Before my last two trips to Europe (in 2018 and 2019), I made a shopping list of things I wanted to look for.  I thought it would help me focus when I felt like buying everything!  It also gave us specific destinations to visit, which is always a great way to get off the touristy trails and experience a city.  It becomes like a treasure hunt.  And yes, when you travel with me, I will look at my map and say it’s just a short walk, and then we’ll proceed to go on a two-hour meandering trek to the Louvre.  My mom sent me a meme last week that pointed this out. On our first visit to Paris, we went to E. Dehillerin, Julia Child’s favorite cooking supply store, so that I could purchase a copper pot.  (You can read about that experience HERE.)  I also wanted to find an

It started on whim in 2022 when my mom and I noticed the differences in our preference for the type of shells we collect.  Most of her shells were dainty, intact, and there was a wider variety of colors represented.  My shells tended to be larger, mostly shades of gray, and had more “character.”  (Meaning they were broken and looked like they had been rolling around in the surf for several years.)  We joked about my “antique shells” compared to her more traditionally beautiful shells and my ever-competitive mom suggested we put the collections to a vote.  Which collection did my Instagram followers prefer?  My mom’s collection won pretty handily and since that spur-of-the-moment Instagram vote, she has been borderline intolerable to be around any time the shell collection competition is mentioned.  Last year, she ever started telling strangers on the beach about her victories. After all of her unsportsmanlike

It started with an email in April 2017. Carolyn, the creative force behind Prone to Wander Retreats invited me to teach at one of her retreats in Italy.  Our potential move was just starting to take shape and it seemed unwise to commit to an international trip.  I was interested but kept pushing the possibility down the road.  As providence would have it, Carolyn and I were brought together by Jeanne Oliver for a Mastermind Group in the fall of 2021.  We have been meeting together monthly since then and I’ve gotten to know her as a friend and fellow creative business owner.  When she invited me to teach at her flagship retreat, La Dolce Vita in Tuscany, in the fall of 2025, the timing was finally right. Carolyn invited me and now I am inviting you! The La Dolce Vita Creative Lifestyle Retreat is October 4 – 11, 2025,

When we decided to go to Hilton Head Island for our anniversary trip, the first thing I looked into was the shelling.  It is one of my favorite things to do while at the beach, so I wanted to find out where the shelling hotspots were.  In my initial research online, most forum posts didn’t recommend Hilton Head Island for beachcombers.  As I shared in other posts, the island is a part of a chain of sandbars and that prevents a lot of shells from reaching the beach.  There were some shelling/fossil-hunting tours, but I wasn’t sure we would want to make that big of a time commitment to an excursion.  So, I looked into beaches that were considered the best in the area even if shells weren’t as abundant as other South Carolina beaches.  This led me to Fish Haul Beach Park on Hilton Head Island and Hunting Island

For our third full day at Hilton Head, we decided to drive over to Savannah.  It seemed a shame to be so close and not visit.  We knew we would enjoy the architecture and just walking around, but we wanted to find something specific to do so we could wander with some intention.  After a bit of research, Jeff wanted to see John Wesley’s marker and statue (he’s a history buff and a pastor, so the Great Awakening hits a sweet spot with his interests) and I wanted to see the Telfair Museum which includes two art museums and a tour of an early 1800s house.  We also marked Forsyth Park in the historic district and the river walk as places to go. We found some paid public parking and decided to walk around first and finish the day with the museum and house tour. As I expected, I loved