Hi Friends, If a spring or summer trip is on your radar, this is your friendly nudge to start booking now. National Parks and some of the most popular Midwest destinations fill up fast, especially campgrounds and family-friendly stays. These are the places that tend to disappear first, and why they are so worth planning ahead. Popular Cities That Book Up Quickly Rapid City, South DakotaRapid City makes an excellent home base for exploring the Black Hills. We loved how easy it was to have fun...
12 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Trip-Planning Buddies, Trip planning is my favorite thing to do during the cold winter weather. If you’re itching to get out of town, this list has a little bit of everything including some great road trips and further out trips that are worth the distance. My daughter at the beach near our Gulf Shores beach rental Easy Driving Trips Bentonville, ArkansasTrust me when I say, Bentonville, Arkansas is one of the coolest up-and-coming cities in the USA. In recent years, Bentonville has...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Hey There Hiker Buddies, Winter is actually one of my favorite times to hike because there are no ticks! As someone who has contracted a lethal tick-borne illness (and survived, yay), this is a pretty big deal to me. But on a happier note, here are some amazing hikes I hope you love! Kansas City Area Winter Hikes These trails are great year round, but they have some cool rock formations that are fun to explore in the winter even when there aren’t as many plants and bugs to admire. ✨Fox Hollow...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Hi friends, I love Valentine’s Day because it’s a fun day to remind the people in my life how special they are to me. This year I am looking for gifts I can give that will add to our adventures, health, and comfort. I don’t want more junk. I want it to feel thoughtful but not over the top. These ideas combat decision fatigue. I did the digging so you don’t have to. These are things I’d actually buy. Gifts for Outdoor Lovers Weighted vest- I use mine on regular walks and love how it adds...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hi There, I know, I know. I’m all about embracing the outdoors. But let’s be real for a second. Sometimes you just wanna be inside. Sometimes it’s cold, rainy, overstimulating, or everyone is just tired. And that’s okay. Indoor days still count as good days, especially when they give kids a place to move, explore, and burn off energy. If you’re looking for ideas, here are a few indoor favorites: Classic indoor fun for kids: Indoor play areas and soft play gyms Libraries with play spaces and...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi friends, I used to hate winter, but now I have learned to embrace it, and it has changed everything. Like seriously, everything, I just booked a January trip to the Arctic Circle for 2027. (Maybe I have embraced winter *too* hard?) One of my favorite books is There Is No Such Thing as Bad Weather. It completely changed how I think about winter and getting outside. The big takeaway for me was that winter is not something to survive or avoid. It is something you can enjoy if you approach it...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Friends, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the year ahead and what I want our adventures to look like in 2026. Not in a rigid, “new year, new me” way, more like a gentle nudge toward getting outside more, saying yes to trips we’ve been putting off, and making adventure feel a little easier and a lot more fun. I want to share what I’m dreaming about for myself, mostly because putting it in writing helps me actually do it, and because a lot of these ideas come directly from...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Thank You for Supporting My Small Business! Happy Small Business Saturday! Every time you open an email, read a blog, share a reel, or buy one of my products, you support my small business in such a real way. It means more to me and my family than you know. I wanted to give you another way you could support my small business and a way that I could thank you! I asked 5,000 people what their biggest problems were that held them back from exploring more. One of the biggest issues was overwhelm...
3 months ago • 1 min read
I was planning to send a Black Friday email today, but I had a revelation this week and I wanted to share it with you instead. You know those moments when something hits you out of nowhere and makes you stop and smile? I had one of those this week. I was thinking about this community and how much it has grown. When I first started sharing our adventures, I wasn’t sure anyone in KC even wanted to get outside as much as I did. I definitely didn’t expect to find so many people who love exploring...
3 months ago • 2 min read