Happy March! February (along with March) is historically the most difficult month for me mentally (then add on the polar vortex temps). I wasn’t sure how much movement I’d end up with this month, but writing these recaps helps me remember just how much I can do during this time.
For context around these posts: Toward the beginning of each month, a blog post will go live recapping some activities from the previous month. The idea of monthly recaps is twofold: to motivate and show others a few ways to add movement into their lives, while simultaneously motivating myself to continue getting outside and to keep moving.
"Movement" is my north star thought for this year, and I'm excited to see what movement looks like throughout each season as the year goes on. Have an idea on how I can incorporate movement into daily life? Or how these monthly recaps could better serve you? Please let me know!
Miles hiked/walked: 66.35 miles (148,893 steps)
Miles recorded on trail: 19.90 (activities recorded on Strava/AllTrails) (missed adding some walks/activities on Strava))
Miles so far in 2025: 187.19 miles (420,070 steps)
New places visited: Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Celebrating Friendsmas
February started off strong with Friendsmas! A day with great company, of fun games, tasty food, and an evening that ended in a night of music. In the year I’m trying to remember to take more pictures with my friends and family, I still accidentally only took one photo :-\ But the day was amazing nonetheless!
Visiting a brand new coffee shop – Jones Coffee
Before our hike at in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (more on that below), we stopped at Jones Coffee shop, which just opened in Chaska. Their oat milk latte instantaneously became my favorite – it even gives Smith Coffee & Cafe in Eden Prairie a run for its money (not there’s any competition here, I will gladly give my money to both of these coffee shops). I can’t wait to get back there!
Hiking in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
After grabbing a coffee at Jones Coffee, we headed south about 10 minutes from the coffee shop to the Louisville Swamp Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Shakopee, MN. We have done this trail before in the warmer months, but never with snow! This trail was beautiful with snow.
Here are some trail stats: 📍 Shakopee/Jordan, MN (USA) 🥾 Easy rated 3.05 mile loop 🪧 Mazomani Trail specifically ⛰️ 135 ft of elevation gain 👀 Birds of prey, birds of song, fox, coyotes, smaller critters can be seen along this hike. A portion of this hike is along water and if you’re looking out across it you can see an eagle’s nest! 🦅🪹
Skiing at Mount Kato
February 9th brought us to Mount Kato! Missing Jessica this time, Emily, Eric, Dave, Brenna, and myself spent a few hours in southern Minnesota skiing Mount Kato in Mankato. Mount Kato is about an hour from where we live in the Twin Cities Metro, and offers 19 runs across all skill levels. It’s also on the Indy Pass! We always try to prioritize resorts on the Indy Pass.
Snowmobiling in Wyoming (Eric)
In February, Eric went snowmobiling in Wyoming/Montana with friends. He also went in January (in Colorado) and I missed adding that to January’s recap – oops. He typically goes annually, but this year he was able to go twice! This trip, they saw elk and moose, rode at least 100 miles between the trees and the mountains, and ~10,000 ft of elevation changes.
Snowshoeing at work (thanks, Three Rivers!)
Three Rivers Park District was brought onsite a couple of days in February to offer snowshoeing classes! While I’m familiar with the activity, I didn’t hesitate to sign up because it’s just so much fun. Plus, what a great way to get some fresh air during the work day – a rare opportunity for me being in a corporate setting that I just had to take advantage of. I love when the Twin Cities has enough snow to snowshoe, it’s a really great workout and a fun way to play outside in the winter season.
Lots of Walks with Archie
As is tradition 🙂 There were some brutally cold days (-14*F with a real feel of -38*), which eventually warmed up to some very warm (51*F) days, and we happily trotted through all of it.
Monthly meetings for creative connections
2025 is the year I really am going to chase some of my long lost dreams.
Writing, photo, video, and lighting are all things I fell in love with in my lower teens. While I ended up with a BS & M.Ed in recreation and sport management (no regrets), a dream for me originally was to go to a prominent school in Winter Park for show production and touring, but I just couldn’t make it work. That love has never gone away, and really only is most noticeable if you ever go to a concert or live event with me.
They say “you become who you surround yourself with,” and suggest to surround yourself with people who you want to be like, so I’m going to do just that. This is a first for me, but I made the decision to start attending monthly meet ups with creative people. It was both surreal and motivating to be surrounded by conversations with producers, cinematographers, actors, cartoonists, comedians, photographers, light designers, sound techs, web designers, writers, and everything in between.
The speaker this session was a famous lighting designer, Arlo, who has made the world better and more exciting for attendees of both massive arena shows and smaller intimate venues alike. I left feeling so inspired by his message and have so many notes with relevant takeaways for both my corporate role and my creative outlets.
Celebrating Lindsey’s birthday in New Prague
New Prague is a quaint town about 45 minutes southwest of Minneapolis with around 8,000 residents. Lindsey chose the 1319 Woodfire Tavern restaurant for a birthday lunch and it was absolutely deeeeelicious. We both recommend the brunch Espresso Martini, her BBQ pulled pork sandwich with pineapple slaw, and my lost forest omelette with crispy hash browns. The entire menu looked really good, so we decided we’ll be back sometime again this summer. Connected to the restaurant is the 1319 Ice Cream Shoppe & Cafe, but we were too full to have any dessert.
Following lunch and catching up, we walked around the downtown area and checked out some shops. New Prague is a great, underrated town and I’m excited to get back there!
Day trip around Amsterdam (Netherlands)
On February 26th, I hopped on a Delta flight and crossed the pond over to Europe for my first ever solo international trip. The first stop? A 13-hour layover in Amsterdam. What a beautiful, bustling city. This was my first time in The Netherlands! More to come in a full-length post, but a few of the most impactful stops for me included the Anne Frank House (+ secret annex), a ride through the historical canals, and visits to various museums and art galleries.
What were you up to in February?
Please share in what ways you were able to move in February!
Curious about other ways to incorporate movement into your life? Check out my January adventures recap post, or the Best of 2024 travel memories recap post.
I did it! I finally built up the courage to book my very first ever solo travel adventure.
Well, mostly my first ever. I have traveled (read: flown, drove) thousands of miles by myself, but always with the plan to meet up with others, and rarely alone overnight.
Something in me has always been so inspired by solo travelers, particularly female solo travelers, but I’ve never had the courage (or the time) to travel truly all alone.
Until now.
And I can’t wait to see how that goes – reminder to self: I can do hard things!
I’ve been really wanting to try traveling differently, to see what I’m capable of when I don’t have anyone else around to rely on – I find that sort of empowering. And I’m learning there is different preparation involved with solo travel. Not just the physical and digital logistics, but there is also a mental aspect involved with solo travel planning, and I want to experience and grow from it.
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My journey to solo travel
My first solo trip has been on my mind for a while, with a slow pace to get there. The idea of considering solo travel has always been there, but finding the time and motivation is relatively new to me. After becoming especially inspired by friends and bloggers within last year, I started prepping myself for a successful first solo trip – whenever that may be.
Well, “whenever that may be” is starting now!
I’m here to share what that prep work looked like for me, in hopes to help you, too.
Learning from other solo female travelers
For me, learning by example (watching, discussing) and reading are the best ways I learn. Taking these into account, I utilized a few different mediums.
