Where am I now? What does IT mean?

July 3, 2016July 4, 2016TravelingLoveBug

December 29, 2014: The last blog post published to this page. WOW! Where have I been, and who am I now?! Although highly embarrassed at the thought of how much time has passed since fulfilling my passion of creative life-style writing, I have been doing a lot of living. And by living, I mean getting married, changing my last name, traveling (I guess I wouldn’t be the Traveling Love Bug if I didn’t), and making it happen each and every day. Wait a second, what do I mean by it? IT means life, IT means loving, IT means laughing, laughing really hard until I pee my pants (yes, that’s happened before too, and no, I’m not ashamed), IT means cherishing every moment, IT means taking in every day as if it were my last, and most of all, IT means slowing down and living for now. LIKE, RIGHT NOW, and that my friends, is what I have been up too.

Something special happens when I begin writing, and after re-vamping my page (you like?) and diving back into it, I have finally been able to put my finger on it. Reflection. Reflection happens when I begin writing. Why is this so important? If we don’t take time for ourselves to reflect, to be grateful, to re-imagine and dream, we don’t move forward. It is so hard to stop and take a second to breathe it all in, relax and enjoy. When we do this, we allow our bodies to fill with gratitude, re-charge and most importantly, dream. I have so much gratitude for God, my husband, my family, my best friends, and most of all this beautiful life. I love taking time to reminisce and remind myself how incredibly thankful I am to be living this wonderful life.

Photo by: Daniel Lateulade

Phot by: Daniel Lateulade

Reflections

December 29, 2014June 24, 2016TravelingLoveBug

2014 was my best year yet. Reminiscing all of the good that came out of 2014 is such an incredible feeling. Although a little emotional saying goodbye, I know 2015 will be even better because it’ll be action packed and full of people I love! I think the year-end calls for a plethora of self reflection: What did I do that made my year so great? Who contributed to my happiness? Who didn’t? Why was I so happy? How can I keep this feeling going forever?

Having a deep understanding of what makes you tick on a personal level grounds you. It makes you take a step back and prioritize your life. If something or someone makes you happy, fill your life with them/it. If someone takes away from your best self, drop them and move on (no really….move on). If only life was that easy, right?

I am not crazy (well most of the times I am, but I have never met an awesome person who wasn’t completely crazy in their own way anyways). I know life knocks you out of the driver seat more times than not; however, if you know in your heart of hearts what makes you happy, and you follow it, you are destined for eternal greatness and everlasting happiness. It took me a little bit of time to figure that one out, but I have never been happier since realizing it, and when I say realizing it, I mean truly internalizing and living by it.

What am I most thankful for this year?

Everyone I love is healthy, and for that I am eternally grateful.

As I reflect on 2014, and how special it was to me, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite pictures from each month this year, and the memory behind it. Read more →

What it’s really like to drive cross country from Florida to California

November 6, 2014June 24, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Wow! I can’t even believe it… Sean and I have been San Diegans for a whopping 13 days. We are FINALLY settled in, and our place is fabulous! More to come on our perfectly located condo in Cortez Hill, but if I can just say one thing, our view is on fire! Not only do we obsess over it on the reg, but the Tuck man is also in love. He has fully mastered the concept of city-living, people watching, and basking in the endless amounts of sunny yet perfectly breezy days.

Our road trip…oh the memories…it was LONG, fun, and full of Taylor Swift…Shake it off…Shake it off…only 36 more hours of driving to go! OH God. We enjoyed it.

I honestly cannot continue without giving the BIGGEST and BEST of props to my chauffeur of an amazing fiance, Sean. He drove 33 out of our 36-hour drive. Not only is he a keeper, but he is an angel sent from God to make our drive full of cabin fever or should I say “car fever” less daunting. But HEY, I offered to drive at least 3x each day. My gentlemanly fiance only let me drive when he mentally and physically needed a break. Somehow, he couldn’t seem to close his eyes and relax when I was driving…I dont understand? I am a GREAT driver! lol.

We segmented our drive over 4 days and 3 nights.

