Packing for Adventure

Pack Light. Travel Far.

recent posts

  • Four Clues to my Mountain Paradise

    Daily writing prompt
    What do you love about where you live?
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    Let’s play a game! I will tell you all the reasons why I love where I live and we’ll see if you can guess where it is!

    • I live within a 4-5 hour drive to 8 different National Parks (I’ve been to 7 of them)
    • I’m surrounded by beautiful mountains with plenty of hiking trails and gorgeous canyon drives
    • I live within an hour drive to 4 different ski resorts showcasing the best snow on earth (I hate winter and snow and being cold, but the ski resorts are beautiful in spring, summer, and fall)
    • The people are in general very community-oriented and always ready to lend a hand if needed

    I love where I live because of the beauty of the earth, nature, and community I’m surrounded by.

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  • The Daily March Towards Progression

    Daily writing prompt
    How do you plan your goals?
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    I am a goal-driven individual for sure. I make goals for myself all the time. Most of them are unofficial. Some of them involve some sort of incentive, though most do not (at least not in a tangible way).

    I feel like the whole point of life is continual progress. I believe everyone everywhere should continually strive to become better than they were yesterday. But life is full of ups and down, and we need to be forgiving of ourselves and keep moving on.

    It is also best to have goals written down. The act of writing it down invites a feeling of self-accountability. There should also be a deadline if possible, and attainable steps to achieve the goal. They should not be unrealistic.

    With that preamble, I’ll tell you some of my goals.

    PERSONAL GOALS:

    • Run/hike/walk 365 miles in 2025
      • I did 300 in 2024 (the last 9 on a treadmill after Christmas)
      • I’m a little bit behind at 196.5
      • Deadline: 12/31/2025
      • Official/Unofficial: This is an OFFICIAL GOAL
      • Incentive: My reward will be a pat on the back to myself from myself
    • Visit every USA National Park
      • I’ve seen a lot, with plans to see more!
      • Deadline: before I die? before I can’t walk anymore?
      • Official/Unofficial: This is an UNOFFICIAL GOAL as the goal post keeps moving (new ones keep being added) and some are very remote – I gotta be realistic
      • Incentive: The real prize will be the experiences and friends made along the way

    OTHER GOALS:

    • Career Goals – these are pretty official and have the most tangible deadlines and incentives (project and annual deadlines and more money to feed the family and fund more travel)
    • Family Goals – this is a moving target as my kids continue to grow with the most rewarding non-tangible incentives. Though the most rewarding, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying these goals are by far the most difficult to achieve!
      • To be a loving and supportive wife to my husband
      • To be a patient, kind, and nurturing mother to my children and dogs
      • Teach my children the essential life lessons they will need to be respectful and contributing members of society as adults
    • Spiritual Goals – these goals are hard to define, but it boils down to me coming to KNOW my creator.

    What are your goals, and how do you plan to achieve them?

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  • This is a Test of the Annual Disaster Response Plan

    Daily writing prompt
    Create an emergency preparedness plan.
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    As a banker by day, one of my annual duties is to conduct a full-scale test of our Disaster Response Plan.

    It involves having staff work off their laptops from home using a different server than normal.

    Per policy, I also have to interject an “unplanned event” to throw a wrench in the day and further test the efficacy of the plan. Usually this involves a key team member “getting hit by a bus” or something of that nature. (No one is harmed in the testing of the plan- they just get to log off early!)

    Sound fun? You’d think. It’s actually the most stressful day of the year and I dread it for months in advance.

    I understand why it’s important- banking is incredibly important to everyone everywhere. People need their money.

    But I always find it funny. If there was ever a true disaster, my thoughts and actions would revolve around the safety of my family. Work would not be my top priority, or even my seventh priority.

    That said, I don’t think I have a true emergency preparedness plan. I guess I better get cracking creating one!

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  • Cringy Corporate Buzzwords

    Daily writing prompt
    What is a word you feel that too many people use?
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    I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that corporate lingo needs to GO!

    How often do you roll your eyes in each work meeting? Be honest. Is it every time someone says:

    • “Let’s table this” / “Let’s take this offline”
    • “I’ll give you five minutes back in your day”
    • “We’ll circle back”
    • “I’ve got a hard stop at…”

    But the number one word that makes me cringe more than any other is LEVERAGE. Just say “use” for crying out loud!

    We don’t need to “leverage” the data team’s tools, we can just use them. We don’t need to “leverage” the expertise of the development team, we can just… talk to them. It drives me crazy!

    I get why we use these buzzwords. We’re all in it for the same thing- food on our tables, a roof over our heads, and maybe the financial freedom to travel. This corporate jargon makes us sound polished, committed, and worthy of our position.

    I dream of a workplace where people can discuss strategies without name-dropping “core values” or striving for “synergy.”

    Until then, I’ll keep ibuprofen on hand for when my eyes start to hurt from all the rolling.

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  • Finding Peace at 105 Degrees

    Daily writing prompt
    What brings you peace?
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    In short, heat.

    I’m a summer baby. Born next to the 4th of July, I get fireworks and parades every year for my birthday, and I LOVE it! It’s my favorite time of year by far.

    If I’m having a bad day or just need a quiet moment, a nice, long, HOT soak in a bathtub brings me peace. Unfortunately, our bathroom doesn’t have a bathtub, so if I want that luxury, I have to commandeer the kids’ bathroom and relocate an army of floating toys first.

    A heated blanket is my runner-up for instant peace. Curling up in one feels like being wrapped in a hug you never want to end.

