Two Wandering Soles

We're home in Oregon after a super action-packed 3 weeks in Norway, and I don't even know where to start. This was truly a dream trip, and I'm still kind of in disbelief that it actually happened. If you're curious about where we went and what we did in Norway, keep reading for a more detailed update! In today's email: Norway trip update European Christmas Market tips Norway trip update (+mini guide) We have lots of Norway content in the pipeline (so excited about it!), but for now, I'll give...

Black Friday is just around the corner, but we think one of the best sales around is happening NOW (& will be over before Black Friday hits, FYI)! Did you know? A few years back, REI famously decided to close their retail stores on Black Friday to encourage people to get outside (rather than standing in lines!). Love that! But that doesn’t mean you can’t find deals this time of year. You just have to shop EARLIER. Aka now! REI Co-op's Winter Sale details: Sale dates: November 15 - 25, 2024...

🔥 Hot take: Fall is the absolute BEST time to visit Japan. (I said what I said, and I stand by it.) 🍁 Autumn in Japan means: comfortable temperatures ahhh-mazing foliage good chances of seeing Mount Fuji What more could you ask for? We created a full guide to planning a trip to Japan in autumn: where to see the best fall colors what to pack what kind of weather to expect fall-specific tips Tips for Visiting Japan in the Fall! Did you know: Fall foliage typically peaks in Japan later than in...

This past weekend, we went on a campervan trip and met my parents along the way! Our destination was the southernmost part of the Oregon Coast (Samuel H. Boardman), which is an area we haven’t been to since 2017. Snap of us at Indian Sands Trail. I'm 25 weeks pregnant! We did a little hiking, had campfires, and Juniper made us all laugh a lot! She’ll be turning 3 in a couple of months, and she is at such a fun age! As I'm coming towards the end of second trimester of pregnancy, I'm starting...

Three days ago marked 11 years of marriage for us 💜 And I’ve got to say, we weren’t in a bad place to celebrate! Because I’m feeling a little nostalgic today, here are a few pictures from our big day back in 2013. Looking back on our first decade+ of marriage, I feel so incredibly lucky. During the last 11 years, we’ve: lived in 3 US states 5 different countries taught English in South Korea worked at a ski resort built 3 campervans from scratch got into hiking & backpacking (& certified in...

Whew, after a very long travel day night... (I don't even know what time it is right now!)... we juuust arrived in Oslo! I truly can’t wait to fill you in on everything and share what we get up to. We've heard really mixed things about Oslo. Some people have said it's one of their favorite cities, while we've also received messages from people who seriously disliked it. I'll be honest and tell you we aren't big "city people". (If you've been here for a while you probably already know that!)...

We leave for Norway in less than a week, and I’m feeling all the feels. Overwhelmed because we still have packing to do and a bit of planning to finalize. Anxious for a long-haul flight with a 2.5-year old. Yep, even though we’ve been on more than 50 flights with Juniper, I still get some butterflies. Nervous that we’re taking on a lot: a jam-packed trip with a toddler + working (aka creating content!) the whole time. All while pregnant! Packing progress so far... clothes for 3 people for 3...

Wow. I just want to take a minute to thank everyone who reached out after we shared some hard stuff last week. We may not have the time to get back to everyone, but we have read every single message and your support and kind words truly mean so much to us right now. We are trying to pack in all the things before Ben’s surgery (which is 1 week from today). Alllll the house (and yard!) projects. Lots of work stuff. Last (for now!) meals Ben won’t be able to eat for the next several months. And...

If you’ve been reading our emails over the last 3 months you may have noticed that we haven’t been quite as upbeat as usual. We've alluded to the fact that we are going through some stuff behind the scenes but kept things pretty vague. We needed space to process everything privately before we shared publicly. Now, we feel ready to share more. It’s too much to explain everything in an email, so last week we sat down and recorded a video that goes over what we’ve been going through over the...

We spent the weekend doing yard work, bringing Juniper snowboarding for what might have been the last time this season, and Ben participated in the Orange Theory Dri Tri (running, rowing, & weights)! I'll brag on Ben's behalf (because he won't)... he absolutely crushed it and finished in 35 minutes 42 seconds (aka very fast!). This morning, it dawned on me that April is flying by. It's my birthday week (yay!), which always means summer will be riiight around the corner. If you're like us and...