Hi Reader!

I allowed myself to slow down and gave myself a little break last week, but we're back with a bunch of goodies.

I hope you're doing amazing this week ✨ Let's dive in!

Adventures

With cooler weather upon us, it often feels like the time to stay indoors and cozied up with a good book and some hot cocoa. ☕️ It's easy to forget that this is the best time to visit some of our incredible National Parks!

If you're looking for the perfect outdoor destinations this winter, take some inspiration from this list. You'll get to avoid the peak season crowds, enjoy milder weather, and possibly see stunning views with a dusting of snow.

🌵 Joshua Tree: Daytime highs remain in the 60s throughout the winter, but nighttime gets close to freezing. You will see many rock climbers taking advantage of the colder (less sweaty) weather this time of year!

🏜️ Zion: Utah in the winter is magical -- and much less crowded. Zion typically remains above freezing during the day, but can dip well below overnight. Keep in mind the shuttle system closes from December until March, except during December 21-30 for the holidays.

🧂 Death Valley: Why not visit the hottest place on earth when it's not so hot? I can attest to the unbelievable heat having visited just two days before these record breaking temperatures in 2021 (130.0°F or 54.4°C!!). Winter is wonderfully mild and empty, with the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas being especially crowd-free.

🏔️ Yosemite: I may be biased because Yosemite is easily in my top three National Parks, but it's worth experiencing in every season. The northern part of the park will be closed off due to snow, but the valley is exceptionally beautiful in the winter, especially if you can catch it with some snow.

🥾 Grand Canyon: Like the desert parks listed above, The Grand Canyon makes the perfect winter adventure getaway. Home to many long and strenuous hikes, the cooler weather makes these treks more enjoyable and safer. Seeing the canyon walls with a layer of snow is worth the visit alone! Keep in mind only the South Rim is open during these times.

What adventures do you have planned this winter?

Shoutouts

This week's shoutout goes to Angela of @angela.rreynoso! Her posts vary between daily life and life on the road -- and I love the balance she has between the two.

Recently, she has been sharing her travels in Mexico. Not only does she share the big destinations, but the little moments of getting food from street vendors and taking dance lessons. Her page is always happy and colorful and leaves me feeling a little lighter. 😌

Munchies

Soup season is fully underway and I am embracing it like never before. The soup of the week has been a creamy butternut squash recipe that's super easy to remix and make your own. The best part of soup making is that they come together with minimal prep, dishes, or hands-on time.

Here's a recipe similar to what we've been making.

The gist of it is to peel and roast your butternut squash with a chopped yellow onion until soft. You can also do this on a stovetop, but we find roasting adds a nice flavor and can be thrown in and left while it takes care of itself. Add other veggies to the mix if you'd like; carrot works great.

Then simply blend your cooked veggies with some salt, pepper, garlic, ginger, and herbs. We've been throwing in a few leaves of sage for an extra cozy, fall flavor. Use an immersion blender in a large pot to make things even easier.

To serve, top with pepitas, extra black pepper, chopped parsley, or a drizzle of olive oil or heavy cream. 😋

On My Mind

The past couple months have been all about productivity, getting my schedule back in check, and focusing on work. It wasn't until a friend asked how long it had been since I'd gotten outside just for the joy of it that I realized how long it had been.

Most of my hikes, backpacking trips, and road trips serve the purpose of my enjoyment, but also as material for content to be shared. It's been quite a while since I've hit the trail with the sole purpose of taking in the fresh air and observing my surroundings. While content creation doesn't take up the entirety of a trip, my mind remains in "content creator mode" as I'm constantly on the lookout for photo ops and tips to share online later.

With that in mind, I'm being more intentional about planning at least one outing each month that doesn't involve anything for content. I'm looking forward to spending more time with friends, my boyfriend, Pico, or my own thoughts.

When was the last time you did something you love just for the sake of it? How about having an afternoon or entire day of self-care activities? 🧖🏻‍♀️

Reading

I have a few books to catch up on, so I'll keep each of them brief.

First, Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne was a fascinating read. Patric had always known something about her was different from her classmates, but it wasn't until first hearing the word "sociopath" that she started to piece it together. She spent much of her adulthood trying to learn more about how her mental space differed from the people around her, and how she could still live a normal, loving, and fulfilling life. In this memoir, she shares her journey and offers advice to others who believe they may also fall along the antisocial spectrum. I give it 4 stars out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Second, Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner is a collection of case studies from her many years as a psychologist. Gildiner shares experiences with patients she describes as being "heroes" for various reasons. They each endured unimaginable horrors in their lives, coming out the other side of therapy with a better understanding of their traumas and how to move forward. Some of their stories will stick with me for a long time. I give this one 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Third, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker is a self-help book for changing one's mindset toward money, allowing them to build and maintain wealth. This was all the parts of "money mindset guru" stuff that I don't enjoy without a lot of concrete steps to take. It could have been a short blog post that I would have skimmed and promptly forgotten about. This was a 2-star read for me ⭐️⭐️

Last, I checked off If It Bleeds by Stephen King from my reading list. This is a collection of short stories, including the title story "If It Bleeds," which was my favorite of the bunch. None of these were particularly scary, but I'm drawn to King's writing more for his writing style than hoping to get my socks scared off. I like that he injects parts of himself in his characters, such as the author featured in "Rat." This was a solid 4-star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out all my book reviews on Goodreads if you want to see what else I've been reading!

Everything Else

This is the face of someone who just got her butt kicked by a kettlebell workout.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I'm mixing up my workout routine by trying out different classes. Climbing continues to be my main activity, but I've been wanting to incorporate more structured strength training and cardio into my weeks. Here's my mini review of everything I've tried out so far.

🏋🏻‍♀️ Circuit Class: 9/10 - Love the variety. This has been a fun way to get into strength training without anything too intimidating. Great workout.

🚴🏻‍♀️ Spin: 8/10 - It's been a couple years since I've done any spin classes and they're still one of my least dreaded forms of cardio lol.

🥧 Pilates: 4/10 - I did tons of pilates at home, especially during Covid lockdowns, but this was my first time attending a class. Honestly, I didn't love it and prefer doing my pilates at home or attending yoga classes.

🔔 Kettlebell Class: 8/10 - The class I took was glute focused and omg. It was the most difficult class so far, in a good way. I'd love to do this once every week or two and try out other classes with specific muscle group focuses.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Yoga: 10/10 - The entire reason I've been trying different studios and gyms is that I wanted to find the right fit of yoga classes. Happy to report this new studio I'm visiting has an amazing variety of classes that are sure to keep me challenged for quite a while.

I debated whether or not it made sense to have a second gym membership on top of my climbing gym, but I'm glad I gave it a try. Besides, of all the things I can spend money on, investing in my health is a decision I won't regret.

Last thing -- Wondery is having a huuuge holiday sale right now with tons of items up to 60% off! I snagged a few things for myself too and have wearing them to all these workout classes I'm trying.

My current favorites are the Rebecca Belay Pant, Jacinto Offwidth Bra, and Juniper Camp Jumpsuit -- all of which I got during the sale!

My code APRILB will give you an additional 20% off on anything you buy! Plus, it helps support me and my pages, so thank you 🫶🏻

Sending you lots of love this week. I'll catch you in the next one ✌🏻

Happy adventuring,

💚A