By Sydni Ellis Serenity is not just a word in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It’s something you feel with your entire being—from the basement of a bathhouse to the top of Mountain Tower. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, serenity is “the state of being calm, …
By Sydni Ellis The fresh scent of pine needles mixed with sweet raindrops fills the air. It’s only 57 degrees outside, but somehow the brisk wind and the wet skies make it seem even colder. It’s early March in Portland, Oregon—a perfect time to travel …
By Sydni Ellis If the popular travel quote “Love is the food of life, travel is the dessert” by Amanda Jane Sturges is to be believed, then taking a vacation with your significant other is an even sweeter gift than chocolates this Valentine’s Day. Who …
By Sydni Ellis Libraries are magical places. As a little girl, I remember roaming the shelves, looking for pictures of characters I loved on the covers because I couldn’t read yet. A few years later, I was stacking books so high in my arms that …
By Sydni Ellis Turn on Hallmark Channel, go see Last Christmas in theatres or stream practically any Christmas movie ever made, and you’ll notice one thing they all have in common: a delightful town square with fresh fir trees, twinkling lights and charming architecture. That …
By Sydni Ellis It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas especially in Texas, where we start singing holiday carols before the Halloween decorations are put back in the attic. We can’t help it! The twinkling lights, sparkling tinsel, colorful ornaments and shiny presents are …
By Sydni Ellis Picture this: you get married, and your wedding is so amazing that people still celebrate it more than 200 hundred years later all over the world! That’s what happened to the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, who were married in October …
By Sydni Ellis Girlfriends. Sisters. BFFs. Squad. No matter if you’ve known her for five minutes or 50 years, girlfriends are our greatest blessing. Who else can you have a 3 a.m. giggling session with no matter how old you are? Who else always has …
By Sydni Ellis What three things would you want on deserted island? As a kid, my answers were always variations of “a boat to get home, a phone to call for help, my mom to keep me company.” For some reason, I was terrified that …
By Sydni Ellis Texas summers as a kid could be summed up with the three P’s: popsicles, pools and parks! Basically, if my siblings and I weren’t outside – running, splashing, laughing, enjoying every last second of freedom – then we were inside, sleeping for …