For us, living on the central coast of California, most of our favorite spots involve a short walk to the ocean.

Quality family time is so important and can seem hard to acquire sometimes. Even if you make real effort not to be consumed with activities during the week, life happens. Doctor appointments, sport practices, late nights at work…the list goes on.

There were experiences in my childhood that shaped the way I now view the rest of my life. Moments in time that pointed me to interests that, years down the road, would become passions. Weeks spent with my grandparents as a kid in Tennessee, bathing their horse or walking down to their garden to pick vegetables, had a lasting impression on me.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of my family leaving our North Carolina home to settle down on the central coast of California. I knew our three-week, cross country road trip was going to be an incredible journey. After all, with only a few suitcases, two adults, four kids, and a dog packed in our Land Cruiser, we were bound to have adventures.