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The Real First Three Days of Our Camper Life

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Nothing Went as Planned (And That’s the Point) Hey friends, We did it. Sort of. After months of dreaming, planning, and quietly freaking out about downsizing our entire lives into a camper, my boyfriend, our little pup Margarita, and I finally waved goodbye to Michigan—for now. Our destination? Yellowstone National Park. As for now – the open road. The unknown. The journey of a lifetime. We were supposed to kick things off from Chicago. That was the plan, anyway. But moving delays, last-minute weather chaos, and a few hard-learned lessons turned our “smooth departure” into something way more memorable. The first three days were nothing like we expected… and honestly? We wouldn’t trade a single chaotic minute of it. Lesson #1: Pack BEFORE your friends show up to help If there’s one thing I wish I could scream from the rooftops (or the roof of our camper), it’s this: do NOT wait until the last minute to start packing and deciding what stays, what goes, and what gets donated/sold/stored. ...
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Happy 3rd Birthday to the Dog Who Saved My Life

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My Sweet, Spicy Margarita Today, my precious Chiweenie turns three, and I can barely hold back the tears as I write this. Three years ago, I was drowning in darkness. The kind of pain that makes you question everything — waking up felt like a burden, and hope seemed like something that happened to other people. Then this tiny, sassy little puppy came into my arms, and in that single moment, everything began to change. Margarita didn’t just enter my life. She rescued it. From the very first time I held her warm little body against my chest, she became my reason to breathe again. She became my light in the darkest days, my gentle nudge to keep going when I wanted to give up, and my unwavering anchor when the waves threatened to pull me under. She is so much more than “just a dog.” She is my best friend, my soulmate in fur, my rock, and the purest love I’ve ever known. This tiny weenie with her big floppy ears, and that perfect blend of sweet and spicy has completely taken over my heart —...
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Last New Jersey Moments

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 Wind Farms, Chloe's Corner, Family Visits, and Tomorrow's Departure to Michigan Tomorrow, March 22, 2026, marks the official start of the Journey of a Lifetime—a coast-to-coast adventure that will eventually carry me from the Atlantic shores of New Jersey all the way to the Pacific in Southern California. After the roughest year of my life in 2025, this road trip feels like the ultimate reset: a full-year odyssey of iconic highways, national parks, mind-bending art, epic music, and endless sunrises and sunsets. But right now, I'm focusing on tomorrow and the rest of March—packing up, saying goodbyes, and hitting the highway toward Michigan. Tomorrow morning, I'll load the car and hug my mom one last time (until she visits Yellowstone), and depart from New Jersey heading west. This drive is super familiar—I've made the trek every summer since 2015—but this time it carries so much more meaning. It's the symbolic first step away from the East Coast life I've k...
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Turning 29

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Not Where I Thought I'd Be—And That's Perfectly Okay As I sit here writing this, I'm 29. Just typing that number feels surreal. For so long, 29 sounded like the age when everything would be "figured out"—stable career, maybe a house, a clear path forward, the kind of life I imagined when I was younger and the future felt like a straight line. But life doesn't follow straight lines. It zigzags, it breaks, it rebuilds in ways you never saw coming. If you'd asked me five years ago where I'd be at 29, I would have painted a very different picture. I thought I'd still be climbing the ladder at the job I once believed was my forever career. I pictured family gatherings in the childhood home that held every memory, weekends at the trailer where I'd spent countless golden summers with friends who felt like extensions of myself. I thought my parents' relationship—the foundation I grew up relying on—would still be intact, and the dad I knew would sti...
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Saying Goodbye (Temporarily) to Stability

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Embracing the Unknown. The Lunar New Year. The first day of the Year of the Fire Horse. I woke up this morning to the quiet hum of winter in Michigan—snow finally not blanketing the roof of the house I’ve called home, the kind of stability I clung to through some of my darkest days. But today feels different. Electric. Like the universe just lit a match under my feet and whispered, Go. This isn’t just any year. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse —a rare cycle that rolls around only every 60 years, the last time being 1966. In Chinese astrology, the Horse embodies freedom, action, independence, and fearless forward motion. Paired with Fire, the blazing, yang energy of the sun at its peak, it’s all about impulse, passion, transformation, and galloping toward breakthroughs without looking back. Horses hate being reined in; they thrive on open roads, wide horizons, and the thrill of what’s next. Sound familiar? For me, it’s no coincidence that this is the exact season I’m trading solid wa...
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Love Beyond Romance

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  Celebrating Valentine's Day with Your Pets and the Planet Valentine's Day is often seen as a celebration of romantic love between partners, filled with chocolates, flowers, and candlelit dinners. But love comes in many forms, and some of the purest, most unconditional versions come from (and go to) our animal companions and the natural world around us. This February 14, why not expand the day's spirit to include the furry, feathered, or scaled loved ones who greet us with wagging tails or purring contentment every single day? And while we're at it, let's weave in care for the environment—because loving animals means loving the planet that sustains them (and us). Our pets don't need a special holiday to show affection—they do it constantly. They offer comfort on tough days, joy in simple moments, and loyalty without strings attached. In many ways, pets embody the truest essence of love: no judgment, no expectations, just presence. This Valentine's Day, cele...
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Being a Green Pet Parent

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Embracing Low-Impact Camping with Leave No Trace Principles There’s something magical about hitting the open road in our camper, our dog curled up in the passenger seat or peering out the window at passing forests and mountains. We chase sunrises in national parks, boondock under starry skies, and let our furry co-pilot lead us down quiet trails. But as much as these adventures fill our hearts, they also come with a quiet responsibility: to leave every place we visit exactly as we found it—or better . That’s where the seven ‘Leave No Trace’ principles come in, and when you’re traveling with a pet, they take on extra meaning. Pet waste, curious paws, and the little extras we bring along can add up quickly, but with a few thoughtful habits, we can keep our impact light while still creating unforgettable memories. The 7 Leave No Trace Principles are core guidelines that apply to hiking, camping, backpacking, RV travel, day trips, and more—anywhere from remote wilderness to local parks, ...
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