United States

After hiking Cataract Falls, we discovered our favorite Bay Area view – from the top of Mt. Tam. This is a pretty popular spot, but we hadn’t had the chance to get up there as it’s tucked into the hills … Read More

This past Sunday was our favorite husband/dad’s bday so we decided to head off on a little mini trip for the tail end of spring break to celebrate Daniel. I’m fairly comfortable heading out exploring without him but it is … Read More

Have you heard of the Hippie Tree? It’s a big eucalyptus tree up on a hill with a great swing hanging from it. It’s tucked into a little neighborhood in Tiburon, across the Bay from San Francisco. We were headed … Read More

As I started typing, I realized we rolled into San Francisco exactly two years ago after our 4,500 mile cross-country road trip. I can hardly believe it! In some ways, I still feel like a Virginian; in other ways, I’ve definitely … Read More

DAY 8 After getting into Albuquerque late, we slept in, had another leisurely Marriott-sponsored breakfast, and then drove 3 hours to Petrified Forest National Park. There, we met up with cousins again at the visitors’ center. It was so cute … Read More

DAY 5 After packing up the next morning in Flagstaff, we hit the road to head toward Sedona. We cruised through, admiring the gorgeous red rock along the way. We headed straight for Phoenix, where we stopped in for lunch … Read More

DAY 3   Started in Flagstaff Spent the entire day in Grand Canyon National Park Ended in Flagstaff We left Grandma’s early on a Monday morning and drove the 3.5 hours to Wupatki National Monument. If I’m being perfectly honest, … Read More

The Southwest United States just feels like a different world to me. So many crazy geological formations, weather patterns, flora & fauna. I grew up mostly in Alabama, spent two years in Utah during high school, then moved to Philadelphia … Read More

I feel like San Jose is a bit of a black sheep of the Bay Area. It’s fairly spread out and not super cohesive and there are lots of varied pockets. It tends to be a city of suburbs, with … Read More

A few weeks ago, we decided to check out Mori Point in Pacifica, CA. It boasts a gorgeous hike right along the coast south of San Francisco, and a friend had mentioned it was kid-friendly (a friend who was sadly … Read More

There are so many off the beaten path things to do in San Francisco that you’ll never run out of activities. Here are 101 San Francisco hidden gems that will keep you exploring with your kids! Whether we’re living in … Read More

One of our favorite ways to prepare for any sort of trip is to read a bunch of books on the subject. It’s fun having a mix of titles – both non-fiction (to learn about the history, geography, and culture … Read More