As you can see from the first post I wrote in 2017, I’ve owned this domain for a long time.

Even when I posted three years ago, the site never came to fruition because at that time I considered it to be lack of time, but what I now see was because it wasn’t a full fit for what I wanted this space to be.

This domain began with the idea to become an expat blog- to share my thoughts on my life living in the Netherlands. It is actually how I got started with blogging back in 2004 at a now defunct place called Journalspace. It was when blogging was extremely new & everything felt like a community. To this day, some of the friends I made on that global platform are still friends today, but I digress.

After that- I began my own various blogs self-hosted and they were mostly like online diaries, sharing my daily life, so that family and friends who were interested in what I was doing abroad could easily tap in. It was the days before smart phones and when international calling was expensive, which made it the perfect way to stay in touch ,outside of snail mail- aka handwritten letters. (Something I still love to this day.)

Once I created this domain and it sat and sat- I thought, why not start a food blog and share my love of food and culture. I was enthusiastic about this idea, but even then- it never came to fruition, because for whatever reason, something wasn’t right. It simply felt like a part of me, & I wanted something that encapsulated what I love the most- what brings me the most joy.

Enter 2017- which is still when I felt this would become a food blog- I went to London for my version 5.0 birthday, with my best friend since I was a teenager. She flew over- we flew to London and it was exactly how I wanted to enter this new half century of my life.

Several weeks after returning home, we were out at dinner with dear friends and my friends husband asked me. “What was your favorite thing about being in London?”

My response was something along the lines of: “You mean aside from being there with Samantha and all the obvious things I love about London? The people. I love the people. It is a cultural melting pot and I took the time to actually talk to people- from all over the world who were shop owners, shop workers, our sommelier at Dinner by Heston and the list goes on. Each had their own story to tell about how they came to be in London, and in by taking the time to have a conversation, it not only showed them that I was actually interested and ‘saw’ them as human beings, but it amplified the love I have for people and cultures.

At that point the ‘light’ didn’t go off in terms of me associating the two. Rather, life continued and I thought a baking blog would be best, since it’s one of my passions and it’s also what my small business is- baking & catering- all made from scratch and with love. So I started thinking about how I would develop recipes that I would save for my business, yet also share some for the blog & the lack of action and inability to find the exact balance I wanted told me to leave it until I knew.

That’s what I did.

Fast forward to 2020- The year that the world changed for ALL of us- Not only amidst the Covid pandemic, but the murders of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor & the realization that racism is still alive and well & it’s time to be more than not racist- it’s time to be anti-racist. I learned that for every little bit I thought I was aware of and knew- there was multitudes of information and history that I did not know- and it was my job to learn and do better. That when I say I love people- loving them isn’t enough. It’s important to be an ally and to stand up against discrimination of any type.

On the evening of July 1, I was sitting on the couch and I said to myself- “You know- you are healthy but you would be healthier if you started using the elliptical every day and got in more movement. ” So in honor of my birthday month- I promised myself that I would spend at least 30 minutes on the elliptical for the remainder of the month. I did- I’ve continued to do that through today, with a few exceptions- one when I was out of town last weekend and twice in the middle of a heatwave, but the other days- I’ve done it & I know this is just the beginning.

You may be wondering what on earth this has to do with anything, especially what it has to do with a blog- Well, all the aforementioned to share where the moment hit- in what I call ‘elliptical thoughts’ . I was having an extremely difficult day- and literally lost in thought throughout the entire workout, cryiing- and wondering how people can be so cruel to anyone who doesn’t look like them.

I thought back on one of my top five life moments- of when I moved here & was required to go to language school as part of my integration into Dutch life- It’s what I call and tell everyone who asks (and even some who don’t) that it’s the moment in my life when a- I realized just how ignorant I was & b-the moment I grew up.

I was the ONLY native English speaker in my entire SCHOOL. We took a test upon entering the school to be put into a class that would best suit us in terms of how we learn. They put me in the more advanced class & I literally had classmates from across the globe. All of us with the common goal of learning a language. What we gained was so much more- we learned about each others cultures- and how despite the differences at the core we were all the same. We all had stories that shaped our life lens, we’ve all suffered tragedies, some in more horrific ways than others (war etc) yet the common thread of humanity was the same- We all had beautiful family traditions that we carry with us. We all have traditional dishes that have a special meaning & we all love in a way that is unique to each of us.

Thinking of that during my work out- and I knew- This is my intention. To connect people through travel, stories, food and culture. It’s not a new concept- but it fully embodies who I am as a human being- someone who loves to learn, someone who is eternally curious & loves to try new things & someone who genuinely loves people.

Through this space I will not only share recipes from places that I travel along with a little of the history- but I will also share content from some of my favorite creators, whom I love and admire dearly.

So sit back- this is only the beginning and things are very rough around the edges-

If you know someone you believe would be a great fit for me to talk to- Please let me know.

Happy weekend!