Mom With A Map

Mom With A Map The website, MomWithAMap.com, shares tips and adventures of traveling with family. We promote family I look forward to sharing our journey!

After 8 years of telling the tales and tips of our family travel, I’ve decided to start this website in the hopes of inspiring others to travel with their family. Our adventures have produced laughs, tears, speeding tickets, an entire closet full of suitcases, and above all- amazing memories.

Mary Grace's Graduation DayMay 1st, 2026So this is happening today. In addition to earning her high school diploma, Mary...
05/01/2026

Mary Grace's Graduation Day
May 1st, 2026

So this is happening today. In addition to earning her high school diploma, Mary Grace has completed 86 duel enrollment college credits to earn her Associate of Arts, Associate of Science AND a scientific research designation.

Her weighted GPA starts with a 6. She's been a student athlete for the last 2.5 years, practicing 5-6 days a week. She's on the leadership team at our church, and mentors a small group of middle school girls.

Mary Grace was president of the Florida Latin club for 3 years, and tutors for Latin and SAT Prep in her spare time. She has a regular schedule for taking her car to the car wash, finds time to bake for neighbors, friends & family, and knows many of the baggers at the grocery store by name . Most impressively, she never misses a coffee or night out with her friends.

To steal the words from her favorite song, this girl is truly a "garden in Manhattan... she's sunshine in Seattle, a cool breeze in July and a flower in the concrete."

Mary Grace, keep marching to the beat of your own drum and letting your light shine BIG!

Living my best life in remote Wyoming.Fly fishing has my heart. And I'm convinced I should have been a cowgirl. No wifi....
04/02/2026

Living my best life in remote Wyoming.

Fly fishing has my heart. And I'm convinced I should have been a cowgirl.
No wifi. No schedule.
A table that seats 20+. A bell that rings when the meals are ready.
The dreamiest front porch view.
Re-living my former camp life as an archer (though not as good as I once was!)
Old friends. New friends.

Refuge is the closest thing to heaven on earth.

Last summer we were sitting in an MLB ballpark talking to another spectator who commented on how insanely lucky we are t...
03/19/2026

Last summer we were sitting in an MLB ballpark talking to another spectator who commented on how insanely lucky we are to live in the heart of spring training. It hit us though, we travel all over the country to visit ballparks...but last season, we didn't even make time to go to one game in our backyard. Not one. Spring training falls right in the middle of Miller's own baseball season and our lives are just busy.

This season, we decided we had to make it happen. We squeezed in 4 games- which is 4 more than we had time for. But I'm so thankful for all 36 innings!

Highlights included:
• Miller's favorite player, Ozzie Albies, back from the WBC in time to crush the Yankees
• Great seats at all 4 games (thank you Brent!)
• All Braves games, but at 3 different parks: CoolToday (Braves), Charlotte Sports Park (Rays), and Lee Health Sports Complex (Twins)

And now we count down until the regular season kicks off. We've already booked our tickets to a new-to-us stadium...any guesses where we're heading?
Hint- there's a strong Tennessee Vols connection!

As part of her application to The University of Miami, Mary Grace was asked to provide a short answer about: "An Experie...
03/18/2026

As part of her application to The University of Miami, Mary Grace was asked to provide a short answer about: "An Experience That Shaped You." While it was nearly impossible for her to get the word count under the maximum, she had no trouble knowing exactly which experience she wanted to write about...

"Days after my thirteenth birthday, I was given the opportunity to crew aboard a fifty-foot boat on the Erie Canal. In an open part of the waterway, the owner of the vessel, Captain Paul, challenged me to take the helm and pivot the boat 360 degrees, as accurately as possible. The only twist… I was not allowed to use the compass. As he coached me through the proper techniques, my first try came within three degrees.

Over the next five years, I went on to earn my US Coast Guard Captain’s License, crew on multi-week offshore sailing voyages, and complete America’s Great Loop.

I strive to make the same difference in the lives of others that Captain Paul had on me. Through my roles as Latin Club President, Sailing Team Captain, and Riverside Student Leader, I share my knowledge and enthusiasm with my peers. In the years ahead, I will not stop shining as a leader.

Sometimes it only takes one experience to change someone’s life. I walk forward into my future, asking myself,
“How can I be a Captain Paul to someone else today?”

Last weekend, Paul (and Adrienne and Tess) joined us for dinner and a quick sunset cruise. Mary Grace shared her essay with them and we all reminisced about that day on the Erie Canal. It's really amazing to think how much it changed Mary Grace's life. We are forever grateful for all of the friends we made on the Loop, especially this one!

