Winter/Spring in Arizona is the best. From January – early April, most days are sunny, mild, and not nearly as dry as you would think it’d be for a desert. Growing up in Colorado, the idea of hiking in 60-degree weather in February was foreign to me until I lived in Phoenix for a winter. It’s safe to say I was hooked. The Valley of the Sun is flat,…
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How to Use Logic When You’re Driven by Your Heart
Read moreCan I be honest here? I’ve never been a very logical person. My emotions have always run deep, like a well, and the water I draw from the well is the energy that drives my decisions. I’m very attuned to how I feel, and I act based on those feelings. My emotions drive my reactions, decisions, and actions in most of my life, ranging from the minute decisions like what…
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How to Go Plant-Based: An Easy Guide For Beginners
Read moreThe other week I was deep in conversation with my group of ladies from my church. We were all experiencing similar struggles in pursuing a healthy lifestyle, and when Melody told us how her doctor recommended that she switch to a plant-based diet, I immediately lit up with excitement. Being vegan and vegetarian for five years myself, I offered to help her with the transition. Pam suggested I write a…
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10 Useful Safety Tips that will Empower Solo Female Travelers
Read moreThe number one question I get asked about van life is, “You travel by yourself?” The next most common question that follows, “Aren’t you scared of being alone?” Sometimes followed by, “Be careful, it’s not safe for women to travel alone.” Both men and women have said this to me, and while I know they mean well, there is a lot of ingrained fear behind it. Don’t get me wrong,…
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7 Effective Steps to Pursuing & Living Out Your Calling
Read moreIn my first post related to “your calling,” I wrote about the distractions that may be keeping you from it. Getting the vision is one thing. Overcoming the distractions is another. Actually going for it is something else entirely. This week, I’m going to cover 4 practical steps to pursue your calling and go over 3 tips that will help you get there. Hold Your Plans Loosely – Focus on…
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5 Powerful Ways to Navigate & Overcome a Dark Season
Read moreI’ve never been professionally diagnosed with depression or anxiety, but I have certainly experienced depression-like symptoms and a whole truckload of anxiety in my lifetime. Addressing mental health is more important than ever before and it’s no secret as to why. The world has changed so drastically in the last twenty – or even ten – years alone, and these changes have fundamentally altered us as a species. Through all…
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36 Hours in Crater Lake National Park
Read moreCrater Lake is one of the most unique parks I’ve visited. The result of the eruption of the volcano, Mount Mazama, this lake is 1949 feet deep, making it the deepest lake in the country. Crater Lake is the only National Park is Oregon, and it is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. This Park offers a variety of hikes, activities, and stunning views of the vibrant blue water. …
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7 Distractions That are Keeping You from Your Calling
Read moreIt starts out as a whisper, a nudge inside your soul. A random idea that comes to you through an experience, a song, a person; and when you really start thinking about it, it isn’t so random at all. You pray on it, you meditate, you journal about it. The more time you spend looking at this idea, this nudge, the more you start noticing signs from God that no,…
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8 Pros and Cons of SUVlife
Read moreThis summer I spent two months living out of my Jeep Grand Cherokee and traveling the country. It was vanlife deja vu, except everything was different. My expectations of the trip were different, my intentions were different, and the path God led me down was totally different than my nomadic ventures two years ago. One of the biggest differences between these two journeys was the vehicle I used as my…
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3 Things to Do in Monument Valley
Read moreMost people claim they’ve never heard of Monument Valley, until I show them the picture of Forest Gump point. Then they nod, vaguely remembering the scene from Forest Gump when Forest stops running and decides to return home. Time causes things that were once popular to fade, like a favorite pair of jeans washed and dried so many times that ink bleeds out with each cycle, leaving only a…
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Taking the Roundabout Way
Read more“This is why you brought me here, Lord,” I thought as I stood awestruck on a trail in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The forest was abundant with neon green foliage, moss crawled over every rock and fallen tree trunk, the air was slightly humid from the nearby ocean. I watched the tops of the ancient giants sway in a soft breeze, marveling at the circumference of the trunks –…
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Yurok Loop & Hidden Beach Trail
Read moreOne of the hidden gems I discovered during my time on the coast of Northern California, was the Yurok Loop and Hidden Beach trails. After two weeks of enduring 100-degree heat and running away from fires that were ravaging the state, the cool and cloudy coast was a nice reprieve. 15 miles south Crescent city, this trail is just off the 101 and features endless greenery through the forest with…
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Mount Shasta – It’s the People Who Make It Magical
Read moreMount Shasta was one of the first stops on my trip and it was here where I really started to connect with other people. My first day in the small but spiritually imbued town led me to Shastice Park, in an attempt to beat the ridiculous 101-degree weather. I was camped out under a tree marveling at the sheer size and beauty of the mountain when another nomad started…
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Soul Food: What I Need vs. What I Want
Read moreI’m in one of those waves where I want a partner. I’m not lonely, per say, but I’ve been craving a man/relationship. God’s given me many men on this journey, but not in the way you’re probably thinking. As per usual, God’s been giving me what I need, not what I want and as my travels continue, I’m so grateful for it. Sure I’ve been wanting that physical connection; not…
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Desert Vibes: 6 Ways to Thrive When Camping in the Desert
Read moreLast week I volunteered for the first time ever at a music festival in the Nevada desert. Originally stationed in a pretty valley covered with trees in Northern California, the event had to be moved due to forest fires. My dreams of frolicking in the forest, getting down to some deep n dirty house beats was dashed. Instead, I would be on the playa, participating in a mini–Burning Man. Not…