LIVE wisely, travel WELL

LIVE wisely, travel WELL Wife, momma, traveler, golfer, reader, adventure seeker, foodie, lover of good wine & healthy living. Join me as we LIVE wisely & travel WELL together!

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One of our favorite ways to Live Wisely, Travel Well is to get off the beaten path and discover locally owned restaurant...
07/19/2026

One of our favorite ways to Live Wisely, Travel Well is to get off the beaten path and discover locally owned restaurants. This weekend, our family ventured to Basmati Smokehouse in Lobelville, Tennessee, and it did not disappoint!

We ordered:
🍤 Western Bacon Ranch Rice Bowl with Shrimp
🍖 Japanese BBQ Rice Bowl with Pulled Pork
🌮 Spicy Korean BBQ Tacos with Pulled Pork
🌮 Southern BBQ Ranch Tacos with Pulled Pork

Every dish was packed with flavor, and we ordered an extra round of tacos because they were so good. It was fun trying something new (and not having to clean up dishes afterwards). 😜 It’s always exciting to find a hidden gem in a small Tennessee town & supporting a local biz.

If you’re looking for a new place to eat, add Basmati Smokehouse to your list.

Live Well! ✌️🧡🌎

Shenandoah National Park was our final National Park visit in 2025.This makes 22 out of 63 National Parks. Do you think ...
01/02/2026

Shenandoah National Park was our final National Park visit in 2025.

This makes 22 out of 63 National Parks. Do you think we will reach our goal of all 63 within the next 6 years?

🏢Where we stayed:
The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Can't go wrong with the Club Level with kiddos. Message me if you want to know how I find reasonable rates!

🥾What we did at Shenandoah National Park
▶️Skyline Drive
▶️Stoney Man Hike
▶️Little Stony Man

🇺🇸 What we did in DC.
We LOVED our experience with Old Town Trolley Tours. Next time, we will book for 2 days & spend more time at each stop.

🍽️Where to Eat (after visiting Shenandoah NP)
Lunch in Front Royal at Vibrassa Beer & Kitchen. The vibe, the food, the beer selections....so good & kid friendly! Make sure you spend some time expoloring this adorable town...Front Royal, Virginia.

💡NOTE: Most of the NP attractions were closed during our visit due to off season & weather.

💡Attractions to experience:
▶️Dickey Ridge VC
▶️Harry F Bryd VC
▶️Manssanutten Lodge
▶️Big Meadows Area

LIVE wisely, travel WELL! ✌️🧡🌎


PART 3 of Fall Break 2025:Extra day to visit San Francisco. When you travel hack & know which credit cards to use, it ca...
01/02/2026

PART 3 of Fall Break 2025:

Extra day to visit San Francisco. When you travel hack & know which credit cards to use, it can pay off. Message me if you are curious what I do! We got a great rate & used my free upgrades to stay at the Ritz San Fran on the Club Level. With kids who can eat, this is most definitely the way to go!

San Francisco was better than I expected….even though the boys got to see what drugs can do to people, because upon entering the city, we saw folks in action right on the side of the street. 😵‍💫😮 Oops! And also random dog p**p on the side walks. Not near the Ritz though-lol!

But seriously, most of what we saw was clean & I would love a chance to spend more time in the city.

Just so many people (and traffic). Alcatraz has always been on my list, so we were able to knock that out as a family.

We even met the last living Alcatraz former inmate (Mr. Bill Baker), who is now 90. We bought his book & plan to read about his experience.

The Waymo rides were highlights for my boys. Whoa. Self driving Ubers. It was really cool, but I don’t want to think about all the extra EMF exposure. Yes. I said it.

Grateful we get these breaks together. I never leave vacation days on the table anymore. 🤪

My motto is always work hard, play hard.

Wonderful memories made with my family. And that’s what it’s all about.

🎥 Full Fall Break Video ➡️ https://youtu.be/mNbx020yNrk?si=Z110xW4oetzde6al

🎥San Francisco Video ➡️ https://youtube.com/shorts/MRA-J15RBFs?si=qoMahkT8o2xZwb3G

LIVE wisely, travel WELL! ✌️🧡🌎

PART 2 of Fall Break 2025! 🌲 #20 | Yosemite National Park Wow, I get it now. Truly an incredible sight to see. My fascin...
01/02/2026

PART 2 of Fall Break 2025!

🌲 #20 | Yosemite National Park
Wow, I get it now. Truly an incredible sight to see. My fascination was on El Capitan! We saw climbers in action! Just wow.

🏡Where we stayed. An AirBnB in Oakhurst (25 minutes to the VC), but this park is huge, so everything is a good drive. Oakhurst was a great for to base camp though & we loved thos AirBnB!
Cabin in Oakhurst ➡️ https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1280690220834880586?viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76

Gotta see:
▶️El Capitan
▶️Bridalveil Falls
▶️Lower Yosemite Falls
▶️Marioosa Grove

Views:
▶️Tunnel View
▶️Valley View
▶️Drive Glacier Road
▶️Drive Tioga Road
▶️Drive Hetch Hetchy Road

🥾Hikes:
▶️Half Dome
▶️Mist Trail
▶️Four Mile Trail
▶️Yosemite Valley Loop
▶️Upoer Yosemite Falls
▶️Mirror Lake

💡This park is huge, and if I could do it over, I would have stayed IN the park, and gotten more familiar with the bus system. It was so crowded though. 😳

🌲 #21 | Pinnacles National Park
This reminded me so much of Guadalupe Mountains in AZ. We hiked Condor Gulch Overlook & actually got to see a Condor (largest bird in CA according to my 10 year old), so that was cool. It’s a very small NP, so won’t take you long to take most of it in.

