home.

I have always loved traveling. The anticipation of counting down the days until a trip. Picking out outfits for the exact number of days I'll be gone and carefully placing each one in a suitcase. Finding a balance between being annoyed with how much space my shoes are taking up in my suitcase versus being annoyed with not having the right pair of shoes to wear with that outfit I packed. Double-checking my "to pack" list I made way too far in advance while daydreaming one day about the trip. Making a run to the closest drugstore to pick out my favorite travel-sized-toiletries that will fit in my small ziploc bag. Battling the irritation I feel bubbling up as I picture having to take said-ziploc bag out of my carry-on at the airport security checkpoint. Waking up early to catch a flight [or start a roadtrip to beat rush hour traffic in that big city we'll be driving through]. Catching a little travel nap on the airplane [or in the passenger seat of the car]. Finally arriving at the much anticipated destination.

The intoxicating combination of travel stress and vacation excitement is irreplaceable. It's followed by settling in at our host's home or in a hotel room [picked online after sifting through dozens of price options and other travelers reviews].
The trips are filled with exploring new city streets, picking places to eat that balance good atmosphere, cheap prices and yummy food, walking until my feet and calf muscles can't take it anymore, battling weather predictions with layers of clothing, and fighting off back aches from carrying my purse that I had to pack everything in "just in case."
The adventures are priceless and I capture all the moments I can with our Canon. Hoping to also burn the images into my memory for years to come. I mentally take note of the highlights of each day so as not to forget them when I'm home telling loved ones of the trip.
I take pride in adding another city to the list of amazing places I've been and seen, wondering if someday I'll hear the city mentioned and be able to say "I've been there!"
The smells, the sounds, the way the city streets feels beneath my tired feet, the way the rain falls on my raincoat [and ruined my hair...] or the way the sun beat down and gave my cheeks a rosey glow [good thing I packed that sunscreen/umbrella in my purse], the taste of the food in that cozy little cafe, the thing that made me buckle over in laughter that I insisted on writing down so we wouldn't forget, the strange people we watched move about the city. These are all part of the memorable adventures that I am blessed to have.

But nothing compares to the moment I arrive home. The moment I'm not living out of a suitcase or squeezing another day out of those dirty socks. The moment I get to cook and eat a homemade meal after days of eating out. The moment I get to take a shower in my own bathroom and wash off the grime of traveling. The moment I get into my own bed next to the one I love. The moment I close my eyes with sweet dreams of my recent adventures.

So, like I said, I have always loved traveling. But I find myself most comfortable and most "me" at home. Home where I know where the nearest grocery store is and how to get there, where I know my bedding hasn't been used my many other travelers, where my closet is full of options for what outfit to wear tomorrow, where I know how the microwave works and what temperature the oven works best, where my everyday-simple-life takes place.

Today I am grateful for the gift of the many adventures I've been able to have and will have in the future, for the way the house here in the Netherlands has been able to feel like home for our short three month stay, and for always being able to come HOME.

[pictures from trip to maastricht, NL & antwerp, belgium]

in my pantry

What are three of your favorite staple items that you always have in your kitchen cupboards/fridge?

