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The seasons are a changing...grateful for a fresh

The seasons are a changing...grateful for a fresh air escape earlier this week. 👉 Swipe for corresponding caption.⁠⠀
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1. This time next year my oldest will have flown the nest. It's hard to believe this monumental milestone is nearly upon us––and it was a joy to still see the child in him come out during our hike (look closely and you'll see his brother peeping out behind him). ⁠⠀
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2. The steep hike to this view still has my legs hurting, but every great view from the top is always worth the struggle. And I totally bribed my kids with drive-thru snacks to minimize complaining. ⁠⠀
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3. Capturing memories with my always willing selfie smiler. ⁠⠀
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4. The closest to a normal sibling photo I could capture out of 20. ⁠⠀
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5. Companion view from the top––it's especially fun (and symbolic) to look back at how far you've come. ⁠⠀
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6. Trail sisters––and the brothers blazed ahead with their goofy antics.⁠⠀
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7. Essential trail snacks.⁠⠀
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8. The contrast of the sun and sky makes everything look more beautiful.⁠⠀
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9. The adorable armadillo that Liam spied first.⁠⠀
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10. Find all this joy and more on your own mini road trip to Lost Maples. ⁠⠀
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This is not my bathroom, but it is a special one t

This is not my bathroom, but it is a special one to me. It's the same bathroom I found refuge in after days of camping and driving through the mountains of Colorado back in 2017. I'd hardly showered and I was pretty tired from the trek. Pretty sure I'd been wearing the same shorts for days, too.⁠
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I was at the tail end of my first epic solo road trip with my kids post divorce, and to save money camping was my go-to. I've since sworn that I will never make and break camp everyday like I did back then. But I did find this lovely listing on Airbnb. ⁠
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We camped in the backyard with gorgeous views of the mountains and I could escape to this room to brush my teeth and use the bathroom in peace whenever I needed (you're never more thankful for running water and plumbing than when you haven't had it for days on end). ⁠
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Our host Shelly was working on the house to turn the whole thing to an Airbnb while she and her family lived there. They were the most welcoming generous people, and this weary mama found so much joy and peace here. ⁠
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Fast forward to 2020 and we were able to return this summer––but this time I was able to rent the entire house. 3 years ago that would have been out of my reach, and I'm so grateful to have grown in my career and business since then.⁠
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I took this photo in July this year as the kids and I did our excited swoop through the house when we arrived. All the joy of that time, the roads traveled since, and the hope of the roads to come came rushing through in that moment. ⁠
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Looking to go on your own adventures but need a little encouragement? Today's the last day to get my Pocket Road Trip Planning Guide on sale––the price goes back up tomorrow! Linking up to that and @thgegatheringhousecos listing via my bio.

Y'all know that I love road trips by now, right? 😜 ⁠
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Well I've turned that love into a little digital pocket guide to help YOU plan your next road trip, too. ⁠
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3 years ago when I was planning my first epic out-of-state solo road trip (with camping!) for me and my kids, I was all sorts of anxious. I'd hit the road with my kids on shorter solo trips before, but this felt like a beast to plan for. ⁠
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But I broke it down into bite-sized pieces and came up with a game plan––and I've used the same process for planning every big road trip since! ⁠
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Looking for some help in planning your first (or a better) road trip? Check out my new Pocket Road Trip Planning Guide via my link in bio. What's your biggest obstacle to hitting the road?

I'm not sure if there are enough spoonfuls of suga

I'm not sure if there are enough spoonfuls of sugar to help me get quite in the Halloween mood this year. We are putting up more spider webs for a socially distanced backyard movie night, but it's not the same. ⁠⠀
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I won't be donning a costume this year––although I did think of buying some caution tape to wrap myself in and going as "An Abundance of Caution." ⁠⠀
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Instead I thought I'd share some favorites from Halloweens past––including the time Skyler and I were both mimes, Liam was a stop sign, Eleanor was a whiteboard (so she could be anything!), the kids as the Super Mario crew, Calvin and Hobbes, and an ancient one from '09 (I look like a baby in that one, too!). ⁠⠀
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Here's to finding some happy in your Halloween, friends! ⁠⠀
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#halloween2020🎃

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