Portugal had long been on my list to visit for many years, but somehow despite living in Europe for over seven years, I never managed to make it over there. I have heard so many great things about Lisbon that I knew I had to make it happen, so last year my boyfriend and I decided it was time to book our tickets.

There isn't much that I like more than visiting lighthouses during the summer. The sun, the sand, and sunny skies lend themselves to long lazy days walking along the beach, sun bathing, boating, and building sand castles.

We're lucky here in Michigan, where more than 110 lighthouses dot the coasts of the Great Lakes that surround our state's Lower and Upper Peninsulas, and I'm especially fortunate to have visited many of these historic beauties over the years.

New York City is the city of dreams, lights, and busyness. People who live in the city aren’t known to be particularly nice to tourists – it’s just a fact. Here are some ways tips to surviving NYC - and making your trip enjoyable.

So you're on the road in America. But you're also a big fan of a Major League Baseball team. Being on the road, you can't go to your team's ballpark to watch a game. You still want to get your baseball fix. You do have a few options. Here are five to help satisfy that craving for live baseball.

NYC… home to so many people.

NYC… my home, and to others, the place of skyscrapers, Broadway shows, and lights. Don’t get me wrong, NYC has lots of lights and tall buildings, but it’s more than that for me. It’s home, always has been… if you don’t count the first year or two of my life in Wisconsin. In NYC (well, really, everywhere), history is all around you - you just have to be interested enough to learn about it.