The First Ever Melissa’s 100 Reading List

Story time! Believe it or not, there was a time when I didn’t talk. I couldn’t communicate the same way other people did. When I was a little girl, I was severely speech delayed. Beyond the normal age for full words and sentences, I still could only say “Mommy”, “Daddy” and “Dud-uh-ah”, (which meant everything else). My parents…

Friends, Finito & Advice from Elizabeth Gilbert

Well, it’s official. I’m back in the States! As my adventures back home are just beginning, a lot has been uncertain. Mostly, what my future holds – where I plan on living, how long I’m still going to travel around, etc. But one thing is for certain — when I was away, I really really missed…

End of the Road: The Conclusion of My First Trip to Europe

Nearly three months ago, I gave up my life and headed to Iceland. Within those three months, I’ve been uncomfortable, exhilarated,  fearful, nervous and fulfilled. I’ve done things I never thought I would do – like hitchhike for nearly four weeks – and things I’ve always wanted to do – lie beneath and marvel at…

Welcome to the UK: My Host Gets Lost & I’m Found

I step off the train, onto the platforms, and quickly try to get my bearings. That way- the crowd is going that way. I follow them, trying to clear all the noise from my mind. Three hours earlier, I had left Mike behind in Marlow. Mike and I had been house-sitting for two weeks in…

Melissa’s Travel Journal: Revelations at the Edge of Iceland

In Iceland, there’s an old saying for when times get rough – “Petta Reddast”. It means, “everything will work out”. The Icelanders, along with being superstitious, are optimistic and carefree. They don’t plan or expect. They just allow things to unfold as they should. I’ve found many similarities between myself and the people of Iceland.…

The Iceland Thing

This was originally posted in July 2013. I am now living in Wilmington full-time as a freelancer writer/operations guru. I’ve been to Iceland four times now, as well as many other places. I own a kickass house and have an awesome dog. For the past few weeks, I’ve worked on this post. I’ve revised it about…

Lessons from Yoda: Yes, I’m a Geek

Oprah Winfrey. Mitch Albom. Audrey Hepburn. Carrie Bradshaw. These are just a few people who inspire me, people I’ve learned from. Oprah, Mitch Albom, Audrey Hepburn- all real people, making a difference, making an impact. Then there’s Carrie Bradshaw- a character. A figment of someone’s imagination. Can I really put that much influence on her?…

This Year’s Love

It’s officially 2012. As you can see, I’ve only posted once. Not from a lack of interest or a lack of trying. I’ve started and stopped about three or four blog posts, but they haven’t felt right. I’m extremely critical of my writing, and after looking over my past blog posts, I realized that while…

My Sixteen Year Old Self

Hey guys. I finally gave in and got a Tumblr account. You can see it here: Melissa’s Super Awesome Tumblr.  I’m basically using it as a visual diary…. post things I’m thinking about with photography and quotes. It’s neat, I’ll probably use it, unlike my Twitter handle, which is just completely barren of interesting thoughts…

10 Very Honest Things About Me

It’s been awhile since I posted. I didn’t plan on posting this entry, actually, I had another one planned completely. In my planned post, I’ll go over what I’ve been up to, in addition to some details about Dave’s homecoming. Plan on that soon- but for now, I bring you this. Over the past few…