Well hello there, happy Saturday!

Starting things off today with a CELEBRATION because I actually kept my mammogram / pap / physical appointments this week and followed through on all the things even though I DETEST AND DREAD medical appointments. So, if you also detest and dread and procrastinate and maybe just don’t go because of anxiety, take this as motivation to just do the things because damn, I did them and so can you!

Other than that major accomplishment, I unpacked, went to Pilates twice (I’m still obsessed), read a bunch, took lots of naps, put on lots of foot miles, met a friend for coffee / book browsing, and sent the youngest off on a cross-country road trip adventure with her friends (and the father of one of the friends, don’t worry). This is the first time she has EVER been on a trip like this without me and well … INDEPENDENCE IS GREAT, remember??? With the youngest, I’m definitely starting the let her go, hope and pray, it’ll be okay process years earlier than I did with the older two.

Some Camping Gear I Love

Okay, I know not everyone camps, but … if you, like me just five years ago, haven’t camped since you were a kid and WANT to try to tent-camp again (or camp for the very first time!), I want to share what has worked for me gear-wise.

NOTE: I went OVER TWENTY YEARS without camping after TOO MUCH camping as a kid, then only (regrettable) drunk camping in my late teens and early twenties and then NONE ~ if I can do it now, anyone (who wants to) can! My mom actually said recently that if she had to predict whether or not I would become such an enthusiastic camper at age 45, she would NEVER have guessed it. We all change!

Here’s some stuff I love for when you’ll have your car at your site with you ~ I’m not quite equipped for packing in any gear yet, and none of this packs down tiny:

• this tent has been an absolute winner for four years now. It’s incredibly easy to put up and take down and you don’t have the thread any poles through tiny holes. It says it’s a 6-person tent, but it perfectly fits three adults with sleeping pads with a little room to spare, and is tall enough for me to stand up in. My girls and I can get it up and down, with stakes and rainfly, in less than 5 minutes with soft ground, 10 if we need a mallet for the stakes.

• this is my diva sleeping pad that is actually really (relatively) comfortable, although I wish I would have gotten the XXLarge size given my preference for side-sleeping and how much I flop around at night. Still, it’s the best one I have tried yet!

• this rectangle sleeping bag is a perfect solution for me after I had a very memorable and horrible claustrophobia-induced panic attack the ONE time I attempted as an adult to sleep in a mummy bag back in 2023.

• my girls and I LOVE our Rumpl blankets for when we’re sitting by the fire when it’s chilly out and using instead of sleeping bags when it’s too hot to get tucked in. I love that they pack up into their bags so easily and also the thumb loops for wearing as a cape. I got ours for about half off at Sierra.

I’d love to get tough and brave enough to try more minimalist gear, but for now, this stuff is allowing me to camp and not be as miserable as I remember being as a kid ~ it’s a win!

Two Lovely Road Trip Romances

Given my recent miles and miles of driving, I naturally sought out road trip romances to read in July. I already told you about You, With a View earlier in the month, and today I have two more titles that I just devoured over the past week!

Return to Sender by Stephanie Parente releases on July 28 (SOON!) and now you can be high up on the holds list! I absolutely adored this trip from Boston to Oregon with sisters and a reluctant almost-stranger as they endeavor to return a letter to a former girlfriend. There is a major grief storyline, but despite its rawness, Parente never lets it overwhelm and bring the story down. I love the diverse identities and openness represented throughout the story, and damn does she get teenage girls right.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun is a 2024 release that I (yet again) ignored because of its enemies-to-lovers promotion. Silly me, because OMG (yet again) is this book so much more. Yes, it’s a romance between two former middle school best friends, but it’s also an ode to a teacher dying of cancer and an epic road trip tale. Anticipatory grief, squeezing every last drop out of life, forgiveness, mental health, GAY JOY, and SO MUCH more is packed into this gorgeous novel. LOVED IT.

That’s it for today! I’m home this weekend for my only at-home weekend this month, and I’m hoping to barely leave our property. I hope you have as much adventure or rest as you desire on your own agenda.

I’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday with a perfect reading triplet related to my last trip … before I’m off on my next (shorter) adventure!