DAY ONE: West Palm Beach, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana

Split, Croatia: Extreme Canyoning on the Cetina River

September 19, 2014June 21, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Split, Croatia is an adventurer’s dream. Not only does it give you the ability to marvel at nature’s beauty, but you literally have the opportunity to do anything from hiking, zip-lining, kayaking, cliff jumping, rock-climbing to canyoning. Sean and I wanted to do something completely and utterly awesome while in Split…something out of the norm. While researching Trip Advisor and reading reviews, I stumbled across Adventure Omis , and I am so glad that I did. Ivan, our tour guide and one of the owners of the company took very good care of us. He was knowledgeable, down to earth, accommodating, and never once made us feel unsafe. While reading about the activities they had to offer, I knew Extreme Canyoning was for us. We had SOO much fun canyoning on the Cetina River. We swam through crystal clear natural pools and rapids. We cliff jumped into various lakes and waterfalls. We abseiled 164.5 feet along the side of the great Gubavica waterfall. It was fabulous! Words cannot describe the beauty we witnessed, or how crystal clear the water was as it rippled with each step. Pictures simply do not do it justice.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

September 18, 2014June 21, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs–Sean and I are back home in Florida. Needless to say, we already miss the beauties and spontaneity of Europe. We visited so many amazing places, made wonderful memories, and came back engaged! We couldn’t be happier. I will dedicate a post to our engagement later on, but as for now I will begin to share with you the amazing places we got to experience one by one. I hope you enjoy it!

Dubrovnik, Croatia is hands down one of the most beautiful AND interesting places I have ever been. Close your eyes, and imagine walking over a 1000-year-old mote, and then passing through a drawbridge wooden door, and finally entering a medieval town where all you see is a circularly enclosed castle with the most beautiful orange tiled roofs. From afar, the small town resembles the castle you imagined while reading Rapunzel as a child. While in Dubrovnik, you MUST MUST MUST walk the walls in Old Town to absorb the history of what was once Yugoslavia. The walls protected the town years ago during times of war, and you can find bullet/cannon holes while exploring. With each step, you immerse yourself into breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea, and you can’t help but put yourself back to a much simpler time.You also can’t help but imagine you are either Rapunzel or the Little Mermaid in one of the many GORGEOUS grottos. Read more →

Je’taime Paris

August 21, 2014June 21, 2016TravelingLoveBug

Can I just start off by saying, I love Paris! Like, I seriously love Paris. I know, I know, everyone says they love Paris; however, recently before leaving, I had multiple people tell me they were disappointed by Paris, they had bad experiences, the Parisians were not helpful, they hate Americans, blah blah. The list goes on. I just want to take a second to thank everyone who told me this because I went to Paris with an open mind, and because of this my expectations were not outrageously high like others might have been. I think this actually made Paris better for me. The city is so perfect with its wonderfully decorated Parisian style, its buttery and extremely flakey croissants, and don’t even get me started on the macaroons and baguettes. Almost every single person (besides 2 🙂 ) that Sean and I crossed paths with were extremely nice and helpful. We even had someone in the subway completely stop what they were doing, take off their headphones, and ask us if we needed help. I guess the extremely perplexed looks on our faces staring at the daunting subway map not only made us anxious, but made others around us anxious as well! lol. This really nice guy went out of his way to speak to us in broken English. He asked us-not the other way around. He ended up saving us 20 minutes, and a bunch of frustration by notifying us the line we wanted to take to Notre Dame stopped running at 5:00pm. It was then 6:30pm. Overall, we met really great people who gave us wonderful suggestions.

Sean and I did so many things in Paris. We were non-stop from the second we got there, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. On our first night out in Paris, we did a Viator Tour that took us to the Eiffel Tower for dinner, than an evening 1-hour Seine River Cruise tour, than tickets to the Moulin Rouge with complimentary champagne, which was amazing. Sean and I are STILL talking about that night. It was a little over 5 1/2 hours, and we were exhausted after, but it checked everything off our list. It also included transportation, and we got to chat with other couples around the world. We met a couple from Australia and a couple from Scotland, and both were wonderful! All in all it made for a great Parisian night out. Read more →

