July was a month spent closer to home, which is good because it’s where we needed to be. We’ve been trying to get our house organized and exactly how we want it before cozy-season sets in and we’re home more around the cooler weather, festivities and holidays – it’s crazy that we’re already thinking about that! We had a beautiful cool streak this month with highs in mid-late July well below the normal 90s and 100s which has been wonderful! We still managed to take a fair amount of local adventures between getting our house back in order.
Trip Planning This Month
Stacey and I finally got our trip to Shawnee National Forest pinned down. We’d had dates for a while, but needed to find accommodation, which we have now! So, that’s perfect. Now we’ll just both pick some hikes we’d like to do and plan in a way that makes sense.
I also have our first trip of 2025 officially booked! We’re going to a storytelling competition in Kansas next year and it involves some family activities too! It’s going to be a lot of fun!
We went to REI while in St. Louis, which was good because I’d tried to order a pack without trying it on when REI had their sale and it didn’t work for me. So, I got the perfect mid-sized Deuter Pack while we were up there. It was great to be able to try on the packs and find what truly worked for me. I’m feeling pretty prepared for the BRT this fall, I just have to keep training up for it!
Travel in July
We planned a trip to Chicago fully around the Camp X Bluey collaboration. We knew our kids would love this and even though Charleigh was really hesitant about the crowds at first, and Liam was all-in from the get-go. But Charleigh warmed up eventually and we had a really great time – even if we kinda went our own separate ways as we chased our two little individuals around. We saw “The Big Bean” as Charleigh calls it and both of the kids loved touching their little reflections. Then, we went to the Field Museum, and their dinosaur exhibit was really great! Charleigh is super into dinosaurs right now, and she’s still talking about how we went to the dinosaur’s house. She loved the full t-rex skeleton, but the other dinosaurs are what she talks about the most (especially the triceratops).
We had a really great weekend trip in St. Louis with my in-laws! We decided to take a weekend trip to visit the nearest national park to us: Gateway Arch National Park, the St. Louis Zoo – a free zoo that’s really incredible, and we ate some really delicious food! Pappy’s Smokehouse apparently has the best ribs in the country according to the Food Network and we agree from our admittedly somewhat-limited knowledge. I love that we got to add a stamp in my National Park Journal!
Travel Laughs and Mishaps
Shockingly, even with two toddlers, we didn’t have any travel laughs or mishaps this month. Some might call that a win, but for me it almost feels wrong. Haha. We have more travel days coming up the next few months, so I have no doubt laughs and mishaps are on their way.
Blog Posts from July
Monthly Recap: June 2024 – A little monthly recap, just like this one, but from last month!
Window Trail in Big Bend National Park Texas – This is our trail guide to experiencing the Window Trail. It’s one of the longer trails and it’s really special. To me it gives off Zion Canyon vibes. Check out the post to find out why!
Things We Bought for Our Toddlers for the Camper – Check out the things we’ve bought for the kids to make the time in our camper easier. We’ve learned a lot over the last 100+ days in the camper.
Things to Know Before Going to Moab, Utah – These are practical things that we think people who are visiting Moab for the first time should know.
Local Adventures in July
We went to a berry farm we hadn’t been to before called Missouri Berries. It’s in Republic, MO and it was so nice! We were looking for blackberries and their bushes were so full of beautiful berries, so it only took us about 30 minutes to pick 7 or so pounds of berries. When we got home later that morning, I made some truly incredible blackberry-jalapeño jam. Totally tooting my own horn here.
I did two different solo hikes at Busiek State Forest this month. It’s still my favorite place to get out on the trials because it has some decent-sized hills and feels like the best place super close to me to prepare for the BRT that I’m still planning on tackling this fall! I have been hitting up a couple of other Greenway spaces in the area, including one trip to the Springfield Nature Center where Liam did his first hike on-foot! Such a proud mama!
The end of the month brings around the Ozark Empire Fair, which is the local fair I grew up going to, so it’s a lot of fun getting to watch my kids experience it too. We always go with my parents and my brother and his family. It’s a super fun family tradition.
We also did a couple of our favorite kid-friendly local adventures: Wonders of Wildlife and Dickerson Park Zoo!
Best Thing I Ate in July
The BBQ at Pappy’s Smokehouse. Their ribs are so delicious and they truly fall off the bone. As someone who doesn’t eat meat off the bone, this is the ideal situation, plus that means that the meat is so tender. Also, the corn on the cob was perfectly cooked and deliciously seasoned and the applesauce is homemade and perfectly chunky and delicious! We also had the pulled pork and it was also delicious, but the ribs are definitely where it’s at.
What I Read in July
I finished Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan. I liked but didn’t love this book. It was a really quick read, and there were a handful of lines and poems that spoke to me, but it wasn’t one that I would read again and again. I also finished Anywhere That is Wild: John Muir’s First Walk to Yosemite, which I picked up in Yosemite last year, but just finally got around to finishing. I have gotten really into the history of national parks and look forward to delving more and more into that. Apparently this is the year of poetry for me because I’ve been read a ton of poetry. I also have started Devotions by Mary Oliver, which is a collection of her poetry from different books. I’m also still working on Fourth Wing, How to Raise a Wild Child and Braiding Sweetgrass and enjoying all of them. I’m just bouncing all over the place with reading.
As far as audiobooks go, I’m currently re-listening to the Outlander Series. I like the ability to have it on while I’m doing something else like cleaning, driving and even hiking on my solo hikes.
Most Popular Instagram Post & Reel This Month
The most popular post is from a handful of photos from National Parks around the country from people who’ve traveled with and stamped my National Parks Journal along the way! It’s so sweet! The reel
What’s Coming in August
In August, we have a fair amount of travel coming our way. We’ll be in Eureka Springs, Arkansas as a family, I have my weekend trip with Stacey, my father/daughter hiking trip (along with my kids) to Mammoth Cave National Park and we head out on our Moab trip. God, I love Moab, so I cannot wait for this adventure! We’re stopping in Colorado for an adventure or two too, so I’m looking forward to that as well!
Charleigh will be starting back at school next month and she’s really looking forward to being with her friends. Preschool has been great and she’s looking forward to time with other kids and getting to learn more. We have a lot less time at home coming next month and it’s feeling exciting!
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