Adventure Awaits (but not for long)!

In a little less than one month, my husband Chad, our 1 year old son Everett and I will be embarking on a journey that we have dreamed about for years. Since before we were engaged and married, Chad and I have wanted to travel for multiple months out of the year, to work from the road and explore new places in depth. We have wanted to show our children the wonders and riches of this beautiful world. The art of slowing down and savoring. The beauty of connecting with other cultures in a meaningful way. And now we are finally doing it!

We are putting our cute home in south Orange County up for rent on Airbnb and have a property management company running it for us while we are gone. We plan to be traveling from May 3 through the beginning/middle of September but might extend it if we're enjoying ourselves too much or have renters that want to stay longer. We plan to definitely be back by mid-October since fall is my busiest season for family photography and I want to make sure to accommodate all my wonderful clients.

Our first stop will be Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the month of May. We traveled there for New Years recently and loved the colorful vibrance of the people and culture. And the food was absolutely incredible! We did not have one bad meal in 2 weeks there. Everett even fell in love with his first woman, a sweet hostess at a restaurant. It was so darn cute! So naturally, it felt like the perfect destination to start our trip. We were able to meet with the property owner of the condo we were staying in and negotiated a month rental directly through her. She's also been able to arrange a swim instructor for Everett to learn to swim in the pool in our complex and her friend is a nanny and going to occasionally watch E so mommy & daddy can get some alone time/ lay out/ go to yoga/ just chill! We both plan to work during our time in Mexico (send all your traveling friends/family my way) but we also plan to explore the local area and surrounding areas. Cozumel, Tulum and the cenotes are some top local destinations we plan to check out. I'm hoping to find some colorful farmer's markets to buy fresh produce and cook up some unique dishes that are custom in the Quintana Roo area. I'll also be on the hunt for some fun, unique experiences and also the best margaritas so stay tuned!

Our next destination is the Dominican Republic for the month of June. We'll be staying in two different locations, Punta Cana and Las Terrenas. We have a beautiful ocean front condo in a smaller village outside Punta Cana. We'll be able to see the Caribbean palm trees and turquoise waters from our balcony. I've never been to the DR and am really looking forward to meeting the locals and exploring the food and culture. We're within walking distance to town and grocery stores as well, which is important since we won't have a car. Las Terrenas is a 4 hour drive northwest of Punta Cana and my heart is most excited to see this area/town. From what I hear there's a substantial European influence there and the food is amazing! I'm envisioning fresh French baguettes and lovely Italian dinners all while maintaining the heart of a small Caribbean community. I won't know until we are there but everything I've looked into seems very appealing. There is even an immersion school that teaches in English, French and Spanish. I love the idea of Everett learning various languages during our future travels if we decide to revisit Las Terrenas.

Our next stop will be Naples, Florida in July. If you haven't already noticed, we are basically chasing the humidity. Every destination is going to be hot, hot, hot! We were recently in Naples this past February and really loved it! We became acquainted with the property owners and decided to come back to Florida for July (freedom & sunshine baby). We have arranged a long visit with our daughter (bonus daughter) Cora during this time and plan to visit all the fun, kid friendly spots in the area as well as all the amazing beaches! We went to Marco Island in February and loved the white sand and warm Gulf water. Plus, Cora is a total water bug so something tells me we will be beaching it quite often during her visit.

Pawley's Island, South Carolina is our next stop and we'll be there about 10 days visiting close friends. I've always loved SC on my East Coast travels and have had a whimsical fascination with the Carolina beaches (perhaps from too many novels) so I'm excited to explore the area more in depth. Plus, we'll be staying with my best friend who just moved there and I basically can't get enough of her so it's going to be a blast!

Our final big destination this summer will be Wisconsin in August. We will be staying with family for a little over 2 weeks and I just love the idea of having so much quality time together. Our family lives on a lake and it's going to be all boats and bbq's! If the Caribbean doesn't turn Everett into a water bug, then our time on the lake for 2 weeks definitely will. It's wild to think he'll be walking and moving so much by then!

From Wisconsin we head to the Lake Tahoe area for a friend's wedding for a long weekend, the Bay area to spend time with Cora and then travel back home to south Orange County, home sweet home. I'm sure by that point I'll definitely be missing my Tempur-pedic mattress and my full wardrobe! I'll be wearing the same outfits on repeat for 4 months so my reunion with all my clothes will be so sweet. Haha, who am I kidding, mom life has me in yoga pants most of the time anyway so I'm already kind of used to it.

Well, there's our big plan! I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures from the road over the next four months and hope you come along for the ride. Ask me any questions, give suggestions or just say hi! I love it when friends say hi!

Bon Voyage fellow travelers.

With joy, love & light,

Lindsay K.