Our 2nd National Park visited was only 3 hours from Carlsbad Caverns, so these two amazing wonders could be seen in one weekend. They are both in New Mexico. We stayed the night in El Paso and then drove the hour to White Sands in the morning. Nothing can quite prepare you for this park. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There are over 200 miles of white sand. A road winds through the park and there are several places to stop and park.
In the pictures, you will see that the sand can almost be mistaken for snow. Especially since they give out sleds at the visitor center for visitors to slide down the massive sand dunes. We didn’t see many other people there in January. It was a bit chilly and we needed our winter coats, but the sun shone brightly so it was comfortable. We spent about 2 hours wandering around, just us and the sand…..miles and miles of it. I could see how it would be easy to get lost since there are no paths and everything looks the same. The only landmark is a paved road winding through the center of the park. The kids said it wasn’t as fun as sledding in snow – of course! We wrote words in the sand, took deep breaths in and out, and just enjoyed the peace of this sacred place. Here are a few videos to give you a glimpse of the grandeur of this magical place that looks like snow in the desert.
It’s nothing like sledding down and icy hill. It’s SAND. At the bottom of the hill Malia yelled, “that was leisurely!”
Three months into our USA road-trip, we finally visited our first National Park. Carlsbad Caverns is located in New Mexico and is home to an incredible cave that you can walk down into and explore. Millions of bats live in the back of the cave and fly out at sunset. The bats stayed well hidden on our walk through. I watched videos ahead of time, but nothing could prepare me for the massiveness and wonder of this cave. After reserving an entrance time online and paying your entrance fee (free with a National Parks pass) we took the 1.5 mile path down, down, down into the cave. There is an option to take an elevator down, but we opted to walk down.
The great room on the bottom of the cave is 750 feet below ground, so it is quite trek down. It was not very busy the day we were there, so it was dark, quiet, and eery. Ivy, our 8 year old, was scared and had a hard time enjoying the cave. I can imagine those with high anxiety in dark places may want to take the elevator. It was quite a workout on my leg muscles since the entire path was a steep downward slope. Once you are in the great room at the bottom of the cave, it is well lit and the ground is all flat. To walk through the entire cave it can take about 2.5 hours – it’s HUGE. We skipped the final mile loop so spent about 2 hours total from start to finish with lots of breaks to rest and drink water (bring a water bottle!) Here are some photos of the cave. I highly recommend visiting this natural wonder. It is truly a work of art that far surpasses the beauty of any church or cathedral I’ve ever visited. It almost felt like a holy place.
The road into this National Park is about 7 miles long. When we arrived it was so foggy we couldn’t see much more than a few feet in front of us. By the time we left the park, the fog had lifted and we were able to see the beautiful landscape leaving the park. As we drove from Carlsbad to El Paso, Texas, we had the most gorgeous views of the Guadalupe Mountains.
I got a text from a friend today asking how I am doing with the constant flurry of social time, jumping from house to house and being with new people more than I’m used to. Introverts who get energy from alone time, and are drained by extended periods of needing to be “on” around other people will understand this question. Today I am in a bedroom with the door closed in complete silence, and it is heavenly. I have intentionally found times to steal away and soak up this kind of “quiet time”
One of the things I find myself asking Mark and the kids each day are “what were your highs and lows?” As we reach the 3 month point of being on the road, I have taken some time to recollect some highs and lows.
BEST DAYS
I have 3 standout days that I remember most fondly. ❤️ Biking along the beach in Hilton Head, SC
❤️ Day at Cumberland Falls followed by KFC in Corbin, Kentucky
❤️ Theater of the Sea and Key West on New Years Eve Day
HARDEST DAYS
Four days stand out as the hardest. 😢 First night cabin camping in Kentucky and not sleeping at all. 😢 The car ride from Indianapolis to Cincinatti. Another sleepless night followed by frustration of not being able to find a tennis court, being hungry, and overwhelmed. 😢 The transition from Naples to Key Largo, a cold and rainy Christmas, financial pressures and family tensions.
😢The lowest point of the trip was when Mark was going back to MN with Ivy and Malia and I were staying back in a tiny, dark, casita (that smelled like marijuana). It also just happened to be our wedding anniversary. Thankfully that very day I received a surprise text inviting Malia and I to spend the weekend in a beach house nearby.
An interesting observation I made while writing this is that our hardest days were immediately followed by our best days. The sleepless night in the cabin was followed by a breathtaking morning of seeing a waterfall. The cold and rainy Christmas was followed by a dolphin show on New Years Eve. An exhausting travel day ended with being welcomed into the home of the Grigsby family. A detour that I almost refused to take ended in my favorite day at Hilton Head.
