We had our baby 💗 (& we have lots to share!)

We welcomed a brand new baby on January 24th, and we’ve been in a (mostly) blissful newborn bubble ever since.

It has been a wild — and simultaneously slow — few weeks for us. But I finally have a chance to sit down at my computer and write.

(To tell you the truth, it has taken me several sittings to just complete this one email!)

Here’s the short story...

It’s a GIRL!

Her name is Senya.

And we are all smitten.

Mom, Baby, Dad and Big Sister are all doing great.

We’re soaking in lots of newborn snuggles and trying to adjust to life as a family of 4 (and a whole lot less sleep than we’re used to!).

Want the long version with all the juicy details? And lots of PHOTOS?!

Becoming a Family of 4 A glimpse inside our newest chapter... ​ Read more

I recorded our whole birth story to share.​

• full birth story
• labor & postpartum items I LOVE
• meaning (& a funny story) behind Senya's name
• what postpartum has looked like for us so far

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On this day...

11 years ago today, we boarded a one-way flight to Colombia.

Our "travel-versary" if you will ;)

We had gotten married just months before, quit our jobs, and packed up all our belongings.

That was the beginning of a 3-month backpacking trip through South America. A trip that would change the course of our lives as we knew it.

It was during that trip that we started our blog. A blog that would later become both of our full-time jobs.

Back in 2014, it wasn't nearly as common as it is today to put a pause on your career to "just travel", so it was a really big leap for us.

I'll be forever grateful to past Katie and Ben for following their dreams, no matter how crazy it seemed at the time.

Are you grateful to your past self for any decisions you made?

Travel credit card

Just before that first big trip we got a brand new travel credit card. It was the first credit card we signed up for to use specifically on our travels because it had no foreign transactions fees.

And funny enough, 11 years later, ON our actual "travel-versary", that same credit card, the Capital One Venture Rewards card, released a HUGE offer!

If you sign up for the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you will get a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles + a $250 travel credit, after meeting the minimum spend.

That’s worth at least $1,000 in free travel! Plus this card earns you 2x on all of your daily spending, making it a great every day card for your wallet.

If you follow along with any travel credit card points programs, this is BIG news for an entry level card!

We have some upcoming trips planned for 2025, so we're applying for that same credit card again!

If you've been looking for a good overall credit card that you can keep in your wallet for years, we'd recommend looking into it and seeing if it's a good fit for you.

Last thoughts...

I hope 2025 is off to a good start for you.

We are trying to balance soaking in all the newborn snuggles and being okay with not being productive with planning some exciting trips for this year (which we'll share more about soon!).

Plus, we have a fun project we're really excited to dive into, but someone keeps distracting us (and we're okay with that!).

We'll fill you in soon.

Until then, take care!

Wander on,