Texas is a big place. It’s still difficult for my Michigan brain to fully comprehend the vastness of the state. The result is that even “short” trips from one city to another can be three-to-eight hours of driving – Houston to El Paso is over ten hours. Like I said, it is an incredibly large

During our trip to the French Riviera, we knew that we were very close to northern Italy. On arrival, however, we were very surprised to discover just how close. Over the course of the trip, we had our share of beach days, day trips to charming French villages and lots of long afternoons sipping wine

This summer, three days after saying our “I dos”, my husband and I (with my six-year old son) embarked on our honeymoon. We had booked rooms and restaurants and rental cars in Calabria, Italy. But … the airfare never came down to a manageable level. About four months before the trip, I had canceled everything

In Houston, TX, summer is the season of storms. Unexpected rain, the sky grows dark in moments and in the distance, the sudden sound of thunder. And then, lightning lights up the sky like a jagged scar. The wind is ever present in Houston and angry – unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in Michigan or

Let me start by saying that when I moved from Flint to Texas in the summer of 2008, I really didn’t know anything about it. Texas was not a place of interest to me before I needed a job and the whole state seemed to be hiring, whereas Michigan was not. I guess I imagined

For our spring UK trip, the main point of interest for my five-year-old son, Arthur, was the promise of a visit to the National Railway Museum in York. It was the carrot dangled before him to inspire good behavior, push through difficult kindergarten days and the highlight of many conversations in the months preceding the

Sometimes, the best laid plans really do go quite awry. And if they have the opportunity to spin terribly out of control in a foreign country, then of course, there is every chance that they will. Last month, we traveled to London and arrived on a Sunday morning. None of us had slept on the

Sometimes, a simple afternoon trip “away from normal” can make a world of difference. Especially when your budget is strapped a little from other trips looming on the horizon, but you need to get out of town. We were recently faced with just such a situation. The Houston weather had been a little too close

I’m going to be a June bride. I’m getting married this summer (technically late spring), and we’ve been aflutter with wedding planning. Or, I guess I should say he’s been doing a lot of the planning for the actual wedding, while I’ve been busy planning the honeymoon. You can’t take the travel out of the

Recently, my fiancé surprised me with a trip to Siesta Key. Even though we live in Texas, a trip to sunshine-filled southern Florida sounded like the perfect break during the stressful holiday season. I’d never been to Siesta Key, or any of the Keys actually, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. We hopped on

In early November we found ourselves, once again, in the car on our way toward another mini-adventure. Because my fiancé is a recent transplant to Texas from Michigan, I feel a tremendous duty to familiarize him with his new home. The only problem is that Texas is gigantic and there are lots of places to

Sometimes, the best kind of adventures are the ones you didn’t even know existed. A little off the beaten path, a little unfamiliar, but so worthwhile once you get there. Recently, my fiancé and I were looking for a vacation. We weren’t sure what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go, we