a traveler's love letter... // erin from pugh's news

 

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda

Hello there lovely readers of Project Simple Life! This is Erin from Pugh's News. Isn't it exciting that Amanda and Chad are off on their European adventure? I'm so happy for them! I have a special place in my heart for London, where I have spent a lot of time over the past ten years, and Paris is a dream destination of mine. One day...

I'm off on a slightly less exciting, but still very fun, holiday of my own. As I write this, I'm madly packing my family's suitcases. Tomorrow morning we are catching the first ferry off Vancouver Island and heading up into the interior of British Columbia to spend a week in a cabana by the lake. It's going to be blissful! I'm excited about hitting the open road with my family in tow, and looking forward to the new places we'll discover along the way. I've always had a serious case of wanderlust, ever since I was a little girl, getting happily lost in the imaginary lands of my favourite books.

image via pugh's news tumblr

When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I wrote a letter to C.S. Lewis, begging him to tell me how I could get to Narnia. I never mailed the letter, and I always sort of regretted it. But now look what I've found! A sign-post that will lead me to all sorts of wonderful places. Just imagine...

Tea with Mr Tumnus.

Shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley.

Following the yellow brick road.

Visiting Frodo and Sam in the Shire.

Studying and scheming in the Gryffindor Tower with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

How amazing would that be? I'm sure the signs I can't quite read say things like Green Gables. The Secret Garden. Zuckerman's Farm. Wonka's Chocolate Factory. How would I ever choose where to go first?

What wonderful world from children's literature would you like to visit? Let's plan to go there together, shall we?

PS: Come visit me at Pugh's News. I love to make new friends...

a traveler's love letter... // kim from fill your well

 

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda




hi there, this is kim from fill your well. i am so honored to be doing a guest post for amanda's sweet blog while she's off on her adventure! traveling is one of my favorite things and i'm still riding high on the greatest adventure of my life, which was my honeymoon in thailand last september. there are about a million different spots around the world that i can't wait to visit, but at this point, my absolute favorite spot is a little village about an hour north of bangkok. here i spent some time living and working among the mahouts {sort of like the thai version of a cowboy} on an elephant kraal {or ranch}. that's right, elephants!

now some boys, while planning a honeymoon, might think, "hmm... where should i take this beautiful lady of mine after our wedding? maybe someplace relaxing, maybe where there's a spa or a beach for lounging? yeah, that sounds nice." but not my boy. nope, he thought "where can i take this beautiful lady of mine where we can not only touch an elephant, but where we can feed, scrub, ride, and clean up after them?" not every girl gets to say she raked elephant dung out of a field on her honeymoon, but let me tell you, i wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

of course it wasn't all hard work. we got to ride our elephants through the village and down to the river where we swam with them in the cool water. we also got to play with the babies during our free time, who were pretty much the cutest things i've ever seen!

mornings were my favorite time on the kraal. we would wake up around 4:30am to a jungle full of life {don't worry, we were jet lagged so we didn't mind one bit}! i'd sip my morning tea while watching a one-armed monkey play lovingly with his pet rabbit and listen to the parrots sing "hello" in their australian accents, all while elephants meandered past by my door. we would spend the day caring for 6 retired she-elephants who had been assigned to us, then relaxing at night as powerful thunderstorms rolled in {it was monsoon season at the time so massive thunderstorms would blow in every evening, even taking out the power some nights... which isn't a problem at all when you're on your honeymoon}.

fun facts i learned living with elephants: did you know elephants talk to each other in such low tones that we can't hear it? we can, however, feel the rumbling of it in our bodies! and did you know elephants are so aware of our fragility, and love their caretakers so much, that they are extra gentle with all of us humans? how about the fact that they walk on their tippy toes so you don't hear them coming? these giant beasts would constantly sneak up on me like ninjas... enormous, big-eared ninjas, but ninjas all the same.

