July 30, 2012 Anyone who knows me even semi-decently knows one thing: I. LOVE. Food. Culinary exploration is one of my favorite parts (and biggest expenses *sigh*) of traveling and experiencing new cultures. Stop number two in my travels across Europe was Ireland. My grandmother--although US-born--was 100% Irish by blood; so as I left Barcelona and headed to Dublin, I was definitely looking forward to learning more about Irish culture.…

July 16, 2012Ok, I have a dirty little secret. No, it’s not that I’ve read the entire 50 Shades Trilogy. My secret is that I bought 50 Shades of Grey, the first book in the series, and gently turned each page so that I could return the book the next day. I wasn’t convinced that 50 Shades was worth the fuss or deserved to be on my bookshelf. The book…

July 2, 2012Culture shock. It’s one of those funny little phrases that are difficult to fully grasp; it’s hard to really nail down what it entails exactly—until you find yourself smack dab in the middle of it.  I would consider myself to be a somewhat “traveled” person. I’ve been to most of the major US cities (and some cornfields in between), hit the Caribbean a few times and went to…

June 18, 2012 I am not typically a reader of self-help books, but when I finally closed the pages of Celia Ward-Wallace’s A Woman’s Guide to Having it All: Life Lessons to Live By I somehow felt stronger. With 30 life lessons divided into 30 chapters, there’s a lot to learn from this certified life coach and inspirational speaker. Whether you are seeking a healthy relationship, a better job or just…

June 4, 2012In 2004, I left my hometown in Ohio for California. When I arrived to UC Berkeley for school, I always found myself daydreaming about leaving class and heading directly for the beach. Unfortunately, I was in for a rude, cold awakening... San Francisco, while beautiful, isn’t exactly the epitome of “Sunny California.”. So once I moved to Los Angeles, I vowed to make it to the beach whenever…