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

August 18, 2014August 18, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs! I am currently blogging to you from a train en route to Paris! Oui Oui! We spent two amazing days exploring Amsterdam, and let me tell you–I absolutely loved it. The city is gorgeous. I 100% believe the world has judged Amsterdam too quickly. I am guilty of it myself. The city is surrounded by canals, beautiful row houses, and wonderful shops with so much character and beautiful architecture overflowing into the streets. Before landing in Amsterdam, three words popped into my head about the city…what are they you ask? Well here, it goes: 1) Weed 2) Prostitutes in the Red Light District, 3) Canals. I owe an apology to the city of Amsterdam. I am sorry and I love you! Those words will never pop into my head again. My list has changed to: 1) Bikes on Bikes on Bikes 2) Pancakes and French fries, 3) Cute neighborhoods and the world’s most friendliest people. SO that was more than 4, but I have so many great things to say about Amsterdam. Dutch people are wonderful, and so willing to help. We harp too much on the negative when it comes to Amsterdam. To be perfectly honest, I never once felt threatened while walking around at night. We walked along the Red Light District, went into some Coffee Shops, and honestly enjoyed our time being in the moment. We took the train, and walked around the city at midnight. Never once were we scared. I have felt more scared walking around my hometown of West Palm Beach at night over Amsterdam. Amsterdam is an amazing city, and I highly recommend everyone make a trip to see how charming it truly is.

Is it just me or does this look like a theme from a Disney movie? It is so pretty! — Is it just me or does this look like a scene from a Disney movie? So charming and beautiful

Dream Chasers: Sean and Christina take Europe!

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Hi Love Bugs–boy do I have some amazing news for you…

Sean and I are taking on Europe! We are following our dreams, and paving our own path.

These 2 fun loving goofballs are ready to explore 18 cities in 8 AMAZING countries all within 32 DAYS! Wait, what!? YEP, it is really happening. There is a big bad world out there, and I am dying to live it, breath it, and see it. Travel awakens our soul, and we plan on taking full advantage of everything this wonderful life has to offer.

There is NOTHING in this world that makes me happier than knowing I am traveling the world with the love of my life. Saying I can’t wait is a serious understatement. I can’t imagine embarking on this journey with any one else. I love you, Sean Michael Campbell. AHHH I CANT WAIT to walk this world hand in hand with you! ❤

A Capitol 4th: Washington, DC.

July 7, 2014July 16, 2014TravelingLoveBug

Washington D.C. is a spectacular place. It is home to President Obama, Congress, and is the capital of the United States of America. I visited over the holiday weekend and stayed in the neighboring city of Old Town, Alexandria, VA with a wonderful friend from college. Old Town is a quaint little place, and one of the cutest I have ever seen. It is lined with brick sidewalks, gorgeous brownstones, and wonderful shops, and bakeries. I enjoyed walking up and down the walkways, and sightseeing around the historic buildings, and churches. In DC, we stopped by the White House, the Washington Memorial, the National Mall, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Building, the National Archives, the US Navy Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, China Town, the American History Smithsonian Museum, and the Natural History Smithsonian Museum. We also spent some time in Georgetown, which was absolutely amazing. It felt as if I stepped into a time machine and traveled back a few decades. Although the stores are new and modern, the architecture is old and historic. Georgetown was also lined with brick buildings, walkways, and brownstones.

Wonderful Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia and all of its quainty goodness: Read more →

A little piece of South West Florida

May 20, 2014May 20, 2014TravelingLoveBug

South West Florida is one of those places whose hidden gems will transform your whole experience of this quaint little place. The problem with it is, you have to know where to go at all times. You have to look for the hidden treasure, but once you find it, you always want more. If it isn’t completely obvious by now, the ocean drives me. It lights a passion in me that I cannot express. I am a complete and utter beach bum. There is something so fantastic about salty hair and sun-kissed skin. I just love everything about it. I love being a Florida girl. I love being blessed with the ability to sink my toes in the sand at any time.

I pretended to be on vacation this past week. I encourage everyone to be a tourist in your own town. You never know what you will come across! Plus, it is quite fun! Although pretending, I had a great reason driving my imagination. Sean’s family was in town visiting from Pittsburgh, and vacationed with us. We went out to dinner every night, enjoyed the perfect weather, and had so much fun catching up. This blog post will showcase our weekend from dinner at Nervous Nellies on Fort Myers Beach, to bar hopping the classiness of the good ole FMB, all the way down to a beachy pool day in Naples. We had sunshine, drinks, and great food. What more could you ask for?