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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 call for red soles. It’s a magical, lux land, …
Dave and I are very fortunate to be able to travel often. Dave is a pro at travel hacking, so we end up with enough airline, hotel, dining, and entertainment credits that we can go on nice vacations about every other month. And thankfully, self-managed PTO combined with work from wherever privileges allow us to …
I have found that comparison truly is the thief of joy. It is so tempting to compare myself to other people, and I usually walk away feeling inferior. I think society has conditioned me to feel like different is always better. I can be doing something amazing, but if someone else is also doing something amazing, …
*Sadly edited to update that many of the places I loved have closed down over the last 2 years. Johnny Martins Car Central was supposed to relocate but never opened back up, Over Easy was sold and the new owners completely changed it. Dockside Restaurant was sold and it is unclear what the new owners …
I'm blessed to have been able to travel to (and live in) some very cool places all around the world. And the more I travel and see of the world, the more I want to continue traveling and seeing the world. Thankfully I married a guy who wants to travel just as much as I do, …
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