I'm Ruth. I write about travel, books, and beauty (and everything else, kind of). I live in San Diego with my husband Tyler and our two little girls, Charlotte and Emmie.
Hi! I’m so glad you made it to my blog.
Tyler and I started a travel blog called Rome by the Hour in the beginning of 2017. We were living and working in the Bay Area, very much cuddled up in the honeymoon phase. We traveled a lot on the weekends, at the end of work trips, and over the holidays. We launched the blog as a way to document our travels. At the end of 2018, we bought a house and moved down to San Diego right before I gave birth to our daughter Charlotte. I quit my job to be home with her, and then we got pregnant again and had Emmie in 2020. (We love to batch our life changes?).
Between the two babies and the pandemic, we have slowed down quite a bit in recent years. And while travel is still a huge part of our lives and we try to adventure as much as we can, we are loving this season of life at home in San Diego.
I've branched out in the past couple of years, so now I also write about beauty, books, wellness, and motherhood. I also love writing about San Diego because it's the best ever; we've had so much fun exploring with the girls.
I post on the blog about once a week, and I religiously send out a Friday morning email newsletter. It’s a pre-weekend pick me up: just a little note with links to the latest blog posts, books I'm reading lately, and products I’m obsessed with. My aim with the newsletter is for it to have the vibe of a friend dropping off a surprise latte in the morning--you know? I would be honored to have you. Sign up below.
If you’re looking for book recommendations, head to the book page for my collection of mood-based book recs and quarterly reading roundups.
For beauty tips, my skincare routine, and product reviews, head to the beauty page.
If you’re here for travel inpso/planning help, check out the new dedicated travel hub. You can use the destination map, dropdown, or search bar to help you head in the direction you need to go. We have tons of city guides, planning resources, and family travel advice.
Sign up here
For my Friday morning newsletter.
Once when I was in high school, I broke my nose in cheer practice, and it’s been crooked ever since.
My favorite foods are sushi, pizza (every topping, please), hot honey (on anything, really) and chocolate chip cookies (hate to brag but mine are the best)
I LOVE to read. It calms me. I post a quarterly list of my most recent favorite books here on the blog. I’m always looking for recommendations, so please don’t be shy!
One of the most tragic things about me is my undying love for the Los Angeles (San Diego forever) Chargers. I’ll try not to talk about it here too much.
I keep a vigilant skincare routine. You’ll hear all about it here.
I try to exercise 5-6 times a week and am an absolute monster if I don’t. At the very least, I’ll push the girls around the neighborhood in the stroller.
My favorite place to travel is Italy. I also have an unhealthy obsession with Paris and would live there in a heartbeat.
My bucket list? Too long to list, but Greece, South Africa, the Maldives, and Scotland are currently at the top.
One of my life’s greatest passions is hydration. I love to drink water every second. Also, coffee, though the irony isn’t lost on me.
I have two sisters and one brother. We have a million kids between me and my older siblings, and it’s just total chaos every time we are all together. I adore my family and feel so lucky to have them.
I don’t care for dogs. There, I said it. If I’m petting your dog, please know I’m doing it through gritted teeth and just to be polite. From the bottom of my heart, I’m thrilled for all of my friends who have dogs that make them so happy, but it’s not for me. (Tyler told me to delete this one, but I’m just trying to paint a full picture).
I worked in tech recruiting before I had Charlotte but had a lot of random jobs growing up and before I graduated college: babysitting, fudge counter at a pumpkin patch/farm thing (you know the one if you live in SD), Einstein’s Bagels on campus for all four years of college, RA in the sophomore apartments, sold alarm systems door-to-door for a summer in Philadelphia and Baltimore (not kidding), and worked as a day camp counselor for many summers in college, too.
I am NOT a school person. I made it out with a degree by the skin of my teeth. I love reading and learning but have an aversion to authority–an immature quality and one of my most fatal flaws, I know–that proved quite a detriment in a classroom setting.
Speaking of flaws, I have many (besides the authority thing). I get easily disgusted by things like trash, toilets, and milk anywhere near its expiration date. I have a low tolerance for poorly behaved adults, and this can come across as overly critical. I deal with rampant anxiety regarding my children and have to battle this every day. I am self-deprecating to a fault and hedge every good quality and accomplishment I have. Oh, and I almost always let Tyler apologize first when we fight (working on this but it’s hard).
Things I’m good at: sticking to a routine, planning trips, listening, and being the hype man. I try to be very, very honest but in a nice way (usually). I am thoughtful, and I’m good at making people feel comfortable, I think. I put my heart and soul into being a good mom. I’m not a perfectionist which I used to view as a flaw but have been wielding it as a strength in recent years. I’m a great dancer.
Things I’m working on getting better at: cooking, writing, strength training (my big goal is to do a pull-up by the end of this year!), building breaks from the girls into my week (ANY ADVICE WELCOME), and not taking things personally.
