Hello from Virginia! We have made it across the country and are somewhat settling into hotel living until our house closes. I had well intentions of blogging as we went but that just never happened! Too much sight seeing and baby tending to be done. So as I figure out sharing a hotel room with our little one all day, I will slowly be getting to more posts about our trip and the whole moving process. Until then I thought I would share a few highlights that I posted along the way on social media. I am also working on a post Q&A style about the logistics of our trip (what we loved, what we would do differently, etc). If you have a question you would like me to answer, leave it in the comments!
Some snapshots of our cross country move as shared on Instagram:
// Our things are packed and on their way, repairs have been made, paint retouched, and the house has been cleaned. It's been a long and exhausting week but we made it. We said goodbye to our little home today and it feels so weird. Tomorrow we say goodbye to our family and if all goes as planned, we hit the road on Monday. Such a whirlwind of emotions and there are still more to come. But today I have been so thankful for this home we have been blessed with over the past seven years. So many special memories and firsts for our little family. I took a million pictures to try to lock away the memories but I am confident that they will forever be written on my heart.
// The road is our home for the next two weeks.
// Las Vegas, Nevada // Made it to our first stop outside of California in Las Vegas! This place is a little nuts but we enjoyed our time (and somehow Titus slept through almost all of it!). Of course my favorite was the Paris Eiffel Tower!
// Zion National Park, Utah // multi-tasking in Zion today - hiking, taking pictures, and nursing. #havebabywilltravel Such a beautiful place. In awe of this big world we live in.
// Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah // So much beauty to see in such a short amount of time! Just barely scraping the surface of our destinations but leaving each one in amazement.
// Antelope Canyon - Page, Arizona // Perhaps our favorite destination so far and a photographer's dream for sure. Today's tour was a much needed break after a long few days of hiking. Our eyes were amazed and our legs got a little bit of rest!
// Lots of beautiful Navajo inspiration in Arizona.
// Horseshoe Bend - Page, Arizona // Classic Titus. People are quite taken by him everywhere we go. Everyone wants to look at and ask about the baby. An Asian couple even took pictures of him without our knowing (some other people told us). Little do they know this blue eyed, fair skinned boy is 1/4 chinese! While we may seem impressive that we are tackling national parks with a three month old, each day comes with it's own challenges. But we are hanging in there and making the most of our experiences (even when he's screaming non stop in the car)!
// Four Corners Monument // We left Titus in New Mexico! Worth the extra drive out to the middle of nowhere to visit four states at once!
// Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona // Feeling small at the Grand Canyon.
// New Mexico vibes.
//Santa Fe, New Mexico // Santa Fe is absolutely charming. And in the midst of a stressful moment of a crying baby, trying to find a place to park with a trailor downtown, and ongoing travel exhaustion - we found this little gem. The cutest little boutique hotel I've ever stayed at making our time in Santa Fe even more special.
// That point in the trip where you realize you are a long way from "home". We have traveled east far enough now that it no longer feels like some weird vacation. But rather we have a destination, a timeline, and have found ourselves literally in the middle of the country. We see what we can but have to continue driving a little further each day. It would take longer to turn around now. All we have is each other, our car, and a few suitcases. Such a weird and wild experience.
// Fort Worth, Texas // Visited the Fort Worth Stockyards today to watch Texas cowhands drive a herd of longhorns down the street! Followed up by some Texas barbecue, we loved our small glimpse of Texas full of "howdys" and cowboy hats!
// Drove through and slept in Arkansas last night. Crossed the Mississippi River this morning into Tennessee. Just a few days left until we arrive at our new home!
// Nashville, Tennessee // Started out Nashville right with some southern fried chicken and biscuits! And everyone has the cutest accents! I love it here!
// The Opryland Hotel - Nashville, Tennessee // We easily spent a few hours here taking in the extavagant hotel decor, riding the indoor boat tour, and learning about the hotel's history. Such an amazing place!
// Lower Broadway - Downtown Nashville, Tennessee // I told Brent to drive around downtown until we found people playing music on the streets! He didn't think I was serious! After aimlessly driving around we finally found what I was looking for! Lower Broadway was the perfectly iconic street I imagined Nashville to be like. Music being played on the street, in bars, and in restaurants. Cowboy boots and music memorabilia being sold at every corner! We had a sleeping baby in the car, were towing our trailor, and honestly were just too exhausted to stop - so we drove up and down the street a few times like a bunch of old ladies! But it was well worth the hunt! A very fun and memorable place to see.
// The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee // What I've learned in Gatlinburg so far - the Smoky Mountains are amazing, we're the only ones wearing flip flops (sandals, yes, but no flip flops), and I'm not wearing enough makeup (the women wear so much!). Such an adventure!
// Cade's Cove, The Great Smoky Mountains // We ended our cross country adventure watching the sun set behind the Great Smoky Mountains. As we drove the scenic loop I couldn't help but get a little emotional. We have seen so many amazing things and it was officially coming to an end. This has been a hard trip - long hours of driving, dealing with the baby, and running on little rest and patience. And yet it was still this overwhelmingly beautiful and life changing experience. While one adventure comes to a close we still have an even bigger one ahead of us. The time has come to settle our little family in Virginia. Currently en route - awaiting what is still yet to be discovered.
// I have loved this time with my family of three but I will admit I have missed getting in some alone time! So this evening I thoroughly enjoyed my quite walk down our hotel's hallways to go do laundry and grab some hot tea from the lobby. Even just the littlest space to think and breathe does wonders for my soul!
// Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia // 12 days • 9 states • 3,618 miles // We have arrived at our final destination in Virginia! The baby is still alive and Brent and I are still married! We finally made it and it feels good to be "home". We are still in a hotel until our house closes but it sure is nice to stay in the same place more than one night! Brent will start work tomorrow and the baby and I will figure out our new routine. Thank you for following along on this adventure with us! It has been such a blessing to share this journey with you all!
#urkescrosscountry