Are you in a rough season of life, feeling confused or frustrated? Are you having a bad day today? Just wait it out. You don’t know what tomorrow may bring. Sometimes we just endure some hard days in order to more fully appreciate the good days.
We have been traveling now for almost 3 months. Our travels have brought us into 12 different family’s homes to spend the night and many others for a meal or short visit. We’ve also stayed in a cabin, a tiny house, a beach house, several airbnbs, and a handful of hotels.
Our shortest stay has been for one night and our longest stay for one month. The trip itself has not been physically exhausting. We have had very few responsibilities other than homeschooling, scheduling upcoming stays, and phone calls for Mark’s business. What HAS been exhausting is the emotional toll of packing and unpacking so many times, battling our own doubts about the trip, and talking through all of the constant changes and unknowns as a family.
When you don’t have a familiar HOME to come back to, then wherever we are becomes home. I’ve even caught myself saying “let’s go home now” on nights we are staying in a hotel. Home has been the resting place at the end of the day, wherever we find ourselves.
Three months has felt like a marathon as we continue to trust that this is the best path for us. It has been incredible to see how the road has risen up to meet us. As we have asked people to host us or simply prayed and asked God to lead us, the next steps have literally appeared.
Just last week I was feeling discouraged about being alone for a weekend while Mark flew back to Minnesota to DJ multiple events. I got a text from my friend Ami in San Antonio saying her family was gifted a beach house in Corpus Christi for the weekend and with only one days notice, she asked if I wanted to join them. Her family and friends’ company was refreshing, and I came back to pick Mark up from the airport at the end of the weekend feeling refreshed and ready to move forward.
We are spending most of January in the BIG state of TEXAS. From the freeways with more lanes than I’m used to, to the vehicles with waist high wheels, to the gas station, Buc-ees, with 200 gas pumps – everything’s bigger in Texas.
Tex Mex is everywhere. Tacos, burritos, fajitas, oh my! It would be hard to be vegetarian or vegan here….or a Democrat!
I don’t think I could live here year around simply because of the heat. We are fortunate to be here in January. We went into downtown San Antonio yesterday wearing shorts and someone asked where we were from. Apparently people from Texas don’t wear shorts this time of year because this is winter for them.
The highlight for me in Texas has been seeing new and old friends. We don’t have to stay in any hotels in this state. We have friends and family willing to host us. Here are some of the people we have stayed with or spent time with so far.
Houston, TX. Carson and Alicia Clark and family Wes and Lesley Patterson and family
San Antonio – Week One Eric and Autumn Lundquist
Corpus Christi Beach House Weekend – Van and Ami Teodosio and family
San Antonio – Week 2 is off to a great start.Teodosio and Chouravong Family
Thanks to all of our past, present, and future hosts for welcoming us! Let me know if you are interested in seeing us as we head West to Arizona and California in February and March.
We were told “You Must go to New Orleans!” I didn’t know much about the city, so I polled Facebook friends for ideas. The most common advice was “Eat ALL the food!” This city is famous for its jambalaya, seafood, po boys, red beans and rice, etouffée, and beignets. I was excited to try a few.
Our first stop was a walk through Jackson Square. A brass band was playing and we stopped to listen for awhile. There are street performers all over the place in the French Quarter. I soon realized that if I gave a tip to every musician, I would quickly run out of money. If you visit New Orleans, definitely bring some extra cash along to tip the musicians. Our quest to try new foods began at a place called Nola Po-Boys. Here is a video of us trying these delicious sandwiches and the famous gumbo that everyone was talking about.
After trying the po-boys we moved onto another most recommended spot, Cafe DuMonde, home of beignets. These tasty little square pastries were quite reasonably priced. 3 for $3.85. They were served hot and covered in a mountain of powdered sugar. I enjoyed mine with an iced coffee.
There are a lot of artists displaying their work on the street corners and plenty of galleries and shops to walk through. We loved looking at all the Mardi Gras masks that were for sale.
We stayed at a hotel where we parked our car overnight for $40 and then took the streetcar around the city. We found it hard to find parking and were told it wasn’t safe to park our car overnight most places because of the number of break-ins. I’m not sure if this was entirely true, but we decided to go the safe route this time. For dinner, we chose a place called Gumbo Shop. We wanted a sit down place where we could try a bunch of things but not break the bank. This place had a combination platter dinner so we ordered two and shared them between the four of us. Each dinner included either a salad or soup to start, an entree, a side, and a dessert. Mark ordered gumbo, etouffée, mashed potatoes, and a praline sundae. I ordered a salad, a combo plate that included red beans and rice, shrimp creole, and jambalaya, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake. It was such a feast and we loved every bite.