    I really struggle in the winter when the short days are full of gray clouds and the temperatures are freezing. When it gets bad enough for me mentally, I go to a tanning salon and ask for their HOTTEST bed. I love the deep, enveloping warmth.

    Even in the summer, in the middle of the hottest hikes, I fare better than Chris as far as levels of misery in the heat goes. Of course, he still beats me to the top.

    I even go running in the hottest hours of the day. Not necessarily because I love sweating, but that’s the time that’s convenient for me, so I make it work.

    There’s just something so cozy and peaceful about being nice and toasty and WARM. As much as I hate winter, I’m also sad to stow away the heated blanket when it gets too hot to use it. And yes, when the temperatures soar too high, I’m gonna crank the AC like anyone else. I’m not CRAZY.

    Maybe peace isn’t found in a place or a moment—it’s found at 105 degrees.

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  • Bank Vaults and Backcountry Trails

    Daily writing prompt
    What profession do you admire most and why?
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    I am a banker by day, so my answer will be nerdy. I sometimes get the opportunity to go to conferences for work, and usually that includes some form of networking with other bankers. I always get a little starstruck when I get to chat with people who either work for now, or have worked before, for the Federal Reserve Bank. I’m not sure exactly why, I guess I just think it’s cool that they get to print and control money!

    I’m not jealous of them, though I would love to tour the vaults. One person who had previously worked for the Fed mentioned casually that there was a reason they left, inferring that maybe the work life balance there is not great.

    On the other extreme, I am always impressed by park rangers. They live a completely different lifestyle from the norm. And they do it out of passion, because they certainly aren’t doing it for the money! From conversations I’ve had with park rangers at various parks, their work days vary quite a bit. One day they are marking trees that need to be trimmed for safety purposes, another day they are conducting search and rescue!

    Phantom Ranch employees in particular live a life of almost isolation. They live there, and have to hike in and out if they want to take time off. It would be very hard for me to live long term without the comforts of cell service and diverse dining options!

    Two professions, worlds apart, but each leaves me humbled in its own way.

  • Holy, Holy, Holy—Hidden for Centuries

    Daily writing prompt
    Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
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    A silver amulet was found by archaeologists in 2018 in a 3rd century Roman grave near Frankfurt. Inside was a silver foil containing an 18-line Latin inscription.

    The silver foil was too brittle to unroll, so it took a few years to learn what it said. The text wasn’t uncovered until 2024 using CT scanning.

    What message did this ancient Roman leave for us?

    The message invokes Jesus Christ, quotes Philippians 2:10-11, and repeats “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

    This discovery does not rewrite Roman or Christian history, but it does adjust some timelines. It places the earliest physical evidence of Christianity in that region back by 50-100 years.

    This may seem boring and maybe unimportant, and to be honest, it is. I don’t think this discovery is changing anyone’s life. So how does it connect to my life?

    I find it interesting that this silver scroll inside an amulet was buried with this man I don’t know centuries ago, yet I am learning about what was most important to him in his life. He left enduring and physical proof of his discipleship of Jesus Christ.

    It leads me to wonder: what enduring legacy do I want to leave for future generations?

    Happy Sunday everyone!

  • I’m Every Woman

    How would you describe yourself to someone?

    I am what I like to call an “Everyday Woman.”

    …..you could instead say I’m average… but I don’t love the connotation of the word average, so “Everyday Woman” it is!

    I’m not super athletic, but I stay active.

    I’m not super rich, I’m not super poor.

    I’m not super skinny, I’m not super heavy.

    The only extreme thing I am is short. I guess I could describe myself as a “Short Everyday Woman.”

    I love chocolate and ice cream, though maybe a little more than the average woman. I love my husband, kids, and dogs more than anything else in the world. My daily worries have to do with ensuring the health and wellbeing of myself and my family.

    Just like all women everywhere everyday. That’s me!

  • Helping the World Feel Small

    Daily writing prompt
    What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
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    I’d like to help make the world feel a little smaller.

    I haven’t traveled everywhere yet, but I’ve traveled enough to know that I want to see every part of the world.

    I have also come to feel that maybe there would be less problems in the world if everyone could experience the world in all its corners.

    There could be more understanding. More empathy. More joy. More gratitude for nature and the world around us.

    The easiest solution is for someone to invent teleportation.

    ….until that happens, hopefully my blog can help in some miniscule way by sharing stories, tips, and experiences that connect people across places, one trip at a time.

  • What Might Have Been

    Daily writing prompt
    Describe your life in an alternate universe.
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    I’m not a big sci-fi fan and have never given much thought to the idea of an alternative universe. So I will answer this prompt in a way that makes more sense to me.

    There are a couple other directions my life could have gone down. I am a total finance nerd. I love money (who doesn’t) and spreadsheets. I find thrill in paying off a credit card. I told someone once that my favorite day of the month is the day my credit card statements are issued so I can schedule a payment and collect my rewards points. Ooooh yeah, it doesn’t get much better than that!

    I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Finance at the age of 20 with the hopes of getting a high profile job on Wall Street. Except that I never dared make the leap to Manhattan…

    Another path I could have followed is my other passion: art history. I could have been an art historian at a big fancy museum. Though I don’t know exactly what my actual job duties would be…

    So had life gone the way I’d dreamed, I’d either be diving into pools of gold on Wall Street or ensconced in a world of painted canvases discussing brushstrokes.

    As Garth Brooks once said, “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” There is no truer statement. I have a good job in the banking industry (albeit outside of NYC). I live a blessed life with a wonderful husband, children, and dogs that I thank God for every day.