A few of my friends are consistent solo travelers, and watching them explore the world has been so impactful and motivating. From Argentina, to Canada, to Denmark, and New Zealand, knowing people who travel alone for periods of time has been so inspiring. Talking to them live, and following their social media accounts has given me glimpses into the reality of what solo travel looks like.
Instagram accounts focusing on solo (or couples) travel have also been inspiring, but don’t always offer some of the less desirable but still important to know behind-the-scenes moments like what talking with a friend can provide.
And honestly, YouTube and Instagram Reels have also been integral in teaching me what to expect when traveling solo too. I was able to manipulate my algorithm on both platforms to where, for almost the entire past year, nearly everything pushed to me is either solo or couples hiking and travel. Long form video content just could not hold my attention two years ago, but in the last year, has really been a wonderful thing. Accounts that have been helpful to me include Miranda Goes Outside, Taylor the Nahamsha Hiker, Homemade Wanderlust, and Eric Hanson, among others. Aware that many of those have camera crews with them, their messages have still been educational.
Finally, helpful in my journey to finding the courage to solo travel has been reading blog posts from the ladies who do it! It’s been great to learn tips and tricks from the pros. They also talk about the good, bad, and ugly of solo travel. With extensive travel, they have vast knowledge and information that has been really beneficial for me. Two of my favorite solo female travel bloggers include Adventurous Kate and Traveling Jackie.
Taking myself out on dates
Why is being at a restaurant alone so intimidating? For some reason, this was going to be one of my biggest hurdles. However literally 7 minutes ago I learned that putting earbuds in while at a restaurant helps, even if you aren’t actually listening to anything, so I look forward to testing that idea sometime soon.
While not exact, I’ve found that coffee shops have been the best places for me to start getting comfortable with being alone. After all, people are alone at coffee shops all the time! I’ve done this a few times (as well as going to actual restaurants alone) but never with this type of intention.
Smith Coffee & Cafe was the very first place I took myself out on a date. It then turned into my favorite coffee shop and I’ve invited other people here since! I brought my laptop, grabbed a lavender hazelnut latte (my absolute favorite), and stayed for 2.5 hours. Don’t worry, it wasn’t a busy time so I wasn’t taking up a table unnecessarily. That 2.5 hours of intentionality did feel a little weird at times, but overall that first experience felt good!
Being alone at restaurants still feels a little weird at times, but with something to do (e.g. read a book/Kindle, notebook or laptop for writing or planning, and assumingly now putting in ear pods for listening to a podcast or music), being alone at a coffee shop or restaurant is getting easier and easier. I trust that eventually I won’t need to rely on activities to make me feel comfortable alone at restaurants.
Hiking alone on smaller and more local trails is another date I’ve been taking myself on. I started by taking Archie, our chow mix, out on some of his walks alone. I know it’s “usual” for most people to take their dog on a walk without anyone else, but not really for me – Eric always happens to be available to go with me or I wait until he’s on a break so we can go together (it’s our family activity).
And last February I went on my first solo hike! It was 4.5 miles and in a place I had never been before: Rib Mountain State Park in Wisconsin. I brought my ear pods to distract myself and keep from being awkward but didn’t end up using them. For some reason I found it to be much more comfortable to solo hike than to solo eat. That was a refreshing realization! While I don’t solo hike often, I try to pepper in a walk here and there when I can.
Getting myself physically ready
To travel solo or camp solo, you don’t actually need to work out beforehand. My physical wellbeing has been a goal the last few years anyways, and without realizing it, getting stronger by walking on the treadmill, stepping on the stair climber, or lifting with the weight machines at my local gym have also given me more body confidence. Not in what I look like, but in what I feel like. I feel more ready to explore alone. That may also just be in my head but I. Am. Here for it.
Making a few purchases to create a comfortable environment
I decided the best idea for my first solo trip is doing something I’m pretty used to – camping – except alone (car camping, not necessarily backpacking). After all, I car camped in Colorado for a Women Who Explore meet up in 2023 and that was nearly a solo trip (read: self-sufficient: I flew, rented a car and drove, slept in that car, etc.) – that included hanging out with friends – and that went trip well.
Once I decided car camping was going to be my first solo trip, the timing was right to invest in a couple of things that would guarantee at least partial success: upgrade my vehicle (which I needed anyways due to my old vehicle literally falling apart) and to purchase a few items to ensure a most “luxurious” car camping experience.
Please know that I would never recommend anyone spend money on a different vehicle just because (I really hate unnecessary spending) – only unless they are in the market for one anyways. Since I was already in the market for a new vehicle, I focused on getting something with more space specifically to make our roadtrips and my future solo car camping experiences comfortable. I went from a compact SUV with 49.5 cubic feet of cargo space to a regular size SUV with 90.5 cubic feet of cargo space: nearly double the space! This would ensure I could comfortably lie flat to sleep inside the vehicle while allowing a little more space for me to simultaneously have all of the items inside the vehicle. You know, in case of the need for a quick getaway.
To compliment, I also invested in a sleeping cot made specifically for SUVs: the REI Co-op Trailgate Vehicle Sleeping Platform. I wasn’t targeting that one specifically due to price, but actually ended up purchasing it for ~60% off because it happened to be in the Re/Supply section of my local REI! I couldn’t believe it. To go with that, I also purchased something called the Roadie: a window screen for use after parking that allows me to have the window open but bugs can’t get in (it also has a little awning for shade and to keep rain out).
Eventually I’ll have my SUV built out (to my needs, not a full overlanding build out by any means) in a way that will allow for a great solo camping experience that builds my confidence and courage to camp alone. (Of course, I’ll also car camp with Eric, so whatever I get for solo car camping I’m thinking will also work for couples car camping.)
Just doing it
I’m a believer that sometimes, after you’ve applied appropriate effort on building up courage and resources to do the thing, that you just have to do the thing.
A side effect of all of the above physical preparation is that I’ve been inadvertently building up a decent amount of mental preparation, too. I’m building internal confidence by learning from other people’s experiences and encouragement, creating a space for this goal, and actively working towards it.
Finally, booking the trip
A big part of finding the courage to book that first solo travel adventure is to research and ensure you’re prepared and become familiar enough with the area you’re visiting to feel comfortable, to not get too lost or look too touristy and become a target.
Funny enough, due to finding a great flight deal (mixed with my Delta miles covering the cost), my actual first solo travel experience willnot be car camping – haha! I still have a goal to solo car camp, but it’ll have to wait until the temperatures are a little more thoughtful here in Minnesota.
Factors that went into where I’m going (other than a flight deal)
Decide location: Some areas of the United States and other countries of the world marketed as “being great options for solo female travelers” have been shared with me over the past few years, so I started with researching those regions that stuck out to me. I would recommend using Google with search terms similar to the effect of “best places to go for solo female travelers” if you don’t yet already have a place in mind.
Research with a solo travel lens: During the planning process, I continued asking myself a few questions:
Are there enough activities in this location to keep me busy so I don’t get bored? I personally am prone to just sitting around if I don’t have an actual plan – or at least an outline – and felt it was best to have activities in mind so I don’t wind up staying in my accommodation all day.
Would I like doing those activities alone?
How do the activities fit within my budget? I don’t like spending more money than necessary, so if the activity has a fee, I want to make sure that fee is worth it to me.
What are my transportation options? Am I okay with those options?
How much are flights? Can I get there via direct flight? This is actually a question I ask myself while planning any trip.
