Life Revamp With Passport Stamps

The story behind my decision to revamp my life with the help of passport stamps.

Welcome

Hi there! I’m Jen. (Yes, I’m aware that the name of the blog is “Wren in Flight” and not “Jen in Flight” but I can confirm this isn’t a typo.) I started my food photography business, Cashmere & Cocktails, in 2019 when I was a tired mom of three desperate to quit her healthcare job to pursue a creative life. Somehow, what was once a pipe dream turned into reality. I became a full time creator (though the tired part stayed – you win some, you loose some I guess).

Cashmere & Cocktails was always intended to be a food and travel blog. Then the pandemic hit. All travel plans were scrapped. The focus became solely food. Over time, a beautiful community grew around decadent recipes, fun cocktails and food photography. Cashmere & Cocktails’ plate, though absolutely delicious, was full.

Which is why I created Wren in Flight.

The stories that I hope to tell through travel deserve their own space. The people, the places, the food – oh, the food! – will be too grand to fit in a crowded room. Siblings don’t live under the same roof forever. My sister blogs will live independently of each other (though will still FaceTime now and then – ’cause they’re family after all).

Ignore the Mess

It was just shy of the 2 year anniversary of the world coming to a standstill. Cashmere & Cocktails had had the craziest quarter four to date and I was on the verge of a complete and total mental breakdown. My hair was falling out. I had lost 1/3 of my body weight from stress. I was insufferable to live with. It wasn’t a good look.

We were also in the midst of planning a full house remodel and I think this became the catalyst to what would come. Not so much the idea of renovating – that I was excited for. We were getting a new kitchen and open floor plan. I was pumped. The issue was I wanted to completely scrap the rest of my life along with the 90s orangey oak cabinets that clung to my kitchen walls. I needed out.

Interior and Internal Renovations

I struggled with admitting it to myself. I shoved the yearning for escape in the closet, at the far back where I store my least favourite food photography props. How could I possibly want to throw my entire life away, move to Bali and have my own “Eat, Love, Pray” moment? I had kids. I had a spouse. I had a thriving business. All of which I loved intensely. But I hated the overwhelm. I lost count of the amount of times I felt tugged in every direction with such force that I thought I’d be ripped to itty bitty pieces. Love, hate. It was the biggest oxymoron.

Worse yet? When I looked around, it was very apparent that the problem was me. No one was pressuring me to be more. More of a dance mom, or a content creator, or a homemaker. No one else cared if the laundry wasn’t folded the second it came out of the dryer. No one else was upset when we ate pizza for the fourth time in ten days because I had deadlines to meet. No one else scrutinized my Instagram account because I posted two overhead shots back to back. I was the source of my own misery.

I didn’t know how to fix it, and I still don’t. I’m still very much going through it. What I do know is that adding travel to my life makes me feel alive again. So I’m going with it. I’m committing to adventure while still making it to soccer practice. I’m adding instead of subtracting. Turns out not all renovations require demolition.

The Horizon

So, thanks to an incredibly supportive spouse, I’m bringing travel back to my business under Wren in Flight. The way I see it, things can only go up from here – even if the incline only comes in the form of a plane takeoff.

Look for upcoming adventures, useful travel tips, and delicious plates from around the world!

Cheers,

Jen XO