Life's Sweet Journey: 5 on Friday & Giveaway Fun!

Friday, April 20, 2018

5 on Friday & Giveaway Fun!

Happy Friday Friends!! 
We've been bouncing around right and left the past few weeks, so I feel like I would play a little catch up around here with some Five on Friday randomness! 
Here's a little peek at what's been going on around here lately... 

Telluride Scenery

We're LOVING ColoRADo!! 

If you read last week's post, then you know we are currently in Colorado. The scenery out here is incredible!! We are currently at an RV park near Mesa Verde National Park. Unfortunately, the cell service out here can be hit or miss. Since we work on the road we have had to be very careful about where we stay. We found a park that claimed to have decent cell reception and wifi; however, that ended up not being the case and we had to quickly move parks. Our current view is a car wash, so while it isn't a winning view, we are at least able to work (which keeps gas in the truck, so ultimately I guess it is a win). We are going back into the national park this morning to do a tour of the cliff dwellings and we are pretty pumped!! We will share more about Mesa Verde NP soon, but for now our number one tip would be to make sure you plan at least two days if you are going to visit. The tour tickets for the day can run out really early. We were in the park by 11 on Wednesday (during off-season) and there were no tickets left. Thankfully we were staying, but there were others who were pretty bummed because they were only there for the day. You can still see the cliff dwellings without a tour ticket, but you can only go into them with a ticket and guide (cost is $5 per person). 

Weston, Missouri 

Things to do in Weston, Missouri
Holladay Distillery || Things to Do in Weston, Missouri

While we have shared most of the bigger spots we have hit on our way out west, there are a few little finds that haven't made it on the blog yet, but that we definitely recommend checking out if you can! We stumbled on this fun little town when we went to visit my brother, who is currently stationed at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Just a 15 minute drive brought us to a town filled with historic charm! We spent the first night at O'Malley's Pub; an Irish pub that was housed in an old cellar, originally dug in the 1840s. O'Malley's is also home to the Weston Brewing Company. The next day we took a tour of Holladay Distillery; the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still located on its original site. You can grab a drink before your tour, which only adds to the experience, and the tour ends with a free tasting of your choice of two different liquors. We also toured a few wineries- one of which was housed in an old church. Weston, Missouri really was a surprising little town and one we would definitely visit again! 

Chatfield State Park 

This gorgeous spot was a stopping point on our way to Steamboat Springs. What we thought was going to be just a place to catch up on work turned into anything but when we woke up to our very first overnight snow in the camper!! 




Grand Junction 

We most recently left Grand Junction, Colorado. We spent a whole week exploring Colorado National Monument, catching up on work, placing tons of Amazon orders (it can be hard to get stuff shipped when you aren't in one location for more then 3 nights), and sampling their very yummy wine. We had no idea what a huge wine area Grand Junction/ Fruita was, but there are about 20 wineries in the area! While we didn't make it to all of them, we will be sharing the ones we did make it too- as well as all the great hiking options- in our next Road Talk Tuesday. Subscribe over on YouTube, so you don't miss it!! 

Read All the Books

One thing I am loving about our road life is how much more I have been reading!! I am a HUGE reader, but when were back in Orlando I would maybe make it through one book a month (two if I was lucky). Not only are we listening to audio books together on travel days (yay for the free Audible trial and the fact that we can listen to the last two Harry Potter books for free before deciding if we want to commit), but I am also reading every morning as a work break between teaching and blogging, etc. I just finished The Lake House, The Hypnotist's Love Story, and Low Pressure. I just started reading The Woman in Cabin 10 and am already engrossed!! 



~The Lake House~ While it took me a second to get into this one, by the end I was sobbing! It was very good. I haven't read a lot of Australian authors, so I think the writing style is what took me a second to get used to, but it really is a wonderful book filled with mystery and the ripple effect that our choices can have. 
~The Hypnotist's Love Story~ a mix of romance, a splash on intrigue, but mostly just a sweet story perfect for a bit more a light-hearted read between heavier books. Though it does involve a stalker, this book was probably the lightest I have read in a while. I really enjoyed it though!! 
~Low Pressure~ Sandra Brown is one of my go-to authors mostly because, while her books are fairly similar in tone to one another, they have a way of completely sucking me. This one was actually more unexpected than I was intending. A mystery surrounding an unsolved murder; the book actually takes place 18 years later when the younger sister of the murdered teen sets in motion a course of events to try to figure out what happened. It's romance novel, meets murder mystery, but perfect for a book that really just allows you to lose yourself without too much thought! And now, one of you will get to read it! 

I usually hoard all my books (there are currently tons in boxes at my parents)! 
However, I have been working on this whole "becoming a minimalist" thing, so instead of holding onto my books I am going to start sharing them here. 
As I finish a book I will be giving it away to one of you (next up: The Woman in Cabin 10; once I finish). 
Want the chance to read Low Pressure?! 
Just enter the giveaway below!! 

Book Giveaway || Sandra Brown Low Pressure

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And that's a little catch-up on where we have been and what we have been doing recently! 
What's going on in your world right now?! 
Any books you are loving lately?! I'm always on the lookout!! 

16 comments:

  1. Wow, Colorado looks like such a beautiful place to explore! Happy friday!

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  2. I would love to go to Colorado. I have never been but I think I need to add it to my bucket list.

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  3. I love "living" through y'all on your travels out west. Would love to go the path you are traveling now. One day!

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  4. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us. I love travel and reading even if it is from a car wash! Lol.

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    1. Haha!! No better place to add something new to the bucket list!

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  5. Ahh! What fun! I've been dying to read some of these books!

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    1. They were all good in their own ways! Hope you get to knock one out soon!

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  6. My husband and I are contemplating a road trip to either Colorado or the Grand Canyon in July... I'll keep your suggestions in mind!

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  7. The distillery looks like so much fun! We’ve always wanted to go!

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  8. I love all this! And I so wish I could read all those books! They look wonderful!

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  9. Colorado is an amazing state. I love audibles, recently listen to the alienist. It was an amazing book

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  10. Hey, I discovered this town last winter myself! We were living in Kansas City, and I decided to take ski lessons and then we went skiing on our own a couple of times! On one visit we tried a local coffee shop, and on another visit we ate at O'Malley's Pub! Definitely worth visiting this hidden Missouri gem!

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  11. Love that you're taking a moment to highlight the smaller places you're visiting as well! It's easy to forget about them in between the amazing national park sites and things like that!

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