yes, it was by far the most amazing experience of my life, and i often wish i could pop back over on a weekly basis to get my elephant fix. not to mention, a food fix {oh the food!}, which was the best i've ever eaten anywhere - truth. oh if only it were a shorter flight!

a traveler's love letter... // sarah from fairy tales are true

 

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda

Dear Venice,

I hope you're well and not feeling so droopy these days. I love, miss, and hope to see you soon. This was not always the case though. Upon our first meeting I was terrified you. My family boarded a water taxi and we cruised through your canals but all I could focus on were your dilapidated buildings and the rats that occupied them. I admit I missed the shimmer of your sea, the entire whimsy of a city built on water... at first. forgive me, I was young. I hadn't yet developed my love for all things old just yet. I remember trying to find our hotel. I was shaking in my sam and libby flats. Each hotel looked scarier than the next. Dirty, old, smelly. But thankfully we found ours and it was pretty, shiny, new-ish even. You must have known I wasn't quite ready for a hotel with lots of character quite yet. Then much to my surprise the next few days were some of the best. We wandered your streets, bought murano glass, rode in a gondola, and ate at every turn.

In 2010 I revisited you. Gosh, I am sorry for the length of time in between visits. Life really got in the way. But to make it up to you, I brought my husband (yes, I'm married!) who had never seen your splendor before. We had the best time getting lost. Your streets are truly magical, your canals sparkle, your food is mouthwatering.

Thanks Venice! You've shown us some very good times. Enclosed are some pictures of our trip (:

Love,
Sarah

fairy tales are true

a traveler's love letter... // natalie from the soho

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda

I Heart New York.

New York City can be a cruel mistress. The winters are brutal, the summers are sweltering, and when you're on a crowded subway car, you begin questioning the life choices that led to this particular uncomfortable moment. But in spite of all that, I still love her so. There's nowhere on earth like this incredible city.

 

It's the world's biggest social experiment -- a tiny, exciting island packed with people from every culture, race, religion, and walk of life. There's basically whatever kind of food, art, activity, sound, vibe suits your mood right outside your door.

A walk through a neighborhood is never boring. You'll always come across something you never noticed before. 

New York and I have an on-again, off-again relationship. After three years away, I came back, and I'm glad that I did. I'm not from here, but it always feels like home.

Find more of Natalie's writing here: The SoHo.

a traveler's love letter... // bethany from rinse. repeat.

 

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda

Dear Paris,

I love you. Or in your tongue: je t’aime. It’s always prettier in your language, I’ve learned.

From the very moment I spotted you this summer, while cruising above you at an altitude of several thousand feet, I knew we were meant to spend the most beautiful vacation together. And we did. I’ve never cried so many happy tears as I did while I was with you. Beautifully inspired, in-love-with-life kinds of tears.

You hugged my birthday tight, cuing your epic tower to sparkle at the beginning and end of my day, making it the most memorable birthday a girl could have. You even welcomed a proposal + my engagement…the inhabitants of your city noticing my dazzling ring, wishing love and long life to my fiancé and I. Kind hotel staff delivered your luscious Laduree macaroons and a heartfelt handwritten card to me the next morning. Does it get sweeter?

Yes, you are expensive. Yes, you are crowded. Yes, you are a tad cliché. But you gosh darn deliver with views like this:

And museums that house beautiful pieces like this:

And stairways with more romance than entire cities in the US can boast:

What people say about you…that your people are unkind towards visitors? Well, it just isn’t so. Most everyone I encountered was warm, kind and helpful. Well, save that one spicy waitress who rolled her eyes at my attempt to request the bill in French. But, given that I spotted her there at 10am and later at 8pm? Perhaps she was just having a rough day.

Paris, you made my dreams come true. Infact, our week together exceeded my most romanticized, ridiculous dreams. Au revoir, my love. Until we meet again. And we will.

XOXO,
Your biggest fan.

a traveler's love letter... // lauren from aspiring kennedy

 

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back!


xo -- Amanda

Dear India,

Today I find myself longing for you.
The summer days in England are just too cool,
and I'm longing for your oppressive heat to press against my skin.

