July was probably the best month of my year so far. It was just enlightening, it was relaxing in a lot of ways, and I also am just really excited about moving forward and what’s to come in the rest of 2026 and beyond. I am fiercely pursuing things, putting my phone down and focusing on my kids more and more, fostering relationships that feel mutual and supportive. Life feels settled in July in a really special way.
Travel Planning This Month
This month, I got my mom and I signed up for a basket weaving class with the Missouri State Parks, so we’re going to have a lovely little mother / daughter trip together, doing crafty things and spending time together – some of our favorite things and learning something I’ve been dying to learn since reading Braiding Sweetgrass and wanting to feel a different connection to natural elements and a new crafting skill.
On the last day of July, I launched my latest group trip! This one isn’t a women-only trip; it’s open to anyone and everyone – to Peru to hike the Salkantay Trek! I’m so excited to lead this trip. I’ve done the Inca Trail, but this is a whole new, longer challenge and I’m so excited to take this on, and I’d love to have you join this trip!
Travel This Month
We spent a week of actual vacation in Asheville this month. Honestly, it was incredible. We stayed at my in-law’s place and had a great time with them, and also saw some friends! We got into the mountains, explored around town and felt connected to a town that was once our home over a decade ago. We had a handful of new experiences, but mostly repeated some favorites. It was just a really beautiful trip that felt so good to have a true vacation.
Matt and I had a little day trip down to Arkansas for just the two of us! It was unbelievably hot, so we did all kinds of thing inside – coffeeshop, record shopping, dinner out, visiting the Native American museum, book shopping – until the main reason for the trip – we saw Lord Huron, which was a bucket list concert for me! It was one of those little day trips that fills your cup more than you realized you needed.
Travel Laughs and Mishaps
Our last full day in Asheville was a bit of a comedy of errors. We planned a full day on the Parkway with my in-laws. We got up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and realized that we actually didn’t have enough gas to get there and back. So, my poor in-laws had to wait up top on the Parkway for us to drive down into Brevard and back up to meet up with them. Then, we were trying to do Skinny Dip Falls and they drove past the overlook where the trail starts and when we got to enough service to call them, they were 15 or so miles past us. Then, it started storming. Haha. It was the day that was supposed to have 3 or 4 hikes in it… we did one short one. But it is what it is and we really enjoyed an adventure up Devil’s Courthouse.
Blog Posts from July
June 2026 – A Monthly Roundup – This is a monthly roundup, much like this one, but for last month! Check out what we got into in June!
Notes from My First Mother / Daughter Trip, As a Mama – This spring, I took CJ on our first of (hopefully) many mother / daughter trips! It went well, but nothing like we had anticipated, and I made some notes on what went well, what went wrong and the feelings from it.
Quote of the Month
“What good is livin’ this life you’ve been given, if all you do is stand in one place?”
While this applies to travel, for sure, it also is just making the most every single day for me too. I love this life and I don’t want to spend it rotting on the couch. I want this little life of mine to be full of love, memories and magic.
What I Read in July
Alone in Wonderland: Longing for Connection and Adventure in the Shadow of Mount Rainier by Christine Reed
I really enjoyed this book. Although its main focus is Reed’s time on the Wonderland trail, it also bounces through times in her life that led her on this literal path. It is brutally introspective and very refreshing. I would recommend it to my fellow female outdoorsy girls!
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
This book, much like her other book Braiding Sweetgrass, left me with altered brain chemistry! The simple, poetic and scientific way that she describes gift economy has me wanting to change the way I do so many different things in my life. I want to share more, I want to create more to share more, and I want to never, ever take for granted the gifts I receive from others and the earth. I want to take these feelings and truly implement them in my life on a larger scale.
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko
I’m not very far into this, but it does already feel like a journey I’m excited to embark on from my “armchair”. I have such a love for the desert, so I’m really excited to finish this book.
Most Popular Post in July
Things to Know Before Visiting Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky – For the second month in a row, this is the top post. This series is one of my favorites to make. Our national parks are so special to me, so I love to help and encourage others to visit the U.S. National Parks.
