My name is Nikki and if you’ve found me you are probably looking for food, photography, or traveling fun! I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you reach out to me and let me know a little bit about yourself as well.

Photography is how I make my living and also, how I happily live my life. I have been taking pictures since the age of 5 and somehow have been able to make a fantastic, adventurous, and incredible career out of it. I take photos all over the country (and hopefully one day the world) and feel there is so much honor in capturing the most cherished moments of families as I watch them grow. Please visit my photography website and facebook page to check out my work as well as the posts under the "photography" category on this blog :)

I travel for work and I travel for my soul. A couple of years ago I would never have believed it was possible. With a work schedule that keeps me busy around the clock throughout the year and with VERY limiting allergies it seems on paper that travel would be nearly impossible. 

I am proving that to be a false assumption constantly and I am so excited to share just HOW I make it happen with you along with the best and worst hotels, highways, and adventures!

*Important note: For the most part, the hotels/motels we choose for our adventures are lower priced (read: cheapo) because the most convenient thing for us is to stay on the bottom floor of an outdoor-access facility. We travel with a mini kitchen and huge ice chest of food among our luggage and on the occasion that we stay in a larger, indoor, nicer facility, it is logistically very difficult and exhausting to trek all that stuff up and down stairs and hallways, especially if we are only staying overnight. In my hotel reviews here you will find mostly reviews for convenient and budget-friendly places. While I'm never expecting the Ritz Carlton for $59 + tax, I have seen firsthand that for that price you can get a very clean, spacious, and safe motel orrrr you can get a dingy dump where hookers and drug dealers post up. My hope is to help you find more of the former for your next trip! If you are able to travel light and don't have a budget, please let us know where you are staying in the areas we blog! 

Travelling for work I get to see some of the most incredible (and worst) places. Check my "travelography" posts for photos, tips, and reviews on places to stay, things to do, and my favorite highways.

Cooking is a passion of mine that I only found AFTER being diagnosed with Celiac Disease and some other yucky and severe food allergies. After lots of frustration, beating my head against the wall, and going to bed hungry I finally decided that I was not living life to the fullest. I have decided that just because I am limited doesn't mean I have to go without and I made it my personal mission to find a way to have and do everything and anything I want to, just in my own way. I have since been working on ways to convert my favorite old family recipes as well as develop new ones.

The funny thing about Celiac Disease and food allergies is that once you cut out all the processed crap and learn to cook differently, travel differently, and be prepared, you absolutely cannot imagine going back to eating that other garbage. My life takes a LOT of planning and preparation but it's worth every minute and through the years I've really found some fun ways to make food interesting again without making it dangerous. My cooking is done in a gluten, corn, diary, and sunflower free environment and my latest venture is taking non allergen-friendly recipes and adapting them to healthy, safe alternatives. Life is hard enough to navigate, being poisoned at every meal will not help you feel better or be better. 

My Fully Loaded Baked Potato Salad is my claim to fame (after going viral with over a million views and counting!) but I have tons of other fantastic recipes as well that I am adding as I can. Please check the "foodography" category for additions with each season and PLEASE feel free to shoot me a message if you have a food item or recipe that you are dying to have modified for a particular food sensitivity! I love and welcome the challenge. Until then, eat well and be well :)

The greatest joy in life if you ask me is having a family and I couldn’t be more thankful for mine. I was lucky enough to meet the love of my life through photography, to become best friends (in the truest sense of the words) with him and then to fall in love. We are currently engaged and planning our wedding! We have the greatest three kids on the planet and the biggest part of my life now has been learning how to combine my gluten free household with their favorite foods, learning how to find work/parenting balance, and adjusting to traveling not solo but as a family of 5! We have lots of fun adventures and tips to share if you’re looking for recipes, organization hacks, and travel fun.

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