The girls had very strong opinions about New Orleans. Ivy didn’t seem to like it much. She said it smelled and too many people were smoking everywhere we went. She also said it was too loud and overwhelming. We were only out until about 8pm, but the minute the sun went down, the streets kind of felt like the midway at the state fair. It is obviously a place people go to drink and party. We were there on a Thursday, and not close to Mardi Gras. I can’t imagine what Mardi Gras is like. On our 2nd and final day in New Orleans, we went back to Cafe DuMonde for another round of beignets and then drove around the garden district where we had the most amazing bagels at a coffee shop called Rabbit’s Foot.
My final thoughts on New Orleans were the food was great, the music was great, but the atmosphere was not ideal for those who get overstimulated by noise and crowds. Mark LOVED it. He is more extroverted than I am. He liked striking up conversations with the street musicians and capturing them on video. Here are a few short clips.
After being on the gulf coast of Naples for 10 days, we decided to check out Miami and experience the wild and untamed Ocean side of Florida. As we walked across the wide runway of sand, I was amazed by the enormity of the waves. You couldn’t get much further than knee deep before being knocked over. The powerful, crashing waves filled me with wonder. Tabby jumped in with no hesitation. Malia followed with a little prompting. Ivy stayed back with Mom and Dad.
After about 30 minutes in the water, I heard a scream of panic as Tabby and Malia came running out of the water. “Mom, Mom, come quick!” I knew whatever had happened was bad. I could hear the pain in Malia’s voice as she frantically pointed to her arm. A bystander came over and said, “must be a jellyfish sting, should I call a lifeguard?”
The first person who came by to help told me to go down by the water and rub wet sand on Malia’s arm. I didn’t know any better and followed instructions. I later learned this was not helpful and might have made it worse. The trained lifeguard showed up and sprayed the arm with vinegar. He said she should take a walk and the pain would gradually lessen over time. We took a walk, but Malia was so worked up that she couldn’t calm herself down. Tabby took her back to the lifeguard and pleaded for more help. Tabby, Malia, and I hopped on a golf cart and were whizzed across the beach to an outbuilding with a faucet where we could get some warm water. After Malia put her arms in the 5 gallon bucket of warm water, she calmed down and started to breathe more normally. We learned through our talk with the lifeguard that looking for the warning flags when visiting the ocean can help you know whether it is safe to enter the water. That day, the flags were red and purple which meant strong currents and dangerous marine life.
It took about 3 hours for Malia to start feeling back to normal, although her arm hurt for the rest of the evening. We didn’t want to turn around and leave Miami quite yet. We had tacos, and then Tabby and Ivy explored a little longer while Mark, Malia, and I went back to our car to rest.
Someday, I hope to return to the ocean side of Florida to experience the wild and wonderful waves. Next time I’ll have a little more experience and hopefully no more jellyfish.
Our daughter Tabby arrived in Florida at midnight on the 22nd of December. We were so, so excited to see her for the first time in 4 months.
We stayed with our friend Greg Blake in Key Largo for the 9 days between Christmas and New Years.
Packing and unpacking are some of the hardest days of life on the road. Adding a 5th person in the car with Tabby’s arrival was a challenge, but we managed to squeeze in for the 2 hour drive from Naples to Key Largo. 🌴 The first few days in the Keys were cold and rainy. We didn’t have internet access and the kids were sad about being away from family at Christmas. It was one of the harder transitions of the trip so far. Thankfully, by the 27th of December, it warmed up and the tropical climate of the Keys returned. We started our days with coffee on the porch and a slow wake up for the kids while Mark went to the local Starbucks to work. Then in the late morning or afternoon we swam in the neighborhood pool, played tennis, and explored the area. 🌴 One of the interesting things about the Florida Keys is that even though it is surrounded by water, there are very few swimming beaches. Most people enjoy the water on boats. One sunny day, Greg treated us to lunch at The Pilot House, and we got an up close look at some of the gorgeous boats docked in the harbor.
Another new experience was being near the Everglades and seeing so many water birds, alligators, and iguanas. We stopped along Hwy 42 at The Oasis Visitor Center where we saw about a dozen alligators taking a nap in the swamp.
