Home Is Where The Suitcase Is

01/10/2024

Lauren Badillo has a nice ring to it 💍

I love being your fiancée, but I can’t wait to be your wife 🥰

📸: .elyssephoto

29/03/2024

This was 26 ✨

Looking back through my photos, it was incredible to see everything that happened this past year…

1. San Francisco reignited our love of traveling and exploring new places
2. A deer tried to climb in my car at Bearizona
3. Prescott made me realize I may actually not totally hate the cold
4. We moved into a new apartment and I immediately made good on Sam’s promise that “when we get a bigger place, we can get another cat, babe”
5. The cat distribution system dropped a 6 week old Winnie at our doorstep and we managed to save her after six days of coaxing and get her out of the cold. We should have known that once we brought her inside, she was never leaving.
6. We got to watch the Diamondbacks absolutely blow the World Series
7. Spent so much quality time with family from coast to coast
8. Sam got a new truck and I upgraded to a car that actually has a center console
9. I’m 99% sure that Walter thinks I’m his actual mother, but I can’t ever say no to the cuddliest bubba boy in history

Fun cat fact: William and I share a birthday. Happy birthday, baby boy 🐱

I can’t wait to see what 27 brings. Hopefully it’s not more cats. We’re already outnumbered.

23/03/2024

Alexa, play “Save Me, San Francisco” 🌁

20/03/2024

I know you can’t buy happiness…buuut you can buy a cruise 🚢

It’s basically the same thing

16/03/2024

I might be biased, but traveling with family is my favorite kind of traveling. In this week’s article, I outline why 🥰

What do you think? Do you prefer traveling with other people or just yourself/with your partner?

Is traveling with family the best kind of traveling? I guess it depends on your family but, for me, the answer is yes! Over the last two years, I have taken trips with my mom and dad, Sam’s mom and brother, and his cousins. And I have to say, it was awesome. Growing up, the only traveling that we

13/03/2024

Everything’s better with you, kid 🖤

Even if everything is waking up before the sun to go sightseeing 😴

03/03/2024

Well, folks, what can I say?

I'm sorry might be a good place to start.

After the pandemic, my traveling cut back substantially. A lot of the trips I was taking weren't to be a tourist, but to visit family. They were fun and full of laughs, but private.

That all changed with San Francisco. And, let me tell you, my first impression was "this is it? One of my first new places in four years, and this is it?"

Click the link to see what changed my mind.

Sam and I traveled to San Francisco in February and, let me tell you, our first impressions were “this is it?” See, we had heard from so many people how awesome of a city San Francisco was, how there was so much to do, so much to see. Within an hour of arriving and getting to our hotel, we thoug...

08/01/2024

If you would have told me three years ago that I’d be excited to see snow again, I would have laughed. Turns out, you just need to be with the right people 🥰❄️

11/12/2023

My heart is so full after a weekend with family 🖤

Late last week, Sam’s cousins came out with their kiddos. We stayed in a super cute cabin, played competitive tic-tac-toe, and went to Bearizona. Once they dropped us off at home and headed back to California, Sam and I decided we hadn’t seen enough of them so we hopped in the truck to surprise the kids and keep the party going!

We spent the weekend surrounded by tíos and cousins and kiddos and it was the very best sort of busy 🥰

06/02/2023

When I first came to Arizona, it was just for the winter. I never intended to stay, and I certainly didn’t think I’d make a home for myself here when I first left Rhode Island.

Fast forward two years and I’m in a job that I love, about to celebrate my two year anniversary with Sam (which is a whole other kind of crazy), and I’m a cat mom to the neediest bubba to ever exist.

Life doesn’t go according to plan, and that’s okay. Let your life take you where you need to be. I promise it’ll get you there 🥰

Photo: Desert Botanical Garden (February, 2021)

22/07/2022

Olivia would have been 18 today.​​​​​​​​
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Is this the good news or everything-will-be-okay content I usually post? Not at all.​​​​​​​​
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But it needs to be said.​​​​​​​​
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My little brother started 2022 by finding out his best friend had been murdered. And I’m not hyperbolizing, it was literally 2am on January 1.​​​​​​​​
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Liv had been driving home from her sister’s house and was run off the road by an individual (calling him a man is an insult to men and calling him a boy is too innocent for the crimes he committed).​​​​​​​​
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They had made a Facebook post not even an hour before saying that they were drunk and had a Mercedes and “let’s see if I can f*ck it up” (un-redacted of course). He succeeded, and took Olivia’s life in the process. She wasn’t speeding, she wasn’t being reckless. She was in the right lane driving extra carefully because it was New Years and people always drive crazy on New Years, so best play it extra safe, right?​​​​​​​​
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Olivia was a light despite everything life threw at her to try and douse her brilliance. At such a young age, she had already experienced more heartache than a child should have to, yet she still lit up a room when she walked in it. It had been years since I had seen her myself, but she meant the world to Andrew. So, when he came out to Arizona in February, he brought a piece of her with him and we took these photos to show that her memory lives on.​​​​​​​​
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Today, her killer waits for trial behind bars, her family mourns, and the rest of the world continues moving forward.​​​​​​​​
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Please, stop and take a couple minutes to search for “Justice for Olivia” on Google. The story will immediately pop up. Let’s make Olivia’s story live on through a few more people today.​​​​​​​​
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Happy heavenly birthday, Liv

