Stephanie

Stephanie and Andras

Stephanie

We initially joined Travelblog to chronicle our summer-long trip in '07, and have since continued to blog about our domestic adventures. Still keeping our eye on the prize, though, and trying to save for our round-the-world adventure.

We're also members of Couchsurfing - if you're coming through the Bluegrass area, check our CS Profile. We're happy to serve as your Lexington ambassadors!



North America » United States » New York » New York March 23rd 2015

I've often joked to my managers that I always have a 'go-bag' ready. If there's any literal truth to the statement, it's that my full suitcase often sits on the floor for weeks after a trip because I'm as much of a procrastinator at un-packing as I am at packing, but mostly I say this to imply that I'm always up to travel for an assignment, whether across the state or across the world. Naturally, when a last-minute request for a instructor in Oman landed in my in-box, I jumped at the opportunity. One Skype call later and I was told to book a flight; I was going to be spending the next month or so abroad. And that's when I remembered my passport had expired. Oh $%!#. Back in August, I verified that I had ... read more
Gratuitous NYC Photo
US Dept of State Passport Services
NYC in March

North America » Mexico » Jalisco » Tequila September 3rd 2014

"You can have a much as you want, or as much as you can, whichever comes first." So said Micky, our guide, as we sidle up to the bar at what would be the first of many distilleries. The last time I took a shot of tequila was in Chicago, after which I did a cheerleading routine on the sidewalk outside the W hotel lounge for a well deserved renumeration of $10. I only vaguely remember the instigator of this debacle drunkenly following us back to our room and being surprised at how the night had progressed widely off target as Andras firmly, and I'm hoping politely (though I doubt it mattered at this point) coaxed her back into the hallway and shut the door. Tequila: Drink Judiciously. Still, one does not venture to the heart ... read more
Church Bells of Zapopan
Jarritos at El Arenal
Volcan de Tequila

North America » Mexico » Jalisco » Guadalajara August 24th 2014

There was a time when "bucket lists" were required elements of high-school health ed classes; I imagine the exercise of penning fifty life goals was intended to make us focus on the future and to underscore the rippling effect of actions taken in youth convince us not to make stupid choices. Unsurprisingly, mine more or less morphed into an ad nauseum list of places to visit, though somewhere along the way I switched gears, slightly, and decided how I'd finance these endeavors: "Get a job that pays me to travel." Brilliant. Standing in line to board my flight to Guadalajara - ticket in hand booked through my company, lengthy instructions for how to file my expense report packed away - I can only think about how I am actually, finally, can't hardly believe it's true, traveling ... read more
Everything is Better with Lime
Mexican Herbs
Doors of Guadalajara

North America » United States » Tennessee July 18th 2014

Barbeque. Barbecue. BBQ. No matter the spelling, like a number of other American heritage foods, it has re-emerged onto the food scene carrying along new wave of smoked meat connoisseurship. Regional variations have always existed and been hotly debated - the whole hog of the Carolinas, beef in Texas, dry rubs or tomato sauces or vinegar marinades - but I've often found the search for the superlative "best" to be a largely futile one. For what we imaginatively decided to dub the "BBQ Tour" the rules were simple: three days to make it round-trip, only eat at BBQ diners, try as many different styles and visit as many different iconic locations as possible. No judgements, only assessments. The impetus for the trip was largely just to get away, and after crowd-sourcing possible destinations, a quick loop ... read more
Cords of Wood
Ridgewood BBQ
The smokehouse


It's mid-afternoon and I'm flopped face down on the bed whining that "I just don't know how to be at the beach." Others seem to immediately blend into the beach-scape the moment their toes hit the sand, but I feel like an interloper. To further complicate matters, I'm already worrying about how I'm going to frame this trip when I get home. Absolutely no sympathy is given to those having a miserable time at a beach; you are, after-all, at "the beach," in all its exposed, sandy, relentlessly windy, quintessential glory. But I can't get out of my head long enough to have a frolic-y good time. I had made the erroneous assumption that because this long string of barrier islands on the eastern edge of North Carolina is maintained by the National Park System, it ... read more
Sunrise over the Atlantic
At the Beach
Magnificent Sky