Is the hotel or hostel in an area I’m comfortable navigating and experiencing? If a hostel, are there private rooms? I’m not in the head space yet where I would be comfortable alone in a dorm-style hostel set up.
Put all of those pieces together and book that first solo travel adventure.
Of course, I won’t know if all of this prep was successful until I get there
Any trip can of course go completely awry. But you’ll soon know how everything goes! Plan to check out the blog post recapping this milestone in April. I’m really proud of this!
In the meantime, if you have any tips and tricks for how to successfully travel alone, or if you have ideas of where would be best to travel solo, please let me know in the comments or socials below.
New in 2025, I plan to recap my monthly adventures (big or small) with the goal to motivate others while simultaneously motivating myself. I kicked this off recently with my top travel memories of 2024. Some months may be more uneventful than other months, but all recaps will focus on how I was able to incorporate movement and adventure into my life for that month.
Have an idea on how I can continue incorporating movement into my daily routine? Or how these monthly recaps could better serve you? Let me know!
Miles hiked/walked: 74.27 miles (166,673 steps)
Miles recorded on trail: 27.11 (activities recorded on Strava/AllTrails)
New places visited: Two Harbors, MN
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Skiing at Lutsen Mountains
Ski season in the Minnesota/Midwest region usually starts around or after the New Year. For us, it started the second weekend in January in Lutsen, Minnesota. Lutsen is along Lake Superior’s north shore and is one of the most popular ski resorts with the Minnesota/Wisconsin locals. Lutsen Mountains Ski Resort has lodging (as do the towns around the resort), but Eric and I stayed in the town of Two Harbors, and Jessica and Emily stayed in Duluth.
Saturday was our first day of skiing, which unfortunately ended up being minimal. The gondola broke down, stranding Emily and Jessica on Moose Mountain. Because of this, they didn’t get much skiing in for several more hours – until they were able to get a snowcat ride back to the main mountain areas. It was unbelievable. Eric and I arrived just after noon and missed getting on the gondola with them and even though we weren’t stuck, we could only go on the same few runs all day. Sunday was more successful: the gondola was open again, and we all got a few hours of skiing in before our long drives south back to our homes.
You can catch the group of us all around the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan ski areas each season!
Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children
If you haven’t volunteered with Feed My Starving Children before, you really should. If not because you’re creating hundreds of meal packs for those without food, then at least do it for the competition and the fun. Volunteering at FMSC is a blast. The energy is high, the atmosphere is fun, and you’re doing something good in the world. I try to go 4 times per year, quarterly or more. Sometimes it’s when I host a Women Who Explore (Minnesota chapter) event (photo below), sometimes it’s just me and Eric.
Volunteering at The Great Northern
I first learned about The Great Northern Festival and its Climate Solutions Series event in 2024 when Pattie Gonia posted about speaking there. I was so bummed to have missed that event! Our environment, climate, and how to keep the earth happy is something I want to keep educating myself on. Since learning about TGN, I added myself to the newsletter list and signed up to volunteer as soon as the volunteer sign up window was open.
I was timekeeping for the Our Winter Weather Future: Understanding, Preparing For, and Navigating Winter In the Midst of Climate Change panel and/or the Britt Wray and Leah Thomas in conversation session. I was running slides and facilitating audience Q&A for the Unraveling Textile Waste: Hidden Costs and Solutions session, or the Growing Connections: Building Food Hubs to Support Farmers and Feed Communities session, or the Emerging Climate Careers session.
The Great Northern also has art series, music, an ice bar, and sauna village.
I hope to be able to volunteer again next year!
Skiing at Trollhaugen Outdoor Recreation Area
January’s adventures concluded with a day skiing at Trollhaugen Recreation Area in Dresser, Wisconsin. I’ve been here multiple times throughout the years and would consider it to be of my favorites (even though it’s small). I successfully made it down one of the black diamond rated runs! There’s a first time for everything 🙂
Trollhaugen has 27 runs divided by four levels: 6 green circles, 10 blue squares, 10 black diamonds, and 1 double black diamond. I personally prefer the greens and the blues – the ski level which I’ve been at since learning to ski in 2013. It’s my favorite, so flowy and carefree.
You guessed it – the same group of us from Lutsen 🙂
Lots of walks with Archie
Of course, so much walking with Archie! He doesn’t mind the polar vortex weather like I do, so we still try to get a little bit of outside play time throughout the day. Even though Archie doesn’t mind the cold, I still get nervous about unsafe air temps (-44* in parts of Minnesota, the lowest at our house was -21*) and try to limit cold exposure.
I look forward to slightly warmer walks in February 🙂
Feeling inspired by some of my favorite bloggers who write both monthly and annual recaps, and inspired by how eventful 2024 was, I decided to also start writing recaps myself! The idea behind writing these recaps is twofold: hopefully inspire others to spend more time outside and/or to visit somewhere new, to get me writing again more regularly, and to hold myself accountable to also opt outside as much as possible.
I stopped writing regularly because I found myself being so focused on another part of running a website that I honestly sometimes enjoy even more than writing: the actual design work and backend logistics like SEO, accessibility, and weight. I knew I loved all of that stuff (hey, freewebz in like 2004), but I let it consume me.
Plus I’ve never done a travel recap before now, and I love reading recap posts! I learn so much (about travel, cultures, etc.) from reading recaps and find them to be really entertaining. I love learning about other people’s travels too. Oh you visited somewhere new? TELL ME EVERYTHING. Genuinely. Don’t leave out a single detail.
It’s a good time for reflection too, and I am just so grateful for the memories made in 2024 that I really just wanted to write them down. I would hope it goes without saying, but just in case, dear world: I’m incredibly grateful of all of the travel memories I’ve made in my life, especially since I didn’t think relatively consistent travel would ever be in my future. It took a lot to get to this point and I am proud of it. So here we are!
Away we go…
January – Colorado – Skiing and Hot Springs
The year started off strong with a week-long ski trip to Colorado with some of our best friends and who we ski with often. We spent the first night in Denver, eating at Bao Brewhouse, playing at Rhein Haus Denver, and grabbing a drink at speakeasy Retrograde.
Day 2 we hopped onto I-70 and stopped for a half day of skiing at Echo Mountain, followed by finishing our drive to Granby. The rest of the week was spent skiing at Granby Ranch, an afternoon soaking in hot springs at Hot Sulphur Springs, skiing at Steamboat Springs (I was working remote that day), and exploring the towns of Granby and Winter Park.
This was such a fun week! And a great way to kick off the year – if we ignore getting temporarily stranded in Winter Park due to the Berthoud Pass avalanche.
Group at Granby RanchGroup at Steamboat (I stayed at the AirBnB for work)
February – Wisconsin – the State’s Highest Point
This was also my first solo hike! Eric and Jessica went skiing at Granite Peak Ski Area, and I went on my first solo hike to explore Rib Mountain State Park, which is conveniently connected to Granite Peak at the top where the ski lift drops off skiers.
I got 4.5 miles of hiking in, which felt great! I had my new day pack, the Jetboil to make lunch, snacks, water, and layers to ensure I was comfortable. I carried more than necessary for “just” a 4.5 mile hike because I was practicing for an upcoming trek in Iceland. More on that later in this post!
April – Missouri – Total Solar Eclipse and visiting a new baseball stadium
Eeeek I love baseball stadiums! I rarely talk about it, but one of my (many) life goals is to see as many MLB stadiums as I can. On our way to our campsite for the total solar eclipse, an overnight was already planned for Kansas City. Eric and Josh went along with my wishes to go to the Royals game and for that I am grateful. What a cool, intimate ballpark!
Of course, the point and biggest highlight of this trip was the total solar eclipse itself. Eric’s friend/coworker Chris invited us to the same campground his family and his friend’s family were staying at: Echo Bluff State Park. It was also special to spend this time with Eric’s aunt Gail and her best friends Joe and Betty.
After seeing the total solar eclipse in 2018, I became set on trying to see it as many more times as my life will allow. It is the most magical moment. I would encourage anyone who has the ability to see this happen, to not pass up the opportunity.
May – Minnesota – Aurora Dancing Up North
OKAY speaking of magical things in the sky! We are definitely northern lights chasers. The amount of times we’ve left the house at 9pm and didn’t get home until midnight (and *gasp* on a work night) just to chase the aurora can’t be counted. It’s such a magical experience, up there with the total solar eclipse, and I will chase those dancing lights until I can’t anymore (hint about an upcoming trip? maybe).
We were absolutely blessed with the most powerful and awe-inspiring northern lights show that I’ve ever seen. Ever. Even on television. With our naked eyes we could see purples, reds, and greens. We pinned our favorite, super secret, up north campsite and drove 3 hours for this opportunity. Staring through the netting of our tent at the incredible light show above is something I think about all. the. time. It was so powerful that these photos didn’t even need editing!
July – Iceland – Trekking the Laugavegur Trail
July brought me to the jaw dropping country of Iceland. I rarely travel back to the same place twice (there’s so much of the world to see!), let alone three times, but I love Iceland. Between the stunning landscapes and incredible geography, I can’t say no.
But I wasn’t in Iceland for vacation – I was working! This was the very first trip I got to lead for Women Who Explore (an organization I’ve been a part of since 2020). The women on this trip were encouraging and motivating, and we had the best time. The full trip notes and photos deserve their own blog post, so I’ll keep this one short.
A couple of years ago, I set a goal to do a thru hike someday. Though it’s not one of the more well known or high mileage thru hikes such as the Pacific Crest Trail, it’s still a thru hike – and a great one at that.
We tracked over 50 trail miles (not counting walking around the city/towns) over 4 days through four chilly river crossings, through rain, crazy wind, beating sun, and even sand (sometimes all at once). The trek also took us up over 8,438 feet of elevation gain! Wow.
I am so proud of us. This was the greatest and wildest and toughest experience.
PS shoutout to my knee PT team Dr. Gregg and Nate for getting me prepped for this endeavor because without them (and the other clinic docs and staff) I would have majorly suffered and potentially not even made it.
August – Minnesota – Backpacking the North Country Trail
I promised myself to make the rest of 2024 the year of trails and when I returned from my Iceland trek a few days into August, only a couple of weeks later I was back on another long trail! This time, not thru hiking. The North Country Trail actually spans across 8 states and a whopping 4,800 miles! Incredible.
850 of those miles go through my beautiful state of Minnesota. Women Who Explore ambassador Jen (she hosts events in North Dakota and Minnesota) has a goal to hike the MN portion of the NCT over time. She set up an event in the Minnesota Chapter to spend a weekend backpacking a beautiful portion of it, and I was really excited to join them!
We tracked 19 miles over the course of 3 days (one 1/2 day, one full day, then another 1/2 day) and it was TOUGH, but empowering, and despite the rain and mosquitos and crawling over and under a million downed trees, the trip showed me that I am capable. And I actually do like backpacking! THANK GOD, because I saved up and bought gear over the course of three years to make this (and future) trip happen – hahaha.
August – Minnesota – ARA Ojibwe Forests Rally
This one may seem off-brand for me, but hear me out. Picture: Elissa from like 2002-2007, loving motocross, wanting to be a motocross racer, loving all things X-Games and Travis Pastrana… falling out of it but still checking in every so often after then. Cut to 2017: I get to attend the summer X-Games in Minneapolis and I AM SO PUMPED, it instantly re-sparked that excitement.
Cut to August 2022 and August 2023: An ARA Rally takes place in up north Minnesota and we don’t get a chance to attend either of those two years. Cut to August 2024: We finally get to go! Travis is there. And I fangirl over the experience and fall in love with his charismatic co-driver, Rhianon, who I hope to learn how to co-drive from someday. It’s so cool to see females in motorsports. I know this isn’t a new thing, but it’s still really empowering, especially since motorsports are still typically more male-dominated.
The Ojibwe Forests Rally weekend was so much fun. It was exciting to watch the cars fly around corners and throwing dirt back at the spectators, fun to watch the awards ceremonies – to see the “shoey” live from the front row, and to be a part of these moments. This weekend made me start looking into rally co-driving and as mentioned above I hope to take one of Rhianon’s classes someday. We’ll consider that a stretch goal 😉 I plan to be more involved in 2025.
September – Colorado – Hiking and Casa Bonita
Another goal I set for 2024 was to summit a mountain. The best way for me personally to do this was by hiking (vs. mountaineering or climbing). I love Colorado so much, I would move there in a heartbeat, and since Colorado has some pretty amazing mountains – plus it’s just a day’s drive and cheap distance away – that would be my best option to get on a mountain.
But first – dinosaurs! Our first stop was at Dinosaur Ridge. It’s an easy hike but has so many dinosaur tracks and fossils, it’s well worth the stop. It’s also home to one of only twelve known raptor footprints! We even saw a bobcat! If you’re a fan of music and amazing venues, Dinosaur Ridge also overlooks Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. This trip was starting off strong, to say the least.
We chose Mount Stanley because it was mentioned in a few resources (e.g. AllTrails, blogs) that this was a great “beginner” mountain for those who haven’t navigated mountains before. This is due to the trail being clearly marked, the trailhead wasn’t far from lodging (camping was closed), and the distance to the summit was attainable. Plus, I had a vendetta against Berthoud Pass – where the Mount Stanley trailhead is located – because it caused us major delays and a detour (five or six hours?) due to an avalanche when we were there in January (see January’s post above). I was not going to let Berthoud Pass stop me from doing what I wanted, a second time!
Prior to this trip I actually “won” a reservation in the reservation lottery for the coveted Casa Bonita restaurant outside of Denver. The dates lined up and we celebrated our summit and closed out our trip with a quick stop at the Coors Brewery Hospitality Lounge and entertaining dinner at Casa Bonita.
Casa Bonita was such a fun experience, it honestly was right up there with the joy of summiting Mount Stanley.
October – Utah – Hiking Zion & Bryce National Parks
More hiking! Eric and some of our friends originally planned to go to Las Vegas for MagicCon, but on brand for Elissa: we extended the trip to also explore Zion and Bryce National Parks. After the con on Sunday, our friends Matt and Alicia flew in to Las Vegas and we headed out to Utah.
I had been to the Zion area once before on a short weekend beginner backpacking trip with a few other ladies, but I never made it into Zion proper. Eric and I had “won” the lottery for Angel’s Landing permits and planned the trip around that. I actually found out about these permits when I was on my Iceland trek – we reached to top of a mountain and happened to get enough cell service to make a phone call and check email haha!
Angel’s Landing was a phenomenal hike + scramble, and I’m glad we got to do it. Truthfully, it wasn’t high on my bucket list, but Eric was really wanting to hike it, and I’m so glad we did. I don’t mind heights so the chain section wasn’t quite as bad as I thought, but it’s definitely still a whole thing. We met a pretty neat couple on trail, Fred and Myrna, who were also hiking Angel’s Landing but didn’t get permits to do the chain section. They seemed pretty legit, and since we happened to have two more spots on the permit, I invited them to join us – they were so excited!
After spending a couple days in Zion National Park, we drove up to Bryce Canyon National Park. My National Parks Passport was happy on this trip 🙂
Bryce Canyon had the most beautiful red and orange glowing rock formations, and some pretty cool hikes. The hikes here were challenging, and we could tell we were all still tired from the Angel’s Landing hike. We drove the entirety of the main road through Bryce Canyon, stopping at lookouts along the way.
Angels Landing at Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon National ParkBryce Canyon National Park
November – Arizona – Exploring the Page area
This is a continuation of the above October trip, actually! Matt and Alicia flew back home after Bryce, while Eric and I went on our way to Page, Arizona. This part of our trip was completely unplanned prior to when we got there. We wanted to take in the suggestions of the locals and see how that goes.
Driving from St. George, Utah to Page, Arizona brought us to a rest stop at Pipe Spring National Monument. We learned so much about those who used to live here, including the Kaibab Paiute and the Mormon settlers, and even got a 1 mile ridge hike in.
A town festival was going on throughout the few days we had in Page, Arizona, which made our visit extra special. There were hot air balloons! We’ve been wanting to go to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but either the dates haven’t worked out or the campsites have been sold out, so we never made it. But honestly, this seemed so much better! It was a smaller festival so you could be right up close with the 60+ hot air balloons. It was amazing.
We also spent a day a little further south at Lees Ferry where we saw two California condors, Horseshoe Bend, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This will also have to be a whole separate blog post because these areas are so amazing they need to have more screen time.
December – Arizona – Hiking around Sedona
In an attempt to catch a little more sunshine before the brittle cold of Minnesota winters, we flew down to Sedona, Arizona for an extended weekend focused on hiking. Two trips to Arizona in 2024 – what a pleasant surprise! The beginning of 2024 did not include thoughts of this much travel, let alone this much travel in Arizona, but for it I am grateful.
We started our trip by visiting Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Learning about the historical cultures of an area we’re visiting is always a priority, and we enjoyed visiting Wupatki National Monument and seeing a pueblo for those reasons. Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument was also geologically amazing with of course the crater, along with an otherworldly lava trail.
Across four hikes over the course of two days in Sedona, we tracked 15.39 miles of hiking with at least 2,537 feet of elevation gain, and it felt so good. I really needed to close out the year with that type of movement. Movement is what I’m working on in 2025.
The trip ended with a mindful walk through the peaceful Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park, followed by a visit to the Chapel of the Holy Cross on our way out of town. It was a lovely way to wind down and close out the year.
I feel so blessed to have traveled so much in 2024. It was the first year that felt like I was finally reaching a point where I can spend my free time in a way that helps me reach my life’s goals of spending time outside, exploring new places, and being with my favorite people. I am so proud of the life I’ve been building. It’s taken a lot of work and a lot of time and patience to get here <3
“Move” is my word for 2025. It can be defined in many ways, but one of the directions I’m taking it is through movement. I plan to hike more, hike harder, and hike in new places in 2025. I plan to branch out, push myself out of my comfort zone, and view life in a way I haven’t before. Only the next 333 days will tell what that exactly looks like, but I have some ideas in the meantime 🙂
First, thank you so much for checking out my blog. It means so much that all handful of you consistent readers are here. Truly.
I’ve had this website since 2016, but had the idea to create a blog or similar for a decade+ beforehand. I remember an old website builder that used to exist – Freewebs I think? – that back in 2004 or 2005 I sat on for hours creating HTML pages and articles about the world and sports and fashion and all the things I loved. I wanted it to be something so bad, it was so much fun.
Now, clearly I’m not a famous magazine or travel or sports or fashion writer, but this blog is that platform I needed. I have social media accounts – an Instagram, YouTube channel, and Facebook Page – and they all have their place, but nothing feels as natural or as Elissa as being right here on this website. So thank you for being here!
With that context, I’ve been reading travel blogs for a long time! They’re really inspiring to me. I love reading, listening to, and watching inspiring things. And know that what I’m watching/reading/listening to is evergreen with my interests, so this list isn’t final.
Adventure Blogs
In no particular order, additional travel/adventure blogs I’d suggest you should check out (click arrow for more information):
Women Who Explore
Website: https://www.womenwhoexplore.com/blog-posts Women Who Explore has made a huge impact on my life personally. I’ve found a community of adventure loving women who strive to do better and push themselves every single day, all while having fun and encouraging others along the way! As of June 2023, I’ve officially been trained to be a trip host and will be co-hosting the July 2024 Iceland Trekking adventure. I also am an ambassador for the Minnesota chapter of Women Who Explore, so if you’re a Minnesotan (or are here frequently), I invite you to join our Facebook group (Women Who Explore: Minnesota) and upcoming events! Their bio says “Yes, you’ll find outdoor adventures… hiking, backpacking, climbing, paddling, yoga. But who says that’s the limit? Not us! You’ll also find opportunities to explore brunches, breweries, parties and city nightlife! We’re all about exploring at your own pace, on your own terms. So, no need to fear that you won’t fit in. You’re already enough and we can’t wait to get to know you. It’s our core mission to make sure that our members know they’re enough. In fact, that’s why we exist.”
Alastair Humphreys
Website: https://alastairhumphreys.com/blog/ (also his Shouting from My Shed newsletter = *chef’s kiss*) “Alastair tells stories to encourage people to live more adventurously every day, to engage with and care for the natural world, and to take action –begin!– with curiosity and enthusiasm.”
Adventurous Kate
Website: https://www.adventurouskate.com/blog/ Adventurous Kate is one of the very first travel blogs I started reading! Kate’s bio says “At age 26, I quit my job to travel the world alone. I spent six fantastic months in Southeast Asia and turned my travel blog into a full-time business. 12 years later, I’m still traveling — 83 countries and 7 continents — and now living in Prague! My goal is to show YOU how you can travel the world on your own — easily, safely, and adventurously.”
Oneika the Traveller
Website: https://www.oneikathetraveller.com/ I have learned SO much from her, her experiences, and her perspectives. Her bio is long, but I picked out some parts for your context: “…Her adventures have taken her to over 120 countries on 6 continents. .In addition, Oneika is an accomplished writer with … work …in a wide range of publications… her articles examine travel and exploration through the intersections of race, politics, and privilege. A fierce supporter of women who travel, Oneika is co-author of the book Wanderess: The Unearth Women’s Guide to Traveling Smart, Safe, & Solo.”
Adventure Vlogs
Though for much less time, I’ve also been into vlogging, so I wanted to share my favorite travel/adventure vloggers for you to get inspiration from, too! In no particular order:
Taylor the Nahamsha Hiker
Channel: @TaylortheNahamshaHiker Taylor’s bio is simply “Making videos hiking, backpacking & thru-hiking.” That is all true, but she’s been really inspirational and opened my eyes to the hiking opportunities in New England, life on the trail as a thru-hiker, and owning a business (a New Hampshire focused gift shop!) at the same time.
Kyle Hates Hiking
Channel: @KyleHatesHiking You probably assumed, but Kyle actually loves hiking, and we share the same type of humor so – while the videos may not be for all – they are some of my favorites. Eric and I both love learning about the mystery videos and stories. His bio says “I am a huge hiking nerd. On this channel you’ll find videos about hiking related mysteries/stories, backpacking gear, thru hiking, and much more. When I was 16, I learned what the Appalachian Trail was. Being an ambitious teenager, I decided that one day I was going to attempt the trek from Georgia to Maine. I realized that goal in 2018, and have hiked thousands of additional miles since.”
Wandering Switchback
Channel: @WanderingSwitchback Suzanne is an amazing outdoorswoman with a great focus on education and doing the best for YOU. A urology nurse IRL, she understands the body and how to take care of it in the backcountry. Her bio says “Hi folks, I’m Switchback (she/her/hers). My goal is to help you get on the trails and into the outdoors safely and responsibly. This may be the place for you if: … You have a body you don’t often see represented on the trails … You want to feel more comfortable solo hiking or solo backpacking, day and night … You’re unsure what to look for when it comes to gear … You don’t even know where to start”
Arielle Shipe
Channel: @ArielleShipe Arielle is a climber, yoga instructor, PCT thru-hiker, adventure-mom, and all-around great to watch and be inspired from. I first saw a video from Arielle on Instagram a couple of years ago when she was summiting a knife edge trail in New England, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever and is currently still on my wish list. Her bio says “If you like outdoor adventures then you are in the right place! My name is Arielle and I am an outdoor adventurer vlogger based in Colorado. I’m a big fan of hiking, climbing, biking, and any outdoor adventure I can bring my dog on. After being forced to reschedule in 2020, I am excited to set out on my lifelong dream of hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) in 2022 but in the meantime, I want to climb mountains, explore, and take as many adventures in my converted van as possible!”
Adventure Pods
Also interested in listening to adventures vs watching or reading? Check out these inspiring podcasts:
JUMP with Traveling Jackie
Website: https://jumpadventures.com/podcast/ Traveling Jackie used to mostly be a blogger, but has moved as of a few years ago to focus mostly on her podcast and group travel opportunities. Jackie’s earlier works (The Budget Minded Traveler) were what got me hooked on her content, and it’s only been evolving into greater things over time. Her website says “Jackie Nourse moved abroad in 2003 to study Spanish and hasn’t stopped traveling (or learning languages) since. She is the founder and host of the international hit podcast JUMP with Traveling Jackie and of JUMP Adventures, where she leads adventure trips for her audience. When she’s not traveling, Jackie’s home base is in the Rocky Mountains of Bozeman, Montana”
Trail Tales
Where to Listen: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LsMWoNa5qPw1jQvqhwE5B You guessed it, this is also Kyle from the above Kyle Hates Hiking YourTube Channel. In Trail Tales, Kyle “interviews other thru-hikers, peak-baggers, and backpackers who are almost as crazy as him. Is life while thru-hiking really as glamorous as the social media stars make it out to be? Is pooping in the woods really that big of a deal? Find out these answers and more on Trail Tales.”
Who am I missing? Who would you add? As I said earlier, what I’m watching/reading/listening to is evergreen with my interests, so I’d love your suggestions!
P.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. Check out the other posts here.
There’s something about camp coffee – or even just drinking coffee outside in general – that hits different. I love going through my photos, and recently I was scrolling around the Photos app and noticed a common theme on our adventures: coffee! So I wanted to share a few of my many favorite adventure coffee spots with you today! In no particular order:
Oooh I just love a fresh camp coffee in the morning! Keyhole State Park, though we were only there for one night, brings up one particular memory that I’m not sure I’ll ever forget (in a good way)! Visiting this park was at the very beginning of a ~two month roadtrip, and were ready for sleep as we had driven eight hours already (plus a hike and couple of hours spent at Devil’s Tower National Monument). It was dark, and cell service was spotty at best.
The road – gravel of course – was sooooooo bad. It was 6.6 miles of brain rattling, vibratey awfulness because it clearly hadn’t been graded in a while and was even washed out in a couple of places. It was so bad we could only go between 5-10 miles per hour, and we truly thought the entire box of the RV was going to vibrate apart or that all of the cabinets were going to disconnect from the walls. But we made it after about an hour! We still laugh about it today.
One of our earliest “collaborations” also showed us one of our rainiest camping trips ever. Embracing the suck and despite the rain, we had a really great time checking out Kohler-Andrae SP. It was also one of our favorite places for camp coffee! Who doesn’t love a beautiful view of a Great Lake? Being right on Lake Michigan, Kohler-Andrae was a beautiful park, and one worth visiting if you’re in the Sheboygan area.
Alaskan Cruise
Off the coast of Moresby Island, British Columbia, CA
This coffee didn’t come from Moresby Island (nor have I ever been on it), but that’s the closest landmark for where this photo was taken (we were on an Alaskan/CA coast cruise) so I wanted to use that just for location context. This was such a special trip. It was our first family trip since I was a kid, my aunt from Louisiana was able to be there (who has since passed), and the experiences and memories made were unbeatable.
Eric and I were hiking along Cranberry Lake Trail at Deception Pass State Park, which goes along Cranberry Lake (surprise, I know) and ends at the Rosario Strait (the body of water between Washington State, USA and Victoria, British Columbia, CA. We hiked into a more open area where a cute coffee trailer was parked! Eric bought a delicious latte which gave us the energy to finish out the hike, check out more of the state park, and drive the remaining 2.5 hours to our final destination: Olympic National Park.
Great memories had here. I picked up this coffee at Kaffebrenneriet, a coffee shop in the park, and my sister and I went for a long walk. We roamed the park then headed toward another side of town. The snow was falling beautifully, and we walked around Vigeland Sculpture Park for an hour or so.
Iceland & Greenland Cruise
Greenland Sea, off the coast of Reykjavik, IS
This is the exact moment I learned how good Frangelico was in coffee, haha! Not only that, but we were headed to a new bucket list country I never thought was possible for me to step foot on, and I didn’t know yet just how life changing that was going to be! I am forever grateful for this trip and this coffee session. Someday I’ll get those memories written up to share with anyone who cares enough to read it.
Our most recent camp coffee experience as we were there only ~one month ago! We had no plans for this trip to Sibley State Park other than to get a few miles in and soak up the crisp air knowing it would be our last camping trip of the season. We decided to hike the hiking club trail, and about halfway through, realized – wait – have we been here before? The answer was yes. We recognized the Mt. Tom lookout tower. Hahahahaha!
Inspired by Logan Pass at Glacier National Park, Logan Pass Coffeehouse opened in Minnesota. It’s a lovely reminder of such a beautiful park, and provides your daily dose of wanderlust.
Minnesota Dispersed Camping
Up North, MN, USA
Last year we found solace in a special little hidden gem spot in northern Minnesota that has allowed us to revisit a couple of other times. I’m not usually a location gatekeeper, but because it’s private property I’m not able to disclose. However, there are hundreds of similar dispersed camping spots around Minnesota that can be found within the State and National Forests.
Another dispersed camping coffee! My absolute favorite place to work my full time job is while camping. I’m never so motivated, relaxed, and prioritized as I am while working at a campsite. Fresh air, fresh ground coffee, fresh perspective. If you have the ability to work remotely at any time, I would encourage you to try it from the great outdoors (at least once).
Our House
MN, USA
The place where we drink the most coffee – our home – is therefore the place with the most coffee photos, haha! Here are some of my favorite at home coffee-in-the-woods photos from over the years (+ one from our old home).
