Welcome to Soulful Experiences, a blog where I journey and adventure to different places and share the experiences that fill my soul. I love food, wine, coffee, adventure, music, and travel; and I see things differently. I am here for the laughter, the flavors, the textures, the colors, the aromas, the emotions, the love. I am here to experience life, and I have recently understood, I am also here to share my experiences with you.

It’s so clear to me now why, for years, I felt like I should be “a food critic.” I got tripped up though and did not pursue it because I never wanted to actually criticize food: I wanted to rave about the food I loved and the places I enjoyed. I am here to experience life, and this blog was born because of an experience I had during brunch…

Waking up Sunday morning in Antalya, Türkiye, my friend Jessica and I started our day with a tapping meditation with the intention “I am calm, centered, grounded, clear.” Afterwards, when searching for a place to have brunch, many places popped up on my map and Cava Restaurant drew me in. I clicked on it to check the menu and before I even got that far, the picture I saw was an instant, full body YES! and we set out to check it out. The welcoming, calming energy pulled us in immediately. We were instantly greeted by a woman with calming, grounding energy who sat us at this lovely patio table. The entire landscape of this place was the most gorgeous garden full of wind chimes, beautiful decor, lush trees and vibrant flowers, bordered by an ancient ruin wall that intersected with Hadrian Kapisi (Hadrian’s Gate).

Jessica and I were deep in conversation over our delicious brunch, and I had to take a moment to pause the conversation so I could enjoy the bite of food I had taken. I ordered the avocado toast and had taken the most magical bite of its accompanying side salad - bursting with citrus and dill - that had me pausing our conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavors of the bite I took and had said, “Mmmm... that bite!!!” and expressed my apology for the urgent need to pause our conversation to enjoy my bite of food. We resumed our conversation and ultimately circled back to my “foodie” nature and my need for a pause. From there, the thoughts and ideas were flowing, and we both were a little shocked I hadn’t thought of it before to write about my experiences I so enjoy.

I moved from my avocado toast to the pancakes, which were mini pancakes topped with fruit and a side of Nutella. My inner child was so happy eating this! Every bite was fun, delicious, and made me so happy inside. My inner child was beyond satisfied with the playful dipping of fruit and pancakes in Nutella, and my present, older self was so satisfied in this whimsical, grounding, beautiful garden. Rounding out this magical experience was the company and conversation of my sister-friend, creativity in full bloom – satisfying every cell in my body that resonated all the way to my soul.

Mmmm… That Bite!

“Hang on, I gotta Shazam this.”