North America » United States » Kentucky » Lexington September 15th 2012

On September 15th, in the heart of the Bluegrass, flanked by historic brick colonials and shaded by a tall maple tree, Andras and I were finally married! We opted for a small, intimate ceremony combining a blend of natural beauty with southern elegance. In the weeks and months before, I'd busily hit the corners of the country again - Seattle for a bridal shower, New York to pick up the wedding dress - while Andras was out of the country in Mexico. The days prior were filled with last-minute errands, picking up family at the airport and finalizing arrangements for the rehersal dinner, watching the weather forecast call first for rain, then for thunderstorms, then for severe thunderstorms strickly limited to the hours our wedding was to be held outdoors. And somehow, everything was perfect. Up ... read more
In front of the Mayors House
The Making of a Bride
Socks and Shoes

North America » United States » New York » New York » Manhattan July 4th 2011

Happy Birthday America! Wow. Over 40,000 shells in an array of colors ranging from the predictable red, white and blue to the dazzling gold and silver shimmers and even green, orange, turquoise and purple, juxtaposed with the black inky waters of the Hudson and the steel and concrete skyline of Manhattan. These pyrotechnics were certainly part of the largest fireworks we’ve ever seen. Andras even stated (unprompted, mind you) that a day spent sitting on a New Jersey sidewalk was well worth it, and that he was very glad we didn't decide to call it quits when it started getting hot and we were looking to run out of a water. That should tell you how amazing this was. Because we found ourselves in a major metropolitan area this 4th of July, we decided to fore-go ... read more
Waiting for the Fireworks
So Many Colors!
Towards the finale...


Yes, literally in the footsteps - or wagon tracks as it were - of the America pioneers, expanding across the Great Plains and deserts to the valleys of the west, all in the name of Manifest Destiny. We were, naturally, doing things backwards, having started (both in terms of this trip and of life) in the Northwestern corner of the country and traversing eastward, relocating much of our stuff from Seattle back to Kentucky. "Hold on just a moment," you say. "Weren't you living in New York? And didn't you join Travelblog in the first place because you were making an epic cross-country move from Kentucky to Seattle?" How very astute of you, good reader. Yes. We were and we did. But life, just like a neatly planned itinerary, rarely goes as planned. If we're lucky, ... read more
Where to?
Register Cliff
North Platte River


The last time we drove through Montana and Yellowstone we were embarking on our "once in a lifetime" roadtrip. And yet, here we are a few years later driving along in the same car, the same roads, same life. It's comforting to be reminded that wonderous places and grand adventures don't have to be singular experiences; just because you only have one life, doesn't mean you only have to live once. You can (should) live everyday and make the most of even the most trying circumstances. That philosophy was how we found ourselves rising to the calls of wild geese, rather than the buzz of a cheap alarm clock at the nearest motor-inn. This go-around Yellowstone wasn't even an intended destination. But after scrutinizing the roadmaps yesterday we figured we ought to take advantage of its ... read more
Mammoth Hot Springs Travertine
Mule Deer
Bison

North America » United States » California » San Diego May 21st 2011

From the northeast to the southwest, two days after my graduation in New York City we flew 2,500 miles down to San Diego to attend my sister's. Everytime I go to southern California I'm struck by the difference in culture, and not in a particularly pleasant way. Maybe it's residual childhood resentment - us laid-back Pacific Northwesterners, with our messy hair, flannel covered arms and sock-filled sandals, standing ground against the influx of carefull coifed bleached-blond, busty, bikini babes and hard-bodies migrating north during the real-estate dot com boom of the early 90s. As kids we would roll our eyes at California license plates. "Oh they're from California..." Pushy. Stuck up. Superficial. Can't drive. And honestly, parts of San Diego remind me exactly why we used to say that. But I do like to believe that ... read more
Flower of the Naked Coral Tree
Hotel del Coranado
Mission Beach




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