It's been a big year, full of adventure and far-away lands. I've travelled to places I've never been before, like Martha's Vineyard and Spain, and back to old favorites...Paris, New York, Chicago and many more.

I've lived abroad in the USA, changed jobs, got engaged, and so many other things along the way!

So here's a 15-second glance back at 2013 before we look forward to the New Year and all the possibility it holds. I hope that your 2014 is truly amazing!

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My parents live in country Victoria in Australia, in a very lovely neck of the woods, which I thought I would share with you.

The Castlemaine / Daylesford area is known for its good food, art culture, day spas, orchards, fresh mineral springs, and plenty of history for you to see and touch, from the gold-rush era in the 1850s and '60s.

But in particular, I wanted to tell you about Lavandula, the Swiss-Italian lavender farm about 20 minutes from Daylesford. I recently spent a week staying at Lavandula in their single 'for rent' cottage, and I have to say it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations I've had. There is no internet or phone reception out there, so you are forced to disconnect and soak up your surroundings.

The cottage is actually newly-built, has three bedrooms, a double walk in shower for two (oo-la-la), gorgeous timber and steel kitchen, your own private lake for swimming, and an open fireplace. So pack some supplies and settle in!

And when you do feel like venturing outside, the food at Lavandula is simply delicious! You can eat outside under the ash trees, or in their stone loggia. They make their own scones, biscuits, cakes and preserves, along with lavender lemonade or lavender honey. Check out their menu: La Trattoria

Once you've had your fill, go lie on the grass amongst the lavender and look out over the rolling hills, explore the gardens, feed the animals, or play a round of Pétanque / Boules.

This past weekend they had their Autumn (Fall for those in North America) Harvest Festival. If you missed it, you better put this adorable festival on the calendar for next year because there is sausage making, olive pickling, fruit bottling, jam making, quince preserving, honey extracting, face painting, a puppet workshop, gypsy jazz, and a sculpture exhibition!

If you'd like to learn more about Lavandula, visit their website: www.lavandula.com.au

And make sure you take a look at all of the other amazing things there are to see and do in Castlemaine and Daylesford and be sure to stop into my mother's bookshop, say hello, and give the cat a cuddle. It's the Soldier and Scholar on Baker Street in Castlemaine. (Tell her I sent you).

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A year ago my boyfriend and I made the decision to move from Canberra (the capital city of Australia) to San Diego, California. He got a job offer, I have dual citizenship (US and Australia), and quite frankly it was time for a change. Both of us had been in Canberra for over 20 years and although it is a lovely place to live we were in need of some adventure.

It has been quite a culture shock. Canberra is a planned city, and considering it only has a population of 360,000+ it has incredible infrastructure and amenities. There are world-class museums and art galleries (most of which have free entry), wonderful restaurants, theatre and live music, a really active arts scene, fantastic shopping, and a huge variety of outdoor activities. And what's more, you can drive anywhere in town in under 20 minutes.

Enter San Diego. Southern California is probably as close as you can get to Australia. What do I mean by that? Well, the climate, the beaches, and the culture are fairly similar, and there are even loads of native Australian plants that have been introduced here.

But there are some pretty major differences, the most noticeable is that California is all about cars. You have to drive long distances to get almost everywhere, and while in Canberra you'd never see more than three lanes on a road, in California it's nothing to have a freeway that has 10 lanes on each side, traveling at speeds well over anything allowable in Australia.

Also the food is very different. While there are some great, independent, restaurants and cafes they are few and far between compared with most places in Australia. I'd say overall Australian restaurants cook with fresher, local ingredients, and have a more modern and cosmopolitan take on dishes. I can also count the major fast food chains in Australia on one hand, to get an idea of just how many exist in the US check out this Wikipedia entry (hint: there are over 220).

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining too much though, we moved here for a reason. The US, purely due to its size, has significantly more business opportunities than Australia. In the past year I've met inspiring entrepreneurs, been to conferences and events bigger than I could have imagined, and have ended up working in a job that two years ago didn't exist, but which is perfect for me!

As I travel around, and explore this new place I wanted to share my experiences in the hopes of inspiring others to get out there and have an adventure! Feel free to leave me a comment, say hi, and let me know about any great destinations, experiences, or food that you've found. Learn more »