Category: Wellness

Hawaii Honeymoon Part 1: Ballistic Missiles, and Craters, and Panic Attacks – Oh my!

Published on by Mariana1 Comment
IMG_20180113_134755951_HDR
Views from Diamond Head

I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. But to be honest, we landed on Hawaii as our honeymoon destination without too much thought. My parents gifted us use of their Disney Vacation Club points as a wedding gift, Disney has a resort in Hawaii, and Hawaii was (kind of) on the way back to Melbourne from Colorado. Tom and I briefly experimented with the idea of trying to add some sort of backpacking adventure in South East Asia to the trip, but it wasn’t feasible with the amount of leave we both had from work and the logistics of crossing an ocean with a giant wedding dress (my gown would be needed again for our reception in New Zealand a few months later). So just like that, Hawaii it was. And after saying goodbye to our family and friends who traveled from all over to meet us in Colorado, we packed up and headed towards the Pacific. Continue reading “Hawaii Honeymoon Part 1: Ballistic Missiles, and Craters, and Panic Attacks – Oh my!” →

[Featured Post] A Long Distance Love Story

Published on by Mariana16 Comments
10380635_10203426240112882_2651258834795720184_o
The first picture Tom and I ever took together at Playa Maderas, Nicaragua

The first time I met Tom we were in the living room of the house I had just moved out of in Granada, Nicaragua. I had been in the country for about a month already, but had been in Granada volunteering with La Esperanza for only 2 weeks. The house had four bedrooms shared between 16 volunteers from all over the world. Living there was a great way to meet people, but my nerves were a bit frazzled by the party-like atmosphere and the ever-growing pile of dirty dishes in the sink. So as soon as the opportunity arose, I moved out to a smaller house a few blocks away. Continue reading “[Featured Post] A Long Distance Love Story” →

Greetings from Melbourne (Finally!)

Published on by Mariana9 Comments
Beautiful Melbourne from across the bay
Beautiful Melbourne from across the bay (super low-quality photo thanks to crappy cell phone zooming!)

Well, in my last post I did say I needed a break – and here I am 2 months later finally getting close to feeling myself again. Continue reading “Greetings from Melbourne (Finally!)” →

I Graduated! Where I’m Moving Next

Published on by Mariana6 Comments
My cheering section on that happy day
My cheering section on that happy day

I did it!

To be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Graduate school is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The combination of an extremely rigorous course load and my incompatibility with New York City did not look great on me. Continue reading “I Graduated! Where I’m Moving Next” →

This is What Happens When Your Best Friend Visits New York

Published on by Mariana1 Comment

IMG_20160214_172843246

If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you’re probably pretty well-versed on my feelings about my current residency in New York City (Not caught up? You can read all about that here and here). It’s easy to get lost in the negatives of a place like this, but nothing is better for refocusing on the positives than playing tour guide for visitors. Continue reading “This is What Happens When Your Best Friend Visits New York” →

Warming Up to New York City

Published on by Mariana14 Comments

IMG_20151209_082343

Almost a year ago now I wrote my first post on what living in New York City was like for me. In summary: I find this city to be a constant struggle. Continue reading “Warming Up to New York City” →

The Truth About Traveling With Invisalign

Published on by Mariana15 Comments
Cleaning my Invisalign trays in the waters of gorgeous Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Cleaning my Invisalign trays in the waters of gorgeous Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Even though I had braces as a kid, my bottom teeth started moving towards crooked again almost immediately after I had them taken off. Continue reading “The Truth About Traveling With Invisalign” →

The Future of Mariana ‘On the Move’

Published on by Mariana3 Comments

IMG_20141108_170618_847

Watching the snow fall the last few days in Colorado has been bittersweet. Continue reading “The Future of Mariana ‘On the Move’” →

A + M 4E

Published on by Mariana5 Comments

 

(Yes, yes. This is a silly photo and this post was meant to be sarcastic.)

October 13th, 2011

Mazarife, Spain

Email between Austin and I during my time on the Camino de Santiago:

Mariana –

“There is graffiti all over the walls in this albuergue. My bunk feels a lot like summer camp. I sat for a while trying to think of something witty or meaningful to write on the wall. But I was too hungry to be poetic so instead I wrote ´Austin + Mariana 4Ever !!!!´ Now you can never dump me because our relationship has been immortalized as one that lasts forever on the bottom right bunk of room 3 in this albuergue. So there!”

Austin –

“M + A 4E.  Nice, you’re 12.”

We’d been dating a year and a half by that point. I was 22. Continue reading “A + M 4E” →

Recharged

Published on by Mariana1 Comment

IMG_20140428_135046_419

It’s officially spring in Colorado right now. And for those not versed in mountain life, let me clue you in: spring doesn’t actually bring all that many flowers. Continue reading “Recharged” →