Wild Motherhood Journey
My kids have started taking swim lessons, which makes me so excited for future adventures. I love watching their confidence grow and I love that this is something that’s going to take us on whole new adventures! We spent so much time in the water this month. It was brutally hot this July, so water was often the key. We played at the creek several times and got into the pool at my parents’ house and my in-law’s neighborhood as much as possible. I feel like I’ve spent a good amount of my time when I’m not at work outside with the kiddos, and it has felt good. Also, they are at an age where I can give them so much more freedom, and that is a really beautiful and special thing.
Local Adventures
Local adventures, as always, are centered around hiking and greenway trails, both solo and with friends. I’ve taken a lot of hikes and walks: solo, with my family, with hiking club and with friends! I even hit up a new-to-me local hiking spot that we hiked for my Women’s Hiking Club.
It’s been good to be outside, but it has also been insanely hot. Which is why creek days have been a staple local adventure with all our friends. Shea, Kate and I had probably my favorite girls night, ever: we brought girl dinner to the creek, had a couple drinks and just hung out beside the water. It was seriously so much fun and I want to do it a million more times. In fact, it was so good it inspired a night with my family, Kate and Dom to go to the creek, grill hot dogs and just chill by the creek until sunset when the mosquitos came out.
Taking Care of Myself in 2026
This month I did something that I thought was taking care of myself, but ended up reaffirming a past decision I had made. In June, we did family photos, and I got self-conscious as the only woman with gray hair in the photos. It’s a feeling I haven’t experienced since making this decision to go natural. So, I decided to dye my hair this month, and even though my stylist did a great job, I wish I hadn’t dyed it. It feels so un-me. It’s the worst I’ve felt about myself, and I can’t wait to have my natural hair color back. In a weird way, this was a very unique affirming thing. So, even though I didn’t end up liking it, I do feel affirmed that I am more confident when I’m my most natural self.
Another thing I did in July that made me feel immensely proud is finally setup an LLC. Truthfully, Matt did this for me, but it was still in a roundabout way taking care of myself because I actually asked for help, which can be hard to me, and I’m very grateful that he did it. It also feels like I’m taking a big step toward prioritizing this business as its own thing. I’m feeling more of this pride in calling myself a travel blogger again. I’ve been diving into this world so much more, and making these dreams a bit more of a reality now. I’m working hard, and I greatly appreciate everyone who is reading this now.
Home and Life in July
We had multiple family celebrations this month. My dad’s birthday is the 4th of July so we have a big family gathering for that each year, but we had another special one, my big brother turned 40 this month, so we all got together to celebrate him! We also are celebrating a birth in the family, my cousin, who feels like a big brother to me, and his wife their first baby, who I can’t wait to meet!
We’re doing our end-of-summer crack down. We always spend a lot on our adventures at the beginning of the summer, but for the end of the summer, we try to spend more time at home, save more money, and just focus on getting our house in order after weeks of adventures, soaking up time with friends and family, and getting ready for the kids to be back in school next month.
What’s Coming in August…
The only travel I have planned for August is a weekend trip with my mama up to St. Charles, Missouri for a basket weaving class that I’ve been wanting to take for almost 2 years now! I love learning a new craft, and since reading both Braiding Sweetgrass and Why We Need to Be Wild, I’ve been wanting to learn this specific craft. I’m very excited about it!
Matt has always been a musician, but 2026 has been a big year of growth for that. He released an album (listen here), he busked for the first time and he has his first (and second) solo gigs, booked for August. I’m so proud of him! He’s incredibly talented and it lights my heart up to watch him do the thing that sets him on fire!
CJ and Liam will go back to school, CJ being in Kindergarten. I can’t even believe it. They’ll both be in more days this year, and I am looking forward to having a lot more time to write and focus on blogging and such, but I’m also going to miss my kids, especially my Mondays with them. But I know it’s a great move for them! I still have the dream to homeschool them, but this is the right fit for our family right now. Maybe I’ll homeschool CJ next year for first grade?!
I hope everyone had the very best July and that August is so kind to you.
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