Hey there!

If you've been a part of this community for a long time or a short time, I realized there 's someone I haven't introduced you to.

A lot of you found me because of packing. Some of you came because of travel. Some because of St. Augustine. And some of you have been around long enough to remember completely different versions of BetsiWorld.

But I realized something recently.

You know a lot about what I know.

You know I can pack a suitcase. You know I travel. You know I write. You know I love history, good food, a good glass of wine, and places with a story hiding underneath the obvious one.

But I’m not sure I’ve ever really let you know me. The woman behind all of it.

And I think it’s time to change that.

Not everything. Lord, no. Some things are allowed to be private. But more about Betsi the person.

I’ve moved 18 times.....in 37 years. I spent four years living aboard a sailing catamaran - with two dogs and a husband. I’ve downsized, started over, changed careers, built a house, built businesses, written books, chased stories, gotten hopelessly distracted by historical rabbit holes, gotten lost more than I care to count, and learned a few things about what deserves space in my life.

And when I look at it now, I realize those things aren’t separate. I work in systems because I’ve had to. I pack the way I do because years of traveling taught me what actually earns space in a suitcase. I care about downsizing because I’ve learned that our possessions can either support the life we want or start dictating it.

And I love old places because almost everything gets more interesting when you stop accepting the obvious story and look a little closer.

Maybe that’s the thread running through all of it....What do we keep? What do we carry? What do we leave behind? And what do we discover when we look again?

So things are going to look a little different around here. You’ll still get packing. Travel. St. Augustine. Florida. Food. Wine. The occasional historical rabbit hole that begins with one innocent question and costs me the next four hours of my life.

But you’re also going to get more of the woman behind all of it. The choices. The opinions. The lessons. The things I love. The things I absolutely do not understand. The ridiculous moments. And probably a few things I’m still figuring out.

And since we’re getting to know each other... It’s 2:40 on a Saturday afternoon as I write this.

That is my actual desk. It’s messy. I’m working. There are cords everywhere. My giant pink water bottle is sitting there. And yes, there is a glass of wine beside my computer.

Because I can. And because I want to.

That sentence probably tells you more about me than another packing tip ever could. I’ve reached a point in my life where I’m increasingly uninterested in doing things simply because that’s how they’re supposed to be done.

I like beautiful things. I like good wine. I like history. I like discovering something I didn’t know yesterday. I like a house that works for the way we actually live. I like systems. I like silver shoes. I like asking one more question when everybody else seems satisfied with the answer.

And I believe something rather strongly:

We plan our lives around our own expectations.

Not somebody else’s. Ours. I'm not saying that I don't take Jim's opinion / feeling into account—I do....but we talk things through, and usually by the time we finish, we've come to the same conclusion—yes, let's take the cruise; yes, we both need to get away for a little while. Yes, let's not cook at home...let's go check out that place we've been talking about. You get the picture.

Maybe that’s what I really want this little corner of the internet to become. A place where we talk about where we’re going, certainly.

But also what we’re carrying with us. What we're ready to put down. What we're curious about. And how we want to live while we’re getting there. So yes, you’ll still know what I know.

But from now on, I think you’re going to know me a little better, too.

Betsi

P.S. Since I’m apparently the one doing all the revealing today, your turn. Hit reply and tell me one thing about you I’d never know from looking at your social media. I really do want to know.

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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