Our Wandering Family

15/12/2024

How it’s going vs. How it started. 🎄🫶 8th year attending The Nutcracker together, and it’s official, I am no longer the tallest person in this picture anymore. In years past, we’ve attended the KC Ballet’s production, but this year we went with our QC family and enjoyed the QC Ballet’s production.

I am thankful that E still wants to keep this tradition alive with me and I hope it’s something we can keep going for 8 more years and beyond.

Do you have any family holiday traditions? I’d love to know how you celebrate the season with loved ones.

12/12/2024

We froze but they hung on for me. Time is passing. My heart has been heavy lately, I miss traveling full-time, miss the bus days, my little boys, the way they wanted to spend time with me, the days when I had less time to myself.

I love watching my boys grow, don’t get me wrong, and I enjoy getting to know them as young adults.

I just miss so much of what I had and didn’t know I had at the time.

Jason has been out of town and it’s been Mom and the boys just doing our thing. They’ve all piled into bed with me to watch baking show, bundled up for Winter Lights when it was 15 degrees outside and freezing. We’ve missed Jason, can’t wait to have him back, but I do appreciate the little extra I get from the kids when he’s gone. Like they know I just need some extra hugs.

I’m trying hard to live in the moment because I know these moments are moving at break neck speed. Hard to put into words, but just know these photos from tonight captured my heart at maximum.

02/12/2024

When they told you to hug your siblings but heard “squash your sister.” 🤣🫶🎄

We aren’t all together often, and 1/4 of us “kids” is missing in this pic, bit when we are it’s pretty awesome. Each one of my brothers (I’m the oldest of four) is totally original in how they carved out their place in this world. Creative, talented dreamers and I am often a very proud big sister. Justin, we love you, miss you and wish you had been with us. 🫶🎄

PS: if you’re ever in KC, MO, don’t skip Union Station. 110 years strong and just as beautiful as ever!

01/12/2024

Abby here. The majority of the people you see in this photo are people I have known since high school. Some have never left my life, some have floated back in and a few are new friends. There is something truly incredible about sharing 30 years worth of history with people while creating new memories. All of us lost something dear and central to this group earlier this year when we suddenly lost Bec. As we all gathered tonight (her husband included) we held each other a bit longer when we hugged and shared an unspoken grief as we laughed and enjoyed our time together.

This time of year is about so many things, family being one of them, and that includes the family you make along the way.

I’m so glad we could all be together today, and Bec, we all miss you so much and we always will. 🫶🎄

29/11/2024

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you!

27/11/2024

Who else is baking pies tonight before heading out in the ol’ four wheel drive sleigh for Thanksgiving fun with family?

We baked three pies tonight:
1. Gluten free/dairy free pumpkin pie from ’s Celebration cookbook. This is my 3rd Thanksgiving making her pumpkin pie and I think this is my best one so far.

2. Traditional pumpkin pie from the America’s Test Kitchen Fundamentals cookbook.

3. Jason’s cherry pie recipe with fancy(ish) lattice work. Pre cooked photo because I’ll be in bed before Jason takes it out of the oven. 🤣

Now we have to figure out a way to secure these pies for the 390 mile drive tomorrow. Good luck, us. 🦃🥧🎄

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. However you spend the day, we hope it is peaceful and delicious.

25/11/2024

Our latest podcast is out!

In this week's episode of the RV Miles Podcast, we share our travel plans for the spring of 2025. We booked a 7-week trip mainly in a day - was it hard to do...

23/11/2024

Tis the season for dressing up and attending all the festive functions in .

Such a lovely night at the Premiere Party for this year’s .

06/10/2024

Are you a fall camper?

In this episode of RV Miles, hosts Jason and Abby discuss why fall is an excellent time for camping, offering five compelling reasons to hit the road as the ...

05/10/2024

When the kids menu actually keeps the older kid entertained you put it on the short list of return restaurants.

15/05/2024

The days are long but the years are short.

I still look at each one of these big kids and see the tiny little one that used to climb into my lap, be my little shadow and see me as the center of their entire world. It’s not like that much anymore, and I known that’s a good thing, even if it makes me a little sad. The more independence they exert the more confirmation Jason and I receive. We’ve done what was best for them. We are helping them find their voice and the confidence to start spreading their wings, to prep for flight. I just hope they always know they’ve got a place with me if they ever need to rest those wings for a spell. ❤️

13/05/2024

Throwback over on our day job channel to the days of traveling in our Pioneer and camping on the beach in Corpus Christi. 😍 Would you take an RV on the beach?

