Our Wedding and Honeymoon in Siesta Key, Florida...December 2012
We had a destination wedding in Siesta Key, and then we stayed there for a week long honeymoon, before traveling home to Indiana. Our adventures included...
* Driving straight through from Indiana to Florida and checking in at the Sara Sea Inn
* Dinner at the Boatyard Waterfront Bar and Grill
* Kayaking, Dinner at the Old Salty Dog, and touring St. Armands Circle
* Sunset Dinner Cruise around Sarasota Bay
* Tandem bike ride around the Siesta Key Village
* Heading home to Indiana...via the Overlook Inn in Georgia!
1st Birthday Trip: Cincinnati, Ohio...May 2013
We decided to take an annual getaway somewhere around our birthdays each year. {Our birthdays are three weeks apart.} Our first destination was to the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio, with a side trip to Dagaz Acres in Rising Sun, Indiana, for ziplining!
* Inside the Creation Museum
* Outside the Creation Museum
* Ziplining at Dagaz Acres
Caribbean Cruise...August 2013
I'd never been on a cruise, so Ryan wanted to take me on one! We spent a week on the Carnival Breeze, stopping in the ports of Key West, Grand Turk, and Nassau!
* Flying together for the first time...to Miami, Florida
* Exploring the Carnival Breeze
* Dinner and life onboard the ship
* Key West: photo shoot, lighthouse, and southernmost point in the continental USA
* Onboard water park and being seasick
* First Day at Sea: TV show, Game show, dinner and dancing
* The beach at Grand Turk
* Segway Tour on Grand Turk
* Comedy Show Date
* The saga of my confiscated fan
* A second day at sea: ice sculpture and scavenger hunt
* Happening upon a "private" beach in Nassau
* What it's like to live in the Miami airport for the day
1st Anniversary Getaway in Indianapolis, Indiana...December 2013
We spent our first anniversary in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana...enjoying the downtown city scene, the lighting of the Christmas tree on Monument Circle, a Gaither Homecoming Concert, and an Indianapolis Colts game
* Lighting of the tree on Monument Circle
* Gaither Christmas Homecoming Concert
* Indianapolis Colts Game
* Misc. Weekend fun: sightseeing, eating out, and more fun!
2nd Birthday Trip: Holland Michigan...May 2014
We took our second annual birthday trip to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan. We had a blast, but one thing was noticeably missing: THE TULIPS! We had such a cold spring, they were nowhere to be found.
* Heading to Holland via Silver Beach, Michigan
* Travel debacles of the gas station and hotel varieties
* The Tulip Time Festival: a windmill, random tulips, and a chocolate covered Twinkie
* Visiting beaches and lighthouses: with hats, coats and gloves: IN MAY
* Fireworks and Vacation Misc.
Family Vacation to Shipshewana, Indiana...June 2014
My parents wanted to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary with a long weekend for the whole family in Amish country. We were so excited to be part of this weekend, because we've never done a family vacation with my side before!
* The start of the vacation, life at the Farmstead Inn, and dinner at Das Dutchman Essenhaus
* Shopping in Shipshewana and biking the Pumpkinvine Trail
* Family Pictures and dinner at the Blue Gate Restaurant
* More shopping and a treat from the Rise n Roll Bakery
Holiday World, Santa Claus, Indiana...August 2014
Ryan LOVES theme parks, and from the time we started dating, he wanted to take me to Holiday World/Splashin' Safari in southern Indiana. We finally got there two years later!
* Headed out to Holiday World!
* A Day at Holiday World
* Misc. fun from our trip
2nd Anniversary Getaway in Chicago, Illinois...December 2014
We spent our second anniversary weekend in and around Chicago, Illinois. We stayed in Schaumburg and went in and out of the city, checking out the sights, including Lincoln Park Zoo, IKEA, and the Willis Tower!
* Heading toward Chicago, and lunch at Dell Rhea's on Route 66
* Lincoln Park Zoo Date
* Trip to IKEA
* Train Rides and the Willis Tower
* Dinner at the Signature Room
* Misc. Anniversary Fun!
3rd Birthday Trip: Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee...May 2015
For our third annual birthday trip, we headed to warmer temps in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We toured Gatlinburg, drove to the Tennessee/North Carolina border, drove the Cades Cove Loop and hiked to Abrams Falls, and visited Ripley's aquarium and other museums!
