Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Hope Springs Eternal 

Photo by Romona Robbins

It continues to amaze me how our team curates a fresh new issue with bold intensity each month, allowing us to bring forth exciting and engaging stories. The goal is always to showcase content riddled with goodness and boundless beauty. There are many engaging and thoughtful stories, accompanied by vibrant photography and intentional design, that serve as our constant vanguard. It’s tough to meet the deadlines, and it isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is also a labor of love. Even as I lead the vision and initiatives of the magazine, I stand in awe of what we accomplish together. It is such a feat—one for which I give thanks to our team and God for His watchful eye over this undertaking. It’s been my mission field for seventeen years to bless and inspire our readers, advertisers, and the people and places whose stories we have the privilege of sharing. With this issue, which focuses on travel and food locally and globally, we invite you to sit down, take a pause in your day, and dine and travel with us. We always have something new around the corner, and this journey starts with our cover feature, a destination wedding weekend to beat all weddings, which was held in the idyllic town of Seaside, Florida, a few miles down the road from our HQ. Discover it in “That’s Amurri: Breezi & Leonardo’s Magical Wedding Weekend” by Abigail Ryan.

In addition, we showcase a very special wedding at The Chapel at Seaside, where our advertiser and brand partners, E. F. San Juan owners Edward and Mary Kathryn San Juan, hosted their daughter Lydia’s marriage to Trey Peirce. Read it in “Going to the Chapel and We’re Gonna Get Married.” The wedding venue holds a special place for the San Juan family, and this wedding looked like one of the most joyous I’ve seen in a long time. Lydia, you were a gorgeous bride, and you and Trey make a striking couple!

When people are asked about their bucket lists, they often cite places they want to travel, and it’s become such an integral part of our modern way of life. Ecotourism, spiritual tourism, holistic tourism, gastro-tourism, and vinotourism, also known as enotourism, are just a few reasons the industry continues to soar. One of my favorite articles in this issue is “Brilliant Bordeaux,” penned by Carolyn O’Neil, who is our wine and culinary aficionado. I met her in 1993 when she was the longtime host of CNN’s On the Menu, and I was the marketing director for the Seaside Merchants Association, which was hosting the annual Seeing Red Wine Festival alongside Robert Mondavi and his wife, Margrit, and the famed chef and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich as celebrity guests. Carolyn and her crew were covering the off-the-charts event for her show, and it was my thrill to meet her, as I’d been watching her program for years. Bud & Alley’s owner Dave Rauschkolb hosted the sold-out wine dinner with his chef Irv Miller working in the kitchen with a superstar. I recall the weekend as if it were yesterday, and having Carolyn be part of our editorial team these many years later makes life even sweeter, as I truly admire her and am humbled that we get to work together.

As an avid traveler for many years, I have seemingly been sequestered from it(relatively speaking) these past two years, only taking a few trips. One was to England on behalf of the Seaside Institute to attend IMCL’s annual conference with executive director Christy Milliken and VIE editor Jordan Staggs. My husband and I voyaged to St. Barths, where we covered the gorgeous Le Barthélémy resort, and then to Ogunquit, Maine, where we featured the charming Dunes on the Waterfront. I loved these trips, as well as all my other travels over the years, which have all been exhilarating and wonderful.

When I find myself saying, “somewhere over the rainbow,” I’m referring to a need for newness and brighter days ahead. Traveling to new places usually fits that bill for me. I want to see more rainbows and hope to travel more often in the years ahead. May your “somewhere over the rainbow” also give you that feeling of hope and renewal.

—To Life!

Lisa Marie Burwell

CEO/Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director

— V —