🥾Things to do:
▶️Bear Gulch Reservoir & Nature Center
▶️Hike Prewett Point Trail
▶️Bear Gulch Cave
▶️Balconies Cave
▶️Hike Condor Gulch Overlook
▶️Hike Moses Srping to Rim Trail Loop

🎥Full video recap here ➡️ https://youtu.be/mNbx020yNrk?si=Z110xW4oetzde6al

LIVE wisely, travel WELL! ✌️🧡🌎



PART 1: An overdue post documenting our Fall Break 2025 trip taken in early October. Let’s recap it! Lots of driving all...
01/02/2026

PART 1: An overdue post documenting our Fall Break 2025 trip taken in early October. Let’s recap it!

Lots of driving all over California, but we set out to visit 4 National Parks & mission was accomplished. 🙌 The government shut down didn’t really affect us other than a few visitor center’s being closed. Each park entry was free though! 🤪

This now puts us at 21 of 63 National Parks in the United States. My goal is to visit all of them before my boys graduate high school. We have 6 years left to accomplish this. We are going for it!

This post is broken into 3 parts since we visited so many parks, stayed in multiple locations & added a bonus day in San Francisco. Happy Travels!

We visited:
🌲Sequoia NP
🌲Kings Canyon NP
🌲Yosemite NP
🌲Pinnacles NP

✈️Nashville to Burbank (nonstop on Southwest Airlines)
We stayed at Residence Inn by Marriott Santa Clarita the first night.
🍣If in the area, amazing sushi just across the street at KINZA SUSHI

🚗Travel the next day to Three Rivers, CA | 3 hour drive

🏕️ Stayed at AutoCamp Sequoia

🌲 #18 | Sequoia National Park
Ok, so I was super stoked to see the largest tree (General Sherman) in the world & it truly was amazing, but you could honestly make a long day of it & hit the highlights here. Plus, given the very curvy (and busy) road up to the park, we weren’t super motivated to continue that path. With an all day effort, you can hit ALL of the highlights in my opinion.

🥾Things to do:,
▶️Foothills Visitor Center (we love doing the Jr. Ranger program, but the VC was closed).
▶️Drive through Tunnel Log: Another iconic thing that finds itself on probably every “what to do in Sequoia National Park”. Instead of moving the tree, they just carved through it. There will likely be a line, but the kids loved driving through it.
▶️Sunset at Moro Rock: This is a steep 300 stairs to get to the top. I really wanted to do this, but my kids were over it, so we just drove by it instead. If I make it back though, it’s on!
▶️Visit General Sherman Tree: General Sherman Tree is the biggest tree in the world, and it’s honestly incredible.
▶️Explore the Giant Forest: Since you’ll already be here having just visited General Sherman Tree, exploring the Giant Forest around it is another must do for things to do in Sequoia National Park. Obviously General Sherman Tree is the biggest tree, but there are so many other massive trees in this area you just have to spend a few hours wandering through this amazing fairytale of a forest.
▶️Hike Congress Trail (recommended)
▶️Lakes Trail
▶️Marble Falls Trail

#19 | Kings Canyon National Park
This is such an underrated NP, & I wish we had more time there, but it’s just so beautiful. Saw the 2nd largest tree in the world there too (General Grant). Glad we pushed through & went all the way to the bottom of the canyon. There’s a hotel & cafe down there right next to the creek. So cool.

🥾Things to do:
▶️King Canyon Visitor Center
▶️Cedar Grove VC
▶️Panoramic Point Overlook
▶️Visit Redwood Canyon
▶️Visit General Grant Tree
▶️Kings Canyon Scenic By-Way
▶️Go ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM. Eat lunch at the café & grab a beer. Beautiful spot!

🎥Full video recap ➡️ https://youtu.be/mNbx020yNrk?si=Z110xW4oetzde6al

LIVE wisely, travel WELL! ✌️🧡🌎


Another great experience with Honeyhole Camping with our Winter Float! ❄️🍯🐝 ❄️☎️Call or text to schedule a time to float...
12/07/2025

Another great experience with Honeyhole Camping with our Winter Float! ❄️🍯🐝 ❄️

☎️Call or text to schedule a time to float with them. 615-543-4918

We left from The PERRY on The Buffalo near Short Creek Bridge.
🚣‍♀️3.5 mile (average 2-3 hour float)
*for reference, we can do this float in 2 hours, with no stops in the summer.*
*we shaved off 30 minutes on our Winter Float today. 😜

Rental Pricing:
Kayak drop offs: $20
Tent camping with electric and water: $20
RV site: $35 nightly 30 amp, water, dump station

📍 Location: 16 Spruce Lane, Linden, TN
615-543-4918

LIVE well! ✌️❤️❄️

Gift yourself a visit to The Omni Grove Park Inn & The Biltmore, especially this time of year….and don’t forget your spa...
11/26/2025

Gift yourself a visit to The Omni Grove Park Inn & The Biltmore, especially this time of year….and don’t forget your spa day! ✌️❤️🎄

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290 Macon Ave
Asheville, NC
28804

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