Lydia Pert

So You Want To Visit…San Francisco

Before working for OpenVPN, I had only ever visited California once as a young kid. Now that I work for a company headquartered there, I get more opportunities to visit. Since HQ is right near San Francisco, my coworkers and I always try to extend our work trips to allow for some quality time as…
So You Want To Visit…The Finger Lakes

I was fortunate to spend a good chunk of my childhood in the gorgeous New York Finger Lakes. I lived just down the road from Seneca Lake for over a decade, in a charming little village called Dundee. I consider myself incredibly blessed to have grown up there. In this region, there are eleven lakes,…
So You Want To Visit…Williamsburg

Virginia is the place where life keeps taking me back. My family lives in Virginia Beach, and Dave and I were stationed in the Richmond area two separate times. There is a possibility we will end up living in the state again in the future — and even if we don’t ever get stationed there…
So You Want To Visit…Honolulu

Ahhh. Hawaii. Need I say more? We are very fortunate to have two dear friends that are currently stationed in Honolulu, and they graciously entertain us whenever we are over that way. Hawaii is already a dreamy paradise, and having them there is like icing on the cake. I’m so grateful we have had multiple…
So You Want To Visit…Anchorage

Alaska is such a special place to me. For three straight years, I spent a ton of time just outside Anchorage learning how to fly planes and perform aircraft maintenance — and I got to help out with Bible camps north of the Arctic Circle. I miss Alaska every single day, and I really hope…
So You Want To Visit…Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is a bit tougher to write about, just because we lived barely ninety minutes away for so long, and my family lives right in the city. So most of our time here was spent with family and friends, as if it were home, and not so much a vacation. However, we did a…
So You Want To Visit…Scottsdale

(Updated on 2/2/2024 to reflect a more recent trip) I love Scottsdale because everything about it is so extra. If Vegas is where the high rollers go on vacation, Scottsdale is where those high rollers live. You can’t stroll half a block without seeing a rare supercar speed by, and even trips to the supermarket…
Celebrating 3 Years at OpenVPN

Hey gang! Three years ago I accepted a job with OpenVPN – the author of the original open-source Virtual Private Network (OpenVPN) protocol and leading provider of multi-platform VPN applications. I wanted to take a quick moment to share why transitioning over to this company was one of the best decisions of my life – and…
So You Want To Visit…New Orleans

New Orleans is one of my favorite places. I’m so grateful for the year and a half we lived in Louisiana, and the dozens of times we got to visit the Big Easy. Even after we moved away from Louisiana, New Orleans remained one of our favorite places to visit. Best Times to Visit: Best…
So You Want To Visit…Disney World

This is the post I’m sure most people have been expecting: the Big Fat Disney blog. I will preface this by saying that Disney World in Orlando is a travel experience like no other — and it requires preparation like no other. Disney World isn’t really the kind of trip you should just wing unless…