18/07/2022

3 REASONS YOU SHOULD TAKE A PINK JEEP TOUR ⛰​​​​​​​​
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My mom and I are STILL talking about the Pink Jeep Tour we went on in October. It was seriously the most fun we had on our vacation! If you’re considering going to Sedona or the Grand Canyon or anywhere they operate, you HAVE to do one. Here’s why…​​​​​​​​
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1. A Whole New Perspective…90% of the tour was off road so, even though I’d been to Sedona before, I got views that I’d never seen before. In Sedona at least, Pink Jeep has exclusive rights to specific trails unless you want to rent a Jeep and drive it yourself (10/10 would NOT recommend) so you can only see these with them!!​​​​​​​​
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2. Your Tour Guide Will Be Incredible…ours was Chris and he was amazing. He cracked jokes, gave us some great history, and was super amenable when it came to taking pictures of all of us!​​​​​​​​
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3. You Can Make New Friends…or take your own! Pink Jeep has options to book a regular or private tour. If you’re going with a big group of people (like 7 or 8), you can all make sure you’re on the same tour together ! It’s perfect to family gatherings or bachelor/ette parties.​​​​​​​​
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Have you ever been on a Pink Jeep Tour?!

13/07/2022

PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN​​​​​​​​
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Traveling to the Grand Canyon back in October was so much fun, but nothing beats looking back at these photos months later when I’m stuck in my office and reliving the memories.​​​​​​​​
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Are you team no-phone or team pics-galore? 📸

08/07/2022

TOP 3 SEDONA TIPS 🌵​​​​​​​​
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Sedona is an absolutely beautiful and a must-see if you’re heading to Arizona! If the red rocks are calling your name, here are three tips from someone who’s been and only failed a little bit 😂​​​​​​​​
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1. MAKE A PLAN…Sedona is beautiful and there’s so much to do—from the beautiful shops and restaurants to the multitude of hiking trails to the awe inspiring tours. Have a rough idea of what you know you want to do ahead of time, especially if you’re only going for a day!​​​​​​​​
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2. BE REALISTIC…I never hiked before coming out here…so naturally a planned like three different hikes in a day 🤦🏼‍♀️ three miles on the trails is NOT the same as three miles in the city, trust me.​​​​​​​​
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3. BRING EXTRA WATER…or buy it there. No matter what time of year you’re going to Sedona, if you’re hiking, you’ll get thirsty. I’ve learned the hard way that the sun is stronger here all year round than it is in northern parts of the country (like Boston, where I came from) and dehydration or heat exhaustion is no joke.​​​​​​​​
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I’ve been to Sedona five times now, and can’t wait to go back. Is Sedona on your bucket list?!

05/07/2022

Honey, I'm home!

No seriously, y'all it's been over a year. I've neglected my posting duties horribly.

Here's a little look into how the last 16 months have treated me. There have been highs, there have been lows, there have been...cats?

You have to read it to believe it!

Well, folks, it’s certainly been a while. I have about seven articles lined up that I’m hoping to post in the upcoming weeks, but first, I want to take a couple minutes to tell you what I’ve been up to these last 16 months.  I Turned 25 March 29th, I successfully entered into th

12/07/2021

WISH YOU WERE HERE
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Well maybe not here-here. The summertime really brings out Arizona desert like qualities. Basically, it’s really freaking hot 🥵
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Hey friends, it’s been a while.
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I wanted to pop on today to get back to my roots a little bit, and tell you about some things that this Snowbird has been getting up to during the hottest temperatures she’s ever experienced in her life.
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Let’s talk about things to do in Arizona in the summer.
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🏊‍♀️ Find the Nearest Swimming Pool…and jump in it head first. Swimsuit or not. Just trust me on this one.
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🍦 Get Some…ice cream that is. Or, if you’re lactose intolerant like me, go to and get some Italian ice. It’s so dang good and there’s one right across the street from mine and Sam’s apartment.
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🌚 Learn to Love The Nighttime…whether it’s late night mini golf or dinner at your favorite restaurant, wait until the sun goes down and the temperatures drop. You’ll thank me later.
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🏛 Go to a Museum…one of my personal favorites is the Musical Instrument Museum.
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🥂 Stay Hydrated…this isn’t something to do necessarily, but it is important. If you find yourself dying to do something outside, try to stay in the shade as much as possible and bring plenty of cold water and foods to eat!
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Are you from AZ or been here during the summer before? What are your top tips?!

01/06/2021

Well you guys, it’s been two months of radio silence 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

Try though I might, I can’t seem to get this consistency thing down! So let’s do a big welcome back post and I’ll catch you up on what’s happened since Miami!

1. I started working full time as a flight attendant!👩🏼‍✈️ I’ve been flying to some cool places, and I’m heading to Brazil this weekend for work! Yes, it’s pandemic city down there right now but I’m not worried because...

2. I’m fully vaccinated! I got both doses of the vaccine and I’m ready to get back to normal life!

3. I’ve expanded my social media business! I’m now officially a Social Media Manager and I’m so excited to announce that I just onboarded TWO new clients. If you’re a small business looking to grow your brand, send me a message!

4. I’m in a relationship! I met my wonderful boyfriend just before I left for training and thought being away for four weeks might make it fizzle out, but we stayed connected throughout that journey and now I’m so happy to say that we’re journeying through life together 🥰

5. I started a new brand! I love talking about relationships and careers and mental health, but didn’t think there was really a place for it in a travel account...so I started a new one! Come find me Instagram.com/_itsellemarie and let’s get real.

6. I bought a car! I still haven’t named her though, so let me know what you think I should call her!

What’s new with you?!

04/04/2021

Miami, me ami ☀️♥️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Flight attendant training has brought me to beautiful sunny Miami this week and I couldn’t think of a better place to finish off this incredible journey.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’m so excited to get home and catch up with all my Instagram friends but, for now, let’s go get those wings ✈️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Happy Easter, Happy Sunday, and Happy April my friends 🥰⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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P.S.—have I convinced you to go to flight attendant school yet? 😉