Melissa | Happy Place Creatives

SPRING cleaning/organizing,/de-cluttering….your life.

Posted on March 19, 2019March 22, 2019 by Melissa

Spring is upon us…FINALLY!!! Who else didn’t think that winter was EVER going to end? (I have both hands raised!!) I for one, have been miserable this winter! I am just over cold weather completely. So, to say I’m excited about SPRING, is an understatement!

With the warmer weather we get to enjoy so many things that we’ve been missing for months, such as birds singing, flowers blooming, the colors green and blue… lol It’s the little things that bring such happiness back into our souls and brighten our spirits.

SPRINGTIME and SUNSHINE!!
Makes me so happy, I wet my plants!!

This is a popular time of year to do a deep cleaning in your home as well. That’s why they call it ‘spring cleaning’ I guess! I hate cleaning my house, but I do love the way it looks when it’s done. And there is something about cleaning in the spring when you can finally open your windows and let some fresh spring air in. Even when I don’t plan a ‘spring cleaning’ it usually just kind of happens on one of those beautiful days where the breeze is blowing in, the sun is shining, and the music is pumpin. This year, we have actually tentatively planned our attack, though. Micah and I are taking a few extra days off during the kids’ spring break and the entire family will be tackling this chore. I’m hoping to only spend one full day doing it. Between the five of us, should be no problem, right? (Although that’s on a list of many things we want to do… so I guess it will depend on our other distractions that week… lol)

WHY CAN’T WE JUST HIRE SOMEONE TO CLEAN
SO WE CAN HAVE MORE FUN!?!?!

Besides the deep cleaning inside the house, it’s also a good time to think about de-cluttering and minimizing your life as well. Spring weather, brings garage sale season too. No better time to start going through closets and getting rid of clothes that the kids (and adults ?) have outgrown or just no longer wear. (Good rule of thumb, if you haven’t worn it in two or more years, get rid of it! Or, a better way to judge is if it has dust on it…it’s time to go!)

I didn’t wait until spring to start this project. I purged my closet in January. Eliminated at least 1/3 of my clothes plus several pairs of shoes. After I did it, the whole family followed suit! I didn’t wait until spring for garage sale season either. I gave a lot of stuff away, some to friends and family, some were donated to charities or churches. What was left was grouped into sizes and sold on facebook. I am a member of several local ‘garage sale’ groups on there and it worked very well for me. It was nice to make a little extra money on the side and it is very satisfying to get rid of stuff you don’t need.

(HINT: If you aren’t familiar with facebook garage sales, just go onto facebook, click on the ‘f’ in the top left corner, you will see a large menu on the left side. Go down to ‘explore’ and click ‘groups’. Look for garage sale groups. It will show you groups in your area. You will have to request to join, but once you are approved you will be able to buy and sell from there. Feel free to join multiple groups in your area to maximize your exposure when you sell and buy.)

Please excuse my painted floor…… it’s also an art studio!

I’ll admit, I haven’t gone through my closet, or any part of the house, like that in a LONG time. Definitely not something I do every spring. (I used to be better at it with the kids’ closets when they were younger, but once theirs were done, I didn’t want to do any more! lol) However, this winter I was watching a lot of documentaries on minimalism and I am HOOKED!!! It was really eye opening to me, watching these, I realized how much ‘stuff’ we have around here that we do not use and do not need.

Just because we have a house with a basement, means we have the space to store extra stuff, does not mean that we should have extra stuff. We have things down there that have been stored away for the entire 14 years we’ve lived in this house! We have stuff from our childhood, our school days, our wedding…WHY!!?? It’s all stuff that gets looked at each time you move, and that’s about it. So I decided it was time to eliminate the stuff we don’t need!

We would like to move eventually anyway, so why not get a jump on it. When we move, we want a much smaller house than we have now anyway, so we this is a good way to start deciding what the most important things are, and letting other stuff go.

Once the closets were done, I moved on to the biggest beast of all…that basement!! Besides the large area that’s just extra stuff, my art studio is down there. It had become 1500 sq ft of madness over the past year or so, so I knew it was going to be a huge undertaking.

I started with the clothes that had just been removed from the 5 closets in the house. I separated them all into piles based on sizes, seasons, & gender. I also had a “DONATE” and “TRASH” box. I’d say at least half of the stuff went into one of those two boxes. I took pics of the rest, for facebook selling, then organized them into labeled boxes so they were put away but easy to find when sold.

