minimalism for the adventurous heart
As we draw near to Easter, I have been thinking about what good news might sound like right now. Would it sound like peace and reconciliation between vengeful populations? Would it be the sound of the "right" presidential candidate winning the election? Would it sound like rain falling on California's parched land? ...Continue Reading
Marrakech is a party, and everyone is invited. It's not as old as Fes, but it certainly tells its own stories of art, celebration, tradition and finesse. Marrakech was our last stop in Morocco, so we were already familiar with some of the local scenes. Still, it was a sight to behold, and there's no question in my mind why tourists love Marrakech. This quick guide to Marrakech, Morocco is designed to inspire you. As I've written in my other posts on Morocco, I highly recommend working with local guides in order to discover all the local treasures. You can certainly travel through ...Continue Reading
"I want to be generous one day, when I'm more financially comfortable," so many of us say. "I'll volunteer more of my time, when I get to where I want to in my career," we also add. "I'll help people get opportunities, when I have all the connections," we promise. Why do we do this? ...Continue Reading
Before you continue reading, I should say that this is NOT a post about how to use Pinterest to grow your blog. There are plenty of those-- just look on Pinterest! To come back to my main point, I'd like to share why I love Pinterest as a content consumer. That's right; yes I'm a blogger and I do ...Continue Reading
We often talk about courage on a grand scale: the courage to chase our dreams; the courage to live simply; the courage to challenge the unsolvable problems of our day. But how do we muster up that courage, when we live within the confines of our obligations daily? Why not learn to intentionally ...Continue Reading
When I wrote our quick guide to Kyoto, I felt like I had to keep it reasonably short-- namely, limit the number of photos. But I can't stress enough how photogenic Kyoto (and the rest of Japan) really is! Everywhere we turned was a potential snapshot, and it required little cropping or editing to ...Continue Reading
When it comes to work and career, it can be a bit overwhelming to look at all of your options. You probably have many choices more choices than you think: stay at your current job, start a side-hustle, get a new job, wait for a promotion, quit and do something totally different, do multiple jobs, go ...Continue Reading
Travel can carry a lot of weight, especially if you don't get to do it very often. Once we've selected our destination, paid good money for flights and hotels, and finally arrived, the question tends to be: how do I make this worthwhile?! The odd thing about travel is that it's a leisure activity ...Continue Reading
As I sift through our Japan photos, I have to ask myself: is there any place more photogenic than this? So I decided to select only 10 snapshots that come with a good story or memory from our time in Japan. After reading this I hope you'll feel compelled to visit one day! And if you have not read ...Continue Reading
Happy Independence Day Weekend, Americans! And Happy Friday, everyone! Today we're off to our second international destination this summer-- I can't believe how quickly our 5 days at home went by. My desire to lie in bed for a day is only slightly overshadowed by the great excitement I feel for ...Continue Reading
Whenever I start packing for a trip (usually several hours beforehand), I spend most of my time agonizing over what clothes to bring. It takes me a while to think about where I am going, what the demands are, what the climate is like, and so forth. It's a bit silly that I can't seem to do this any ...Continue Reading
Many people don't realize that Japan is arguably the world's food capital. Tokyo has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city, and the famous Tsukiji Fish Market handles much of the highest-quality seafood to be found anywhere. As a food lover myself, I could not have been more ...Continue Reading
One thing I enjoyed about Japan was that it was modern without being Western. Sure, it shares lots traits with Western countries-- and went through a somewhat westernizing transformation during the Meiji period-- but Japan owes its unique style to traditions far different from our own. What I ...Continue Reading
There is so much to say about Kyoto (and I'll hopefully say more in another in-depth post, so look out for that), but I wanted to put together a quick guide to Kyoto for anyone who's thinking of visiting. First of all, Kyoto should be on your list if you love travel. It was named Travel & ...Continue Reading
A quick thought for today, because I'm drowning in Japan photos and traveling till the weekend. (Join me for snapshots on Instagram, though!) The news has grieved me this week. Reading about Charleston while thousands of miles away was a bit surreal. Throughout the articles and comments, the ...Continue Reading
Happy Tuesday, friend! Our adventures in Japan continue beyond Tokyo to the countryside via shinkansen, the fastest train I've ever ridden. Off to the historical villages we went-- just northwest of Tokyo to the cities of Takayama, Shirakawago and Kanazawa. These areas are known for preserved ...Continue Reading
It's hard to believe that the first leg of our trip has come to an end. Tomorrow we're off to the Japanese countryside! But first, a couple of reflections on the trip so far. I did not expect to like Tokyo. Not only did I find it intimidating, but I also thought that it was mostly for ...Continue Reading
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