Some people may not be enchanted by your endless seas of people,

but I'd gladly push my way through your crowds

to beat with the pulse of your country.

Your flavour is like heaven to my lips.

Hot naan, spicy curry, sweet juices

leave me longing for more.

The funny thing is, dear India,

is that I have never actually met you.

But my true love is currently there with you...

and I'm opening up our relationship to include you.

So come July 26th, it'll be you, me, & the big guy.

The exciting thing is-

if you look this good in pictures,

I'm sure you'll be a real knock out in person.

xo-

Aspiring Kennedy

Aspiring Kennedy

images via // Aspiring Kennedy's pinterest

a traveler's love letter... // micaela from dolce vita

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda

hi lovies! it's micaela from dolce vita so happy to keep you company while amanda and chad are off on their exciting european holiday. thank-you for letting me share my 'love letter' with you. xo

Dear D.C.,

i was excited to finally meet you. As our Nation's Capitol, you did not disappoint. I think what made you even more magical was we met on mine and my husband's first road trip together. Of course at the time he was just my boyfriend (it was during the 20+ hour road trip from Texas to Virginia where i also met his parents). We took a detour to see you and meet up with one of my childhood friends who was working at the Washington Post.

I remember me and Max sitting at the bar of Busboys & Poets, dreaming of living in a city like yours. There was a thrill about our future together. We stayed out til the early hours, laughing with people we just met (a late night that included a stop to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl).

And the next day walked around seeing all the must-see's of the district. We only had time to visit one Smithsonian and Max knew instantly what my choice would be. i will never forget seeing my first Van Gogh and how patiently he waited while i stood in awe.

D.C., my husband will tell you that it was on this trip in the summer of 2009 that he knew he was going to marry me. The nearly 3,500 miles of interstates and small towns in a car was filled with our laughter, conversation (or even comfortable silence), our signing, and dreaming of our future together. 

i thoroughly enjoyed the lights and glamour of NYC. i found my heaven on the beaches of italy. i ate to my hearts content and stood in awe at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

but when i think of writing a love letter to a place... D.C. you are it. It's where my love story truly started.

no other place will hold my heart with special thanksgiving than your streets.

with love and affection,

Micaela 

a traveler's love letter... // sam from young people in love

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back! 

xo -- Amanda

Hello! My name is Sam and I have a little bloggy called Young People in Love. I'm happy to be guest posting for Amanda because I get to share with you all the magical land of Oregon. My husband, Chas, and I recently went on a glorious Oregon adventure and had a wonderful time!

See for yourself:


I used to live in Oregon.

I got divorced in Oregon. I got my Master's degree in Oregon. I found myself in Oregon.

I think when you live through something that is so different, unexpected, and emotionally evocative, you feel an indescribable and inexplicable sense of love and connectedness for the setting in which it all transpired. That's what Oregon is for me. No matter where I go, I doubt any other place will come close to the special, personal feelings I associate with those expansive green fields, mossy trees, and cloud-filled skies. The sunbreaks were my favorite.

a traveler's love letter... // jamie from lyrical journey

 

While Chad and I are away wandering the streets of Brussels, London, Paris and beyond, I gathered some of my favorite bloggers and asked them to write a guest post/love letter to their favorite place on earth. These ladies are graciously babysitting my blog while I'm eating macaroons and taking postcard-worthy pictures of the Eiffel Tower + Big Ben. Thank you for reading and I'll see you when we get back!


xo -- Amanda

Dear Kathmandu,

There I was, facing a milestone birthday in Delhi, a world away from my friends and family. Getting away from the miserable monsoon heat of India seemed like a good idea. With little money and only a long weekend available for travel you seemed like a good option. I thought spending my 35th birthday in Kathmandu sounded just adventurous enough to be memorable, and you did not let me down.

