Hola, Costa Rica

Hello, friends! Today I’m beginning to recap my family’s recent trip to Costa Rica. I’m really grateful the timing worked out where we were able to go on the trip at all – I have a feeling it will be our last big trip for quite some time. We stayed in a beautiful home right outside of the Manual Antonio Park. Our first two days in the area were spent soaking in the views from the pool, driving around Quepos to get a lay of the land, eating our first few casados paired with fresh fruit smoothies, and grilling out at our place.

Dale wasn’t able to join us with his work schedule, but I’m so grateful to have parents who are still willing to include me on family trips! This time my parents, Sophie and Grace, and Sophie’s boyfriend Alex made the trip. Costa Rica is already more beautiful than I even imagined!

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Devil’s Den

After spending a night in Eureka Springs we headed to Devil’s Den outside of Fayetteville to hike and camp. We had amazing weather, saw lots of wildlife (including a few too many spiders) and really enjoyed some time in nature. Enjoy!

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Park City, Utah

Hiking in Park City was one of my favorite parts of my recent trip to Utah! We were in town for my friend Joanna’s bachelorette weekend and I took these photos hiking in the Deer Valley Ski Resort. I would love to come back to this area to ski, too, but the perfect summer weather was pretty hard to top.

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Austin Part Two

Hello, friends! Our second day in Austin began with breakfast at Russell's Bistro with some family friends. Afterward we decided to hike up to Mount Bonnell – even though it was a cloudy day the view was still beautiful! Next up was a visit to The Contemporary Austin's Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria. Close to the park we discovered a garden complete with a group of peacocks! 

After enjoying the museum we headed downtown to walk around Lady Bird Lake. I couldn't help but  stop to try out the swan paddle boats, they reminded me of pictures I have seen in Japan! Our walk ended back on Rainey Street where we had dinner at G'Raj Mahal. Our final stop was a beer flight at Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden. I can't wait for the next opportunity we have to come back to Austin because there was still so much to do that we didn't have time for in our short weekend visit! After another night in our tiny house we were headed back to KC. Until next time, ATX! 

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Valle del Francés Excursion

Our second excursion day in Patagonia was spent on a LONG hike to the Valle Del Francés. Going through these pictures genuinely surprised me — this was a pretty spectacular day. During our hike, however, I was personally exhausted from rushing to get to the glacier viewpoint and then immediately hiking the seven miles back to catch our ferry. Looking back, I'm really grateful we had this day — no matter how tiring it was at the time. It's not every day you get to see several waterfalls and glaciers! 

We started out the day by hiking to the same waterfall we saw the day before. With the rainy weather it was a completely different experience, and the green color of all the plants was magnified and magical. Afterwards we took a ferry across the lake and began our hike! There was some disagreement within the family just how far we had actually hiked at the end of the day, but we agreed it was at least 12-14 miles. I wouldn't consider us expert hikers either — my youngest sister and husband definitely led the pack the entire day! 

And here we all are with the glacier in the Valle Del Francés behind us! While I loved this view I also really enjoyed hiking through the forest where there had been a fire. The burned trees made for some unusual scenery, especially with the cloudy weather. These photos don't really do the views justice, but I'm so happy I have them to remember our crazy hike and all the silliness of the day. Enjoy! 

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