Recently my husband and I painted over the somber gray walls of our bedroom with a bright blue called Amalfi. As the name implies, this shade gives us the impression that we just stepped into our dream vacation every time we walk into the room. We came upon the color by walking into Lowe’s, seeing it on a color swatch and asking the paint attendant to mix us up two gallons of interior paint, flat finish.

No samples. No swatches.

Go big or go home and repaint.

I grew up moving from place to place, first around California State Parks as the daughter of a park ranger, and later throughout Europe as a missionary kid.

Because I’ve visited so many countries, I’ve always thought of myself as a traveler, someone who loves to explore the world and see new sites. As a writer, my dream was to someday be an accomplished travel writer, exploring and documenting the globe.