The Tallulah Gorge State Park wasn’t my first choice when planning my day of hiking, but it ended up being the best choice. I spent the morning driving the winding road to Anne Ruby Falls, only to find it closed. Determined not to be discouraged by Google Maps’ failure to provide accurate information, I decided [...]
November Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced throughout each month. Rose: First Solo Trip On a whim, I took myself on a road trip to Helen, Georgia, this month. I’m not sure if listening to true-crime podcasts helped keep me vigilant or made me nervous about traveling such [...]
Drawn to Florida’s white-sand beaches, theme parks, and warm weather, millions of auto travelers enter Florida through the interstate system each year. Along with playing road trip bingo, anticipating the next stop along the way is half the fun. The Florida Welcome Center is one of those highway havens travelers look forward to stopping after [...]
Yellowstone National Park is an outdoor wonderland, and Aaron and I have always wanted to go on a camping trip together. This year, the pieces seemed to fall into place for one of our bucket list destinations; Yellowstone. We often plan a trip for September or October because it’s the off-season for many popular travel [...]
Yellowstone National Park is neatly tucked away in the Northwest corner of Wyoming, where the mountainous landscape does not obstruct the view of the expansive sky above. Peacefully grazing bison freely roam the open land while a tiny chipmunk scampers from one rock to another. The remnants of an early October snowstorm still coat the [...]
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 [...]
Packing for any vacation can be overwhelming. There's always a sense of forgetting a critical item for survival; e.g. medication, your phone charger, or your whole carry-on bag. For my recent trip to Yellowstone, I created an essential Yellowstone packing list to ensure I would be prepared for anything. On this trip not only did [...]
Every year, my family decorates for Halloween. Fearful my family would exile me for not decorating for the spooky season; I decided to create a DIY Spooky Halloween Garland for my newly made-over patio. Creating this garland took on a life of its own. In the beginning, I just wanted to create a ghost garland [...]
The humidity in Florida has been less repressive for the last week. So, taking advantage of the slightly comfortable weather and needing to break in my new hiking boots, I set out to visit the Hillsborough River State Park. The chaos of Tampa melts into the background as you turn off Highway 301, and towering [...]
September Rose & Thorns – A monthly recap of the highs and lows experienced throughout each month. Rose: Running Further Than Ever I started writing about my running journey last month. I was so proud of how fast I was able to push myself. This month, the temperature has begun to cool a little, (by [...]