1. triscuits: we buy the family size boxes of these (and our family is only the two of us!). They are so salty and yummy. My personal favorite are the "cracked pepper and olive oil" flavored ones. I'm stuck on them because of all crackers, Triscuits are pretty healthy -- they really only contain whole wheat, soybean oil and salt so I feel good about not putting too many preservatives in my body. The other reason I like them is because they make a perfect, yet filling snack...especially with cheese.
2. cheese: Not only do I eat cheese with Triscuits, but I can usually be found adding cheese to just about anything! It's probably my favorite food. Colbyjack is my go-to flavor, but I also love feta, blue cheese, goat cheese, brie, dutch cheeses, and well...the list goes on. If Justin offers me a piece of cheese and I decline, he usually looks at me with a very worried expression and asks if I'm feeing alright. That's just how much I love cheese. Plus cheese with carbs is a serious guilty pleasure of mine. Put cheese on chips, crackers, tortillas, potatoes, fries, pasta or bread and I am one happy girl.
3. nutella: Ok well this isn't always in our pantry, but that's probably because I eat an entire jar before we have a chance to buy a new one. I eat Nutella by the spoon full....right out of the jar. I'm slightly obsessed with it's perfect hazelnut and chocolate flavor. It also goes really well with peanut butter (which is most certainly another staple item in our cupboard at all times), strawberries and bananas. One time I tried to convince Justin that Nutella was good for us, and to my credit, it is made of real hazelnuts, skim milk and cocoa (and we won't mention sugar) with no artificial colors or preservatives -- that's something, right?

Today I am grateful for a kitchen cupboard full of my favorite snacks!

known

Name 3-4 things that, when seen by others, make them immediately think of you.

1. 50 Cent: I guarantee that whenever any of my friends or family hear a song by my favorite rapper, 50 Cent, I'm usually getting a text with a shout out or at least I know that my name is running through their head. Whenever we're out dancing, it gets requested for me. Whenever it comes on the radio, we're singing along. He's my favorite and has been since I discovered him in college at MSU. Last week when 50 Cent made a surprise appearance at the Jay-Z/Eminem concert downtown Detroit, all of my friends' heads immediately turned in my direction as we all shouted in excitement. They knew it was the highlight of my day as I was jumping and squealing for joy.

2. silver ford focus: I've driven a silver Ford Focus since high school. In fact, when the first one was totaled in an accident (aka: when the driver of a huge pick up truck backed up over the hood of my car), I bought another Ford Focus because I like them so much. We named the first one "Snapple" because the blinker sounded identical to the click noise that the cap of a Snapple bottle makes (if you heard it, you'd know). We named the second one "Izzo", because...well...we are Spartans and Tom Izzo is seriously cool. My little focus has done me well for the past 10 years or so. It just hit the 100,000 mile mark the other day, but it has scooted me around to many places over the years. Apparently I'm not the only one who likes this car though since at any given time you can look out at our apartment building parking lot and count about 5 other silver ford focuses. We won't mention the fact that I've accidentally tried to get into someone else's car thinking it was my own. Ooops. Maybe it's time to find a new car that makes people think of me.

3. green clothing/accessories: My favorite color to wear is green. This is true because as a Spartan I'm always proud to wear my school's color. This is also true because I've found that green looks good with my strawberry-blonde hair color. When I'm shopping with friends, they usually point out all the cute green stuff to me knowing I'll be interested in trying it on. Recently, I was in a photo shoot for Lindsey Nartker Designs and when I asked my friend Audry if I could borrow a pair of cute heels to wear for the shoot, she told me she had just the pair for me; green ones.

I like being known by my loved ones. Today I'm grateful for the little things that connect me with my friends and family.

i love weddings

I absolutely love weddings. I loved my own, I love attending them, I love planning them and I love talking about them.

Last year when Justin and I moved to Ann Arbor, I joined Lindsey Nartker Designs to assist Lindsey with her wedding planning business. It's been a blast and the 2010 wedding season is just getting started!

Last weekend Justin and I drove 16 hours to Florida (with his parents and his aunt) for his cousin Josh's wedding. It was an awesome little getaway. It definitely made me "pro-destination-weddings". I mean it seems that we and our friends are always trying to plan a vacation somehwere together, but there never seems to be the time or money. However, a destination wedding adds a little motivation and everyone just makes the effort to be there for the special day. Voila!! -- you have a mini-vacay with all your close friends and family!

I have also taken to helping my SIL (sister-in-law) plan her wedding details for her upcoming August wedding. I decided that planning her wedding is more enjoyable than planning my own. I get to be involved in all the details of planning without the stress of it being my own!