On Thursday, I caught a friend’s Facebook post showing off the gorgeous Fall colors surrounding the Buffalo National River. With my Everest base camp trek looming, any chance to get out into the cooler Fall temps and practice shuffling my gear was more than welcomed. By Friday evening, I had arrange a dog sitter, loaded my day pack and hopped …
A new journal before base camp
As is usual when creeping in on a trip, I’ve been sifting through old photos and reimagining their stories. I love it. Travel has become such an incredible inspiration in my life. The beginning of a new journal was inevitable. Here it is. We’re 17 days from take off for Nepal. Nearly all is gathered and ready for packing. I …
Standing with George Washington at Natural Bridge
We were flying down the interstates through the edge of Virginia when my roadside attraction Googling revealed “the initials of George Washington” left under a bridge. The basic description was plenty to be intriguing and certainly had my mind wandering in a thousand directions, but what it was exactly was entirely unclear. Eventually, my constant mentions wooed Grandma and Grandpa …
Islands of Venice: Murano, Burano and Torcello
The minute Elizabeth described the lagoon islands of Venice, I knew we had to go. Even though she’d been before, we stashed a copy of Rick Steves Italy in her bag and set off for new discoveries. The vaporetto ride was the perfect way to get onto the water – both getting us to the islands and crossing a critical must-do off …
Almost Seeing the Smoky Mountains and Tennessee’s Sad Elephant Story
Our first morning in Louisville reintroduced the breakfast tradition of our legendary past travels: hotel waffles. Trying to stick to the diet my trainer had recommended weeks prior, I opted for scrambled eggs, ham and my deliciously glorious black coffee. Grandpa, though, stayed true to our tradition. I kicked things off by loading up the waffle maker and waiting the …
Muse at the Museum in the Nelson-Atkins Sculpture Garden
With bursts of colorful light, the magic of Tarot and palm readings, the majesty of star gazing and the deliciousness of light summery cocktails – Muse at the Museum on the lawn of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art rocked our worlds. A peek at the recap video I tossed together (up there ☝️) doesn’t even do it justice. I was enjoying …
From Kansas City to Louisville with Grandma and Grandpa
With a full year since our last adventure, Grandma and Grandpa pulled into the driveway with big smiles. I’m almost positive that they were just surprised I was awake. In a pretty typical turn of events, I didn’t sleep the night before our takeoff. Nope. I saved all the most important things for the very last minute. You know – …
Prepping for Another Road Trip with My Grandparents
In less than 60 hours, I will be back on the road with my grandparents for what has become our annual road trip. I’m. So. Damn. Excited. A lot of new things are happening in this trip that have required quite a bit of prep up front. None of that prep is even close to finished yet which leaves little …
Sunshine and Margaritas on the Beach
Not too long ago, I realized that I’ve never been to a beach resort. Despite the countless days I spent glued to MTV Spring Break through the teenage years, I never actually made it out of the states with friends. Not for sand. Not for alcohol. Not for going wild. The epiphany was a bit of a bummer – one …
Kansas Wildfire Relief (Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado Too) – How and Where to Help
Use the links and recommendations below to support those affected by the wildfires in Southwest Kansas. New contacts will be added as we learn of additional opportunities to help. Please share this page and check back often! Contact Laura to add your information below. Read more about the wildfires here. Jump to: Farm and Ranch Goods | Home Goods and …