• Thor hammer cake

    Thor hammer cake

    Toby was at boot camp for his 21st birthday and in Afghanistan for his 30th birthday, so when his 40th birthday rolled around, I wanted to do something a little special to mark the occasion, even though we had only just moved to Okinawa. Luckily, because the Marine Corps is so small, some of our […]

  • Introducing Arabella Grace!

    Newborn photo by Alison Bell

    At the end of March, we welcomed the most beautiful blonde bombshell into the world. Arabella Grace is a warrior princess who loves to snuggle, kick her legs, and eat like it’s going out of style. She was just six days old when these photos were taken, but was awake for the whole session! The […]

  • Girls’ trip to Dubai

    girls trip to Dubai

    When I found out we were moving to Bahrain, Dubai quickly rose to the top of my to-go list. Toby and I visited not long after we moved, but it is also the perfect location for a girls’ trip. So when my friend Olga came to visit me, we decided to do a little getaway […]

  • Mermaid maternity vibes

    mermaid maternity vibes photo by Alison Bell Photography

    One of the best things about Okinawa is how beautiful all the beaches are. When I decided I wanted to have some maternity photos done, I knew we had to have them at one of the awesome beaches, for some mermaid maternity vibes. And our amazing photographer (another SEC-grad journalist!) found the perfect spot. It […]

  • A wedding in Ethiopia

    A wedding in Ethiopia

    About three years ago, my brother visited Ethiopia and Kenya in December and met a girl. Two years ago, we met her for the first time for New Year’s in Dubai. And in late 2017, just after Christmas, we flew to Ethiopia for their wedding! Because we were traveling specifically for the wedding, we didn’t […]

  • A magical announcement!

    disney pregnancy announcement

    Toby and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting a baby girl, due in April 2019! We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, but our rainbow baby is definitely at the top of our list! We thought a Thanksgiving visit to Tokyo Disneyland was the perfect opportunity to […]

  • What to make for Friendsgiving brunch

    hosting Friendsgiving brunch

    Celebrating holidays far from family is never easy, but it can be particularly challenging when you’re living overseas and trying to celebrate a distinctly American holiday. Most military service members get holidays off (if they’re not deployed), but actually flying home to the U.S. for every holiday is unrealistic and expensive. So, that means friends […]

  • 5 things you must taste in Cincinnati

    Five things you must taste in Cincinnati

    Even though Cincinnati has appeared on several lists of recommended places to visit in recent years (including, notably, the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2018 list), you may not think of the Queen City as a foodie destination. But you’d be wrong. Cincinnati is full of delicious food, including several awesome things […]

  • An American Disney fan’s guide to Disneyland Paris

    An American Disney fan's guide to Disneyland Paris

    Bonjour! Today I’m going to tell you all about visiting Disneyland Paris, from an American Disney fan’s point of view. But before we get started, you should know a few things about me. Those of you who read my blog, follow me on Instagram, or happened to have gone to middle school with me have […]

  • Beach towel and hat giveway

    sand cloud giveaway

    Hello y’all! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I wanted to remind you that there is still time to enter to win a month subscription to the 12-minute metabolism booster — an awesome daily workout program designed for endurance athletes that will help you get in some strength training every day (whether you’re an […]