Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
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In July of 2022, we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary on a trip to San Diego and Los Angeles. Still a bit unsure of the Covid situation, we decided against flying to Europe and masked up for a plane ride back to California. San Diego was great; LA was tolerable. Paul returned with Covid; I somehow returned without it. It’s May 2023 now; well into a very new year. I’m just allowing… Read More
Before I start this post about Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, I’d like to take some time to talk seriously about the English muffin experience we had in St. Helena. If you read the First Stop: Yountville post, then you know we made a stop at The Model Bakery on the way to Calistoga to get our very first taste of Oprah’s favorite English muffin. After reflecting on this experience over the last… Read More
Downtown Calistoga is an old western town with modern amenities. As the northernmost place to visit in Napa Valley, it’s rustic yet charming with a laidback vibe and relaxing atmosphere. Eateries line the main thoroughfare with craft brews and vegan lasagna, while a community of friendly and hardworking citizens gather at the Calistoga Inn to raise a glass to a hard day’s work in the tasting rooms and vineyards. Accommodations range from… Read More
We booked this spring break trip in January during the height of Omicron when cross country flights were around $320 per person. We had a flight credit that had to be used, and I considered myself incredibly lucky to find two roundtrip flights to California for the exact amount of our credit. Even the American Airlines representative was impressed to realize that I did not owe them a single cent more than… Read More
Have you ever picked up the New York Times, read about a place, and told yourself that one day you’ll go there? Do you really mean it? Do you cut it out and save it and show it to anybody who will listen? “Read this. Doesn’t this sound great?” That’s Healdsburg. It didn’t happen right away. We read the article and two years or so later, we made it happen. We planned… Read More
One of the best ways to see San Francisco is with the tour company Vantigo. On the San Francisco City Tour, a Volkswagen bus picks you up right from your hotel to take you on a ride around Fog City. You’ll stop several times along the way to capture great photos while checking out Twin Peaks and the Golden Gate Bridge. Your driver will give you the full rundown of the history… Read More
They say the third time is a charm, and I think Paul and I agree, this trip to California wine country was the best one yet. We did it all wrong the first time, improved upon it significantly the second time, and nailed it the third time. While I don’t regret any of our travel adventures, we often learn from our experiences. So, let’s recap: Trip #1-On our month-long cross country trip,… Read More
This is one of our favorite memories from San Francisco. We took a tour on a Volkswagen bus with the company Vantigo. The bus takes you all over the city and you get to see stellar views like this one. We highly recommend this tour when visiting San Francisco, but we can’t promise that you won’t want to go in search of buying your own bus and living the van life afterwards…. Read More
Last August, Paul and I took a trip to California. It was one of those trips that I so badly wanted and needed, but I was so torn about taking. My mom was ill, and I wasn’t completely sold on jetting off to the other side of the country for a week. Paul convinced me that everything would be okay and that if I needed to, I could hop on a plane… Read More
The story behind this image is quite simple; I hijacked a photo shoot. Michelle and I took a journey to California last summer. While in San Francisco, we signed up for a food tour of Chinatown. We met our guide at the gates of this famous region and proceeded to eat in various restaurants throughout the neighborhood. There are many beautifully crafted murals throughout the area. I was lining up a picture… Read More
Bringing Down the White Picket Fence 