When I was five years old, I faked sick for the first time. My kindergarten class had a field trip scheduled to the River Forest Police Station, and I was not about to subject myself to that. So instead, I told my mom I didn't feel well - told her I couldn't go to school … Continue reading China and the Internet and Going to Jail

Brave. It's a word I've heard a lot recently. Usually in the context of "wow, you're traveling around the world alone - that's so BRAVE." Perhaps especially because I'm a girl, this adventure I'm on seems to require (or elicit) a huge amount of courage and boldness and bravery. But it's a new adjective for … Continue reading Brave and Stupid

Recently, I've been listening to stories of storytellers - of makers and creators, photographers and insta-celebrities and beauty-capturers - of people who meet and love and react. People who are famous for seeing the beautiful and broken and hopeful and inspiring in the world and sharing it. It's partially because I have a lot of … Continue reading Risk and Joy and Life Lessons from Instagram-Celebrities

I have to have my heart broken. Regularly. On purpose. As often as I can, I take myself to the places where the broken, hurting, fallen pieces of the world are un-ignorable. Where they slap you across the face and demand to be recognized. I go to the places where pain and sickness and poverty … Continue reading Heartbreak and a Painfully Short Memory

Never have I ever been so thankful to not be in America during a political debate season. If you know me at all, you know that politics and I have a complicated relationship. And if you don’t know me, it pretty much boils down to this: I cry before I vote, but I vote anyway. … Continue reading Wars Are Happening and Donald Trump is a Contender for the President of the United States, but Glowworms Exist So Everything is Going to Be OK.

Last week I spent five days exploring Cusco, Peru completely solo. And if I'm honest, despite doing some really cool things and meeting some great people, I was missing having travel buddies to explore and adventure with me. I even started writing a blog about why traveling alone is tough. But then, Saturday. Saturday, I finally realized … Continue reading One Great Thing About Traveling Alone

If you learned anything from my previous blog, it's that I LOVED Machu Picchu. It's an absolute must-do in my mind, but it's also an expensive and complicated thing to plan. There are tons of tour agencies that will happily arrange everything for you (and honestly, this might be the best option for a lot … Continue reading How to Plan a Trip to Machu Picchu (without a tour agency): A step-by-step guide

Once I convinced Melanie and Andrea to come with me to Buenos Aires, I knew that I was in for an awesome adventure. With only a couple of days to explore this very big, very bustling city, we started our mission to hit up all the awesome sites and suggestions from friends and former Argentina residents. … Continue reading City Hike: Buenos Aires

Dear every friend of mine who has ever visited Machu Picchu - way to undersell one of the most amazing places in the world. After taking my own trip to Machu Picchu on Monday, I can safely say that I was blown away. It's worth the extended coordination required to get from Cusco to Ollanta … Continue reading Machu Picchu: A Love Story

For years, I have described my faith as one of jumping off of a cliff. As someone who has struggled (and continues to struggle because, really, these things are part of who we are) with anxiety for most of my life, the hardest part of following Jesus has always been giving up control. I am … Continue reading On Jumping, Part 2 (this time literally. off a cliff.)