SEVEN STATES, LITTLE SLEEP AND THOUSANDS OF MILES LATER

SEVEN STATES, LITTLE SLEEP AND THOUSANDS OF MILES LATER

"Traveling... it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller."  ~ IBN Battuta


I've written before how much I love living smack-dab in the middle of North Carolina ~ we're only about 4 hours from the beach and 1.5 hours from the mountains... and less than 15 minutes to North Carolina's largest man-made body of water - Lake Norman (where I jokingly kid was a place I lived for 12 years too long). Even after being able to mark off SEVEN additional states on my "been-there-and-done-that" map this summer, there is STILL nowhere I'd rather live than in my beautiful Old North State. Carolina is always on my mind!

See the original post HERE

With that being said, I was unbelievably moved SO many times to the point of {ecstatic} tears during our southwest trip. It's completely humbling, because I learned what a tiny place it is that I actually occupy in this great big, wide world!

To try to illustrate everything I've seen and everything I remember seems almost impossible. I wanted to document so much of our 10-whole-days and had every intention to share daily blog posts. It just didn't happen. I was so caught up in each moment and enthralled by every minute of every mile. There are no words to adequately describe my experience, nor any photos that can give these places any sort of justice. I think you just have to stand at the base of those majestic Tetons or wind through switch-back paths of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon. ~ And speaking of the Grand Canyon... I am failed of words to explain the beauty of that unforgettable Arizona landmark ~ nor the emotions it brings over you.

From the moment we landed in Phonenix, AZ to when we headed home from Bozeman, MT, I was literally 'wowed' at every.single.turn. Being not just among... but embraced.... by all of these Mother Nature masterpieces for 10 days seems hardly enough now. When telling people about our trip, I find myself saying "... only there for 10 days". Truth be told, I'm not 100% certain that spending 2 weeks in each location would be fitting to explore all their beauty.

Since our Epic Summer Journey, I've only seen about half of the beautiful states in the US at this point and these are truly some of the most beautiful I've ever laid my eyes upon. I have a new understanding of the words "mountains" and "mesmerizing".

If I was inspired by my wanderlust before this trip... it is definitely tenfold now!

Check out our trip below:
See Day 1, Day 2 {P1}, Day 2 {P2}, Day 3 {P1} Day 3{P2}, Day 3{P3} Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7{P1}, Day 7{P2} Day 8 and Days 9-10)

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." ~ Marcel Poust

Cheers, y'all!!

xoxo