Have you ever camped right on the beach? This was us back in Feb of 2021 camping on Mustang Island State Park in Corpus Christi, Texas. We had the best time and there wasn’t a single solar panel or lithium battery on this rig! There’s a lot to be aware of when beach camping with an RV so make sure you know before you go, especially when it comes to the tide. If you want to hear more about our experience (and a what not to do or two), dive into the podcast archives and listen to episode 184 “Lessons Learned Beach Camping”. You can find the show on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music or you can watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CGn0v28f8aQ?si=oN78WSMLe8N8zlO0

RV Miles is your home for the latest in RV and outdoor news, podcasts that entertain and celebrate the RV life, and tips that help you get the most out of RVing. Follow Jason and Abby here and across social media to be a part of the conversation.

12/05/2024

Summer vibes in the QC are in full swing and nothing says warmer days like baseball. One of the things I have really appreciated about our new hometown is the attempt to make local activities financially accessible to all. For instance, the offer $2 GA tickets to all Tuesday games along with $2 hotdogs and sodas. As a family of five, sporting events can get really expensive and to be able to come to such a cool ballpark and purchase tickets for only $10! That’s huge! Not to mention how gorgeous the stadium looks as night falls along the Mississippi River. I couldn’t stop snapping photos. 😍 We will definitely be staples at ballgames this year!

What are other budget friendly activities you would recommend to a family visiting the QC?

Play ball! ⚾️🏟️🧢

20/04/2024

Pre concert fun! We took a stroll from the hotel (which was right across the street from the arena) and got to see just a little of on foot. In all our years of travel we’ve never been to Des Moines and I have a feeling we’ve been missing out on a pretty cool Midwestern city. Now that we are only 2.5 hours away, think we need to take a nice long weekend and explore. Have you been to Des Moines? What would you recommend for a family with older kids who love good food, museums, and finding hidden gems?

I feel so fortunate to have had this time with Jack and Henry to road trip to see AJR. Look forward to bringing Jason and Ethan back here and exploring more of Des Moines.

19/04/2024

IT’S PATIO SEASON! 🌞 I love a good beer on a patio with the sun shinning all around. Everyone is always is good spirits when the sun is out and last weekend we ended up having an impromptu about town sort of day. We started off with one errand and ended up spending most of the morning and early afternoon bouncing from one place to another and that meant we finally got to check out Couldn’t have picked a better day. The cold beer and cider was delicious and the sunny patio views of the Mississippi River made everything feel so calm and chill. First time at Stompbox, not the last. That Hefeweizen was on point. Next time we’ll come thirsty and hungry. 🍕

I’m really starting to like this new hometown of mine. Lots of great gems peppered throughout the community. Can’t wait to find my next patio spot. Any suggestions?

17/04/2024

What’s the secret to knowing you just had the best date night at an amazing restaurant? When you get home and realize you stopped taking pictures of your night out because everything was so perfect and you were living in the moment and just forgot. 💕

As people who work in the world of travel, it’s rare we just stop and be fully in the moment, and while I wish I could show you a photo of the best salmon I’ve ever had, the happy looks on our faces as we tuck into some seriously good cocktails will have to do.

, thank you for such a lovely night. Your unbelievably good potato salad has now ruined all other potato salads and I ain’t even mad about it.

What makes for a good night out for you?

13/04/2024

Starting our Saturday off with a stop at (one of our favorite coffee shops in the QC), and bonus! Our coffee came with a side of live piano music. He was so talented too!

Drip coffee for Jason and a cold brew for me. Spring is here and it’s great to be out and about.

What’s your go-to coffee order?

12/04/2024

Quickly becoming one of our favorite places for an business meeting. 😂 is a great way to discover a new local eatery but it’s also a great time to celebrate some of your favs, which is what we did by popping into .
Jason was a big fan of the Brown Butter Old Fashioned (new to the spring cocktail menu), in fact he drank a decent amount before I could snap a photo. 🥃
Food wise, I could eat the chicken n’ dumplings every day and the DLux grilled cheese with the tomato soup dipping sauce is so dang good. I’m such a sucker for grilled cheese and tomato soup and this just takes it next level. First time trying the cheese grits, won’t be the last.

If you find yourself in our neck of the woods, stop by Me and Billy. Everyone is so nice, and Billy even made the rounds stopping at all the tables to check in on everyone and chat. Now that is Midwestern hospitality at its finest.

What is it about a restaurant that makes you want to return?