Super thankful for these crazy days.Baseball is in full swing (pun intended.) I'm not even sure sailing has a season, bu...
03/12/2026

Super thankful for these crazy days.

Baseball is in full swing (pun intended.) I'm not even sure sailing has a season, but we're in it. And both kids are pushing hard to finish school before May....though technically MG doesn't have a choice if she wants to graduate from her dual enrollment program.

Mary Grace took a quick trip to Chicago with friends. Those pictures are hers to sort through. But my Aunt sent me one, so that feels like fair game to share. She also finally received her admission envelope from Miami, an oddly exciting moment for a kid whose parents already paid the deposit for attending.

Both kids played instrumental roles in our church's 'Student Takeover' Sunday. Swig is our new obsession (IYKYK!) Miller continues to love guitar and spending time with his friends. He's consuming more protein these days than I would have ever thought humanly possible.

It's been a busy season of work for both Brent and myself, especially when you count my unpaid roll as Miller's full time cook and Uber driver. We were excited to squeeze in a George Birge concert in Sarasota with some friends. After our big night out, it was somewhat disheartening when both kids arrived home even later than us. I guess that's where we are these days!

If it was possible to freeze time, this is where I'd push pause. From the outside it may look a little chaotic, but I absolutely love this busy season where all my favorite people are living their best lives!

SENIOR SUNDAYWhen I look back on Mary Grace's senior year, I think one of the things that's going to stand out most is t...
03/09/2026

SENIOR SUNDAY

When I look back on Mary Grace's senior year, I think one of the things that's going to stand out most is the Fort Myers Coffee Crawl we did together this winter. We visited 9 local coffee shops in 6 weeks which, with her insanely busy schedule, took a lot of intention and effort.

A couple of the times we had to grab it and go, but most of the time we sat down to chat about to-do lists, life and debate what makes good coffee.

Inspired, we've decided to create our own Mexican restaurant crawl next year in Miami so that when I visit, we can check out a bunch of new spots. Let us know if you have any recommendations for our list!

I ordered her cap and gown this week...the countdown is on.

*New Hobby Alert*It's only been 2 weeks, but Miller only puts this guitar down to pick up a baseball (or vice versa!) He...
03/05/2026

*New Hobby Alert*

It's only been 2 weeks, but Miller only puts this guitar down to pick up a baseball (or vice versa!) He's so obsessed.

A friend recommended the world's best teacher; However, after hearing the opening chords of Sweet Home Alabama about a million times...I'm going to have to see if Mr. Wayne knows Rocky Top!

On Monday night I sat at Miller's baseball game bundled up in layers of sweaters, jackets, blankets, Uggs, a hat and han...
02/27/2026

On Monday night I sat at Miller's baseball game bundled up in layers of sweaters, jackets, blankets, Uggs, a hat and hand warmers. It was 56 degrees and I knew it was ridiculous. It's undeniable how spoiled I am by Southwest Florida winters!

Beach days in February. MLB spring training games. Beautiful state parks to explore. The best sunrises and sunsets in the world. Open windows most days. Swimming in water that's so cold it takes your breath away. But swimming in the winter, nevertheless. Nighttime parades that don't require jackets. Morning air that smells like salt and sunscreen.

Have I mentioned how much I love where I live?

From her first race as a Kindergartner, to (what will probably be) her last race of senior year...Before sailing, runnin...
02/23/2026

From her first race as a Kindergartner, to (what will probably be) her last race of senior year...

Before sailing, running was her sport. Early on, I might have grumbled my way through coaching several seasons of Girls on the Run, but truthfully there's nothing I wouldn't give to turn back time to those days! I loved having a front row seat to watching her passion develop.

Leaving her Legacy running team was probably the hardest part (for her) of doing the Loop, but I'm thankful she's found her way back to the pavement. Last March, after doing her first 10K, she decided to retire her tennis shoes for a bit to have more time for sailing. Mary Grace may not be setting a PR anytime soon, but it was so good to see a big smile on her face last night as she ran the Edison 5K!

I'm a little hesitant to say 'best weekend ever' because Miller was gone for 95% of it...but he was living his best life...
02/14/2026

I'm a little hesitant to say 'best weekend ever' because Miller was gone for 95% of it...but he was living his best life at church camp so I don't feel that badly!

Last weekend we managed to squeeze in all of our favorite things:
• Long walk on the beach with an absolutely gorgeous sunset
• Lunch on the water with friends
• Watching MG and Wythe's sailing practice
• Awesome Super Bowl party
• Brent and I spent the night on anchor at Marker 92
• Coffee and a delicious breakfast at the Westin
• 2 full days of boating

Sometimes this season of life feels a little out of control crazy, but ultimately everyone is happy (though a little sleep deprived!)

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