About Me

Meet The Author

I'm Essie (a nickname I made up out of my initials "S.E"). I'm a twenty thirty-something currently residing in Texas (I move a lot, wanderlust and all that). I am a licensed cosmetologist and before I got that I dabbled in traditional college, earning an Associates degree in Psychology before moving onto something more creative and stimulating. My style icons are Daria and Wednesday Addams meets Elizabeth Bennet. I enjoy the little things in life like double rainbows, small children's laughter and finding money in my bra. I over use comma's, the ghost emoji, the words "rude" and "boo" during texts and normal conversations. Skulls, Owls and unnatural hair color are my things and am widely known for my brutal honesty, never taking a serious picture, making weird faces at inappropriate times, my love of pizza and my butt. Seriously.

I enjoy reading and writing. I worked in book stores for over 6 years and when I first graduated high school I had set out to be a writer. I've written countless poems, short stories and non-fiction pieces. I have 3 self-published books and continue to write behind the scenes to this day. I actually got my passion for writing from loving music so much. I discovered I didn't really have the talent to make it as a singer but I did have the writing potential.

I used to write a blog called Sara Ivy and that was my handle for literally everything since high school. I've also interned for Buzznet.com (a SpinMedia website, formerly Buzzmedia) as a social media and promotions manager, content writer and freelance photographer. I also write more personal related blogs over at RadiumGirl.com. From time to time I may reference it or recycle a post from there and since it's my stuff anyways I'm allowed. XD

What is The Traveling Thistle?, first published in January 2016, serves the purpose of documenting my travels. I was born in Nebraska and moved to Iowa as a small child. My family lived in various parts of the country and the only affordable mode of travel was to go on a road trip. Maybe that's why I really like road trips and exploring new places. That was how I spent all of my school and summer vacations; driving to Indiana or parts of Iowa to visit family. I moved around a lot too, helping to knock off some of the states I've visited (I've marked them on the map below). In middle school and I high school I became interested in photography and thus, as we traveled I started taking pictures. I'm a writer by nature and I love sharing details about my life. I figured what better way to combine all the things I love than to keep a detailed log of my adventures than with a blog!

As of November 2018 I've been to the following 43 states (and Washington, D.C):

Left to Visit: Rhode Island, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Alaska & Hawaii

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I moved from the middle of the map, farther East until I headed north to New Hampshire, from there, directly South to Florida and then all the way across to Los Angeles, California where I stayed for about 7 years. California afforded me some beautiful trips, as I drove all over from there. However, life had other plans and I've since moved away from Los Angeles to Texas (which is ridiculously boring if you do not live in a major city) and no longer have that bustling metropolis to curb my appetite for adventure and road trips.

Why "The Traveling Thistle" and not continue under your other name(s)?

After having read all of the above, you still have to ask? I've moved around a lot, traveled a lot and I want to bring that experience to you and collectively have everything all in one place. I wanted a name that seemed more suited for a travel blog, thus Traveling and if a Thistle isn't the perfect analogy for me I do not know what else could be!


Road Trips cost money; Gas, oil changes, new tires, tolls, ect. There are several ways you can help. Clicking links to affiliates earns money. Purchasing things from the shop (http://shop.thetravelingthistle.com), purchasing advertising space if you have your own shop or business or donating directly via Paypal - the button to do so is in the sidebar.