USA

When America is at its best, our bond + our spirit… it’s unbreakable. – Jason Aldean It’s hard to be an American in Sweden in times of tragedy. Honestly, it’s just freaking been hard…

Helloooooo. Oh my goodness it’s so great to be typing on my beautiful little computer + preparing a post to share with you. THIS. This is what I love. And, while the little blogging…

I think that after a 4-day weekend, with summer weather pretty much every single day, I may actually be ready to go back to work today. Ok, ok. If summer vacation had actually already…

I’ve been at a loss as to what to say. Or how to say it. What I want to express, or even if I understand what I want to express. And, if I could…

two weeks ago, i was ready to pull an all-nighter. i had my wine, my popcorn, my twitter feed up on my phone, my tv tuned into the all-night swedish news, and my computer…

After settling in and sleeping on our first night in the beach house that we (and by we, I mean my awesome parents + awesome aunt and uncle who paid) were immediately in full…

Today’s the day! After 1 and a 1/2 years, or 18 months, we are headed back to the States for our summer vacation!! And it’s gonna be FOUR WEEKS of good ole American bliss.…

I’ve watched both of the videos. The ones where police, in two different states, shoot two black men within 24 hours. Two black men, who for all intents and purposes, we’re not posing a…

That’s right. I officially declare that summer 2016 has begun.  But I don’t think I’m alone in this.  Yes, we still have a couple of weeks until the summer solstice, the official official beginning…

today, i’ve got the day off – from now until monday actually!! – and the weather here in sweden is out of this world beautiful. with only about one month left before school is…

it’s the 4th of july! the day that americans have bbqs + shoot off fireworks like nobody’s business. it’s such a fun day, a highlight of the summer, for sure. people have taken off…

there was a time, my friends, that i called the african methodist episcopal zion church (AMEZ)  my home. and i am so proud to say that. that’s right. little ole white american girl me was…

but, this is no f*cking joke, people. this is for freaking real. a white man walked into an african methodist episcopal church in charleston, south carolina last night and killed nine people. murdered them. because they were…

2 0 0 9 / 2 0 1 0 five and a half years ago i married the most amazing woman. we got married in sweden, since she’s swedish. and, after 6 months of…

Yesterday I woke up, looked out my hotel window, and saw lots of snow! It was absolutely beautiful and I just knew that it would be a magical day of touring the city. And……

when you have two countries represented in your marriage, then you have the joy of living with two cultures. lina + i absolutely love having the opportunity to celebrate holidays by combining our two…

the best thing about thanksgiving (besides the food – nothing can care to the food!) is gathering together. it’s such a simple concept. just get together and enjoy. but, i love the word, gather. it…

wishing you + yours a beautiful day! light + love xx…

now that i’m living in the usa again, i’m all about road trips. and camping. and the wild west. you know, embracing life by living it simply. i’ve been lucky enough to visit the…

day two of our week-long disney world party continued at the amazing world of epcot – a place of imagination, science, techology, and international flair. and let me tell you, we soaked it all…

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” –  Marcel Proust on monday, my love and i headed over to the biltmore estate, a very popular american tourist…

you know, i’m lucky. in many, many different ways. but, today i am thinking about the joys and adventures i have experienced because i have had the privilege of traveling. and, on top of the travel journeys…

watch this video, and then read on…  most of y’all know that even though lina and i are legally married, our marriage is not legal or recognized in north carolina (where we now live)…

i am a news junkie. or nerd. or whatever you want to call me. and on sunday mornings in the states, if i’m home, i like to watch all the sunday morning talk shows.…

have i got a bunch of photos to share with you?  or have i got a bunch of photos to share with you! whew. i’ve got a bunch of pictures to share with you!…

hi y’all. i want to blog. desperately. but, i don’t know what to blog about. yes, my life is all new again living here in asheville. yes, it’s extremely exciting and all that. yes,…

it’s finally officially official… again. my love has her visa!! (which she actually got in june – from the american embassy in stockholm). but, the most important thing now is that it is valid…

“this is no momentary hyperventilation and liberal screaming match, this is a movement.” – rev. william barber in pack square, asheville. 5 august 2013. if you haven’t heard of moral mondays yet, you’re about…

july’s theme for belovelive’s photo journey was adventure… and what an adventure july has been! wow. i new it’d be crazy and amazing, and i knew what lay in front of me as the…

guess who’s gonna be an expat in her own home country? see you when i’m stateside!! peace & love.…

i celebrated the fourth of july with a few fellow americans in sweden for the first time this year. fun! of course, i have celebrated every year one way or another… last year was…

“Bottom line here: the federal ban on recognizing same-sex marriages is dead. California’s ban on recognizing same-sex marriages is dead. There are 12 states in the country where this is now legal, and the…

waiting on pins and needles today as the supreme court is slated to determine the fate of the love and marriages of many families, including mine. yes, they say that today the highest court…

well, by now, you all may know this…. but…. we’re moving to the states!!!! and now it is officially official. monday we were in stockholm because my love had her visa interview at the american…

in celebration of the news that lina and i have gotten an apartment in asheville (screams of joy & delight here!!! eeeeee!!!), AND in honor of the fact that i’m moving back to my…

i spent some cozy time with my love this afternoon. during our time together, she played some music on her phone, and pulled out an oldie. well, an oldie for us. a song and…

i’m under my covers, sipping on coffee, safe in sweden, while chaos is unfolding across the atlantic in boston, massachusettes. i’ve got a local boston tv station streaming live and i’m checking twitter every…

a few weeks ago, i found out that i was the winner of a little blog contest. yaaaay! now, you gotta know, i never ever have the good luck to win anything. but, one…

i’m gonna take a little break in the berlin posts now that i’m halfway through them. i have something even more important than travel to write about today. you may or may not know…

everything feels a little different now. i guess it’s because the secret is out. and everything is real. really real. we are so freaking excited about uprooting our life here in sweden, and moving…

i don’t know how to begin this blog. i’ve got news. BIG NEWS. HUGE NEWS. my heart is fluttering in my chest as these words appear on my screen. my breath is shallow. my…

last night my love and i did something new. something we had never even talked about doing before. i’m not sure what sparked the inspiration for this fun, new thing, but somehow my love…

forgive me, but i must share a little bit of my american pride. even though i’m way over here in sweden, i made sure to sit myself down in front of this computer screen…

shenanigans: silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief. my cousin has this word that she uses quite often, and when she was here just before christmas, she (we) used it quite a bit. “shenanigans.” awesome word,…

It’s December 26. Rain is falling outside my window. The christmas lights over the bed are lit. I’m sipping coffee & catching up on the morning happenings on GMA (Good Morning America). My love…

week three of my december photo challenge is now complete, and it has been so much fun to have a higher level of inspiration due to the change of scenery. yep. i’m posting from…

hey, folks! we made it! it’s a beautiful north carolina morning, we’re all rested (at least i feel that way right now. hehe.), and the adventures have already begun. well, we left a beautiful,…

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