A very warm welcome to Roots & Routes

I’m Lauren, a wife, mom, former history teacher, with a love of travel, food, and genealogy. I have always been drawn to history, ever since I was a little girl, listening to the stories of my grandparents - from serving in WWII, working with celebrities in the film industry, surviving the Great Depression, and tales of travels far and wide. I gravitated toward these stories of history. From the American Girl and Dear America series to Ken Burns documentaries, works by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and everything in between, history was brought alive for me and sparked a desire to romanticize the people and places I learned about.

After earning my degree in history, I channeled my passion for teaching, encouraging students to appreciate history, discover more about their families, culture, and the society in which we live, while helping them write their own story and shape their place in history. In learning more about my own family through my own genealogy research endeavors, I’ve taken leads from stories I’ve heard and tracing my roots back to countries of origin and discovering remarkable people, places, and journeys along the way that have shaped my identity and have opened my eyes to the global influence that the world has had on me, from lines descending from Spanish Conquistadors and the French Court of Louis XIV to Irish immigrants of the Potato Famine, and even U.S. presidents- and of course, fascinating stories of rags to riches elders such as a poor coal miner to a Country Western music star!

In discovering more about my family, I was inspired to develop a love for travel, further connecting with my roots and shaping the paths I’ve taken and continue to take, as I explore the world and my role in it. I want to share my learning and adventures with you all. Marrying a descendant of the great Persian Empire, my little family has cultivated a rich and eclectic home where we honor the stories, dishes, and great traditions of our ancestors, while forging our own path and legacy.

Born and raised in sunny Southern California, in 2023, my family established our new home- the cobblestone streets of historic New England. When we moved, I made a promise to embrace it with all-no regrets (including recently earning a master’s degree from Harvard), and I have found a place that truly has my heart. I hope you’ll enjoy the adventure that I’ve embraced and follow me along for the ride as I share fascinating ancestral reveal stories, inspirational local, national, and global travel guides and history, as well as reveling in history as I reflect on the roots that I have and the routes I am taking in discovering the beauty of the past and present, and how it shapes our future.

Here’s to the paths we trace and the stories still waiting to be told.