Engage. Educate. Encourage. EMPOWER.
If you’re like me, you look forward to taking a vacation at some point in the year. I know that it’s always my favorite week out of the year. However, with COVID, travel restrictions, and social distancing measures in place, it has made vacationing this year a challenge.
Read more
If there is one thing in this crazy new world norm that I miss the most, it’s the ability to hop on a plane, jump into my car (road trip!), or cruise across large bodies of water to discover somewhere new.
Anyone who knows me also knows that sitting in one place too long makes me jumpy. I like adventure and new experiences. I want to meet new people and discover weird facts. I’ve made it to four of the seven continents, and my travel bucket list is long enough to cover the next 30 years of my life!1.
Can you imagine that quarantine life has been hard?
Read more
Maybe you thought about living overseas before you had kids.
Maybe you thought about living overseas before you were married.
Maybe you thought about living overseas before you stopped dreaming.
What this piece is not about are those Facebook and Instagram posts you’ve seen from your friends stationed or living overseas where the entire family is standing in front of the Eiffel Tower or in the Neuschwanstein Castle upon which the Disney castle is modeled (see featured image). If living overseas was filled with those type of moments every second of every day, then who wouldn’t want to live overseas?
Read more
I had a moment of… Panic? Disappointment? Fear? Anxiety? Stress? Well, definitely a mix of those emotions when my son’s teacher said that they were done with school work… three weeks earlier than I had expected.
Summer’s here.
When I realized that school was over, my stomach dropped. Working part time from home while trying to keep a 9 year old engaged in healthy behaviors hasn’t been easy. Just yesterday, he spent almost the entire day parked in the same chair. I feel like summer break should be coming to an end… but it has only just begun.
Read more
Decisions, decisions!
Parents make decisions every day that impact their family. Some decisions are more complex than others, and for military families, some decisions are unique and different from what a civilian neighbor may face. For example, military families moving overseas face a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety leading up to and during an OCONUS move. And sometimes the return trip stateside can be equally tough.
Read more
Italy is known for a wide variety of things: history, culture, incredible food, and even better wine. Before I moved to Italy, I would drink white wine, on occasion, but absolutely never, ever red wine. I didn’t care for the way red wine sits on my tongue and gives me a “cotton mouth” sensation. That was until I moved here and tried Italian red wine.
Read more
There’s an old saying in real estate. Location, location, location.
When you arrived at your current duty station, you and your spouse went house hunting to buy or rent and understood the importance of location. Location to schools, location to parks, and location to post.
Read more
‘Tis the season of love.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means it is the perfect time to tell you about Juliet. Yeah, that Juliet. You know, Romeo’s gal? The one that committed double suicide with her young lover because her parents didn’t approve.
Eek…. I guess that escalated quickly, so let’s scratch the ending and focus on the loving part, shall we?
One of the really neat things about being stationed in Europe is that you can find the lesser-known things. When you come for a 10-day trip from the United States, you tend to want to capitalize on your time and your money, so you stick to the really big and cool places: Rome, Venice, Milan, anywhere in Tuscany.
Living here, however, you get this incredible opportunity to spend a day in some of the lesser known cities and pay a fun visit to Verona.
Read more
Have you recently PCS’d to Fort Bragg? I have a feeling that you might love it! The proximity to North Carolina’s mountain and coastal regions makes this a fantastic place to be stationed. From Fayetteville to Pinehurst, Southern Pines and just a little north to Raleigh, there’s always something fantastic to see.
In just seven short months of living here, we’ve built up a hefty list of incredible museums, coffee shops, restaurants, and more. We’ve been lucky enough to have a steady stream of guests, which helps us get out and explore. These suggestions are taken primarily from these experiences, plus a few extra suggestions from seasoned locals.
Read more