As I turned the timeworn page, it swept over me– An awareness of how precious and short life really is. ⛪️ In a region of fertile vineyards and quaint villages known as Burgenland, my husband, dad, and I shared 16 days in archives and parishes searching the records that kept the history of the births, […]

✨👠 In folklore, shoes often symbolize transformation. From glass or ruby slippers to boots or a pair of flea skin shoes, the true magic is not found in the materials, but in the inner journey of the wearer. 🚢 In the early 1900s, many Western Europeans wore shoes with soles held together by tiny wooden […]

Walking through the little village museum, I felt transported in time. 🚪 While traveling through the lush green vineyards of Burgenland, we visited a local museum that portrayed what a small village would have looked like at the time my ancestors were there. It showcased artifacts and histories of the local people as if we […]

Everything we now enjoy began as a hope or wish. 🌹 It nourishes the soul to pause and reflect on the beauty that currently exists in our life. Consider the things you once dreamed about, planned for, and sacrificed to have, that you now enjoy– a relationship, educational accolades, meaningful life experiences, travel, having learned […]

There are moments in life we would never want to repeat, but that we also would not change because they carved out a deeper, more expansive space in our hearts. 💗 I recently entered the 2019 RootsTech Film Festival with a short film that shares a glimpse of my path as I’ve sought to find […]

Dear friend, 💐 I love you. Your heartaches and dreams, your wanderings and convictions. You inspire me to be a little braver and a little more kind. To trust myself and know that I am enough. Thank you for letting me be part of your journey, and for being part of mine. 💛 “Who finds […]

A world of possibilities often looks like a blank canvas. ✨ It takes courage to step out of the soft, comforting hay of our nests, to take flight into the unknown. To chart our own destination. ✨ We may wonder if we were meant for such dreams. Then we remember we were born with wings. […]

Just when I thought our adventure was winding down, we unveiled one of the most enchanting villages in Western Europe. 📖 The sun melted like butter into the horizon on the second to last day of our journey. We collapsed in satisfaction on the couch of our Austrian Airbnb. We had documented more than 15,000 […]

February is the month that sparked love between me and Andy. ✨ 🥣 We made sugar cookies together (and quite the mess of flour and frosting) on Valentine’s Day, went on our first non-date date, I gave him an adventure box, and we kissed each other for the first time. It was a deliciously sweet […]