Google the word spontaneous and I’m positive my picture will pop up. I’m always looking for an adventure; so when the idea of a family road trip came to mind, I did everything possible to make it happen! You see, being an entrepreneur and a business owner has many advantages, but one of the disadvantages is there’s no one to tell you, “Go home, we don’t pay overtime!” Since late 2009, the majority of my energy and time has gone into creating an unforgettable experience for our wonderful clients and getting my business to where I want it to be- that left no time for a vacation. I’m beyond blessed with a supportive family and an amazing husband that, besides working a full-time job, also spends his ‘free time’ helping me reach that goal. But I must admit, burn out was in our future and the consequences of such fate are not too pleasant.

At the beginning of this year we took a step back and got some clarity. We penciled in actual days ‘off’ for the year and for the first time ever, penciled in a vacation during the first week of July. At that time, we had no clue what we would do that week and I doubted we’d actually make it happen- which makes this vacation extra special. Not only did we take time to spend with family and recharge, but we reached a goal we set and that tastes pretty darn good!

[quoteLeft]Happiness is a way of travel- not a destination.[/quoteLeft]

In a matter of hours, we decided to hop into our car and drive up the east coast to visit friends, family, and create some adventures! Our wanderings brought us to the gorgeous streets of Savannah, Georgia where pecan pralines had me at hello. We celebrated Khaled’s birthday with balloons and ding dongs while jamming to our favorite tunes in the car! On our way to New York and New Jersey, we passed through South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, D.C., Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Spending 36 hours on the road with my family is definitely the highlight of my summer.

We were so excited to spend the forth of July holiday with my brother and his family in New Jersey and do some sight-seeing in New York but nothing prepared us for the unforgettable memories we would create. I was even able to sneak in some time to meet with one of our sweet couples, visit our beautiful October wedding venue and see my super-talented and wonderful friend, Kathy Romero. I’m in awe with her husband’s ability to make veggies taste sinful (let’s not discuss his yummylicious margaritas) and her amazing curry chicken!

Feeling adventurous, Khaled brought along his Nikon D7000 and filmed snippets of our trip. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that my hubby created this beautiful recap of our experience in just a few hours.

We had such an amazing time, we’re already planning our next road trip. California, here we come!


Music – All Those Pretty Lights (Alternate Universe Version) performed by Andrew Belle – licensed through The Music Bed.

The next two collections of images were all taken with my iPhone: