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The Bucket List That Changed My Life (And How to Create Yours)
A 15-year journey from dreaming to doing—and everything I learned along the way In January 2010, I sat down with a fresh notebook and wrote at the top: “It’s not death that man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius. Then I did something that would change everything: I
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Why We Ditched the Tourist Traps for a Chattanooga River House (And You Should Too)
Sometimes the best family vacations happen two hours from home. Revolutionary concept, I know. When you’re wrangling 10 family members across three generations—kids bouncing off walls, grandparents pretending they’re not tired, and everyone else somewhere in between caffeinated and completely over it—the last thing you need is to add a cross-country flight into the mix.
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Natural Bridge, Virginia: When Your “Quick Pit Stop” Becomes Actually Worth It
Look, I’ll be honest. Natural Bridge, Virginia wasn’t exactly on my bucket list. It was supposed to be one of those strategic overnight stops—you know, the kind where you crash at a decent hotel, grab continental breakfast, and hit the road before your coffee gets cold. We were on our way to New England for
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TRS Turquesa Resort Review: When Premium All-Inclusive Actually Delivers (Mostly)
*Part 2 of the “Oops We’re Leaving the Country” Series* Remember how we booked the Dominican Republic with twelve hours’ notice? Well, here’s what happened when we actually showed up to TRS Turquesa Hotel, and spoiler alert: sometimes spontaneous decisions work out better than you’d expect. First Impressions: They Had Me at “Butler” Let’s start
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How I Forgot Our Anniversary (Again) and Ended Up in the Dominican Republic
Part 1 of the “Oops We’re Leaving the Country” Series Let me start with a confession that will shock absolutely no one who knows me: I forgot our wedding anniversary. Again. I used to be better at this whole “remembering important dates” thing, I swear. But somewhere between raising five kids, juggling life, and general
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We Almost Smuggled a Penguin and Lost Our Camera in Volcanic Waters
The Galápagos trip that happened exactly one month before the world ended My husband wanted to smuggle a penguin. I’m not kidding. We were so close to Galápagos penguins on our boat tour that he could’ve literally reached out and grabbed one. Obviously we didn’t (hello, federal crime), but the fact that he was genuinely