Oh hello…
I was raised by the ocean, but my heart longed for the mountains.
Born and bred in Manhattan Beach, California, I should have grown up surfing and playing beach volleyball, but instead, I dreamt of skiing. My snowboarding addiction wasn’t a surprise for my family, who started me on skis at age 3. But the need to reorganize my life around it was. Growing up, we took family ski vacations with my grandfather, who was just as crazy on the slopes as he was in the cockpit of a WWII airplane. My obsession wasn’t that far-fetched, it was in the family.
I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder Journalism School with 100 days of skiing under my belt. Armed with a degree, a pretty vague sense of what I was supposed to do next, and an insatiable sense of wanderlust, I packed a bag and a one-way ticket, solo, to Australia.
I had caught the travel bug. Throughout my childhood, our family traveled often, but nothing had prepared me for the experience of solo travel as a 22-year-old female. I started writing about my travels, from hitchhiking through Australia to hopping trains and visiting temples across Southeast Asia to buying a cheap car and road-tripping through New Zealand, where I eventually settled and skied for two winters.
New Zealand stole my heart through its jaw-dropping scenery and Asia spoke to my soul with its vibrant food and culture. Travel is about taking your time and immersing yourself in a place. I’m all about the slow journey, whether that means taking the scenic route in the car or watching the world unfold from a train.
Leaving New Zealand after spending two winters there was tough, but Colorado’s towering peaks and epic powder eventually drew me back stateside. But not without another travel detour before home.
I returned to the U.S. and couldn’t resist the call of the Vail Valley—the mountains, the people, the magic. I met my husband here, set down roots, and started a family.
It took awhile to jump into freelance writing and creative work. But when I looked at my two young sons, I knew they could do anything they wanted in life. Turns out, kids are pretty good life coaches—they inspired me to leap toward freedom and flexibility.
When I’m not writing my next assignment, styling shoots, or collaborating with brands and businesses, I’m on the hunt for adventure. Whether I’m chasing fresh powder, pedaling cross-country mountain bike trails, trail running through the woods, road-tripping in our camper (current edition: Grandby FourWheel Camper), exploring foreign countries, wandering through new cities, I prefer to get off the beaten path with my husband, two little boys, and our husky-shepherd pup.
No matter where I wander, I’m always looking for new stories to tell.
