All in Personal
Goodness gracious! It’s been a YEAR since we set out on the road full-time in our little 24ft Winnebago View. WHAT?! It’s been a wild ride and a big crash course on everything. I honestly don’t know how to sum up this past year or pick out what constitutes a “highlight,” but here’s my attempt.
Michigan’s UP is so pretty. I definitely recommend taking a trip there to explore. Its landscape seemed like a pretty rare one for the Midwest. That may just mean that if you live in the Midwest then it’s perfect for when you want to travel to see something like the PNW, but that’s not in the money and/or time budget. It’s still a bit of a hike up there, but definitely a beautiful must-see in my book.
“Hiking is one of my FAVORITE activities. Specifically day hikes with a bit of a scrambling climb in there somewhere. Oh, and waterfalls! I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’d like to share how I find which trails to take.”
Sedona is one of those places that I’m sure you’ve heard of before. If not, let me enlighten you—it’s beautiful. It’s probably one of the most beautiful places you’ll see. As you enter the area you see wonderful smelling mesquite trees along the beautiful red, dirt hills. The hills turn into cliffs with spires and arches all around you. If you aren’t able to hike, no worries, there are plenty of places to view these sights from the comfort of your own car (or a jeep tour). You could even just stroll through town and be greeted at every turn by the imposing, red wonders.
“Our visit to Joshua Tree was an exciting one for several reasons. It included a few firsts for us: it was the first National Park visit of our full-time traveling adventures, and for each of us it was our first time to this specific park. Our favorite hike we did there wound along washes, through cacti and joshua trees. The fog and mist from the rains made us completely soaked even while it brought beautiful fog down over the hills.”
“It's actually been a month—a crazy month—since we set out on the road. We traveled from the Portland, Oregon area down through the entire state of California and over to Arizona where we have landed for now. We've been boondocking (basically not hooking up to electricity and water or staying at paid campsites) the entire adventure so far, and that doesn't look like it will change any time soon now that we've figured out our solar power.”
I have learned a lot over these past 5 years, and I'm absolutely certain that there will be an astounding amount more to learn. I thought I'd share some of what has made these past several years feel as though we never came home from our honeymoon.
A little glimpse into a fun, last minute lifestyle session with some friends.
I was driving home from an interpreting assignment and enjoying the beautiful snowy, country roads when I found this pretty location. When I arrived home, I happened to find that my husband surprised me by coming home from work early. It didn't take much convincing and we were out the door back for some Christmasy photos.
Yosemite—goodness gracious it's beautiful. And we saw it on a foggy/snowy/rainy/cloudy/sunny day. I would definitely suggest going to Yosemite, as I'm sure you've heard before. Yes, all that everyone has said about it is true; it is an absolute must see! My heart is excited for the day when I can be as cool as my cousins and hike Half Dome. Really, I'd take just seeing it again. :)
At the beginning of the year there was a photo contest held by Shoot & Share that had photographers participating from all 50 states and 120 countries with a total of 225,207 photos entered into 25 categories. Yeah, that's some stiff competition!
It's been a bit since the contest and finding the results, but for some reason I've just been enjoying this myself. That's kinda silly. So, please join me in the excitement that I did so well in such an amazing photo competition alongside so many amazing photographers!
My husband and I have a love for adventure. In fact, when he asked me to marry him he asked if I'd like to join him on a lifelong adventure. :) And that's what we do, we love, we travel, and we try new things all along the way. And me being me, I love to photograph the journey.
This year, I talked Ty into taking a monthly photo with me. (It really didn't take much convincing.) This a collection of those photos from this past year. :)
I want to be the one to capture your memories, but I also want the privilege of experiencing them with you. I think one of the most exciting things in this world is getting to know people for who they really are, and with my love language of quality time, I hope that I may share some time with you and get to know you all while making sure you and your family have something to treasure from these moments in your life. You are worth it.
I know this is just a tad bit late for Christmas, but my husband and I decided to have fun with some ugly Christmas sweaters. This was the result. Enjoy!