* Heading South to Tennessee
* Tourists in Gatlinburg and a Trek to the Tennessee/North Carolina Line
* Cades Cove and a long Hike to the Waterfall
* Aquariums and Ripley's Museums
* Vacation Miscellany
Virginia, Maryland and New York...October 2015
We hadn't had a full week's vacation away from home since our cruise two years ago, so we did a bit of a land cruise...Virginia Beach, Colonial Williamsburg, Letchworth State Park, Niagara Falls and more! We had stunning fall weather and a wonderful time.
* All Day Road Trip to Virginia
* Visiting Virginia Beach
* Walking Through Colonial Williamsburg
* Climbing the Cape Henry Lighthouse
* Visiting Furnace Hills Coffee Roasting Company
* Letchworth State Park in New York
* Niagara Falls in the Fall
* Home Sweet Home Again
3rd Anniversary Getaway in Fort Wayne, Indiana...November 2015
Since we just came home from the long week away to the eastern part of the country in October, we didn't have the funds {and Ryan didn't have time off work} for a long anniversary getaway. And our actual anniversary fell on a Wednesday, so we had to be creative. We spent the time away just an hour from home in Fort Wayne, shopping, indulging in desserts and coffee, looking at Christmas lights, and eating some delicious meals! Low key but lovely!
* Dinner at Red Robin and some mall shopping.
* Shopping, dessert at DeBrand, Fantasy of Lights at Franke Park
* Visiting St. Joe Christmas Tree Farm and lunch at Granite City
4th Birthday Trip: Chilton, Wisconsin...April 2016
This year we combined our birthday trip with a speaking engagement I had scheduled in the little town of Chilton, Wisconsin. Ryan was sick for our whole trip, and we shared the weekend with our friends, Tom and Olivia, staying in their home with their family. Though it was a non-traditional trip for us, we did get to see some fun things, like a cheese factory, a dairy farm, and the world's best salted caramel ice cream {in my opinion}.
* Traveling to Wisconsin, including a stop at Letters on Main in Sun Prairie
* Speaking at the Women's Break Away Conference in Chilton, Wisconsin
* Wisconsin has really good food!
* It's a dairy-palooza!
* Outtakes and memories!
Family Wedding: Greensburg, Kansas...August 2016
We traveled to the little town of Greensburg, Kansas, for my niece's wedding. We pulled an all-nighter to get there, and the first part of our trip was dedicated to helping with the wedding, but we stayed a couple of extra days, so Ryan could tour Greensburg and see the sights. {Yes, there are actually sights!!}
* Driving all night to surprise my family.
* Putting together the reception decorations - quite a task!
* Decorating the church and other assembly adventures
* The rehearsal and dinner
* Cassie's wedding
* Reception fun
* Touring Greensburg
* Coming home, a.k.a. Ryan plays "Beat the GPS time"
4th Anniversary Getaway in French Lick, Indiana...December 2016
For our 4th anniversary, we took a long weekend getaway to the little town of French Lick in southern Indiana. Ryan was sad that we arrived JUST before the ski slopes opened in nearby Paoli, and we didn't have it in our budget to stay at either of the fancy hotels, but we still had a great time seeing the sights and celebrating!
* Heading to French Lick, complete with comical mishaps.
* Touring the two big hotels, taking a carriage ride, and eating at 33 Brick Street
* Lunch at Porky's BBQ, more hotel sights, and pretty lights downtown
* Heading home, and going to a "tree farm"
5th Birthday Trip: Saugatuck, Michigan...May 2017
We risked going back to Michigan for our fifth annual birthday trip, but we made sure to schedule our getaway late in the month, in in hopes of much warmth. Wellllllllll, it was still a cold and rainy weekend, but we made the most of it, touring the little towns of South Haven and Saugatuck, and staying on the most delightful boat and breakfast!
* Heading to Michigan and stopping in South Haven to see the lighthouse, have some lunch, and shop!
* Our stay at the Sea Suites Boat and Breakfast!
* Our day of fun, despite the cold and rain. (Shopping, eating, beach visit, and more!)
* Hiking at Saugatuck Dunes State Park
Indiana Dune Country...September/October 2017
Since we didn't take a long vacation this summer, we took a long weekend and went to northern Indiana to Dune Country! We wanted to conquer the 3 Dune Challenge and see what else the Lake Michigan portion of our fine state had to offer! We came home convinced this was one of our best vacations ever!
