I don’t live and have never lived anywhere hiking can be done on a regular basis, so I only hike on vacation. This allows me to maintain the allusion hiking is super duper fun.
You can entice me into a hike for a good picture.
Hiking doesn’t suck when I’m with people I genuinely like. Exercise is unpleasant, so when I hike with people I don’t truly enjoy being with, I want to punch people.
If there’s a waterfall, I will really hike for that.
I’m a big fan of getting where I’m going. This factor is multiplied when I’m hiking. I will stop when I need to. Otherwise, I am a one direction, uphill, mountain climbing machine.
Humidity doesn’t bother me, even when I’m hiking.
There is a very good chance my hike will double in length before I’m done. This usually happens because I accidentally took a wrong turn or decided I’m superwoman and wanted to go farther before remember I’m not.
I always feel like I’ve lost sixteen pounds after hiking.
When hiking with my bestie or boyfriend, I like to be ridiculous by making them wear matching shirts or in a more recent instance cat ears.
My favorite places to go hiking are Steamboat Springs Colorado and my new favorite place Lake Tahoe. They’re super beautiful, full of mountains, and great for picture taking opportunities.
The best compliment I’ve ever received was when I went hiking in Colorado with my boyfriend. I made him hike like there’s no tomorrow. He’s a retired Marine. He said hiking with me is “worse than the Crucible.” Best. Compliment. Ever.
bisous und обьятий, RaeAnna
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Soaking up the sun in Carson City, Nevada. | Pants | Sports Bra |
I love traveling. Obviously. I do it all the time. I last left Jacksonville a month and four days ago, so why am I back so soon?
Jacksonville, North Carolina is an interesting place. I was not immediately smitten. The process took a few years. Situated in swamplandia, it’s not much to look at. Their main claim to fame is the Marine Base: Camp LeJeune. Like most military towns, there is an abundance of strip clubs, pawn shops, used car dealerships, tattoo parlors, and barbershops because what else could a young military man want (and I do mean man, well maybe guy). The average age of the town can’t be more than 25 because the military is notoriously young. The natives are ambivalent towards the transient military community, but they manage to coexist in the dysfunctionally-functional way people trend toward. When a civilian finds out I’m in town visiting a guy in the military, their eyes glaze over and I receive a cursory nod and “Oh…” before they move on to more interesting clichés of life. Wealth is not evident, and the town feels like it would immediately implode if the military ever forsook them. There are pieces of history and beauty scattered throughout. A river runs through downtown on its way to the ocean, where you can find a wooden boardwalk sloping from age and water. A cobblestone block runs in front of a cute café. Historic buildings, Victorian homes with wrap around porches, and a white-steepled church make the area quintessentially small town cute. It did take me four and a half years to find this spot in town devoid of strip malls and other less than tasteful establishments.
All of that said, I have a warm spot in my heart for this hiccup of place. What the town lacks, nature makes up for. People are genuinely kind, whether I’m military adjacent or not. Many are far from home, hailing from every nook and cranny of the country. Where the city stops, the ocean and forest immediately begin. You don’t have to drive more than fifteen minutes to find a beach. If you’re willing to go a little farther, you can find lighthouses and islands and the North Carolina of postcards.
The small town cute in downtown Jacksonville.
I have no desire to live in Jacksonville. There is a HUGE chance, I’ll never be within city limits after this trip is done.
I’ve been a frequent and enthusiastic visitor to Jacksonville, Camp LeJeune, and MCAS New River because it has been home to my best friend for five and a half years. After finishing boot camp and his MOS training, he was stationed as a helicopter mechanic at MCAS New River. I visited him for the first time in Jacksonville exactly five years ago to the day for Labor Day weekend. We went to beaches and reconnected after eight months apart. My life has changed immensely in those five years. I quit my jobs in downtown Chicago’s corporate America, which allowed me to see him more often and for longer. I started freelancing – aka bartending to pay the bills. I moved to Houston and freelanced – for realsies, no bartending necessary. I began a blog. I started traveling even more. I adopted a dog. I rediscovered the fuel of my spirit. Alex and I fell apart and reconnected. It’s been a journey.
Throughout it all, I’ve been a regular visitor to Jacksonville, North Carolina. But this is my last trip. I’m not ditching Alex for a sparkly new best friend forever and always. He is leaving the Marines behind him. In a few days, he will be discharged after six years honorable years of service, three deployments, and a lot of sleepless nights to start his life a civilian somewhere in the world. I’ll have a new place to frequently and enthusiastically visit.
