a wanderlust birthday

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 16 

This year, I had a wanderlust birthday. I told Husband that I wanted absolutely no "physical" gifts. The only thing I wanted was the gift of amazing experiences. Lucky for me, he came through. On my actual birthday, we played hookie and spent the day in Cape Cod. First we did a birthday tea in Sandwich, then off to Provincetown. Then the next day, we took off for a 3 day trip to Maine to visit one of my big wish list items: Acadia National Park.

This may not be everyone's ideal birthday gift, but it was certainly mine. Can't wait to share more on both of these experiences soon.

Why Busting my Budget is a Good Thing

Hello Again. Sorry I've been MIA this past week. I had a minor surgery and recovery left no time for blogging. But all is well now and I'm back, so let's get down to the nitty gritty, which is to say that I've pretty much busted my clothing budget. But trust me, this is a good thing.

Mule Rides in Bryce Canyon

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 15 

Day 2 of our Mighty 5 Road Trip landed us in Bryce Canyon National Park. After this crazy hike and all our adventures in Zion the day before, we were feeling exhausted by the time we arrived. Thus, we decided to give our hiking boots a little break and do a mule ride through the canyon.  

There are a lot of options for horseback and mule rides around Bryce Canyon, but Canyon Trail Rides is the ONLY company authorized by the National Park Service to enter the actual canyon. We did their half day ride, which takes you through the most iconic spots in Bryce Canyon including Queen's Garden, Fairyland Loop, and the Peek-a-Boo Loop. 

day trip diaries: block island RI

This past weekend had just the right dose of relaxation and adventure. One of the best parts of being in the northeast is that all these states have great little island escapes. New York has Long Island. Massachusetts has Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and Cape Cod. And Rhode Island has Block Island. 

I was feeling under the weather, but I'm leaving Boston (and husband) soon to return to grad school, so we couldn't miss out on an opportunity to spend a bit of time together. We quickly skimmed our summer wish list and decided on a day trip to Block Island.

From Boston, it takes a bit of effort to get to Block Island, but was so worth it. We drove into Port Judith Rhode Island to catch the ferry from there. After a couple of hours in the car and another hour on the ferry, we finally made it to the island. 

Birthday Tea

Over the years, the husband and I have gradually started to move away from giving each other traditional gifts. This year, I told him that I wanted absolutely no presents for my birthday. Instead I wanted to celebrate with experiences. 

We're already celebrating with a trip to Maine later this month, but on my actual birthday, Tom took me to Provincetown Cape Cod (more on this soon). I knew we were headed to Provincetown, but first we made a surprise detour. We stopped in the cute town of Sandwich where there's a 250 year old traditional English tea house. Seriously adorable.

Tom knows that I love "going to tea" and I even have my own collection of tea cups, so this was the perfect birthday surprise. And this spot was too cute.

Who needs birthday cake when you can have a whole tray of treats? Looking forward to the rest of this month and all the birthday treats. 

Adventures in Zion National Park

They say to save the best for last, but on our mighty 5 road trip, Zion was the first place we visited and also our favorite. We saw mule deer, desert cottontails, and rattlesnakes. We did some epic hikes and stayed at the best campground. Our time at Zion was perfect and I'm already trying to figure out a way for us to get back there. 

Trying not to Die at Angel's Landing

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 14

Today is my birthday so I thought I'd share a little proof that turning a year older doesn't necessarily mean getting any wiser. Here's one of our favorite hikes from last week's southwest road trip.

Mighty 5 Southwest Road Trip

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 13
I cannot believe the amazing week we just had adventuring in Utah. It definitely earned it's title as the best travel destination in the world this year. We climbed mountains, rode horses, and submerged in waterfalls. We trekked over 40 miles on foot through the desert, hiking our way through all 5 of Utah's national parks!