* An afternoon at County Line Orchard, corn maze, and pumpkin patch
* Touring the Albanese Candy Factory and a coffee stop at Spill the Beans Coffee
* Hiking the Indiana Dunes (and conquering the 3 Dune Challenge!)
* Visiting the quaint downtown Chesterton area and coffee at the Red Cup Cafe
* Walking through Valparaiso's campus, sampling Valpo Velvet Ice Cream, Tomato Bar Pizza, and the Blackbird Cafe
* Michigan City Lighthouse and outlet mall, plus coffee at the Rocky Mountain Cafe!
The Friendtastic 5th Anniversary Adventure...December, 2017
For our fifth anniversary, we wanted to take a special trip, so we took our longest vacation to date! We started out back in Siesta Key, where we got married, and after leaving there, we traveled through South and North Carolina before coming home. We visited friends along the way and saw some really cool places, like Mayberry and the Biltmore Estate. Though the trip ended up being a day longer than planned (thanks to bad weather) it was a FUN trip!
* Heading out toward Siesta Key, with a stop in Hiram, Georgia, to visit our friend Joan!
* Our fifth anniversary on Siesta Key Beach.
* Our fifth anniversary lunch: a cruise on the Marina Jack II in Sarasota.
* A Sunday in Siesta Key: lunch at Marina Jack and meeting up with two friends from the past!
* Exploring Venice Beach and kayaking in a clear-bottom boat
* Traveling through North Augusta, South Carolina and spending a couple of days in North Carolina with our friends, the Holloways! Dinner in Durham, NC.
* A day in Raleigh: Duck Donuts, Museum of Natural Sciences, and LOTS of Christmas decorations.
* A snowy day in Mayberry, North Carolina
* Visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina (oh! During a snowstorm!)
* Trying to visit Asheville when nothing is open, a stop at Chocolate Fetish, and a maddening drive home to Indiana.
6th Birthday Trip...Madison Indiana, May 2018
For our sixth birthday trip, we headed to southern Indiana to enjoy the quaint little town of Madison and hike Clifty Falls State Park! Along the way, we were able to mark three Indiana counties off our list in our quest to see all 92 of them. And we ended up having great weather, despite a forecast of 80% (or higher) rain the entire time we were gone!
* Heading out toward Madison, with a stop in Ripley County on the way! Coffee at Amack's Well, a stroll through the Hoosier 54 basketball museum, lunch at Hog Rock BBQ, and a stop by two beautiful covered bridges!
* Arriving in Madison (part of Jefferson County) and seeing the sights, sometimes in the rain, before having dinner at the Downtowner
* Spending a day walking around Madison, seeing the little shops, having coffee at the Red Roaster and lunch at a diner called Hinkle's
* Taking a tour of an old saddletree factory established in the 1800's
* Hiking Clifty Falls State Park
* Walking the bridge between Madison, Indiana and Milton, Kentucky
* Visiting a covered bridge, Storie's restaurant (with pie!!) and seeing an actual tree growing out of a courthouse tower in Decatur County!
Midwest Meandering....July 2018
In the summer of 2018, we headed west to visit my family again, because my niece just had a baby girl! Gotta meet the baby! :) We decided to take a few extra days and see new places in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas on the way out and back!
* A day in Springfield, Illinois: Lunch at Café Coco, a tour of the Washington Park Botanical Garden and the Thomas Rees Carillon
* Stopping to visit many of the Lincoln sites in Springfield, Illinois
* Checking out Scheel's Sporting Goods store and dinner at Route 66 diner: The Cozy Dog
* A stop in Kansas City, Missouri: dinner at Jack Stack BBQ, a walk along the canal, a couple of fountains, an outdoor art park, AND Duck Donuts
* Meeting our new great niece and the day she decided we were okay to keep!
* Visiting our wedding party and some fun stops in Joplin, Missouri!
* A day at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas City, Kansas and dinner at Stroud's Chicken!
* Resting and hiking at the Allerton Park and Conference Center in Monticello, Illinois, and dinner at a church-turned-restaurant.
* The end of a great vacation: hanging out with Ryan's family at Lake Webster!