So this is a last minute farewell tour of a town I would have never gotten to know or grown to love if it weren’t for the Marines.
bisous und обьятий, RaeAnna
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I’m looking very confused as to what to do with this sweater, while trying not to over heat in the 6:00 am heat of Houston, Texas.
Starting our day in Jackson Square!Exploring the aquarium.The most adorable little birds!My dad is the cutest.I like paddle wheels.Dinner at Tujague’s.
Growing up, my dad was always good at carving out time just to spend with me. We would go out to dinner, see dance productions, car shows, and more. As an adult, carving out daddy-dotter time is a little harder. (My dad has always called me “dotter. D-O-T-T-E-R.” He can spell, but he sacrifices grammar for humor.)
Before heading on my grandma’s 80th birthday cruise, my parents and I spent five days in New Orleans with family. The first full day we were there, Mom spent time with friends of hers, so Dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. Our only instructions from Mom: Don’t do anything I want to do. Which left us contemplating all the things she wanted to do that we could jam into one day. We’re asses like that. We decided to continue living on to another day and filled our time with things we’d already done together but not in well over 15 years.
What is the first thing any sane person does in New Orleans? Cafe du Monde is the correct answer, which is what we did. We grabbed two orders of beignets and two cafe au laits to go. We people watched while munching on the food of New Orleans in Jackson Square listening to jazz musicians. I mean, it can’t get more New Orleans than that. Unless of rain, there is always art displayed by their creators lining the square. Dad and I zeroed in on a rather huge image of a bull. He has a thing for cow art, which I have adopted out of love for him. We didn’t take it home. (See “living on to another day.”)
The night before, I had mentioned the aquarium and a boat tour. We bought tickets for the Natchez and headed to the aquarium. I grew up going to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. It was one of my favorite places in New Orleans. Not much has changed in the 15 plus years since I’ve been. It’s smaller than I remember, but almost everything is. My dad did, what he probably did when I was little, tagged along as I darted from fishy to fishy. The only real difference time has made is the fact I now refer to clown fish as “Nemos” because when I was little, Finding Nemo didn’t exist yet. Oh, there is now a parakeet exhibit, which was a little bit on the unexpectedly phenomenal side of fun. There were a few hundred bright parakeets bopping around. They were incredibly attracted to Dad, but most people are too.
I LOVE this picture of my dad and a parakeet.I couldn’t stop giggling.
Walking out of the aquarium, the steam calliope from the Natchez bounced off the buildings from half a mile away. I had taken the boat tour about twenty years earlier. My paralyzing fear of falling in and dying in the under currant of the Mississippi kept me from venturing much outside the interior cabin of the boat. This time, I embraced the fear enough to walk around and explore the boat. We wandered to the lowest deck where the steam engine and all the good parts that make it go are held. Dad is a wealth of knowledge and loves engines – in a previous life, he was a mechanic. More than anything, we had a good time laughing watching the river go by.
Getting off the boat, we realized we were in need of sustenance. I decided on Tujague’s because it’s delicious. (Hindsight, I decided on almost everything. Such is the life of a good dad.) We were there before the dinner doors even opened. We sat down to a lovely meal with quite a view. Dad and I are experienced people watchers. New Orleans is an hott spot for just that with Tujague’s being positioned on the corner of weirdo central.
Daylight was gone, but we weren’t ready to go home yet. We walked through Bourbon Street, which is a real treat even at 6:30 pm on a Sunday evening. Gotta love New Orleans. We continued meandering through the Quarter bopping into art galleries along the way. Accidentally walking passed the Carousel Bar, we decided to go in because I had heard of it but never seen it. Now, I have! With tired feet we decided to head towards home.
Except….
The Westin’s lobby is on the eleventh floor of the building. A bar in the lobby overlooks the river and the quarter. Dad was convinced I had been there when I was itty bitty. (We found out later, I hadn’t.) He knew the view was brilliant, so we didn’t go home just yet. We enjoyed drinks (one virgin and one fully alcoholed) in the lobby bar looking out the huge windows before actually heading home.
We didn’t get home until 9:00 pm, but we still beat my mom home. I loved all the activities. Nothing we did was particularly new. The most memorable part of the day was spending it with my dad. There are so few daddy-dotter days in adulthood, so each one means a great deal. I have known him my entire life, but I feel like I’m just getting to know him.
Here is a series of Beau pictures. They’re all perfect and very much us.
Enjoy Beau’s stream of consciousness.
