A Tasty Welcome

You know what they say...three strikes and you're out.

This is my third blog. This time, I'm going write about things that move and groove me...food and travel, and maybe throw in a little wacky wisdom.

But first I must pay tribute and briefly honor what came before.

I would argue my first blog, Sunday Boyfriend, was rather successful. It started when my then-business partner and I wanted to change the cultural landscape by encouraging the benefits of close, friendly relationships with caring people, but who weren't necessarily a significant other. The relationships were friendly, comfortable, and always there for you.

Having written it for about five years, and being picked up by a reputable print/online mag (Milwaukee Magazine), Sunday Boyfriend was a labor of love, helped hone my writing skills, and gave me a little street cred. But looking back, it didn't help me with my own significant other relationship. In fact, I can see where it was an escape from dealing with actual, serious relationship issues.

No matter the street cred, or subsequent relationship denial, my life took on a couple of challenges at the tail end of that five years. I went through a serious health scare (all is well now), and it caused me to re-evaluated my life. I found I wasn't happy and started searching for happiness, love, understanding, and acceptance in the wrong places. 

I went back to work to try to fulfill a sense of purpose and connection to good work. But I found myself in a really toxic environment that made me question my skills rather than celebrate them. Luckily I was let go by someone who is sadly incapable of being comfortable with her own sense of self. Yes. I say this is lucky because the whole experience reminded me to never let another question my own sense of self worth. I vowed to be the kind of person who celebrates others' gifts rather than see them as a threat. While the experience was nothing I'd wish on anyone, I thank her for showing me who she really is so I am better equipped to be better for others and to steer clear of others like her.

In my continued search for happiness, I got divorced. For the second time to the same man. Yep. You read that right. Same guy. Same divorce ending. But this time around I have two little souls who call me mom and keep me grounded in daily gratitude. But this gratitude epiphany didn't happen overnight. It took a lot of soul searching and forgiveness.

I won't lie or sugarcoat; the divorce was ugly. Scary ugly. We both made selfish mistakes that caused a lot of hurt. A lot of damaging, life changing hurt. My ex lashed out in severe ways. After more than a three-year process from asking him one morning if he was happy, to signing the final papers, I finally realized we were in an enabling relationship that wasn't going to work. I can only speak for myself, but after going through all of that, I am not the same. 

And that's okay. I mean, I wouldn't want or expect to be the same. If I was, it means I didn't learn anything. And believe me, I learned a ton. And I'm still learning. Which includes how to navigate parenting with a newly defined (yet broken) relationship. 

Over the course of these major life changes I fell into a dark place. A place where my joy of writing was regulated to the back burner. We all have found ourselves in dark places, right? I've been there more than once and reminded myself that like other times, I wouldn't always be there. I held on to the words my mom shared with me long ago, "Your soul isn't designed to stay in pain. It needs joy and light and take comfort knowing they will return."

So after some time in the dark with reflection and really hard work, I'm ready for that joy and light.

My second blog, Punching Through the Noise, was an attempt to connect with writing during the darkest parts of my divorce. But it didn't work. Sometimes I felt the cathartic release, but ultimately I questioned who I was writing for as I couldn't feel the same joy during the process. I did, however, add a playlist to that blog which I thought was fun and will continue with this one. Because what's a life of wandering for the next tasty experience without a little tunes along the way?

So what is A Taste for Wandering all about?

Simply...I love to discover new tasty dishes in atmospheres that welcome good conversations. So I thought why not write about it?

You see I'm at a place in life where thrills are found in good food and good conversations. I want to surround myself in these opportunities as much as I can as I see these moments of connection to be the ones we will remember at the end of this life, let alone the end of the day. More than one of my friends have told me that I am their "go to" for new restaurant discoveries and I see "Girls Night Outs" (GNO) as the perfect excuse to research new places.  

So am I a foodie? Sure. And I'm even branching out in the kitchen on my own...which if you knew me, you'd know I have a great pallet, just not the cooking experience.

Do I like to travel (near and far) to find new culinary treats and learn something new (even if it's in my own kitchen)? Um, duh!

Am I a fan of stories? You bet!

The great storyteller Mark Twain once said, "The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." So my mission with this blog is to be true to my storyteller core and share tasty moments in the hopes others will want to create their own connections in similar ways. I promise to sprinkle a little of my own perspective flavor because life is too short to spend it hungry in the dark.

Stay tuned for tasty adventures, photos, and tunes. And, as promised, here's my first "tasty" soundtrack; a list of songs that were on my playlist while writing and adventuring:

Wandering Soundtrack:

Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley

Graveyard, Halsey

Know Your Worth, Khalid & Disclosure

No Judgement, Niall Hora