After a rough year—2020 was a blur of baby-induced sleep-deprivation, COVID loneliness, and difficult personal growth—I’m having one of the best years of my life. Maybe it’s the simple pleasure of going outside without a mask. Maybe it’s the sense…
(Almost) Home for the Holidays: A Chilly Visit to Washington State
If you’ve been following my travels for a while, you probably already know that I grew up in Washington State, near the Seattle area. I try to visit often, and since starting this blog I’ve made a real effort to…
Une Promenade à Chaumont
On our first full day visiting my grandparents, Mamie and Papy served us a delicious breakfast of carbs and coffee (the holiest of food groups). Dan and I cleaned up and got ready, though for what, we weren’t sure. Our…
Introduction to Chaumont
When I told friends and coworkers about our upcoming trip to France, everyone wanted to know how long we were staying in Paris. Not if we were staying in Paris, but when. I can’t say I blame them. I’m that girl who listens to French music at work, plasters photos of Notre Dame all over my belongings, and constantly dreams of running off to live in France’s capital city. When I told them we’d be flying first to a little place called Chaumont, they were full of questions. What is it called again? How do you say it? Is that close to Paris?
Euro Trip 2016: Our European Itinerary
Nearly two years ago today, I boarded a flight from Seattle to Paris, on a trip that would upend life as I knew it. This was more than a family vacation. It was a pilgrimage, to see the place where my…
An Early Morning Hike to Wallace Falls, WA
The chilly mountain air swept over us as the car doors slammed shut, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. I was home. There’s a certain smell that accompanies the woods on an early morning, the sun obscured…
The Best of Both Worlds is in Washington State
In April, I traveled home to see my family in Washington State. It’s a trip I’ve made many times, and I still don’t get bored. I may have grown up there, but the Seattle area feels more like a vacation…
My First Travel Blogaversary: Seven Treasured Travel Memories
Today, Adventuring the Great Wide Somewhere turns one year old! I started this blog in part to force myself to pursue my travel dreams, and so far, it’s been a smashing success! In the past year, I’ve traveled to California,…
The Château de Gudmont: Memories of World War II in France
When I returned from a family trip to France in August 2014, I was bursting with stories and descriptions of the people and places I had seen. I wrote of my grandparents’ home in Chaumont and our day trips to…
Around the World in One Afternoon
World Showcase, that is…but more on that later! One of Jared’s last full days in Orlando was spent at Walt Disney World. I love hosting family members, and it was important to me that he enjoy himself enough to come…
Sharing a Few of my Favorite Things
One of my favorite things about living in Orlando is being able to visit Walt Disney World whenever I want. I know, I know. Orlando is much more than a bunch of theme parks, and there are plenty of people who…
Disney Day, Take Two!
Okay. You can do this. I repeated it in my head as I got ready for the day ahead. Water? Check. Comfortable shoes? Check? Companions in misery? Check. Check. I popped yesterday’s enormous blister, shoved my feet back into gym…