Do It Differently Personal Training

You know there will be something to write about when you don’t have any scheduled accommodation for the night, and decide to just drive out of the West Yellowstone exit from the park to see if you can find a place to stay. The temperatures were still really cold and as tempting as the KOA signs were,…

As we were leaving the park one day, we spotted a black bear wandering through some rocky hills by the road. Whenever the cars start pulling over and people are scrambling to get their cameras, there must be an animal around. As we were gawking at this amazing creature, a Yellowstone visitor parked their car,…

After surviving the Beartooth Pass, we checked in at Silver Springs, Montana for our first night in a cabin. The host was sure to tell us that we’ll see bison walking around town and to remember that they are wild animals. The space was great and being indoors after a very cold drive into the…

After a full night of rain, the camping gear is wet. I mean, hang your clothesline between the trees and dry everything out before you pack it up wet. Look for the sunny spots, lay everything out, and don’t plan on leaving early. Check-out was at 1:00pm. Why not use this extra dry-out time to…

If you read our “Eve of Departure” post, you could probably guess that we got a late start on Saturday. After Ava’s soccer try-outs, more packing and sorting, and a few brief conversations with several neighbors, we were on the way! We made it to the Sioux Falls, South Dakota KOA with enough day-light to…

Who’s harebrained idea was this anyway? What a night! Today was our hottest day of the year so far, and of course, our brand new air conditioner that was installed during renovations, doesn’t seem to be blowing cold air. We hadn’t turned it on until today when temperatures rose to 34°C (93°F) which warmed up…

Ava and I had this moment the other day, when we stared at each other and realized we couldn’t possibly have enough books in the house to bring on the trip. We are huge fans of the library and get most of our books this way, but I’ve been a little worried about remembering to…

When you’re going on a road trip which includes many nights of tent camping, and you have Type A tendencies, you do a practice run. It started in our living room when the 6-person tent arrived in the mail. It fit in the living room and the kids wanted to sleep in it that night!…

Ben gave three weeks notice today at work! Eekkk…I know! Can you visualize him stomping into work and spontaneously deciding to quit that morning? We all know, even with his calm, steady demeanor, Ben has a bit of a spontaneous side (September, 1994 is a great example – maybe I’ll write about that too). We…

Ikea opening in Merriam, KS was the catalyst for change. Visiting their model spaces with minimal square footage and maximum efficiency, we finally admitted that we really wanted something smaller than the HMS Juniper. When we bought the house, we thought we might have four kids…that’s right, four! Or maybe three. Hmm. Yes, three. Or,…