The wretched hat is placed upon the head.No. Thank you. Stop. I don’t like it.Oh! Treats. I’ll sniff.I said, “I. Don’t. Like.”I don’t like the rain. I don’t like the hat. The treats are hardly worth this.Anytime now. We can take the picture.Food?This is not worth it.Is this a good enough pose? I look stupid. Is my expression conveying that?Why did the dog cross the road? To get away from you.Won’t you leave me along, devil woman?!?You. This. Is. Exhausting.I am being followed.There. We look good. Here’s my sweater | My hat/leg warmers | Mom’s hat | Mom’s Sweater | Mom’s scarf | Mom’s jeans | Mom’s boots | I’m done.
Beau and I wish you a Happy New Year!!! I can’t believe it’s 2019 already. Holy wowza!
We spent our New Year’s Eve with family in the Chicago area. A very low key night surrounded by the people we love most. My 63 pound dog was miniaturized by her 170-ish pound Great Dane cousin, Dexter. They snuggled on the couch along with a tiny, old girl, Ana, and three cats. It’s a big couch, but four people, three dogs (totalling 200+ pounds), and three cats is cozy. We celebrated with food and an Avengers movie marathon. We know how to party hard.
We said our goodbyes to family and friends in Chicago yesterday. My grandparents live directly on the way from Chicago to Texas, so we stopped in for lunch. Then, we were convinced to stay for a few days. Working from home, I can do this.
I visit my grandparents in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas often. I haven’t been since the end of May. One of the first things Grammy said when I walked in the door, “I was wondering what happened! You’ve been gone sooooo long.” For awhile, I was here almost every month. After the I love you and I missed you’s were exchanged. “You’re staying the night.” Then my grandpa, aka Poppy Walt, wanted to take us out to dinner. And Grammy said, “No, they’re staying a few days. She has nowhere to be.” I guess I’m staying for a few days. Not that I or Beau are complaining. They live in a gated golfing community, and their backyard overlooks a fairway, a lake, and some mountains. REAL shit hole, I tell you.
Since we drove over night, Beau was cozy in her backseat blanket cuddle puddle for nine and a half hours. When we arrived, she was so happy; she loves it here. There is so much space to run around in their woodsy backyard, and the big house has lots of sniffs to find. The rain dampened her high spirits, but life isn’t perfect.
I couldn’t resist taking these cute pictures. I found her sweater, hat, and leg warmers at Target. She HATES the hat. I won’t lie: she is not a fan. At least, she hasn’t transferred her hat hatred to me as the hat-putter-onner. She really likes the sweater though. It’s warm and snug. The leg warmers helped her bear the rain, surprisingly. I’m still in a festive holiday mood, so I donned one of my go-to red sweaters, my favorite red scarf (budget version here), and a white hat. I also live in my grey Aldo boots, and these jeans. Seriously, these boots are the best. For otk boots, these are an incredible deal! Beau is for sure the cuter of the two. Although, she got her beauty sleep… I drove through the night.
Not a bad start to 2019. Rang in the New Year together in Chicago. Day 2 and 3 will be in Arkansas. Day 4 will be home to Houston. Ruff life. We’ll see where else 2019 takes us on our travels!!!
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Caledonia, Minnesota is a small town in the southeastern part of the state. It’s almost as close as you can get to Wisconsin without actually being in Wisconsin. It’s the county seat of Houston County, so there’s a courthouse alongside all the other small town amenities. There are a few bars, a bakery, a couple restaurants, a grocery store, a coffee shop, and a few other things, but it’s not much more than a hiccup of a town.
Why, oh, why am I writing about Caledonia?
About eight years ago, my partner in crime, Alex, took me to meet his family in Caledonia, Minnesota. I was there often during college because it was only a few hours away. After college, it’s become a lot less common since he lives in North Carolina and I in Houston. This is the first time I’ve been back in a year.
My two favorite places in town are the cafe and the bakery. The bakery is open in the morning and serves yummy donuts, pastries, and cookies. The Wired Rooster is an adorable cafe in the middle of downtown. I had to buy one of the mugs because they’re cute/I have a mug addiction. The cafe is a fairly recent addition to the town landscape, but it is very cozy – especially now in the winter with the snow on the ground.
I have a turkey cookie!!!
I’m here for a little over a week and a half. It’s a calm and understated several days. It’s a nice break from the normal busy-busy-busy of my life at home.
Caledonia is a blip on a map, but it holds so many wonderful memories and feelings for me. It’s a place where I have no reception, so everything and everyone else fades into the other. The people are friendly and passionate about the Vikings. It is football season, you know. Everything closes early except the bar. It’s like many small towns. But this one is special. It’s the home of my person.
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