6th Anniversary Getaway...Louisville, Kentucky, December 2018
For our sixth anniversary, we spent a long weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. We stayed in a charming Airbnb, toured a few places we'd never been, ate a LOT of good food, and saw some Christmas lights.
* Our Airbnb (that we wanted to bring home with us)
* Touring the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum...and a stop for coffee
* Dinner at Guy Fieri's Smokehouse and the lights around downtown
* A tour of My Old Kentucky Home Plantation and driving through Lights Under Louisville
* Anniversary brunch at the Rivue, an afternoon at the park, and dessert at the Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen
* Coming home via the Garfield Park Conservatory and IKEA
7th Birthday Trip...Southern Caribbean Cruise! April 2019
Ryan wanted to go on a cruise for his 40th birthday, so that's exactly what we did! We took an 8 day cruise on the Carnival Sunshine, and we visited Aruba, Curacao, and Amber Cove (in the Dominican Republic). So many adventures...take a look!
* Leaving home and flying for the first time in six years...destination, Orlando!
* Meeting our ship, the Carnival Sunshine, and heading out into the Caribbean
* Rockin' and rollin' through some stormy days at sea
* Our bus tour of Aruba!
* Exploring Curacao on our own - rental cars, beaches, and sun
* Ryan's 40th birthday - at sea!
* Our waterfall tour in the Dominican Republic (oh my!)
* A final day at sea
* Heading home after a great trip
A Weekend in St. Joseph, Michigan, June 2019
When we found out our favorite Bible study author was going to be signing books at a bookstore in St. Joseph, Michigan, we decided to take a little weekend getaway to meet her and enjoy the community of St. Joseph!
* Our very cozy Airbnb near St. Joseph
* Meeting Erica Wiggenhorn - our favorite Bible study author
* Sunset at Silver Beach
* Hiking at Warren Dunes State Park
* A day at Silver Beach
Family Vacation: Shipshewana, Indiana (again), August 2019
My parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in August 2019 and wanted one more full family vacation. This is likely the last time the whole family will travel together, given my parents' ages and my sisters' geographical locations from us, so we appreciated making these memories!
* Finding my dream cabin and taking a tour.
* Family boat ride on Lake Wawasee.
* Peeking at our family fun.
* One more little glimpse of the weekend!
Super Fast Trip to Atlanta, Georgia, November 2019
My best friend and her husband have a brand new baby girl and I couldn't miss the baby shower! Ryan and I left early on a Friday morning, drove to Atlanta, Georgia, met the baby, had some best friend time, went to the shower, and made it home by Sunday afternoon. Fastest travel ever, but still a fun trip!
* Adventures on the road to Georgia and back.
* Best friend and baby-meeting adventures.
* Sneaking in a monthiversary on the road!
7th Anniversary Getaway to Cincinnati, Ohio, November/December 2019
For our seventh anniversary, we lined up a bunch of fun activities not too far from home - just over in Cincinnati, Ohio! We stayed at a cute little Airbnb and mixed a bunch of fun with a bunch of rest! (And we knocked another county off our Indiana County Tour list while we were gone!)
* A day in Franklin County, Indiana, visiting the cute little town of Metamora!
* Settling into our Airbnb in West Chester, Ohio, plus a visit to IKEA!
* Visiting the National Museum of the US Air Force (in Dayton).
* Coffee and donut date at Duck Donuts, a low-key afternoon, and dinner at a diner!
* Checking out the American Sign Museum.
* A fun-filled evening at Kings Island's Winterfest (and my first attempt at ice skating).
* Our seventh anniversary day of (frigid) fun!
8th Birthday Trip...Hocking Hills of Ohio! May/June 2020
For our entire marriage, we have looked forward to road tripping to the Hocking Hills in Ohio to hike Hocking Hills State Park. We thought it would be the perfect long-weekend getaway after the pandemic started, because we could do everything outside! We made our reservations and found out AFTER arriving in Ohio that the entire state park was closed because of the pandemic! We had to do some fast shifting of plans to find other places to hike while we were there, but we still had fun!
8th Anniversary Getaway to Richmond, Indiana, November/December 2020
Because of the pandemic and our job change, 2020 only held two trips for us...the two we take annually! We never dreamed Richmond, Indiana, would be a destination for us, but we really wanted to stay in the adorable Airbnb we found there (a loft above a coffee shop) and were pleasantly surprised to find there are TONS of things to do in Richmond!