P.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. Check out the other posts here.
was looking through my Apple photos today. I love looking through “old” memories. Many people take photos and never look at them again, but I most certainly do. I like that Apple tries to categorize pictures so you can look at like-type photos whenever you want. One of the categories that caught my eye today was called “Cliffs.” Cliffs! So I had to dive in.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of a cliff: a very steep, vertical, or overhanging face of rock, earth, or ice.
Turns out, I’ve seen a lot of cliffs so far in my life! And they were all fun to look at. Each photo brought back another memory of that moment. I thought these photos would be a fun share for today’s Blogmas post.
Do you have any fun “cliff” related memories or favorite places to share?
Visual Memories of My Favorite Cliffs
In no particular order.
Paracas National Reserve
Ica, Peru
We were here on our wedding anniversary! We boated around protected Ballestas Island, saw lots of wildlife (shoutout to the cute South American Sea Lions and Humboldt Penguins – unfortunately no Andean condors), and learned so much history of the area. Paracas National Reserve offered some of the most beautiful views from our entire trip to Peru. I could stare at that white sand beach alllllll day!
Canyonlands National Park
Utah, USA
As you may/may not know, we absolutely love visiting National Parks! Canyons offer realllllly cool cliffs and geologic patterns! The Canyonlands National Park area has been carved out by the Colorado River over thousands of years. There are three distinct and notable sections within the park ready for you to explore: Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Needles. Canyonlands National Park is within a couple hours drive of Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks.
Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska, USA
Fjords in general hold some of the greatest cliffs we’ll ever see. But the fjords in Kenai Fjords National Park? 100% worth venturing over to Alaska for. You’ll take a giant boat (read: catamaran) through some incredibly choppy waters, eventually arriving within Kenai Fjords NP “proper.” You’ll witness amazing wildlife (including puffins and orcas) and landscapes.
Sermitsiaq Island
Nuuk, Greenland
This gargantuanly tall waterfall (the mountain is 3,970 ft) cascades from a massive glacier on Saddle Mountain on Sermitsiaq Island in inland Greenland. This captivating waterfall and its stunning surroundings land a spot on my top favorite cliffy areas list!
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Michigan, USA
We visited here in August of 2023 after years of it being on the wish list! A story for another time, we were at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for a kayaking tour, and boy was that quite an adventure that I don’t think either of us were prepared for. But for this post, I’ll leave it at this: It was one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever paddled.
Palisades State Park
South Dakota, USA
Just across the Minnesota/South Dakota border lies the hidden gem of Palisades State Park. A beautiful, landscape-diverse area, you could spend a long weekend here and do something different every day. We’ve been camping and hiking here, but you could also go paddling, swimming, and Elissa has been rock climbing here. To read a full post on this park, check out this blog post.
Mesa Verde National Park
Colorado, USA
Would you believe people used to LIVE inside cliffs? Easily the most fascinating cliff situation we’ve ever seen, Mesa Verde National Park offers a unique (believe it or not that is grammatically correct) and historic glimpse into life the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived in these cliff dwellings beginning in the late 1190s. It is beautiful and it is fascinating. This photo is of the Cliff Palace Dwelling.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
North Dakota, USA
A truly hidden gem over in North Dakota. Eric and I camped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park on our way to our friends Anna and Jonathan’s Glacier National Park wedding, and this park faaaaaar surpassed both of our expectations. Wild horses, bison, cliffs, canyons, a river, and gorgeous sunsets. It felt like I was staring into a Windows default background photo.
Capitol Reef National Park
Utah, USA
I love places that make me feel small, and Capitol Reef National Park does a really great job of that! It even has petroglyphs and oyster shell fossils, which are so fascinating to learn about and even better to see. Check out all three of its distinct districts: Fruita, Cathedral Valley, and Waterpocket.
Great Stirrup Cay
Norwegian Cruise Line’s island in the Bahamas, Caribbean Sea
A spontaneous trip to the Bahamas with Jessica via Norwegian Cruise Line back in 2017. Some amazing memories made and places seen! I LOVE anywhere with b-e-a-u-tiful and warm blueeeee water. We’ve since been back! This island is so relaxing.
Devil’s Tower National Monument
Wyoming, USA
One of the most beautiful and mysterious “cliffs” we’ve visited! Is it made out of mashed potatoes? Maybe. Are there aliens? Maybe. But one thing’s for sure, there’s a LOT to see and do and LEARN from Devil’s Tower National Monument! And similar to Palisades, Elissa has also been rock climbing here in the past (her 21st birthday).
Snow Canyon State Park
Utah, USA
I was here in November of 2022 as part of a group beginner backpacking trip. We didn’t backpack here specifically, but it was a spontaneous stop along the way. So much fun! You can climb in, on, over, through, and around (many) slot canyons, which easily adds them to my “I love this now!” list.
P.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. Check out the other posts here.
Anyone else guilty of over-complicating tasks? Or maybe it’s just me. The idea to simplify was not really in my vocabulary before. I shifted a lot within my life and my mindset this year, but one thing I’ve been noticing about myself lately is my perception of “completeness” or “doneness.” For example, if I wanted to write a blog post, I wanted it to be complex, long, overly informative and exciting. These elements were what defined a “complete” blog post for me. This was because I pressured myself to ensure it was worth your time as a reader.
Then I realized, not everyone wants to read a 10-minute long blog post about one particular thing. A post doesn’t need to have an abundant amount of detail that people don’t care about (that type of information does have a place sometimes though) in order to be worth reading. In fact, the majority of people only prefer reading a 3-4 minute post.
Because I pressured myself to ensure my posts were worth your time as a reader by aiming for way-too-detailed and long posts, I ended up doing the opposite (driving y’all away), and hurting myself in the process – hello, >100 blog drafts in my dashboard with zero consistency. Sorry about that!
Simplify Life
This is relatable to so much in life. I over-complicate by overthinking details and need to start simplifying instead. Let’s do it together! Here are some ideas I thought of to simplify our lives – please let me know what I’m missing!
First, get outside. I promise, just being outside creates a simple and calming feeling: take a nice walk or hike, take time to meditate and for gratitude, breathe fresh air, camp next to a calm river in a hammock, or whatever outside activity that you love that doesn’t add a huge workload to your day.
Define in your mind the words “complete” and “done.” Once defined, you’ll learn how quickly you can accomplish certain tasks or milestones. The definitions may change depending on the task, and that’s encouraged!
Determine what is “good enough” in the task you’re working on, and only go beyond that if you have the capacity for it. This doesn’t mean to lessen the quality, but instead keep the quality of work but trim off excess tasks where possible.
Clean up your communication style. This is a huge and difficult task for me personally, and I’m finding it to be messy and clunky to get right. I’m SO WORDY, it’s really annoying. And as a chronic over-sharer, simplifying and shortening my verbal and written communications has been challenging, but already helpful and rewarding!
Make a daily list (physical, digital, or imaginary) and prioritize 1-2 items on it for the day. But only do this if you have a “zero day” and aren’t busy with other things like being with people or working. The idea here is to be productive but relaxed and simple, not to add anything unnecessary to your likely already busy day.
Unsubscribe and declutter from things that don’t bring you joy: emails, TV, doomscrolling, people, places.
