Monthly Round-Up: Rose & Thorns – October 2021

October Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced throughout each month.

Rose: Uninhibited Travel

The more I travel, the easier it gets. Most of this month was excited anticipation for Aaron and I’s camping trip in Yellowstone. I spent days leading up to the trip anxious that snowstorms would put a damper on our plans or flights would delay. I was seriously suppressing visions of sitting at the airport alone while getting a notification that Aaron’s flight was canceled. But these thoughts did not come to fruition. We picked the most ideal week to visit Yellowstone. A fresh blanket of snow coated the ground two days before our arrival, which allowed enough time for the snowplows to clear the roads but left the open fields and mountain tops a pristine white. The temperatures slowly rose to a comfortable 40-50°F throughout the week. Leaving us free to cover as much of the National Park as we could. The following days after we left, Wyoming was forecasted for more snow. We definitely threaded the needle for a perfect week to visit Yellowstone National Park. 

Thorn: Missing Scout 

It’s customary for me to want to organize and purge my entire condo after a trip. It’s probably because I’m unpacking and organizing clothes, which leads me to open storage containers. Inevitably, a pile of donations for Goodwill will take shape. While consolidating a few storage boxes, I came across Scout’s old Halloween costumes. He loved prancing around the house wearing his green Frankenstein t-shirt. He also loved kids coming up to the door for their Halloween candy and he knew they wouldn’t be able to resist scratching his belly.

These little costumes remind me of the cool temperatures at the beginning of the fall season, when he would actually like being outside. Like the small pile of toys stacked in the corner of my living room, I can’t part with these sentiments from Halloween past. 

Rose: Learning To Make Graphics 

Who knew writing a blog was more than just putting words on a page. I can now add novice Canva graphic designer to my list of talents. I use Canva to make cover pages for each blog post and some of the graphics throughout. The free version of Canva is terrific, but I’ve reached a point where taking my graphics to the next step requires me to upgrade to the paid version. Man, has this been worth it! It’s so much easier to use the full version for graphics, fonts, and picture editing. 

My goal is to make blog posts, logos, and graphics more professional and add more personality across my entire platform. I love the creative aspect of designing visually appealing graphics that change with the different topics or pictures for each week’s post. 

For one of my first projects, I created a few different logos for my blog. After several overly designed versions, I came up with one I like. Most importantly, I’m proud of it. Having an idea and seeing the end result come to life makes it that much more rewarding. 

Favorites of the Month

Hiking Gear – I did an in-depth post covering everything we purchased for hiking and camping in Yellowstone. There were no losers amongst the products, but there were few things that stood above the rest. 

• The propane camping stove was a last-minute decision. It was vital to boil water for coffee and prepare dehydrated meals. It was a bit of an investment but worth every penny. 
• One of the last things we ordered from amazon was our hiking poles. I usually feel like people who hike with hiking poles are a bit too serious. Since the landscape of Yellowstone is mountainous and we planned on hiking some strenuous trails, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try them. I’m still not a hundred percent convinced I need them for flat hikes in Florida, but these hiking poles saved my knees on the steep trails within the National Park. These are definitely coming along to future hiking trips in the mountains.

October Blog Post Recap

In case you missed any posts this month:

Hiking the Hillsborough River State Park – A Florida State Park with miles of hiking trails. I explored these easy-to-hike trails and the additional outdoor activities the whole family can enjoy. 

DIY: Spooky Halloween Garland – Looking to get into the Halloween spirit? This easy and affordable DIY is a hauntingly delightful addition to any shelf or mantel. 

Essential Yellowstone Packing List For Fall – Our trip to Yellowstone was a success! We had everything we needed for camping, hiking, and staying warm. I created a checklist and all the essentials we packed to make our trip successful.