Our news
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About Us!
At the time of this writing, my wife (Kristen) and I are in our early 40’s and our kids are Hope (11) and Autumn (5). I work in the Finance industry and have been at the same company for almost 20 years! Kristen is predominantly a stay at home mom but also continues to run…
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Pigeon Forge, Take Two – November 2024
After our first trip to Pigeon Forge in September, we knew we wanted to spend more time in the area for hiking, local attractions, and Dollywood. The kids surprisingly had a five day weekend from school at the beginning of November and we were initially thinking of Iceland or something more international; however, the cost…
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Shenandoah / Harrisonburg Camping – October 2024
Last weekend we did our annual October camping trip to kick-off Halloween season and enjoy some hiking. Over the past few years we have stayed at a variety of campgrounds just before Halloween and most of the time they have activities for the kids; crafts, pumpkins, hay rides, trick or treating, costumes, and decorating campsites.…
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Herrington Harbor South, June 2024 Boat Trip
Taking an overnight trip on the boat this year was like camping…on the water…it was amazing! My in-laws upgraded their boat a couple years ago and we try to go out on the water with them whenever schedules, weather, and kids permit. It’s challenging to get all of these things to align with enough notice…
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Fantasy Lake, NC – 2024
Last winter Kristen was able to organize a “Discover Scuba” event for the older girl scouts in her troop. Yay Scuba was great with the kids and easy to work with. They use local college pools for their Discover events and it gave the girls a great experience and a way to “test the waters”…
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Deep Creek, MD – January 2024
Deep Creek Lake has been an annual family vacation for the last 25 years! We’ve always stayed in individual houses, some right on the lake, some lake view, and some on side streets far away from the lake. I would recommend for anyone looking for winter rentals, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense…
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Leaving The Pets While Traveling
When we go on vacation, which is quite frequently, it’s a production to get everything ready. I understand most people would want to make sure the grass is cut and the house straightened up…maybe drop the pets off for boarding. Our house is a lot more involved! The whole family loves animals in general and…
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Pigeon Forge, TN: Tent Camping at “Fall – Rod Run” Weekend
WOW! It’s been a while since we left the travel trailer behind and camped with the kids in a tent. Our last tent camping adventure with them was in Outer Banks West KOA a few years ago and ended with a last minute pack-up during torrential rains and driving home a night early before getting…
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Corolla, Outer Banks NC – August 2024
After staying in Hatteras in 2023, this year we moved back north in OBX and stayed in our usual spot in Ocean Sands, Corolla. We also went back for two weeks this year instead of the short one week like we did last year. It goes without saying, but any vacation away from work for…
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Gettysburg, PA – May 2024 Camping
I went to Gettysburg on a camping trip with my best friend when we were younger and one of my fondest memories from that trip was rock climbing around Devil’s Den. While my kids have no interest in history yet, I’ve wanted to take them to Gettysburg to share in the experience of the local…
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Avalon, NJ Spring 2024 – Camping for a wedding
For our first camping trip of 2024, we decided to combine trips and save some money! My cousin was getting married at the Avalon Yacht Club and we wanted to see what options might be available for overnight stays. After checking hotel costs and Airbnb, we decided to use the trip as a shakeout for…