About Lilacs Travel the World

About Roxanne and Family

Welcome to Our Wild Adventure!

About Roxanne and Family

I am Roxanne and my mom is Jody. We are a mother-daughter team raising my two teenagers, Hailie and Clayton, and we have one dog, Tilly, and two cats, Hermione and Ponyo. Sometimes my brother, Ryan, and his fiancé, Rachel, join us. We take trips both in the USA and around the world. Our main focus before COVID was the United Kingdom and Mainland Europe. However, since COVID, our interest has become the USA and what a beautiful country we live in!


Our home is in Missouri and so some of our shorter trips will include jaunts around our state. We have quite a few little gems to share with you, and share is what we wish to do. The very reason we have decided to build this website is so that we can tell you our stories and provide you with our own itineraries. Itineraries that we have already traveled and that are detailed and full of valuable tips.

We chose the title, “Lilacs Travel the World”, because lilacs were one of my father’s favorite flowers, carrying memories of childhood in Missouri. He wanted to plant a lilac bush in front of our house after he retired from the military, knowing we would finally be in one place. Sadly, though, he never planted the lilac bush, so we have decided to name our blog after his childhood memory, in remembrance of him.

about Jody and her husband
about lilacs travel the world
about Jody and her husband

We chose the title, “Lilacs Travel the World”, because lilacs were one of my father’s favorite flowers, carrying memories of childhood in Missouri. He wanted to plant a lilac bush in front of our house after he retired from the military, knowing we would finally be in one place. Sadly, though, he never planted the lilac bush, so we have decided to name our blog after his childhood memory, in remembrance of him.

about lilacs travel the world
meet roxanne alden

A Little About Roxanne

Family Outings, Trips, Lifestyle, Teens

I am a single mom of two teenagers, Hailie and Clayton. I currently work for an insurance company here in Missouri. I grew up a military child and had many opportunities to travel while my family was stationed in Germany. My favorite part of traveling are the hotels that I get to experience, and of course the food. I am celiac, so I do my best to find places that have gluten free options, other than salads. When I am not traveling, I love being at home and being a family with Hailie and Clayton. I love planning our trips and seeing them come to life and I hope that you will enjoy them just as much! Our world has so much to offer and to see.

meet jody rector

A Little About Jody:

Solo Traveler, Pilgrim, Genealogist, and Spiritual Seeker

I am a world traveler and author. I enjoy traveling with my family, but I am also an avid solo traveler, focusing on spiritual pilgrimages and on ancestral journeys. For me a trip is really three trips in one. First, dreaming and planning the trip, second, the trip itself, and third, the documenting and creating of memories, through stories, scrapbooking, and artwork. To view more about me, please view “Intro to Jody’s Spiritual Journey” on the drop-down menu below “Spiritual and Ancestral”. I am looking forward to sharing my travel stories and spiritual memoirs with you.

meet jody rector
meet ryan and his wife

A Little About Ryan and Rachel

Ryan is my younger brother that joins our family trips once a year for a week. He currently lives in Nashville with his fiancé, Rachel, and their cat and two dogs. Ryan works in robotics and is constantly traveling the U.S. working in different factories. Rachel is in the last stages of earning her P.H.D in sociology, where her main focus is learning about the homeless communities around the U.S. They both enjoy the social scene in Nashville, and they take us to their new favorite spots, avoiding the downtown and country music scene.

Check Out Our Recent Trips!

Part VI, Holy Land

Ein Karem and Bethlehem May 27, 2022 Dear Friends, Another week has gone by and it is time for another letter about the Holy Land

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Part V, Holy Land

Mount Tabor, Jordon River, Jericho May 26, 2022 Dear Friends,  In this week’s letter, we will be leaving the beautiful area around the Sea of

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Part IV, Holy Land

Capernaum, Church of the Beatitudes, The Rock at the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, St. Peter’s Fish, and a Boat Trip on the

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