9th Birthday Trip...Big Trip West! May/June 2021
We had a brand new great-nephew born this year and wanted to travel to Kansas to meet him. We also hadn't had a real vacation since coming to WillowBridge, so we planned a pretty amazing two week vacation out west (and the stops just kept growing and growing). After we made our reservations and everything, our co-workers turned in their resignations and we thought we were going to have to cancel the whole thing! But our boss insisted we go and worked it out for WillowBridge to be covered in our absence. So here is a glimpse at our amazing trip that was SO MUCH FUN - and was also our first long outing in our newly renovated RV, which we named Abby.
* Another day on the road - stopping in the worst ever "RV Park" in York, Nebraska. Ryan also spent some time on the side of the interstate helping some girls change a tire.
* We made it to our first real destination: Crook, Colorado, where we stayed with new friends we met through the blog: The Bromptons! They let us stay at their ranch and introduced us to all the farm animals before treating us to a proper campfire dinner and singing! We churned butter, drove oxen, and took a genuine wagon ride across the prairie grass! Before we left, we talked on an old fashioned telephone, made rope, played games, and had the BEST time.
* We moved on to Oakley, Kansas, where we learned about Buffalo Bill and toured the STUNNING Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park.
* We spent a day in Dodge City, Kansas, checking out the old west sights at Boot Hill.
* Halfway through the trip, we made it to see my sister and family - and we got to meet the new baby! We moved into my sister's house for a few days, but we got to show our little great-niece what it was lie to be in an RV! She thought it was pretty cool.
* Halfway through the trip, we made it to see my sister and family - and we got to meet the new baby! We moved into my sister's house for a few days, but we got to show our little great-niece what it was lie to be in an RV! She thought it was pretty cool.
* We visited the replica cabin of the Little House on the Prairie in Independence, Kansas, where I received my first stamp in my Little House passport!
* Then we visited the house Almanzo and Laura lived in when she wrote the Little House series - in Mansfield, Missouri!
* Our last stop before coming home was in Casey, Illinois - which is a super cool place called the Little Town of Big Things. So many world record holding big things - including the world's largest mailbox!
* Here are some pictures of some of our favorite campgrounds from the trip!
9th Anniversary Getaway...to Nashville, Tennessee! November/December 2021
We spent our last anniversary in the single digits in Nashville, Tennessee! We had driven through it many times but had never explored it. We were excited that the weather was fairly warm for our trip, and we had a GREAT time being away for a few days! We didn't take the RV on this trip...she's all winterized. So this was an old-fashioned car trip!
* We had perfect weather for a drive and checked into the cutest little Airbnb made from an old one-car garage! We had our first taste of Crumbl Cookies and ate a ginormous mac and cheese burger at the Ainsworth. We ended our first day by touring the lights at Cheekwood Estates. It was so fun to walk through the whole thing!
* On our anniversary, we had breakfast at Biscuit Love, visited some pretty parks, and did a walking tour of downtown Nashville, including the pedestrian bridge and coffee at the Frothy Monkey. We ended the day at the beautiful Opryland hotel, seeing all the gorgeous Christmas lights and displays - and taking a boat ride in their indoor river!
10th Annual Birthday Trip...to The Ark Encounter in Kentucky! April 2022
The spring of 2022, we moved to a new town, didn't have jobs, and were recovering from a very intense couple of years of work. We didn't have much money to spend on trips, so we did a simple, overnigh trip to Kentucky to visit the Ark Encounter!
Family Vacation to Shipshewana. August 2022
My parents were celebrating 68 years of marriage, my Dad turned 90, and my sister turned 60 - all in the same year! So we had another family trip to Shipshewana to mark all the occasions.
Work Trip to Millersburg, Ohio. November 2022
Ryan was working as the Executive Director of Love INC and had to go to an in person training in Ohio. Since I was volunteering there, I was able to go too, and we had a little getaway on the side!
10th Wedding Anniversary Getaway...to Destin, Florida! November/December 2022
We considered returning again to Siesta Key for our 10th wedding anniversary, so we could be back on our beloved wedding beach, but we decided to go to Destin instead. We knew it would be warmer than many other destinations, but it wouldn't take us nearly as long to get there - and we could explore a new part of Florida! We were gone for eleven wonderful days, made possible by combining vacation days and holidays! Loved the opportunity to get away together, and we still remember the sound of the waves as we fell asleep each night!
