- Adventures Around the Globe and at Home -


Hi I'm Julie!  I am a Pacific Northwesterner now living in Washington, D.C. -  in a very fascinating historic suburb to be precise.  My philosophy for life is to keep it balanced between being a responsible person and having fun!

TRAVEL:  I was bitten by the travel bug in high school when I studied abroad for a summer in France, living with a host family in Marseille.  I still can't believe I was only 17 and speaking a foreign language fluently.  While that was my first world/overseas adventure, it wasn't going to be my last.  I spent my third year of college abroad, going to school in England, which afforded me many opportunities to roam around the U.K. and to hop over to mainland Europe.  I think this was the time when I learned that there are sometimes benefits to traveling alone, including that it forces you to meet new people.  I spent five weeks backpacking on a Eurorail pass, and I met so many amazing people along the way through the youth hostel scene - a sword swallowing/fire breathing street artist in Barcelona, international ski bums in Chamonix, and Canadians taking over Balmers in Interlaken to name a few.  It was also in college when I learned to appreciate a good road trip - traveling across the country three times going to and from school in the U.S.

ADVENTURE:  I also grew up with many friends who exposed me to all new experiences and gave me a drive to learn more and try more.  There was my friend who took me to my first indy car race and started my obsession with speed.  My guy friends in high school who taught me more than I needed to know about aggressive driving techniques, which contributed to that obsession as well.  In Washington D.C., it almost seems like everyone is somehow connected, and I meet so many interesting people with various backgrounds that I can't ever see myself getting bored.  These people encourage me to get out and do new things that may, initially, be out of my comfort zone, but I end up liking.  SCUBA diving is a great example of that.  I got certified because my good friend and her husband were both certified, and they wanted to expose me to something they loved when I visited them in Malaysia that fall.

CREATE:  Besides travel and adventure, I also find a lot of enjoyment in using my imagination and creativity.  Whether it's putting together furniture from IKEA, deciding on home decor, fixing things in the house, making greeting cards, baking and decorating desserts, helping plan parties or hosting parties of my own, painting, sewing, knitting.....the list can go on and on because I'm open to trying anything crafty that makes bits and pieces of nothing much into something amazing.  My creativity also stretches into my love of music, of singing (I can't go a half hour in the car without breaking out into song), playing piano, and learning guitar and mandolin.    

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To sum it up:   I love the fact that I'm a "jack of all trades and a master of none." I love to learn new things, try new experiences, and explore the world through adventures big and small.  And now that you know more about my background, you will see how I'm using this blog to inspire my journey towards becoming a better, more enriched person - continuing my pursuit of travel, adventure, and creativity.  And as a result, I hope my stories serve to inspire others to action as well.

LEARN: Expand your mind through cultural activities, new skills, and experiences

LIVE: Create and make your life the best it can be - cooking, baking, crafting, building, fitness, eating out, reading, anything!

EXPLORE: My quest to see the world, one bit at at a time! Stories and tips on my adventures to different corners of this giant planet. Plus tales of my explorations in and around the U.S., including fun and sometimes off the beaten path things to do in my hometown of Washington, D.C.