My Journey in Blogging

6 years ago, that's roughly the amount of time I've been blogging. It all started with this blog, named "That One Girl." Back when mustard yellow was my favorite color, and my hair was the likely the longest it's ever been, and just a few months after I had met Ken, the boy who I was falling in love with and would later marry - that's when I began writing online journal entries on a more consistent basis. I was still in my early 20s and creating dance videos with my friends and sisters. (Remnants of that era can be found on youtube, although Lord-willing, those videos are hard to locate.)

I was young and naive. Although I had traveled internationally twice by the time I was 16, I was still unfamiliar with living on my own aside from college. The year I began blogging more frequently, I moved from Maui to Seattle with my cousin Isaac. Together we shared a 450 square-foot apartment and nearly killed each other. We fought like siblings and conversely, enjoyed the stability and safety net of having a friend and family member close by as we both got used to living in the city. Isaac and I spent those warm September days biking around Seattle, enjoying steaming-hot gyros and fresh donuts at Pike Place Market. It was my first "Indian Summer," and a welcome transition into big-city living. I can still smell the pungent aroma of fresh peonies and dahlias in neighborhood gardens, and hear the giant cranes lifting building materials at the construction sites near our apartment. Everything seemed radiant and alive. I loved the energy of the city and being able to walk right downtown. Puget Sound is beautiful, and helped keep me grounded during those long, winter days. Its vastness reminded me of living near the Pacific Ocean, during my childhood and in college.

In January 2010, Ken moved to Seattle after completing his time in Iraq. We got married and nearly a year and a half later, I started this blog, "Lettuce Give Thanks" as a platform for giving thanks by sharing stories and recipes. I feel like I've grown so much as a writer and a cook these past few years. Likewise, this year Ken and I will greet our first child, a baby girl, in March and celebrate our 5th anniversary in August. We now live in The Last Frontier, which looks quite different than the bustling city where we spent our newlywed years. I'm so grateful for where God has brought us, individually and as a couple, as we continue to seek after His heart. My prayer is that our stories will be a blessing and a continued way for us to give thanks for all that God has done and is doing.

In the words of C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite authors, "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

Greetings from Mexico!

Mexican Babymoon!

Buenos Dias, Amigos!

Greetings from the tropical seaside town of Riviera Nayarit, just north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I'm watching the sunshine envelope the sky, as I glance out our balcony doors, and enjoying the swaying palm branches as they dance in the morning breeze. It's a little below 70-degrees outside, and we're gearing up for another 85-degree day here in Mexico.

Ken and I stumbled upon this Costco destination package a few months ago, after reaching the disappointing conclusion that it was too expensive to travel to Maui this winter to see my family. It's ironic to me that visiting another country would be cheaper than visiting my own. And yet, in needing a hefty dose of Vitamin D (in the form of sunny skies and warm beaches) after living more than a year in Alaska, we decided to try out a place new to both of us: Mexico.

Together, Ken and I have traveled to eight countries in the past four and half years of marriage, which includes Western Europe and Canada. Before meeting each other, we had separately visited countries such as Japan, Korea, Australia, Africa, and Iraq. Somehow, neither of us made it to Mexico - we hadn't really thought of going there. Particularly since I was from Maui, and Hawaii is a tropical paradise in and of itself, I never thought of Mexico as anything new. Also, with all the border issues and drug cartels I’d seen in the news over the years, I was also very hesitant to travel to a politically/socially tense environment.

And yet my perspective has shifted greatly in recent months. Yes, there are dangerous places in Mexico and yes, it’s probably best not to travel to those places as a tourist – but there are also very tourist-friendly cities, that thrive off of tourism in the same way that Hawaii does. In researching and preparing for this trip, I noticed that Mexico has so much beauty and richness, culturally and physically. The beaches are lovely, and much like Hawaii’s. The people I’ve come across are overall, warm and welcoming. They are also fascinated in finding out that we traveled all the way from Alaska.

“Alaska es muy frio!” We hear that a lot.

While I’m not sure when we will journey back to this area, I’m so glad that we took this opportunity to have our “Babymoon” getaway here. It reminds me of how much I love different cultures and people groups. What a diverse world we live in!

Here are some photos of our time here in Mexico. Ken and I have spent our time here relaxing, swimming, kayaking, body-boarding, eating fresh fruit, walking the beach, and exploring the local towns.

For now, adios!