How your email (sometimes) finds me.
Travel is a core tenet of my identity. I’ve prioritized it in every season of my adult life because it lights a fire in me that cannot be replicated anywhere else. I’ve also been working some iteration of a full-time job (sometimes a job and a half) since I graduated university. So if you’re also living with wanderlust while holding down a more traditional work/life balance, this post is for you.
Low-quality placeholder pic until the professional ones are edited :’)
Over Labor Day weekend, David and I got married.
We’ve spent the last 7 years navigating life alongside each other, but it genuinely feels different now. The rings on our fingers are symbols of our storied past and our mutual commitment to the future. I didn’t expect the gravity of those symbols to be so forceful.
Our wedding weekend was true bliss. The ceremony and reception took place at a local park, one we frequently hike through together. David and I were surrounded by amazing friends and family, and we all tore up the dance floor (my dress will never recover).
In honor of this ooey-gooey time, I wanted to outline 10 of the many things I love about David.
My regular travel-inspired content will presume in the next post but, for now, let me revel in this bubble of newlywed bliss.
David has an insatiable mind. The man reads textbooks for fun. That tells you everything you need to know.
David is a Try Guy.
He sometimes needs a beat or two before diving in (he’s only human after all) but he has ventured into so many spaces beyond his comfort zone. Over the course of our relationship, he has grown beyond measure while still staying true to himself. He has learned new skills, explored countless new hobbies, visited new countries, and taken new chances to build the life he wants.
Being with him is vibrant.
At the same time, David is the king of relaxation.
He curates incredible playlists for lounging around on Sunday mornings. He always stops to watch a thunderstorm. He loves a long, slow walk to nowhere. He has no guilt about resting on the couch all afternoon.
This has been a life-changing lesson for me.
There are layers to a David laugh.
Most of the time, his laugh is light and effortless. Sometimes it is a deep belly laugh that shakes his whole body.
The rarest and most adorable David laugh is his high-pitched giggle. I only hear it when he watches cute cat videos or when he is 5 beers in to a night with his elementary school friends. But man, that giggle is contagious and well-loved by all who hear it.
David pays attention. I know this because of how he compliments me.
He always comments when I wear my favorite dress because he says I shine in it. He will notice the effort I put into our garden and celebrate individual aspects of my work, from my meticulous weeding around the perimeter to how I blend colorful flowers into one cohesive unit.
If David is home, there is likely music playing.
He has curated playlists for working out, working on creative projects, and working in the yard. Sometimes, he puts on hours-long live DJ sets that permeate jazz, house, and funk music throughout our home.
His favorite genres are bluegrass and folk so I’ve gotten to know John Prine very well. David also loves exploring new artists and is always sharing his discoveries with me.
The man knows how to set the musical mood for literally any situation.
David is steady. He is like tempered glass. On the rare instances he erupts, he never causes damage to others.
He stays calm during our difficult talks and controls his emotions in the face of frustrations. He always reminds me that we are a team. His constant reminder is “It’s you and me versus the problem,” and he’s never given me reason to doubt that.
We now own a home, and that has unlocked something in David.
Shortly after we closed on the house, I walked in on him watching an interior design Youtuber. A week later he asked me to help him find the perfect rug for his new office to “instill a sense of coziness”. Of course, I said yes.
David is the opposite of self-centered.
He owns up to his mistakes and knows how to apologize. He is open to new ideas and accepts feedback with grace. He is talented but not cocky. He is smart but never condescending. He is hilarious but shares the spotlight with others.
He is the least arrogant person I know. If anything, I hope he grows more proud of himself and his accomplishments.
David is a grateful guy.
Out of the blue, he will say things like “I love our life” or “I love our silly little cat”. After our wedding, he reached out to multiple people and individually thanked them for their participation.
He expresses his gratitude without hesitation. He makes people feel that gratitude through his thoughtful words, heartfelt gifts, and quality time.
So yeah, I found myself an incredible partner. I’m so lucky I get to build my life alongside someone as thoughtful, kind, creative, and curious as David.
Thanks for letting me gush. Until next time <3.
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Never turn down the chance to sit on a dock at sunset with your homies.
This Letchworth trip was the last hurrah for my 30th birthday, the final candle to blow out at the start of this new decade. I turned 30 on May 30th, but only this past weekend did the celebrations finally end. For two whole months, I’ve been reminded of how much love there is for me to receive.
I’ve navigated my chronic illness and the powerful misconceptions that come with it for years now. In honor of Chronic Disease Awareness Day (July 10), it’s important to me that I explain the power of your words, your misconceptions.
It’s no secret that I crave a life full of adventure, but I bookend every adventure with long-ish periods of gentle recharge.
That’s because I live with a chronic illness called ulcerative colitis.
Last week, I had a routine procedure to check the status of my disease, and I’m happy to report that I’ve officially hit 5 years of remission!!
To celebrate this massive milestone, I took the week off from writing.
Instead, here’s a previous post where I share what it’s like to live with chronic illness and how I travel the world in spite of my diagnosis.
I’m so proud of how I’ve navigated these past 5 years. I’ve learned to honor my body in all of its states. I’ve learned to be vulnerable and transparent, to lean on my support systems, and to mitigate inflammation like an absolute champ.
Enjoy this post from the archive, and I’ll be back next week.
Thanks for being here, and 3 cheers for 5 years! :)
Originally published: December 9, 2025
I’m writing this post to celebrate and validate other people who live with chronic illness.
I also wanted to address questions I’ve received from the healthy people in my life because, whether it stems from concern or ignorance, we often attach limitations to people with chronic health conditions.
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Culturally, we act like the start of your 30s is the start of your decline. Especially for women, there is this societal pressure to always be perceived as a 20-something. We are told that our value diminishes as our age increases.
But I’m just getting started.
I have mixed feelings about the car-dependent suburbs of America. I wish they were more walkable, community-driven, and diverse. At the same time, I have a deep nostalgia for Suburbia because it was my world for the first 19 years of my life.
POV: You’re crammed in the window seat with a full bladder and a grumbling stomach :’)
I am not a tall person. At five feet and one inch, I am an objectively compact traveler. I’m the size of person who airlines should theoretically have no trouble accommodating. Yet, on a recent two-hour flight, I found myself crammed into a window seat so restricted that shifting my weight felt like an act of violence against my neighbor.
Fisherman’s Wharf, on the northern waterfront, offers views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and a resident colony of sea lions.
When you travel as much as I do, there’s a persistent pressure to maximize every destination. I feel the need to see everything a city has to offer because, well, I’m a travel blogger. I’m supposed to come back to you with stories, with beautiful photos, with proof that a city is worth visiting.
But my trip to San Francisco was different. I simply rested within its labyrinth of alleyways and found the space to breathe.
I had been taught to fear the unknown, as many Americans are taught. I was told to trust a higher power (be it God or my government or both) in spite of my own intuition. I was scared to make a mistake, to be perceived as ignorant. I was ridiculed for existing beyond the norm, even when the norm was harmful. All these factors made it tempting to stay put and avoid any experience that might humble me.