United States
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Ultimate Family Camping Trip: Exploring Utah and Colorado’s National Parks
My husband deployed for 6 months when my kids were only 6 months and 2 years old. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done — solo parenting while he was 9 time zones away. As soon as we found out when he was returning from deployment and his spring break dates, we started planning our family camping trip to Utah and Colorado’s National Parks. It gave us something to look forward to during those long months. I never in my wildest dreams would’ve predicted how incredible this trip would be. We traveled 15 days across the Southwest United States through Colorado, Arizona, and Utah and visited 7…
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Breckenridge, Colorado | 2-Day Itinerary
As a young adult, I found myself daydreaming of places I wanted to visit that looked like a winter wonderland. I would save Instagram posts, Pinterest pins and print photos off and put it around my office and classroom. Breckenridge was one of those places that seemed like such a far off dream; something I could only hope to visit one day. Living in Colorado now, at 30, feels like a constant pinch me moment. Living less than 3 hours away from some of the places I grew up dreaming about never gets old. I’ve lived in Colorado for almost a year now and finally got around to driving up…
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Fall in Colorado: A Visit to Long Neck Pumpkin Farm
It’s been 5 years since I’ve experienced fall in the United States. Living in Europe during the fall was wonderful because of the many festivals, grape stomps, and apple-picking opportunities. So, I had high expectations when it came to this season here in Colorado, and it was wonderful. Seeing the leaves change from green to deep orange a little bit more each day made me so happy. There are a plethora of pumpkin patches and fall activities here in Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas. Our favorite place we visited and one that we’ll definitely be making a tradition out of is Long Neck Pumpkin Farm. It’s an incredibly unique…
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11-Day Family Camping Trip Through Colorado, Wyoming & Utah
During the summer of 2022, we embarked on an 11-day family camping trip through Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Over 2,000 miles traveling and sleeping in a 34-square-foot camper with our 2 small children was amazing. Back in April we purchased a Forest River NoBo 10.5 and have been planning this trip ever since. While our original thought was to head to Utah, we decided to travel north to cooler temperatures in July. We spent 11 days traveling to Wyoming (Yellowstone National Park) and back down through Utah (Flaming Gorge) before ending back up in Colorado. The memories we made with our children (2 years old and 4 months at the…
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Our First Trip as Family of Four to Boulder, Colorado
The first time traveling with a newborn is always nerve-wracking, but traveling with 2 under 2 was even more overwhelming. We wholeheartedly believe that exposing children to things when they’re young pays off in the long run! So we decided to take a short weekend trip to Boulder, Colorado, just 2 hours from our home in Colorado Springs. A weekend of hiking, dining out, and exploring downtown was just what we needed after not traveling for months during my third trimester. Where to Stay for a Weekend in Boulder, Colorado I searched for somewhere close enough to downtown that we didn’t have to drive very far, but also close enough…
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We’ve Moved (& More Life Updates) | Germany to Colorado
Whew, it’s been a while yall! The last blog I wrote was back in June of 2021. I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since then. So much has happened since we moved from Germany to Colorado, so let’s do a recap of the last year… We came down with military orders in August 2021 that set us to leave Grafenwoehr, Germany in early November 2021. That’s when things really got busy. I got pregnant for the second time in a few short months after a miscarriage, we had to make all of our out-processing appointments, organize and purge things from our home, and get ready to ship all…
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A Weekend in Beaufort, SC: Shopping & Dining in the Historic District
The wind gusts from the Beaufort River pushed the stroller along the boardwalk dangerously close to the white capping water to our right. And to the left, children played and ran through the park acting as if social distancing and wearing a mask were the most natural thing in the world. Parents were just within earshot, because it is the kind of place that you let your children run free in the middle of the day when the sun shines the brightest. This is the scene on a recent Saturday in the Historic District of Beaufort, South Carolina. With its small-town charm, great bites, and unique shopping, you’ll find plenty…
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Two Weeks in Daytona Beach, Florida: The Best Things To Do
My Dad proposed to my Mom in the sand on Daytona Beach, the same beach that I would crawl around on a year later, and the same one that my daughter crawled around on 28 years later. Some of my favorite moments growing up were spent on the sunny, warm, Florida beach. In February, I spent two full weeks at the beach with my family and my daughter, Lillie Belle. It was the most fun-filled vacation I’ve had in over a year. Signs of the pandemic were minimal and there were plenty of family-friendly things to do during our stay that I’m excited to share with you here! Why Visit…
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America, Here We Come
3 years ago we made the decision to stay in Europe and move from Italy to Germany. I never could have imagined that just a few years later we would be itching to leave and return to the U.S. Between a rough pregnancy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and some health issues with our daughter — it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows this past year. Thanks to the determination and sacrifices of my husband, Stephen, we are heading to Ft. Carson, Colorado in just a few months. We’re finally moving back to America, y’all! A Recap of Our Time in Germany Our time in Germany started off a little rocky. The…
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Backpacking the Appalachian Trail: Tesnatee Gap to Neels Gap
What motivates you to try something for the first time? For me, it’s the thought of the unknown that scares yet excites me enough to want to experience it – despite the constant fear of failure. It’s knowing that completing the adventure in front of me may only come around once because something could happen tomorrow and I could be physically unable to do it again. It’s my partner/spouse/best friend in my ear encouraging me to do something, telling me I’m capable, despite my doubts. It’s my father-in-law insisting I try something that he knows I’ll love, like backpacking, knowing me better than I often know myself. And the result:…
