If you’re looking for a city that feels quintessentially Aussie but isn’t as tourist-heavy as Sydney, then Melbourne is the place to visit. I spent four days there, and it was the most fun I’ve had traveling.

Let’s face it—most Americans would admit that the metric system makes more sense than the Imperial system. It’s logical, consistent, and based on the number ten. One hundred centimeters make a meter. One thousand meters make a kilometer. Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius and boils at 100. It’s all so clean and intuitive. Compare that to the Imperial system, where a mile is 5,280 feet, and water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and boils at 212 degrees. Every American child has to memorize these oddly specific numbers in elementary school.

Moving to Australia as an au pair was exciting, but loneliness hit harder than I expected. Without close friends, I felt disconnected—until I found Horizon Church. Attending services and joining the young adults group gave me a sense of belonging. Then, after the new year, a wave of new au pairs arrived, and we started bouldering together. What began as a casual hobby turned into deep friendships. Now, I am surrounded by an incredible group of friends who make Australia feel like home. Putting myself out there changed everything, and I’m so grateful for the community I’ve found.

Around July, I wrote about my top favorite books I have read for the first half of 2024. Now here is a review of the top 10 books for the second half of my favorite books of 2024.

Every daughter’s worst nightmare is the thought of turning into her mother. I had no plans having kids myself, so surely it would never happen to me. Nope. I am, in fact, turning into my mother.

January. The first month of the year. Everyone is so full of hope for a better year. Winter is in full swing—at least for everyone in the United States. This week, the American Midwest experienced the biggest snow storm in a decade. Scraping ice off car windshields and shoveling snow from the driveway are the hallmarks of a classic January winter.

Nothing feels quite as disorienting as celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer. Imagine walking into a store filled with little Santa statues, holiday wreaths, and fake snow while you’re sweating through your shirt in 90°F weather. It feels like one of my dad’s Christmas-in-July Hallmark movies brought to life. This year, I celebrated Christmas with my brother-in-law’s family in Boat Harbour, Australia. Spoiler alert: it was weird, wonderful, and wildly different from anything I had ever experienced.

I have always wished I had a sibling who was significantly younger than me. Although I do have a younger brother, he is only two years younger, so I never had the chance to take on the role of the doting older sibling. I wanted to take a younger sibling on special outings, spoil their dinner with chocolate, and then hand them back to our parents to deal with the inevitable sugar high.

This week did not go as planned. What was supposed to be a weekend filled with brunch and hiking turned into days spent in bed, armed only with Netflix, a book, and endless cups of chai tea with honey. Being sick reminded me of the simple comforts I usually take for granted—breathing clearly, a cozy blanket, and a warm bowl of soup. As I lay there, homesickness crept in, making me long for my familiar couch, my cat napping in my lap, and the soothing taste of chicken noodle soup. Sometimes, all it takes is a rough weekend to make us appreciate the everyday comforts that truly feel like home.

Motivating kids sometimes means making unusual promises! Follow the journey of a parent’s brave Vegemite challenge to help boost confidence—and the hilarious results that followed on the ice and off!