Who’s talking?

Hello. My name is Billie. That’s not a nickname, my mother simply loved it. I’m a wife and mom to 2 kids, based in south central Pennsylvania. I love traveling and staying at home, I’m mostly introverted but can talk for hours. My favorite place is hiking with family. I love dark chocolate, fuzzy blankets, wood stoves, and anything that keeps me warm.

How did I get here and where am I going?

Once upon a time, as my husband and I were half-heartedly considering packing up our toddlers and going to a familiar beach for vacation, the idea struck me that we should go to a DIFFERENT beach each year. That thought was followed immediately by another, even wilder thought that we should go to a beach in a different state every year. And then I recklessly expanded even further and decided we should go to a DIFFERENT STATE every year. As soon as it crossed my mind, I immediately and deeply loved the idea. It was love at first thought.

“LET’S EXPLORE ALL 50 STATES!” I nearly shouted to my husband.

Chris, ever the skeptical husband, says “Who goes to Iowa on vacation?” Despite knowing nothing about the state, I defended Iowa passionately, argued persuasively, and so here we are – working our way around the nation. At first, we only did one state per year, which seemed fine until I did the math. It would take us 50 years to complete my plan. Half a century seemed a little excessive. As a result, I bumped it up to 2 states per year. This is still a long-term plan. I’m hoping to squeeze 3 states in some years but it’s so hard. Obligations, working for a living, commitments and all that. Plus, we must follow my one and only rule.

RULE #1: DO EACH STATE JUSTICE

This means we gotta explore it. Research it. Hike it. Drive their back roads and eat their food. See what they’re famous for, what they’re proud of and what makes them unique. The state has to be the adventure. This takes time. Approximately 25 years at our current rate, as a matter of fact.

What’s the point of this blog?

I know lots of people who go to the same place every year on vacation. And I understand the attraction. You love it. It’s a treasured tradition. It’s familiar. You’ve worked out what you need to take, the best places to stay, your favorite place to get ice cream, what time of year is ideal and all the other million bits of minutia that goes into coordinating a great vacation. But on the other hand, this is a big, wide world and every now and then its good for the soul to set out on a new adventure. I want to show you the hidden gems we’ve found so far, the adventure that could be waiting for you across the next state line, and showcase some of the underdogs of the tourist world.

We never go to the same place twice. But the downside of this is that so many times, while we’re navigating a new place, I think “If we do this again, I would…..” Go early in the morning? Take tweezers when hiking in an area with cacti? Remember to pack a knife so I don’t have to use my kid’s colored pencil to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Take a jacket to wear after swimming with manatees because the day will be hot but you’ll be freezing? No matter how much we loved a place, we keep forging ahead to new adventures, so all these tips and recommendations that I wish I had known ahead of time are building up and I may explode without sharing them.

Travel can get messy, especially with kids. There are tantrums, rain storms, ear infections, spilled juice, entire tubes of sun screen exploding in the back of the car. Sometimes you warm up pancakes in a hotel room with a hairdryer. Social media is known for only showing the shiny side of things, which leaves out part of the story. I’m going to share the unvarnished truth, so you can feel better about your own vacation craziness. And in that spirit, I don’t filter, enhance or Photoshop any pictures. The way you see it is the way we saw it.

So my goals for this blog boil down into this:

• inspire you to go somewhere new
• showcase how amazing our states are – we haven’t been disappointed by a state yet (no one take this as a challenge)
• share tips, tricks, and travel recommendations to make your next adventure easier
• share the good, the bad and the crazy – that’s why its called an adventure

My people

First, there’s me. I’m the researcher, coordinator, planner, list maker, an easily distracted co-pilot (“I think that was our exit back there but I was just admiring that mountain range! Isn’t it a beauty?”), slightly dangerous optimist (“I’m sure a 7 year old can hike 10 miles”) and leader of the charge. I spend a million happy hours reading about a state, carefully crafting a trip around it and then enthusiastically dragging my family through the itinerary.

Our slightly unwilling travel participant is my husband, Chris. Skeptical, cautious, funny, more of a fish-at-the-lake-all-week guy; he doesn’t know anything about the vacation he’s about to embark on besides the dates he had to take off work. He dislikes museums but has produced a family who loves them, dislikes looking at rocks but has a family who could happily dig for pretty treasures all day and doesn’t really like to travel but is a die-hard team player and would never be left behind. He’s the primary driver, keeps us on schedule, drinks vast amounts of coffee, questions most of my plans, and does the majority of the complaining.

And then there’s our kids. Macy is currently 12 and Jaxon is 10. They are happy adventurous travelers, who will swim, paddle, hike, bike or ride as far as I need them to go, provided I supply them with junk food. They love museums, hotel swimming pools, finding shells and searching for pretty rocks. Macy was responsible for the name of the blog, when at the age of 8, after listening to her father complain about an overgrown hiking trail, the risk of poison ivy and the likelihood of ticks, she said, “Daddy, that’s why its called An Adventure.”

Occasionally, we will convince another family to come along with us, which we really enjoy. Bless their hearts and hats off to them. Most people want to relax on vacation and our trips don’t offer anything as ridiculous as relaxation. But adventures are fun! We’re fun (caveat: not when Jax is hungry or when Chris is tired)!! More people should come!