Always. Be. Reflecting. I’ve been doing this for a few years now, so it’s truly subconscious to me at this point, but after every single task, meeting, event, hang out, trip, movement, and tiny little thing, I think to myself: “What could change for this to be done more efficiently next time?” I’m guessing it’s borderline annoying for others, but it really does help with efficiency and simplification! And it’s just a part of who I am now
We may live a complex and ever-moving lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean the details of it have to be complex and stressful (in fact, I’m actually not stressed most of the time)! I also know not everyone lives the same way, and that is wonderful, so I know not all of these suggestions may be relevant.
So what would you add to this list? What has already helped you simplify your life a little more?
P.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. Check out the other posts here.
We’re not doing a 2023 Christmas Card this year, but if we were, the following photo would be it. Why? Because I’m trying to remove easy-out stressors in my life.
Removing Simple Stressors
I intentionally missed Blogmas the past two days. I had a long Wednesday and didn’t get done with my last meeting until 8:30pm and had to be physically at work by 8am again yesterday, which was also long, so I just didn’t feel like pushing myself and adding extra unnecessary stress. Eric and our friend Brian made cheesecake and we played Libertalia instead. But tonight, I’m back on. Next week, I have required 12+ hour day onsites so I will likely miss a day or two then, too. I’m not about that “grind” anymore. What a funny thing, “the grind,” that we put on ourselves under the false narrative that overworking ourselves and looking busy would get us anywhere. It’s actually smart thinking and strategic movement that gets us anywhere. Burning myself out was so 2018-2023.
Which is also why we’re not doing a Christmas card for the second year in a row. It takes a lot of time and money! I’ll reconsider next year. I’m always looking for ways to lessen the load, and this is one of them.
As a reminder, you don’t owe anyone things like this. Sure, it’s tradition to send Christmas cards (and I do LOVE Christmas cards), but if you’re in a spot where it’s overly stressful to do it, just eliminate it! Even temporarily. The same can be said about almost anything in your life – your mental and physical wellbeing must come before everything else.
This season, I challenge YOU to take a look at your stressors – big and small – and decide what can be paused for a while or even eliminated all together! The trick is to go for those quick, easy wins.
If you are doing a Christmas card this year, do you typically take special photos for the sake of using in your Christmas card, or do you choose photos taken from throughout the year? If you use photos taken throughout the year, I’m begging you to share the stories behind them! It’s so important that we share stories of importance to us.
Ours has a small story behind it. The photo above, our digital Christmas card photo, was taken this year in Willow River State Park just across the border in Wisconsin.
I’d been trying to get there for quite a while, so it was exciting when we had a random Friday night available to camp there. This photo brings me a lot of joy, but also a lot of eye rolling thoughts haha.
Archie is a mediocre camping dog. He doesn’t mind camping in the RV, but wakes up every couple of hours to bork and boof (yeah, use of onomatopoeia!) at the animals passing by or every creepy sound he hears. But don’t worry, he’s quiet enough to where the campground neighbors probably don’t even notice. We sure do though. His lack of sleep creates our lack of sleep and therefore a semi-undesirable camping experience. He also spreads his tiny body out throughout and takes up about 1/3 of the tent space, which is incredibly limited when you’re sharing a 31 square foot 2-person backpacking tent with two humans and a medium-sized dog. But we still love him. He loves being outside and smelling all of the smells possible, so we do bring him camping when possible.
Here are a couple of ideas of potential stressors you could try to eliminate this season:
Do a digital Christmas card
Limit gifting to 2-3 items per person
Recycle and toss spam mail into the proper bins and only bring real mail into the house
Create a list of 2 easy tasks to complete each day and 1 tougher task, and start with the tougher task
If you’re hosting, don’t over clean. Visitors only care about the cleanliness of the bathroom and eating surfaces.
Get fresh air as many times as possible throughout the day.
What are your ideas?
P.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. Check out the other posts here.
In general, I’m not a super “routine” person. I never wake up or go to sleep or eat meals at the same time every day, I definitely don’t work out regularly, nor do I wash my face every night. I just am so bad at creating a regimen or routine, I stopped trying.
But there is one thing I approach the same each and every time. And that’s the airport and airplanes. I am definitely routine at the airport and in an airplane nearly each and every time.
Here’s my usual:
Attire –
I wear almost the same outfit each and every time I have to fly. Pro tip: Zippered pockets are key. This could be a whole other blog post (maybe it should be?), but here are the basics.
Compression socks (if flight is 4+ hours) or wool socks (for comfort / cold)
Slip on Birkenstock Arizona Essentials (the foam ones) – lightweight, comfortable, easy to slip off (if for some reason PreCheck is down and I have to go through the regular security line), and doubles as a camp shoe if it’s a camping trip.
Women’s boyshort or boxer-brief style underwear (my favorites are the Duluth Trading Co. Armachillos)
Black joggers with zippered pockets (mine are Arc’teryx brand, but a discontinued line)
Loose fitted top (preferably v-neck as I try to avoid t-shirts because they touch my neck too much when under a sweatshirt)
Loose sweatshirt with zippered pockets
Hat (baseball or knit depending on what the weather will be like where we’re headed)
Arriving –
Arrive at the airport approximately 45 minutes before boarding (only recommended if you have TSA PreCheck because #stress). If you don’t have TSA PreCheck and even only fly once per year, it’s so nice to have, you should totally get it. That $99 spread across five years is completely worth not having to deal with regular security lines and regular security processes (I mean, who wants to take their liquids our or put their socks or – God forbid – bare feet on those floors?!)!
Find the departure gate. Always, always, always ensure you know where it is. Or that it exists. Or that it isn’t behind a second (and surprise!) passport control area that you weren’t previously aware of (trust me on this one).
Get a donut at Dunkin’ (if there is one, like at my home airport, MSP). It doesn’t matter if I just ate or not, I always buy a Dunkin’ donut! If not for waiting, then for on the plane itself.
Fill my water bottle. And/or buy a bottle of water with a pH balance of 9.5+.
Do a few laps around the airport if possible to get some sort of exercise and circulation before the flight.
Always quadruple check the screens when walking by them to ensure my gate hasn’t changed.
At the Gate –
If my phone battery is under 75%, I always plug it in at the gate if possible. I keep my boarding pass on my phone so I get nervous about my phone dying and then not having the boarding pass easily and readily available!
Break out the laptop or iPad and research ideas for where we’re going (even if I already have, it’s nice to keep researching) or take care of work stuff! Depending on wifi accessibility, I typically work while traveling so that I can 1) Stay on top of things to not come back to an overwhelming inbox, and 2) To use less PTO time. But only do this if it’s convenient – I find airports and airplanes to be a super convenient place to get work and blog things done.
Rearrange my items and take snacks from carry on and put in personal item so that they can be easily grabbed. I don’t like opening the overhead bin during flight if I don’t have to.
Screenshot my boarding pass in case the app doesn’t work at the gate for some odd reason.
On the Airplane –
Use a sanitizing wipe to wipe off the tray table. They are so gross and never get cleaned.
Whip out the neck pillow as soon as possible. Not necessarily to sleep, but also just to sit comfortably. I often use my neck pillow as a behind the back pillow.
Take out my water bottle so it’s easily accessible.
Situate my snacks so they are also easily accessible.
Set up phone, iPad/laptop, accessories so I’m comfy (read: nest).
Have a comfy and cozy flight!
Happy flying!
P.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. Check out the other posts here.
