Travel – Melissa Schlies

On Turning Forty, Making Bucket Lists, & Redefining What Matters

Do not resent growing old, many are denied the privilege —Irish Proverb When you were eighteen, who did you think you’d be at the age you are now? Looking back at myself at that time, I could see who I’d be in college. I could see myself at twenty-five. But I couldn’t see beyond that. I certainly couldn’t see myself today. I had this I idea that I should create a 40 Before 40 Bucket List. This week, I’m getting ready for my second pandemic birthday, and it’s a big one. I’m turning forty. And at some point a few [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-19T23:53:25+00:00March 22nd, 2021|Categories: Acceptance, Adulting, gratitude, Hope, Travel|2 Comments

Finding What Feeds Us As the Pandemic Lingers

A few Sundays ago, Tony and I had a bad mood day. I’d had a terrible dream the night before, waking up with this awful feeling I couldn’t shake. And, as we work from home, we hadn’t left the house in too many days to count. We wanted to get out and do something—only because of the Pandemic and cold winter weather, our options were basically shopping, or shopping. Whenever we used to feel like we needed a break from life, pre-pandemic, we always hit the road. Though we knew our dilemma was basically champaign problems, we felt so discouraged [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-01-18T16:13:59+00:00January 18th, 2021|Categories: Balance, Change, grief, Habit Making, Health, Loneliness, Mental Health, perseverance, Social Distancing, Travel|Comments Off

Five Things To Get For Your Fall Road Trip

Happy October, friends. We’ve finally reached the season for pumpkins, apple picking, taking hikes in the woods, and going on long drives in hopes of discovering something new. Though COVID has certainly effected our vacation plans this year, it doesn’t mean we can’t still escape our day to day lives. Even, if we’re only gone for a few hours. As I shared last week, for Tony and I, taking day trips have been huge in growing our marriage. Traveling has given us a shared perspective of our world and our lives. And in this social distancing time, you can be [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-10-06T15:46:19+00:00October 1st, 2020|Categories: Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Social Distancing, Staycation, Travel|Comments Off

On Mountaintop Tea Parties & Remembering What’s Most Important

Friends, I have one last travel story for this month. Hope you enjoyed this series, as much as I did. And, if you have any travel stories of your own you’d like to share—please do so in the comments section! One of my favorite travel memories, didn’t happen to me. In other words, what I am about to tell you is not an experience of my own. Rather, it is one I witnessed on the top of Cadillac Mountain, in Maine, just before sunrise. Now, I realize most people on their vacations rarely ever see the sunrise. But, as it [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-27T19:54:43+00:00September 28th, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Balance, FOMO, Food, Relationships, Social Distancing, Staycation, Travel|Comments Off

Why It’s Important to Make Time for “Us” —Even In the Time of Covid

This past weekend, Tony and I took a trip with our closest friends to the Finger Lakes in New York. There we had “socially distanced” wine tastings. We hiked the gorge in Watkins Glen with our masks on. And we ate almost all of our meals at the little cottage we rented. Proving that traveling in the time of COVID is challenging, but not impossible. If someone was to ask me and Tony what makes our marriage not only work, but also thrive, we’d probably tell them two things. In seasons like these, travel can often feel like a luxury. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-23T21:05:08+00:00September 24th, 2020|Categories: Adulting, Balance, Habit Making, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, Mental Health, Relationships, Travel|Comments Off

Say Yes To Hard Things

Our canoe made a soft scraping sound against the sand as we arrived on the shore of our next portage. Quickly, we jumped out and lifted the canoe slightly, to drag it onto the small beach. We attached our paddles to the inside, and then began to unload. Tony helped me lift my first pack onto my back. His brother, Mike, and our sister-in-law, Wendy, had arrived a few minutes before. Wendy was already loaded up, and heading down the trail. I grabbed a bucket and a folding table, then followed her. I walked as fast as I could, swatting [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-17T14:02:29+00:00September 21st, 2020|Categories: Beauty, Courage, perseverance, Travel|Comments Off

Hope, For When Life Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

In Northern Ireland there sits a cylindrical building on the side of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. It’s known as Mussenden Temple and once was the library of a great lord. With windows all around it, inside there are magnificent views of the sea from almost every angle. And when we decided to explore the North on our second trip to Ireland, Tony and I put it on our “must-see” list. Only, when we went to visit, it wasn’t the Temple that stuck out to us. That morning, it was the usual damp, foggy weather we’d grown accustomed to in [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-13T14:24:58+00:00September 14th, 2020|Categories: Change, Character, Conflict, Courage, Hope, Travel, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Why We Train (Repost)

Taking a break from our normal routine to reshare a few stories from trips we’ve taken—for all of us missing our usual vacations. There is something about climbing a mountain that makes you feel as if you can conquer the world. It could be the sense of accomplishment you get when you realize you’ve reached the peak, or perhaps it’s the view. Whatever it is, it’s a good feeling. The surprising part of this experience however, is that the mountain we climb doesn’t always have to be big for us to feel it. It doesn’t always require poles or [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-09-01T15:17:48+00:00September 10th, 2020|Categories: Body Image, discipline, Habit Making, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Travel, Uncategorized|Comments Off

When Everything Felt Empty, He Whispered, “This is What I’m Like”

Taking a break from our normal routine to share a few stories from trips we’ve taken—for all of us missing our usual vacations. The first time we went to the Finger Lakes in New York, they were having a drought. Tony is a gifted landscape photographer, and planned to shoot the dramatic Taughannock Falls. Only when we got there, it was only a trickle. The waterfall looked like a leaky faucet. It had all but dried up. The sight of water dripping down the side of the rock face is deeply embedded in my memory. At the time, it felt [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-08-31T15:59:56+00:00September 7th, 2020|Categories: Faith, Fear, gratitude, Hope, Identity, Travel|Comments Off

When Pandemic Grief Hits You All Over Again

A few weeks ago, my sister texted me reminding me that as a family, that day, we were supposed to all be together, on vacation. Only, a few weeks before that, I had to cancel our reservations because the shelter in place orders for where we were to stay would still be in effect for our trip. Sure, we could stay in our hotel, but there would be no pool, no restaurant, and many of the attractions we were planning to visit would still be closed. You can’t tell four kiddos under five that the pool is closed. You can’t [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-06-24T19:44:22+00:00June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, grief, Hope, Self Care, Social Distancing, Staycation, Travel|Comments Off

On Turning Forty, Making Bucket Lists, & Redefining What Matters

Why It’s Important to Make Time for “Us” —Even In the Time of Covid

Say Yes To Hard Things

Hope, For When Life Feels Like It’s Falling Apart

Why We Train (Repost)

When Everything Felt Empty, He Whispered, “This is What I’m Like”

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