Dearest gentle reader….just joking as I am on a Bridgerton binge and it got me thinking that I have not posted on our blog in some time. Apologies, as I have come to live in the moment of our family adventures and not so much posting about them. But there have been adventures and many more to come.

But this blog post won’t be focused on our adventures…but yours.

To start off, hello from the “Big Sky” state or the “Treasury” state, Montana!! As we enjoyed the southwest area of the United States, almost one full year of going back and forth from California to Texas and back was more than enough! Mind you, it was in the same areas of each state….along I-40 (I am sure you can imagine the boredom!!) So being told we were headed to Montana was a welcome change!

If you have not been to the Big Sky state, PUT. IT. ON. YOUR. BUCKET. LIST. Spacious, green, beautiful mountain ranges and some of the nicest people. A state that respects the ground God gave them along with the people as well. And the food!! Montanans pride themselves (as they should!) for homegrown, local ingredients in their food and boy, can you tell a difference.

But be prepared to experience all 4 seasons (and more) with a 24 hour period!!

For my 34th birthday in May, all I wanted was to go to Glacier National Park and it was the best birthday yet! We had planned to tent camp (see previous paragraph about the weather) but ended up renting a cabin at the local KOA in St. Mary’s, only 1 mile from the National Park entrance. I could not have asked for a better, relaxing and enjoyable birthday exploring and appreciating God’s work.

But I have noticed something in particular in the 3 national parks we have been to in the two years on the road (Grand Canyon, Zion & Glacier). I have seen more foreigners visiting our National Parks than Americans.

I do not mean this in an insulting way. I am all for anyone and everyone who respects this country to come and enjoy what we have to offer! What I mean by my previous statement is that there is a huge percentage of Americans who have not been given or taken the opportunity to truly enjoy our homeland. We have been conditioned to work our bones to death and only take breaks on the weekends to get things done that have been neglected in our home/lives, only to wake up and it be Monday again. Going through this vicious cycle for 40+ years until we are possibly too old to travel.

We have accepted that our knowledge of our country is only to be obtained through social media or books.

Raise your hand if you remember learning (albeit, briefly) about Lewis & Clark & Sacagawea? **raised my hand** Raise your hand if you remember WHAT you learned exactly? **crickets**

Where we are located right now in Montana is Lewis & Clark county. You can’t drive a few miles without seeing something referencing these historic figures, whether it’s a motel, caverns, museums, part of the trail they took while navigating through the Rocky Mountains.

I honestly had not given these historic figures much though throughout my life until we were stationed here in Montana. But stopping to take a look around and to think, these three people WALKED with no pavement, no car, no GPS, trees galore, all to be but forgotten has made me sad. We learn about them in History class for a week but don’t truly appreciate what they did for us to be who and what we are today until you come up to Montana and see it for yourself.

It makes you feel small and sadly, weak. How we rely on Amazon, restaurants, frozen dinners, etc., with zero ambition to change the world or at least experience it because we have been conditioned that what we are doing is enough.

How many national parks have you seen in your lifetime?

How many historical places have you visited to pay respects too?

We went to an old western town/ghost town called “Virginia City” and it was a sight to be seen. Most of it was closed until after Memorial Day but we got to peak into the dilapidated yet frozen in time buildings that have stood for centuries to give us a glimpse of what it was like before everything was modernized. Back when America was strong.

A mile down the road was a forgotten ghost town called “Nevada City” where they dredged for gold in Alder Gulch.

Before I get too much into that story, most people don’t stop and think that every single state, city, town, road, all connect and build this amazing country of ours. So most people don’t pay any mind to history anymore as centuries ago has nothing to do with them….when in reality, it has EVERYTHING to do with them. Once you remember that, you will remember to be grateful again. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…..

Have you ever heard of Alder Gulch? How about Nevada City, Montana? No? Ok how about an easy one. Have you ever heard of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

What is the correlation, you ask? In the early 20th century, $126.7 million (in today’s prices) was dredged from Alder Gulch in Nevada City, Montana and sent to help fund Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2,412.6 miles away. Still think all history doesn’t connect and mean something today?

Our country is something to be proud of. The world is ever evolving and it is a vicious cycle of the older people hating what the younger people are doing/wear/saying etc. But allow me to give you small spoiler alert, the younger generation will eventually be the older generation who hates the younger generation.

Every time I write a blog post, it helps me to be grateful for the opportunity my family and I have been given to travel the country. To experience it and appreciate it. Yes, I do understand we were given a rare opportunity but it was an opportunity we could have missed out on. How many opportunities have you missed out on due to fear or some other excuse? You don’t know what you could have had otherwise if you stay in your comfort zone. I always say, “your comfort zone will kill you”.

Something we have learned through experience, which is, no offense, way more credible than anything you have read on Facebook, or watching on YouTube, is this…..

OUR COUNTRY IS NOT AS DIVIDED AS THE MEDIA WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE!

Call me crazy or full of bologna (yes, I just sang the jingle to type “bologna”…Thank you, Oscar Meyer!) but I have seen a lot and it still has only been a small portion, but I have seen enough to know that Americans are all mad and we are more alike and united than social media would have you believe. But you can believe what you would like, real life experiences or your social media feed because you would rather live vicariously through someone else and by extension, believe what they believe.

Instead, why don’t you get out and see for yourself! Take one trip a year! Plan in advance to pay for it ahead of time, a little at a time. When Keegan was at his previous employers, we weren’t making anything. I was only able to stay home with my babies because they gave us company housing. Blessed, yes, but without that, I would have been working for daycare. But we still were living paycheck to paycheck. Regardless, we still went to New Orleans, San Antonio, the mountains every year, Lake Tahoe, etc. How? Because I planned ahead and payed a little at a time.

AND. IT. WAS. WORTH. IT.

You don’t have to do the expensive, fun extracurriculars to post on social media. You don’t have to eat at the finest restaurants. My favorite trip was when Keegan took me to Santa Fe for a weekend. $300 to our name to get there and back (our hotel was already paid for **thankfully**) but our first night was a 6 pack and burritos from Allsups (IYKYK) and we went to a piano bar the next night for dinner and an amazing show! The rest of the time was walking around and enjoying just living. No souvenirs, no spa days, no extra activities. Just walking around and enjoying each others company.

Another piece of advice….

TAKE YOUR KIDS WITH YOU! It shapes them into amazing little humans. Yes, trips with your spouse or adult only trips are great occasionally but your kids deserves excitement and breathtaking views too!

It is not worth to work your life away only to travel and enjoy life after retirement. You can not bet on your health, or your expenses, or if the places you really want to see will still be there at that time. You can’t even bet if YOU will be around when you retire. You can always replace the money you spend. You never know how much time you have. So spend your time wisely as it is more precious than gold!

Let me ask you one last question. If you were guaranteed to be around for your grandchildren. Would you have any amazing stories to tell about your adventures and experiences?