5 Natural Wonders of the US in Honor of Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! Today is a day to celebrate the earth and promote eco-friendliness. I like to think that every time we visit a national or state park, we are contributing to the preservation of the earth, even if only just a little bit. The US has no lack of parks protecting its natural wonders, and it’s pretty incredible how diverse these parks are in terms of land forms and climates. From lakes to mountains, grassland to deserts, oceans and forests, the US park system has it all.

8 Reasons to Re-Think Texas

Texas? Oh, you mean the big southern state with cacti and cowboys and Ted Cruz? Well yes, but as I recently discovered on a trip down there this month, Texas so is much more than that. It’s a state like no other.

When I told people I was going to Texas for spring break, they were a little taken aback. Most people don’t realize what a wonderful travel destination Texas is. I didn’t realize it until I started researching this trip. Wonderful things about Texas started to pop out at me on travel

Deep Sea Fishing on the Gulf

Port Aransas is right on the Gulf of Mexico, making a great location for deep sea fishing. We spent a misty day on a fishing boat, floating on the Gulf and casting our lines out into the sea, hoping for a lucky catch. The view off the boat was beautiful. The fog stretched off into the distance, covering the vast ocean.

Bird Watching in Port Aransas

One of my favorite things we did while in Port Aransas was going bird watching at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center. Yes, I know how lame that sounds, but besides the fact that we were probably the only under-sixty, non-binocular-wearing visitors there, it was actually pretty fun. It gave me an opportunity to practice a new kind of photography and break out of my “scenery photos” habit.

I was amazed at the variety of birds that inhabited the birding center. But there weren’t only birds; we even spotted a few alligators. There was a chart detailing the predator/prey relationships between the animals in this kind of environment. The alligators eat the

Port Aransas Beach Daze

Today we left Port Aransas, a small beach town on Padre Island, after five blissful days on the beach. We passed the time exploring the beach, lying out on the sand with books and country music, floating in the Gulf waves on our boogie boards, exploring the natural wonders that Padre Island offers, and cozying up inside for Friends marathons during the few splashes of misty weather. It was spring break at its finest.

Spending time on the beach was my favorite part. We stayed in a condo just a short walk from the beach in a community of beach houses. There was plenty to explore on the beach.

A Morning in Austin, TX

Before the rodeo Saturday night, we spent the morning in Austin, exploring downtown and eating at a quirky restaurant by the river.

Austin is home to the Texas State Capitol, and it’s absolutely beautiful. We visited early in the morning and snapped pictures of the seemingly empty building. But as we drove back past it later in the day, it’s lawn was filled with families and picnickers enjoying a beautiful day. 

A Night at Rodeo Austin

Saturday night was the last night of Rodeo Austin, a 15 day carnival, rodeo and live music festival just outside of Austin. And we just so happened to be in Austin Saturday night. After spending the morning exploring Austin (post coming soon), we headed off to spend the night at the rodeo.

We started off exploring the carnival. It wasn’t much different than any old State Fair or County Fair, except that cowboy boots could be found on every pair of feet and

The Road to Texas

Iowa’s winter wonderland: The first leg of our trip was composed of a snowy landscape. Down through southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, it was all snow. However, once we hit Iowa, we noticed something pretty spectacular: the tops of the trees sparkled with frozen ice, creating the illusion of a winter wonderland that Minnesota’s temperatures are too cold to permit.

On the Road Again: My Top Road-Trip Essentials

In writing my last post, I might have implied that I was not going anywhere for spring break. But plans change, and here I find myself planning the last few details of our spring break road trip to Texas only a week before we leave. We will be driving from Minnesota to southern Texas, a 22 hour drive. Although there will be stops along the way (Kansas City and Austin), we will definitely be spending more time in the car than not before arriving at our final destination: Port Aransas, Texas, a small beach town on Padre Island.

Road trips are a fickle thing. With the right people, the driving can be almost more fun than the destination. I like to think that I’ll be ridding with the “right people” on this trip.

Food of Italy

Pizza, gelato, expressos, open-air markets and fancy antipasti… What more could a girl need?

Last summer I spent a month in Italy with my family, and one of my biggest regrets, blog-wise, was that I didn’t post more about the food. Sure, the sights were amazing and the country side gorgeous, but what really made the trip was sinking your teeth into a messy bite of lasagna, or feeling melted gelato ooze down your chin. Letting your eyes wander the vast outdoor produce markets, asking yourself what that odd, pointy vegetable could be. Tasting the sweet, fresh taste of a cherry tomato on pizza, wondering why the tomatoes