesterday, found myself in the city near Piccadilly, don't really know how I got here, I got some pictures on my phone..." (Fitting lyrics from our chosen Contiki tour song, "The Good Life.") Despite my extremely depressing appearance in this photo, I'm actually thrilled to be back home. The lines of hundreds of people I had to wait in to exit LAX and the two hours it made my very patient husband wait for me were all just one big "Welcome Home

Day 14 of 15: London, you are just full of surprises. Today, the most delightful one was my delicious dinner at Dishoom. (Thank you to my wonderful friend Lauren for the glorious recommendation!) After a chilly day of exploring St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London, I was ready for a nice warm meal in a relaxing environment. (You'll have to forgive some of these nerdier selfies. You'll just have to.) After an hour-long, totally-worth-it wait at Dishoom, I was lucky eno

Hope it wasn't disappointed it was me. Originally, my plan was to visit London and Dublin with a good friend. When she sadly wasn't able to join me, I made the life-changing decision to literally fly solo to the United Kingdom. Being the extravert that I am, I knew I would need at least part of the trip to be with travel companions, so I booked the first week of my 15-day excursion with a Contiki tour group. The tour that worked perfectly with my plans was going not only to L

Day 10 of 15: After breakfast yesterday, I rested for a bit and then made a visit to the Dublin Writers Museum. Afterward, I attempted to walk back to the apartment in the pouring rain without an umbrella or a charged phone. At some points, I was convinced I was lost, and this feeling grew stronger when I realized I had walked a complete circle around a block without having any idea that I had been changing directions. It was seriously imperceptible. I finally saw things that

Day 9 of 15: Technically this happened yesterday, but I strolled the streets of the Temple Bar district in Dublin and even saw The Temple Bar pictured above. Then I ate dinner at an awesome upstairs restaurant called Fallon & Byrne, where I had the hands-down best Caesar salad of my life (in case you think I'm exaggerating, you should know there was bacon in it) and was offered free tasters of wine since the server probably felt bad that I was alone. Then I stopped by The Bra

Day 5 of 15: I can't believe I've been with the Contiki tour group for four days and am only just now beginning to post about my experience. There is so much to say about London that I'm honestly not sure how long it may be before I can capture it all into a few blog posts. For now, I'll regale you with tales of Paris. We arrived in the evening and had a lovely dinner at the hotel together, just before heading out for a nighttime bus tour of the City of Lights. Everything was