There's No Place Like Oz

This is a post in the series “the time I went to…” in which I highlight international travel destinations pre-Oz. Gav’s beloved Chelsea FC beat Barcelona this past week — and the two teams meet again this week in Barcelona for a rematch. Perfect timing for me to share about the two weeks I spent […]

In just two weeks time, I mark my one-year anniversary of returning from Australia. ONE YEAR. I’ve been home as long as I lived in Oz. I can’t believe it. My parents came to visit me for 10 days! Although Oz depleted my travel savings, I’m thankful that I’ve been able to travel overseas twice […]

As I try to eat as gluten and dairy free as possible, I always order a special meal on a flight. Hmm, now that I think about it, I’ve never seen the option to select both gluten AND dairy free — I wonder if a call to the airline is all it would take or […]

Did you just see a tumbleweed roll past? Hear crickets chirping? I’ve been a little silent over the last few weeks. After my birthday weekend, I had The Hunger Games film to look forward to — 10 of us traveled an hour away to go to a decent theater. My youngest sister and I geeked […]

Has it really been two years since I celebrated my 30th birthday in Dublin?! It’s difficult to believe, but it’s true. Last year I spent the day driving in remote areas of Australia. And yesterday, for the first time in two years, I spent St. Patrick’s Day/my birthday at home. Over the years I’ve collected […]

I tackled a self-imposed “No Macaron Left Behind” challenge when I lived in Australia. I sampled non-Zumbo macarons last summer in London and recently in my home town. I own two macaron cookbooks, Zumbo’s cookbook, and a macaron tea towel. This week, for the first time, I made macarons. It’s pretty embarrassing to admit that […]

By the end of the year, I’ll be married! Surprised? I’m still (pleasantly) surprised myself. Gav: Me too beautiful :-* (Oh yeah, Gav’s going to be commenting throughout this post too! After I wrote it, he logged in and added his thoughts.) I’ve never dreamed about a wedding or being someone’s wife. When girl friends […]

This is a post in the series “the time I went to…” in which I highlight international travel destinations pre-Oz. Sydney is my home-away-from-home, but Berlin may give it a run for the money. I fell for Berlin within a few hours of arriving. For me, the vibe and energy of the city was calming […]

This is the second post in the series “The time I went to…“. I write about travel experiences that I previously shared on my OLD blog — the one only my mom and a few friends read. Bless your hearts mom, Dennis, Evan, and Gunther. I’m sorry, Germany, but you were never on my “top […]

Today has been one of those rare — dare I say it — perfect days. AND, it’s Australia Day, so c’mon people, HOW MUCH BETTER DOES IT GET? Okay, obviously it could be better — I could be celebrating IN Australia WITH my boyfriend. But things have been pretty challenging for me and my family […]