Celebrating 1 year of Blogging

Wow how time flies when you are having fun! I cannot believe it has been a full year since we started our amazing journey, and I am coming up on 1 year of blogging! On September 16th, 2016, my husband and I set out on the adventure of a lifetime, and I cannot believe an entire YEAR has gone by! September 19th, 2016 marked my first ever travel blog post! I started writing to share what it was like being on our journey and used it as a way to share our travels, but it quickly became more than just a journal. It is now a growing blog that is getting new readers each month from all over the world and I’m gradually turning it into a business!

For those of you who don’t like to read much, this is going to be the best post for you! Please enjoy the first 6 months at a glance through the lens of my Samsung Galaxy.

Texas – Houston, Galveston and Austin

Our first stop was Houston, TX where we got to spend a lot of time with my husband’s Brazilian family. We spent a month here exploring museums, NASA, Houston Zoo, Galveston, running at the Buffalo Bayou and Memorial park, eating delicious tacos and brunch, and spending family time having Brazilian BBQ!

After a wonderful time in Houston with our family, we set off to Austin, TX for 2 weeks. We stayed with a great couple, Kristi and Adrian, ran on ranches and at Lady Bird Lake, had some great food and BBQ, saw Hamilton Pool and let loose a bit at some of the local watering holes!

San Diego, California

After 2 weeks in Austin, we went to San Diego for a week because Tiago had a conference to attend at the Hard Rock Hotel. Since he was working all day, I took the time to explore on my own! I went to the San Diego Zoo, Pacific Beach, worked out in the gym and hung out by the pool solo. We also explored Coronado and many places to get tacos!

Las Vegas, Nevada

Instead of heading right back to Austin, we took a long weekend in Vegas for my birthday! We had so much fun having dinner at the SW Steakhouse, seeing Le Reve, Zumanity, Freemont Street Experience, gambling, and seeing Calvin Harris at Hakkasan!

Every 30 minutes, they have a 2 minute show at the SW Steakhouse in Vegas.

That time we made it onto the dance floor to see Calvin Harris at Hakkasan!

Austin, Texas

After a fun time in Vegas, we returned back to Austin for 2 more weeks in a new place, north of downtown. It was nice having a pool and gym on site, we got to see a University of Texas football game, chicken shit bingo, have dinner at Oasis at sunset, and even more fun!

People go nuts over this! Too much fun….

Florida – Stuart, Fort Lauderdale, St Augustine, Jacksonville and Bradenton

By the time we left Austin, it was time for new adventures, more time with family, and a full on Florida tour! Our master plan was to escape winter, spend time with family, and see parts of Florida we had never explored before! First stop, Stuart Florida!

After Thanksgiving, we went on a whirlwind tour of Florida, including seeing my grandparents in Port Orange, seeing St Augustine all lit up for Christmas, and some time in Jacksonville!

Over the top home Christmas light display in Jacksonville!

Being in Florida for Christmas was so strange for me, but visiting St Augustine and Jacksonville really got me in the Christmas spirit! We picked up some amazing produce at the Jacksonville Farmer’s Market to bring back to Stuart for Christmas with Tiago’s family.

After Christmas with Tiago’s family, we headed to Fort Lauderdale for New Year’s with my family, and up to visit with my Grandparents again in Port Orange.

After the new year, we set off on our own again to the west coast of Florida, where we explored Bradenton, Anna Maria Island, St Petersburg and Sarasota. We LOVED the ocean here, especially the sunsets!

New Orleans, Louisiana

After about 2 months in Florida, we were ready for a change in scenery, so off to New Orleans we went! It was about a 10 hour drive from Bradenton, and I got to pass through states I’ve never seen before which was pretty cool. New Orleans was such a colorful city filled with jazz music, wonderful food to eat, lots of things to do, and a guaranteed good time!

As we walked along Frenchman St, this brass band popped up out of nowhere! How fun!

The very talented Michaela Harrison and Joy Clark were set up on the street in New Orleans, and I stopped dead in my tracks with tears in my eyes….

Arizona – Phoenix, Prescott, Clarkdale, Sedona and Flagstaff

It was fairly chilly in New Orleans, so we were happy to fly our way to a new warm state…Arizona! We spent time in Phoenix, Prescott, Cottonwood/Clarkdale/Sedona, and Flagstaff. We got great use out of our National Park pass seeing the Grand Canyon, and other smaller national parks for hiking and sight seeing.

Slide show from our visit to Phoenix

Strong Beer Fest in Phoenix

In Prescott we had a great time hiking and exploring the history of the city. In Clarkdale/Cottonwood, we explored the many vineyards of Arizona, and also made our way to Sedona, which is oh so beautiful!

Bull riding in Carefree, AZ

Hiking in Prescott at the Buttes

We stayed in Clarkdale, AZ which was very close to Jerome and Sedona, which was very convenient!

Video from up on Bell Rock in Sedona, Arizona.

From Sedona, we ventured north to Flagstaff, where it was quite cold and we had no winter gear, so we layered up! Here we visited the Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Walnut Canyon National Monument. We were able to visit all for “free” using our America the Beautiful pass!

Southern Utah

On our way to Southern Utah, we passed through Glen Canyon, and stopped at the beautiful Horseshoe Bend! The next 2 days, we hiked Zion National Park which was absolutely breathtaking! Angel’s Landing was pretty terrifying but I am so happy I did it!

Since Bryce Canyon was filled with snow, we simply took a driving tour there for some photos. We would pull into a stop, run out to take some pictures, and run back into the car. Burr! We also decided to fly out of Salt Lake City, so we spent a few nights there to do some sight seeing of the lake and Temple Square.

Us being silly driving through Bryce Canyon National Park

We left Salt Lake City in early March to head home for a week so my husband could work and so we could see our friends and family. After our visit home, we headed out for our West Coast trek! Stay tuned for the 2nd 6 months coming Monday to continue celebrating 1 year of blogging!

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