I fell in love with you from the minute I arrived. Everyone I met was gracious, helpful and smiling. You were exotic, chaotic and full of color. Everywhere I looked I saw something new and fascinating. I loved your old temples, the Newari windows, the pashminas, the rugs, the art and especially the food.

I fell so deeply in love I visited 2 more times that year and each trip was better than the last as I discovered  more of your beauty.  I met amazing people, thanks to my stays at the most perfect hotel, whose clientele seems to be made up of people who have the kind of travel stories I only dream of having one day. As much as I enjoyed walking through the streets and visiting the temples during the day, I loved the evenings sitting in the courtyard and having amazing conversations with the other guests, who may have been strangers, but felt like old friends. I can't imagine a more perfect location for a solo traveler.

Reminders of my visits fill my home, the hand carved window screen greets visitors at my front door. Paintings by Nepalese artist decorate my walls and bring images of your streets and people to my mind.  Your scarves and pashminas keep me warm in the winter and your beautiful rugs brighten my floors.  Everywhere I look, I see touches of your color in my home.

Thanks for the amazing memories and helping me celebrate two birthdays. I hope I get to return someday because I know my life is richer for having spent time in your land and with your people.

Love,
Jamie
Lyrical Journey

my bags are not packed, but I'm ready to go...

 

 image :: samuel owen gallery

 

I should have my bag packed. I should already have those darn cardigans washed. I should have my to-do list wiped clean and be satisfied and ready. I should spend the night going through the travel books highlighting the places of interest and learning a few more French phrases. But I'm not.  Instead I dyed my hair darker and painted my toenails cherry red last night. Instead I am spending my precious 35 minute break writing this post. Instead I'm soaking up the last day of the job before our vacation with my children (who love looking at our world map and pointing out where Miss Amanda's going to go). Instead I'm going to dinner with two fabulous + lovely girlfriends who will make me stress-free + help me giggle my stress away. Instead I'll be packing tonight into the late night with Chad and Cheers on Netflix.  Call me a procrastinator if you'd like...but it's how I roll. And that works for me :)

// An annoucement: Since I'll be gone for two weeks, and I would like you to stop by and visit my blog while I'm gone, I have some guest bloggers coming by and keeping watch over my blog. While my in-laws are picking up my mail and watering my plants, twelve ladies will be blogging on here. The theme of these guest posts will be: a traveler's love letter.  And after reading through all of them, I must say -- you are in for a treat! Get ready to travel around the world (first post goes up tomorrow!)

Au revoir, my beautiful friends!!

the first year of marriage... // shannon from shannanigans

Shannon is past bride No. 4 and is the coolest mama I know! Please visit her blog when you have the chance -- and get ready to laugh. Seriously. :)

Hello PSL readers! My name is Shannon and I author the blog Shannanigans. The lovely Amanda has asked for my thoughts on my first year as a married lady. As the mother of a nine month old, I have a hard time remembering basic things, like taking a shower, so my memories of five years ago might be a little dusty. But let’s take a crack at it. 

I think the first time I came across the term Smug Married was in reading Bridget Jones Diary. I immediately identified.  On September 9, 2006, I married John.  As soon as we marched out of that church, I pictured myself sitting a little bit higher. I was married. I had a husband and a shiny new last name.  I sported two rings now and like many young married gals, it gave me a smug sense of comfort.  Hopefully I was never outwardly smug but inside, I was sitting up on a high horse.  I no longer had to worry about silly things like the dating world or if I would get a plus-one on a wedding invite.  Or more serious things like my sub-par health insurance. To me, marriage solved a whole lot of pesky problems and just made life easier.

Of course, there are always those people who can’t stop asking you how married life is going. It’s usually the same people who tell newlyweds that the first year of marriage is the hardest and that marriage is hard work. As soon as we got married, this is all I heard.  After living together for a few years then after a few blissfully married months, marriage wasn’t hard.  I thought there was supposed to be trouble or fights and when there wasn’t. So what did that do? Made me even more smug.  I was excelling at marriage! Am super-smart! Am perfect wife!  Can’t nothing stop me!

