I was born in the Bay Area and moved to sunny Southern California in middle school. I studied French throughout high school and captured a glimpse of the world in a short visit to Europe with a student tour.
I met my Georgia-born future husband at college in Boston, but of course he crossed the country to start a job in San Francisco while I jetted off to France for a year abroad. Absence made our hearts grow fonder and our future travels together were cemented after he proposed on the Pont des Arts in Paris. Swoon. We spent several years in San Francisco with jaunts around the world before coming to what I hope is our forever home in Seattle.
We welcomed Julia into the world almost 5 years ago and saw no reason to stop exploring or traveling just because we had a baby. She took her first flight at 2 months old and has been charming the pants off flight attendants and hotel staff ever since. Baby brother James had no choice but to join the party when he arrived in 2019. I need to leave the house at least once a day to feel sane, so I also love exposing them to the rich culture and green space right here in Seattle.
While my background is in accounting/finance (thus the obsessive Excel spreadsheet travel planning), I paused my career to stay home with the kids after James was born. Needing something that was “mine,” I started doing some freelance writing for local parenting magazines. Most of the content focuses on our Seattle-based adventures, but I also enjoy amplifying the work of some of the amazing local organizations and change makers in our area (like this piece about new parent support orgs during the COVID pandemic). You can see my work here:
Suitcases In Seattle 