* Detour to visit the town of Wetumpka, which was a makeover town featured on Ben and Erin Napier's show Hometown Takeover.
11th Birthday Trip...to Traverse City, Michigan! July 2023
We both had new jobs, and time off was not easy to come by, so we had to delay our annual birthday trip just a bit. It worked out, though, because we wanted to go to Michigan, and it isn't warm earlier in the year. We planned to go to Mackinac Island, but the lodging costs were astronomical. So we switched our plan and went to Traverse City instead. Had the BEST time!
* Attending our first ever fish boil at Cherry Point. SUCH FUN!
* Touring the Point Betsie Lighthouse, lunch at the Shipwreck Cafe, strolling through Glen Haven Village, and hanging out on the beach.
* Touring the Point Betsie Lighthouse, lunch at the Shipwreck Cafe, strolling through Glen Haven Village, and hanging out on the beach.
11th Anniversary Getaway...to St. Louis, Missouri...November-December 2023
Even though we really don't like cities all that much, we seem to visit them every year on our anniversary, and this year was no different. We wanted to check out St. Louis before our someday (years down the road) Route 66 trip, because we can pass right through the city then! We rented an Airbnb in a big building and had really awful weather the entire time we were gone. Lots of "are you kidding me?" moments but also a lot of fun in time spent together!
* The lunch that was a disaster and an afternoon at Union Station - exploring the aquarium and riding the giant wheel!
12th Birthday Trip...to Asheville, North Carolina and New River Gorge, West Virginia...June 2024
When we sold our RV, the buyer came from the Asheville, North Carolina. She gifted us tickets to the Biltmore, so we crafted our trip around those tickets. Even though we have already toured the Biltmore, Ryan had never seen it in the summer, so it was still going to be new. We also saw the Billy Graham Cove (which was closed because of bad weather last time we were there) and drove up a mountain. Then we went to New River Gorge, which Ryan rafted with the guys a few years ago. We were supposed to have a tubing adventure but got a bit of an upgrade...
12th Anniversary Getaway - to Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey...November/December 2024
We wanted to fill in THREE states on our travel map, so we decided to travel east for our anniversary trip. We spent most of our time in Pennsylvania but stepped into Delaware and New Jersey briefly to say we'd been there. (There's not much to do in either of those states in the winter, by the way.) We combined our trip with Thanksgiving weekend to maximize our time off and had some great adventures.
13th Birthday Trip: Hocking Hills, Ohio - the Redo Trip! June 2025
Back in 2020, we traveled to Hocking Hills, Ohio, to enjoy the trails in the park. We had no idea until we arrived that the entire park was CLOSED for the pandemic. For our 13th birthday trip, we scheduled a do-over. This time the park was open, and we had fun...once we finally got there.
92 County Tour of Indiana
One of the Mid-Morning listeners talked about how she and her husband were on track to visit all 92 counties in Indiana as a history/education tour. I thought it would be fun to do our own spin on it, so we are planning to visit all the counties as well. Our goal? To find fun, unique things to do or see in each county AND find a good coffee shop in each county!
* Blackford County: murals, statues and Common Grounds Coffeehouse
* Adams County: covered bridge, giant clock and Shaka Shack Coffeehouse
* Grant County: Garfield statue trail and coffee at the Midwest Coffee Company
* Marshall County: Culver Coffee Company and the Quilt Trail
* LaGrange County: Shipshewana, food, shopping and the Hitching Post Coffee Shop
* Spencer County: St. Meinrad Archabbey, Santa Claus, Indiana with Kringle Haus Werkstatt Coffee, and Lincoln State Park
* Wells County: Heyerly's Bakery, Grounds and Grain Coffee Shop, Ouabache State Park
* Huntington County: Forks of the Wabash, Pizza Junction, Antiqology, The Party Shop and Huntington University
* Howard County: The Shaffer Humble Beginnings, Pioneer Village, Highland Park, Vermont Covered Bridge, The Original Treasure Mart, Louie's Coney Island, Big Ben Coffee
* Steuben County: The Waterfront Bistro, Pokagon State Park, kayaking Jimmerson Lake, Great Lakes Coffee Company
* Madison County: Sell it Again, Sam!, Lunch at the Lemon Drop, Hiking Mounds State Park, Coffee at Gaither Family Resources
* Allen County: DeBrand Chocolates, St. Joe Tree Farm, Franke Park Fantasy of Lights, Mocha Lounge
* Tippecanoe County: Columbian Park Zoo, lunch and coffee at Cafe Literato, Prophetstown State Park.