We lived life to the fullest. We stayed out late and woke up even later. We went on trips. We went mini golfing, wine tasting and Ikea-shopping. We spent all of our time together and it was awesome.  After awhile I realized that this was how the first year of marriage should be, easy peasy lemon squeezy…when you’re married to the right person.  Now, we look back on our first year with a bit of wistfulness for the lack of responsibility and a bit of nostalgia for our young and crazy ways.  Sure, there’s nothing like having a solid history behind you at 5 years in, but that first year? That first year was oh so good.

this picture is brought to you by...

last sunday morning.
my in-laws trusty little boat.
catching my first fish ever. (seriously, is it lame that at age 22 I finally caught a fish? my father-in-law believes it to be a sweet little bass.)
bologna + pickle sandwiches courtesy of my mother-in-law.
diet dr. pepper in can cozies.
discussing how Jesus fed the 5000. we were debating on how it was prepared -- sushi-style? fried? over a fire? roasted? how did he do it?
grinning from ear to ear as the boat sped through the wind + the waves.
oogling all the fancy lake side houses. and dreaming up our own. agreeing that it must have a second-floor deck.
sitting on the front of the boat with my feet dangling in the water.

perfect summer morning.

in disbelief.

The past several weeks when doing errands or just simply hanging around our living room, Chad and I have thought "at this time in Europe we'll be (here)" or "we'll be doing (this)". It really hasn't 'hit' either of us that we'll be sitting there, looking at the above monuments, taking our own pictures after one short week. (No more typing into Google 'Eiffel Tower' and copying + pasting the picture into a post, we'll get to take our own pictures.)

What we do know is that every time we talk about getting the chance to visit international cities in the next two weeks, we always recognize how lucky + blessed we are. It's easy for us to be excited (duh) but it's more difficult for us to remember that God is the one who provided us the funds + time in order to spend two remarkable weeks abroad.

We've been talking about when our trip will really hit us. When we'll really feel like "yeah, we are going to Paris and we are going to actually be standing there staring at the Mona Lisa". Could be saying good-bye to his parents on Saturday afternoon, could be sitting in our terminal in the middle of our pre-flight beer. Could be waiting in line at Heathrow for customs .... who knows. All I know is that right now, as the countdown is getting shorter, we are still in disbelief that we. are. going.

Will it ever truly hit us?

30th anniversary party // the people

When you are throwing a party, the most rewarding thing that you can do is look around mid-shindig and see the smiles + hear the swell conversation. You walk around cleaning the plates, refilling the drinks, making small talk, and snapping some pics of all their happy faces. For some reason, this was my favorite party. The attendees for my parents' party ranged from their brothers + sisters, nieces + nephews, mom + dad, kids, grandkids, and friends old and new.

Eli on the left and UJ on the right, both playing some croquet. (UJ loved playing with the 'hemmer'). 

My Grandma with my niece, Z (isn't this is sweetest?!).

We had a hammock out in the backyard for relaxing. Clearly, Chad is taking advantage of the break between fruit skewer and chicken salad duty.

One thing that I love about having a niece is that now I have someone in my life who wears headbands on a regular basis. 

My favorite ladies: Laura, Rachel (our adopted sister), my Mom (super pretty, right?!) and Z.

I spy a cute little grumper-pants in this family....

This is what I meant before -- seeing people have a fun time at the party you are hosting is the best. I loved seeing all their happy faces!

Not as much as I liked seeing their happy faces. I love this picture of my parents laughing that Chad took from right behind a tree.

It might have to compete for top billing of the night with this other picture that Chad took of my grandparents (who have been married 57 years) leaving their son's 30th wedding anniversary holding hands. I mean, does love get any better than this? In 57 years, I hope Chad and I are still holding hands and walking home from a family party, as blissfully in love as we are now.