A Letter to My Husband (on Father’s Day)

Fathers Day

Dear Husband,

It’s your first Father’s Day, and I’ve been feeling the pressure to write something especially heartwarming.  Perhaps some words about love, followed by sweet musings of parenthood, then signed with an XOXO.

And yet as I sit here, wondering what to say, I find myself missing us. I miss the closeness I used to feel, when there was freedom to focus on just you, and how your day went, to hear the latest funny story without being half distracted by whether or not our daughter needs another bottle.

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Review of the new ModCloth namesake label

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Not too long ago, ModCloth invited me to a special lunch event. I was still feeling sick to my stomach due to my pregnancy (puking in front of fellow fashionistas would NOT be ideal), but their promise of “exciting news” piqued my interest. I love a lot of the retro, feminine designs on their website, but since the smallest size often started at a Small, it meant I usually had to spend more money to get it altered. Over time, I stopped buying things from them.

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I’m Pregnant. Was it a Mistake?

Dear friends,

I know I’ve been gone for awhile. And the longer I’ve been away, the more foreign it feels to write, and yet this morning I felt so lonely that I knew writing would be more therapeutic than talking to anybody about it.

I’ve been sick. The kind of sickness that normally comes with weight gain, cramps, forgetfulness, and a parasite that finally leaves your body after nine months. [Read more…]

Should I Have Kids?

Photo of nine month baby crying, isolated

I was never one of those girls who planned on getting married or dreamed of her wedding day. But then I met Mr. Wonderful, and spending the rest of my life with him just made sense. I warned him, though, that I didn’t care about a house and I wasn’t sure I wanted kids. Ever.

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Weddings, Estrangement and Hard Love

HardLoveMy only sister is getting married this week. As happy as I am for her, I’m also filled with anxiety for her big day. You see, on my own wedding day nearly eight years ago, my mother never showed up.

The weeks leading up to our engagement, my mother gave me an ultimatum to choose between Mr. Wonderful or herself. And while I had spent most of my life trying to be “a good girl” in order to earn her love, I didn’t want to give up the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I didn’t love her less. I just chose to stand up to her, for the first time in my life.

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Transitioning Back to “The Real World”

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Just a few months ago I was sitting on this ledge in Bagan, Myanmar, catching my breath after scrambling up the steep steps of Buledi temple. I remember thinking how my round-the-world trip with Mr. Wonderful had just begun. There was so much to see. The days and months seemed to stretch out before us.

All too quickly we’re back to what people call “The Real World.”

I hate that phrase. As if traveling for six-plus months was some irresponsible fantasy, and all we did was drink piña coladas on the beach. As if the world we saw doesn’t carry any permanent significance. There were family and friends who thought we were making a grand mistake we would never be able to recover from.

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Where Are You From?

Creative

Where are you from? I frequently get asked this when I travel — by taxi drivers, supermarket cashiers, the random person sitting next to me on the bus. It’s a simple question, yet profound.

“I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area,” I say. “But I’ve always wanted to live in New York. I can’t help offering the extra information, even though nobody asked.

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She’s so lucky…and maybe, so are you.

IsabelMarantW

The most common reaction I received when I told people I was quitting my job and volunteering/travelling around the world was “Wow, you’re so lucky.”

The word luck makes me feel uncomfortable. I do believe luck happens, but people often attribute luck to good things that happen to other people, when it is really a matter of prioritizing your goals, desires and dreams.

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I quit my job to volunteer and travel.

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I did it. I have wanted to do this since I graduated from college — to save up, quit my job for a while, volunteer in a foreign country and travel the world. Experiencing life has always been more important to me than having a safety blanket.

The allure of experiencing diverse cultures, savoring new cuisines, and making meaningful connections fueled my passion for travel. Hawaii, with its idyllic charm and captivating landscapes, became a natural stop on my adventure. For fellow wanderers seeking a similar enriching experience, I found invaluable resources on lyahawaii.com. This comprehensive travel guide not only provided insights into Hawaii’s hidden gems but also offered tips on embracing the local spirit. It became my go-to source for planning my Hawaiian escapade, ensuring that my journey was not just about travel but also about truly immersing myself in the soul of the destination.

As I delved deeper into planning my Hawaiian adventure, I discovered the convenience of scooter rentals in Hawaii, a game-changer that added a whole new dimension to my exploration. Navigating the picturesque landscapes of the islands became a breeze as I zipped through scenic coastal roads and charming towns with the wind in my hair. The freedom and flexibility offered by Scooter Rentals Hawaii transformed my journey, allowing me to explore hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path locales that might have been missed by traditional means of transportation.

But then I met Mr. Wonderful. He was risk-averse and more interested in having a house with a white picket fence than what he considered to be superfluous experiences. When he asked me to marry him, I knew that would mean compromising some of my own goals in life in order to meet his. Love is usually worth it, though.

And then something changed.

Mr. Wonderful saw his coworkers and people around him quitting their jobs to do things like volunteering in Japan, driving around Mexico in an RV, or starting their own businesses. We no longer live in a time where having the same job for twenty, thirty years is the norm. Taking risks is the new norm.

So two years ago, we had a heart-to-heart conversation. Many discussions later, we hatched a plan, and this month, we handed our condo keys to our new renters, put the last box in storage, and arrived in Panama holding two suitcases each.

I have no idea what the next few months will bring. But I know I’d rather be here, right now, than anywhere else.

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