* Delaware County: Minnetrista, lunch at Cammack Station, Ed's Glass and More Warehouse, Vintage McDonald's Sign, Concannon's Bakery, The Cup Coffee Shop, Shafer Bell Tower
* Orange County: Touring the French Lick Resort and West Baden Hotel, Walking around downtown Paoli, eating at 33 Brick Street and coffee and ice cream at French Licks
* Boone County: Donuts and coffee at Titus Bakery, Bekah's Westside Cafe, The Milk Building Theater, Black Dog Books, Tru Finds Treasures.
* St. Joseph County: South Bend Chocolate Company, Notre Dame University, lunch and coffee at the Chicory Cafe, concert at the Morris Performing Arts Center
* Elkhart County: Exploring an RV Dealership, Lunch at the South Side Diner, Coffee at the Electric Brew, walking through downtown Goshen and Elkhart
* Lake County: County Line Orchard and Pumpkin Patch, Albanese Candy Factory and Spill the Beans Coffee!
* Porter County: Hiking the Indiana Dunes,Visiting Downtown Chesterton, Coffee at the Red Cup Cafe, and walking through the Valparaiso University campus, sampling treats at Valpo Velvet Ice Cream, Blackbird Cafe, and Tomato Bar Pizza
* LaPorte County: Michigan City Lighthouse, Outlet Mall, a failed attempt at KarMel Coffee House and a successful stop at Rocky Mountain Cafe!
* Dearborn County: Guilford Covered Bridge, Coffee at Dunkin' Donuts and skiing at Perfect North Slopes
* Wabash County: Paradise Springs Park, Modoc's Market (Coffee Shop), Browsing Downtown Shop, Roann Covered Bridge, Stockdale Mill
* Ripley County: Amack's Well Coffee Shop, Hoosier 54 Basketball Museum, Hog Rock BBQ and two covered bridges!
* Jefferson County: Seeing the sights in the rain and eating dinner at the Downtowner, a day of walking around town, having coffee (twice) at the Red Roaster, and lunch at Hinkle's, taking a tour of Schroeder's Saddletree factory - established in the late 1800's, hiking Clifty Falls State Park, walking across the bridge between Madison, Indiana and Milton, Kentucky.
* Decatur County: Visiting a covered bridge, checking out the tree growing out of the top of the courthouse tower, and enjoying lunch and pie at Storie's restaurant!
* Kosciusko County: Throwbacks to our days in on Lake Webster in North Webster, including skiing, tubing, Dixie Days, and The River Coffee Shop, and then adding a visit to Rise n Roll Bakery in Warsaw, a stroll through the Village at Winona, and dinner/coffee at the Light Rail.
* DeKalb County: The Spencerville Covered Bridge, touring Sechler's Pickle Factory, lunch and coffee at the Cupbearer Café and an afternoon at the Auburn Cord Deusenberg Museum.
* Hamilton County: Colts Training Camp, a bike ride on the Monon Trail, lunch at Bub's Café, and coffee at The Well!
* Owen County: Coffee at Main Street Coffee, and a day of hiking in McCormick's Creek State Park!
* Franklin County: Grannie's Cookie Jars and Ice Cream, Duck Creek Aquaduct, shopping in Metamora, lunch and coffee at the Smelly Gourmet, and a tour of the Grist Mill.
* Marion County: Overnight stay at Airbnb overlooking the canal and skyline, coffee at Quills, dinner at Burgerhaus, walk around the canal, and a throwback to many other adventures in this county!.
* Wayne County: Checking out the very cool chocolate trail, a fun and interactive county-wide scavenger hunt, visiting man-made Thistlewaite Falls, and the coolest Airbnb! Also - touring the Levi and Catharine Coffin House and a few murals we saw!
RV Renovation and Travels!
RV Renovation and Travels!
For four years, Ryan and I dreamed about and researched all things RV with the hopes of one day owning our own! At the end of September 2020 (after we had sold our home to work at WillowBridge) we bought a very used 2001 Dynamax Carri-Go RV. It's 24 feet long and was supremely outdated on the inside. We spent the winter of 2020/2021 renovating the inside of the little RV we named Abby. Here is our renovation journey and our travels in Abby the RV!