We also visited the Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary for injured birds in Key Largo. Many of these birds had been hit by cars or shot with pellet guns. They were brought to this bird sanctuary to be rehabilitated and returned to the wild when possible.
The Florida Keys is home to dozens of State Parks. We went to several. My favorite was the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. They had a visitor center with an aquarium where we saw some beautiful fish and coral.
The park also had kayak rentals, snorkeling, and glass bottom boat rides for an extra fee. We rented two double kayaks for an hour. I am not proud of my kayaking skills or teamwork skills. I was partnered up with Malia and we argued with each other the entire hour. Tabby said we could have been a model of how NOT to kayak.
One of my favorite days was when we visited the Theater of the Sea. We saw giant turtles, sea lions, parrots, and our favorite – the dolphin show!
On New Years Eve we made the long drive (2+ hours) to Key West. There are 42 bridges connecting all the Florida Key islands. The longest bridge, Seven Mile Bridge, connects the mainland of Florida to the Florida Keys. Driving over this bridge was a highlight for me. We hesitated to make the drive because of all the complaints we had heard about the traffic and crowds, but I’m glad we did. 🌴 Key West is a charming place. There are walkable streets with cute little shops, art galleries, coffee houses, and unique restaurants. Popular buildings include the home of Ernest Hemingway and Harry S. Truman’s Little Whitehouse. We were only in Key West for a few hours – long enough to walk around the downtown and see the sunset along with a huge crowd of New Years Eve partiers at Mallory Square. I would have loved to have a few days there. Maybe another time.
As far as how we celebrated Christmas itself, the 24th and 25th were kind of like any other day and it felt strange seeing photos of a snowstorm and record below zero temps back home. We opened gifts and called family back in Minnesota and Elliot in Boston. Grandma Karen sent a box of cookies and other goodies in the mail, so we enjoyed those. My Aunt Lea from North Carolina surprised us with an Instacart delivery of food which included lasagne, bread, salad, and a beautiful cake. We had gifts for the kids to open and I made a ham and mashed potatoes on Christmas Day. We also went to church and worked on a jigsaw puzzle.
Looking back, we really had so many great experiences in the Keys in such a short time. It was different than the rest of Florida and I’m glad I got to experience it. I’m grateful to Greg for giving us a place to stay and also so thankful that Tabby could join us for the week. She spiced things up and made it more fun for Malia and Ivy.
We may never experience a Christmas break quite like this one. I will remember this Christmas as the year we broke the mold and escaped the cold.
After 44 years of cold Minnesota winters, I’m experiencing a new climate this December. Wow! It makes a huge difference in my mood and outlook.
Ocala, FL We left Georgia on December 10th and headed south, stopping for one night in Ocala, FL at a cute farm called Enchanted Oaks. As we drove down the long gravel driveway the girls squealed as they spotted goats, horses, and a zebra. The property had a half dozen or more glamping tents and a rental house which is used as the bridal suite on the days the property hosts weddings. We stayed in the rental house. Big thanks to one of my piano families, the Bierwerth’s, for their air bnb gift card for this stay.
Enchanted Oaks was one of my favorite places we have stayed so far. I would have loved to sit under those glorious giant oak trees all day, but we had to hurry out the next morning. We were scheduled to meet my piano teacher friend, Anna Fagan, in Arcadia, FL for lunch. I met Anna on Instagram through another piano teacher.
One of my hopes on this trip was to connect with a few piano teachers on the road. Anna is literally on the road since she teaches online lessons to about 30 students each week from her RV. It was fun to hear how she and her husband decided to sell their home and become full-time RV travelers.
Naples, FL Our next stop was Naples. We stayed at the home of Joe and Barbara Wall for a little over a week. It was such a relaxing stay. I enjoyed having a large kitchen to cook in and the kids loved staying somewhere with a pool. Mark flew back to Minnesota for 4 of those days to DJ a wedding. He got a taste of the snow again, but left before it dipped below zero. Some of the things I liked about Naples besides the weather were
🌴The sandy beaches
🌴The consignment shops
🌴Sitting outside drinking coffee in the mornings
🌴Seeing all the palm trees and flowering tropical plants.
We loved one of the outdoor restaurants we ate at called Lakeside Diner. We had lunch there with some new friends, Lynnea and Ken, after attending Grow Church and again with our friend Dale after playing tennis.
The sunsets and the sound of waves were by far the highlight of being near the gulf. It was like having a front row seat to a masterclass with the painter of skies.