Buying and Renovating Abby - and some Reviews and Q&A
Travels in Abby - 2021
* Our first trip was in April of 2021 and took us to Hueston Woods State Park in College Corner, Ohio. I was speaking at a women's retreat there, but Ryan and I stayed in Abby and enjoyed having a home to go to in between the sessions! We also didn't have great weather that weekend, so we had the chance to spend a lot of time IN the RV!
* Our second trip in Abby was also our first LONG trip! We were gone for two weeks. The first day took us to Marion for my friend's wedding and then we spent the rest of the day on the road, driving through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, where we stopped in Mt. Pleasant for a night at an RV park. The second day was another road tripping day, taking us into Nebraska, where we stayed in a random town called York. Then we made it to Crook, Colorado, where we stayed with new friends we met through the blog! They live on a ranch and made us feel so welcome as they shared their life with us! We were able to churn butter, drive oxen, and take a wagon ride at their house. We learned how to make rope and talk on an old fashioned telephone while we were there, too! After we left Colorado, we went to Oakley, Kansas, where we learned about Buffalo Bill and hiked the trails in Little Jersualem Badlands State Park, which was BEAUTIFUL! On our way to see my sister, we stopped in Dodge City, Kansas, to see Boot Hill. For the few days that we visited my sister, we stayed in her house, but we did get to introduce our little great-niece to an RV for the first time! I'm a HUGE Little House on the Prairie fan and now have the official Little House passport! On our way back toward Indiana, we stopped at the replica cabin of the Little House on the Prairie - in Independence, Kansas! We also visited the house Laura and Almanzo lived in while she wrote the books - in Mansfield, Missouri. Our final stop before coming home was in the adorable town of Casey, Illinois - the little town of big things. WHAT A FUN PLACE!! Here are some of our favorite campgrounds from the end of this trip.
* Camping at Chain-o-Lakes State Park in Albion, Indiana. This was a trip where we camped with mosquitoes! We also kayaked half of the nine lake challenge, toured the Stanley Schoolhouse, and tried to hike a trail, but...mosquitoes. This trip came after some hard days at work, so we also just appreciated the chance to rest.
* Camping at Indian Lakes KOA in Batesville, Indiana - We were too far from the lake to kayak, but we had fun walking and riding our bikes around the roads! We spent our long weekend cooking, resting, and enjoying time away. On our way home, we picked up our friends' dog, Phoebe, who was going to stay with us for six weeks. She LOVED riding in an RV!
* Camping at the KOA Holiday in Angola, Indiana. This time we took Phoebe with us, and we had a parking spot RIGHT on the water. The place was mostly empty for the season, and we loved it! Kayaking, biking, ice cream treats, cooking, playing in the water...it was a fun place to stay.
* Chain-o-Lakes State Park - Take Two! We went back to a campground for the first time and loved having almost the whole place to ourselves. We were able to hike some trails since the mosquitoes weren't there this time. We had planned to kayak the other half of the 9 Lake Challenge, but our kayak got a hole in it, so we went to plan B! Final hike of the year - and then we came home. :(
* Memorial Day Weekend in our friends' backyard. Unfortunately the hike in gas prices - to over $5.00 a gallon - meant we couldn't afford to travel in the RV like we had been doing in the previous season. In addition, Ryan had a regular Monday-Friday job by this time, which meant we were forced to only think about traveling on weekends, and the campgrounds were all booked! So on Memorial Day, we plugged in the RV in our friends' backyard and took Lexi on her first camping trip ever. She LOVED IT! She had fun exploring their backyard and going on some nearby hiking trails, enjoyed her first pup cup of ice cream, learned about campfires and s'mores, and took lots of naps - and we even threw in a few adventures in the mix.
** After our Memorial Day trip close to home, we ended up purchasing a small fixer-upper cottage on a fishing lake, and a year or so later, I joined our church staff. We wanted to appreciate our lake home in person and having a church job makes weekend travel impossible, so we ended up selling Abby, our beloved RV. We miss her so much, but we hope to one day purchase a camper again, and this time, travel extensively all over the USA. **
1 comment:
Let me know when you decide to make a trip up to La Porte County--I'll put the coffee on!
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