Not everyday has been smooth sailing and glamorous. We’ve had some boring days, some stressful days, and a fair share of screaming and crying from the back seat: “Why do we have to go on this trip?” and “I just want to go HOME!” The transition days when we pack up and switch from one location to the next are usually the hardest days. Our 19 year old, Tabby, flew from NYC and joined us for the holidays. It’s been wonderful having her along. In my next post I’ll share more about our 10 days together in the Florida Keys over Christmas and New Years.
When Mark texted me and said he wanted to rearrange our itinerary to work around the extended forecast, I rolled my eyes. I may appear spontaneous on the Internet, but the truth is, I hate sudden changes in plans.
The idea came because Mark wanted to see Savannah and Hilton Head on a sunny, 70 degree day instead of a rainy 50 degree day. Now that I write it down like that, it makes so much sense, but I was worried about so many things. How would it affect our lodging back in Macon, would it be an added cost, and did it practically make sense apart from the weather forecast?
Well, long story short, I flexed with the idea and boy am I glad. It was THE BEST two days of our trip so far. We strolled through the Savannah parks, enjoying the huge trees and historic buildings. I tried some fried chicken, collard greens, candied sweet potatoes, corn bread, and peach cobbler.
We carried on to Hilton Head and arrived just as the sun was setting. It was a race to the beach to get there in time. Seeing my girls experience the ocean at sunset was priceless. We rented bikes the next day and road the seemingly endless shoreline. I got to talk to my older two college kids, Elliot and Tabby, on the phone that day too, which made the day even more perfect.
After we decided to change our plans and stay in Macon for two extra days, we found out that there was a youth tennis tournament on those days. If we would have stuck with the original plan, Malia would have missed that opportunity. It all worked out.
Moral of the story – Stay Flexible and don’t be afraid when plans change.
Do you remember a time when plans changed at the last minute?
I don’t know about you, but for me Christmas stirs up feelings of not having enough to give.
I want to enjoy going to the stores and filling my cart with the perfect gifts for everyone on my list.
Wouldn’t it be great if I could make some of those perfectly decorated cookies?
Maybe I could snap my fingers and have a pile of cute Christmas cards with our family photo on them addressed and ready to send?
Maybe this will be the year we finally have matching PJs and stockings with my childrens’ names on them?
Wouldn’t it be great to be invited to a Christmas party where we sip mulled wine and listen to live jazz while the kids are at home with a babysitter who volunteered their time to give us a night off?
OK – Stop the Daydream already.
I had forgotten these sentiments since being on our road trip and away from the usual December crazy.
Today, I went into Hobby Lobby and the feelings all came rushing back. I saw the crowded aisles of shoppers filling their carts with wrapping paper, ornaments, and craft supplies. The stress and overwhelm of December wrapped me in its grip.
As a mom, I feel a lot of pressure to give my kids a great Christmas. I want them to be happy. I know that celebrating Jesus’ birth was never intended to become what it has in our American culture. I’ve tried the advent devotionals and simplifying mantras, but the feelings of inadequacy creep back in so easily.
I’ve made room for the little voices in my head. “Your kids will never have as good of a Christmas as their friends because you can’t give them ______________” (name the things you are missing)
This year, my Christmas will look very different. We will be in the Florida Keys. I have no idea how to plan for it or what to expect. We will be missing Elliot, our oldest child who will be in Boston (our first Christmas without all 6 of us). We won’t have snow, and we may not have a tree or the usual gifts. My kids are not happy about “missing Christmas” back home.
I am amazed at how we can be in a tropical paradise and the kids can still find things to be unhappy about.
The reality is that Christmas is a beautiful mess of wrapping paper piles, burnt cookies, and crying children.
Along with the crazy, we all hope for moments of wonder sprinkled in. These moments help us realize that we are ALIVE and BREATHING, and that is a miracle in itself. This beautiful and weird life we are living is ours. We don’t need to be like the others.
LOVE cannot be bought. It is freely given and can be freely received. That is the best news for those who don’t feel like they have done enough to deserve love and don’t have money to pay for it.
I AM looking forward to Christmas in Florida. It will be different, but different isn’t always bad. Look at Jesus. He was very different. He chose a group of rag tag followers that were rejected by the rest of society. He did not have a home. He was not born under a beautifully decorated tree. He was born in a barn. It smelled. It was uncomfortable. His parents felt alone and probably didn’t fit in with their friends or family.
My Christmas wish for you is that you would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are enough.
You don’t need to try harder or spend more money or do more things. Your gift to those around you is being comfortable in your own skin and loving the best you know how.