Then we moved onto the stuff we had stored away in totes on shelves for 14 years. We had kept so much stuff from our wedding, like all the cards, our napkins, matchbooks, etc. Again…WHY? We even had fake flowers, and ribbons/bows off of presents in there! LOL After going through all of that and our stuff from our childhood, we were able to condense what was left into just two totes instead of 4+.

I started a Coca-Cola collection as a teenager. I love the stuff still, but I have not displayed it or actively collected since I met Micah in 1998. I don’t see myself every really displaying it again, or at least not all of the things I have. So I decided it’s time to let that go as well. I got it all out, set up a spot in the basement to display it temporarily and started posting on facebook. I’ve sold some things already… but my dad loves the stuff too and hates to see it go. I haven’t been pushing the sales too much yet, because I still consider boxing it all up and giving it to him. Maybe I’ll sell half and give him the rest. ??? Anyway… that’s still up in the air. But since I was torn on that subject, I moved on….

WOW!!!! How did I even work in this space???

to the art studio!!! You see what a hot mess this section was in the photos here. It was to the point where I just had a small path to walk around my work table, and I was usually tripping over stuff! I had let it get way out of control!! Probably why I wasn’t going down there to create as much anymore. I felt like I was boxed in…in chaos!

I started out by organizing all of my completed paintings that are for sale. (I have hundreds!) Most of them are from classes I’ve taught. These paintings are different to me than my ‘artwork’. With these, my purpose was to teach others to paint. It’s not me, pouring my soul onto the canvas, it’s me teaching you how to hopefully be able to do that on your own someday. While I do love teaching others, I don’t feel that these are the same as when I just go create a piece just for the fun of it. Therefore, I refer to and price them differently. So, ‘paintings’ from classes were separated into different piles based on size and priced very low. The ‘artwork’ went onto the walls, until I ran out of space. Then I made more piles, but it is all on a different table now. (That’s just for my benefit) At this point, it was already starting to look much better

Then I moved on to my work area. I looked at stuff on shelves first. Pulled the items off that I no longer use and set them aside. Now I had room to put stuff that was on the floor on shelves, and again set stuff aside that I didn’t need or want. I threw away a lot of stuff, and I have a lot of stuff to get rid of. Slowly selling it on facebook, but I will probably have an actual garage sale soon as well. I was surprised at how quickly I got this place back into shape. I still have a few things to organize and some changes I’m going to make, but it’s SOOO MUCH BETTER already! Now I just need to get better lighting down there. It is so bad. I’ve been using a photographer light on an easel for lighting… it’s not the best, but it’s what I have to work with for now. (I’d love something fun n funky like this, from 1-800-Lighting…)

'before' pic of the art studio — *Before*

After I reorganized the art studio. — This is where our creative magic happens, after I reorganized.

It does still look a bit messy, but that’s because there’s paint all over the floor. LOL And that table is full of WIPs (works in progress) They are all pieces that have acrylic paint and epoxy resin. It takes a lot of supplies for these, but it’s organized chaos. The kids and I have been making a lot of things with resin lately. I need to cut them off, because we have used a 1/2 gallon of resin in less than a month already! The stuff isn’t cheap. But it’s SO fun to use! (We will be making videos of us making resin, once we get our lighting upgraded. Stay tuned!!) If you’d like more info on resin, how it works, etc, click here. I buy mine on Amazon or Ebay.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrIipEKhqvD/

This is one of my resin pieces I made.
It’s going to an art show in California in September, with two others. 🙂

As you can see, I still have a lot of stuff I need to get rid of, but getting it all organized was the first step. I will be posting more about ‘THE purge” as I progress with it. In the meantime, think about your own home, and ask yourself if there are things you simply don’t need, or use anymore. What can you get rid of? I’m not saying you should get rid of anything that means something to you, but if it’s something that you don’t enjoy as much anymore, especially if it’s something that could bring you some money, honey! It is something to consider.

If it’s not being used, why not sell it
and let someone else enjoy it while
you free up space in your life and
add some money to your pocket (or vacation fund!)

Comment below if you need to purge or have recently purged any part of your home… or life. 🙂 Also, let me know if you’re interested in buy any of my art or art supplies. Making great deals!

If you need to purchase some comfy clothes to do all of your cleaning in,
or for that new exercise routine you’re going to start…
here is a coupon for active wear on Ebay. (Just remember, you’re purging, so for each new item you buy, retire something old to make room for it. 😉

This blog contains affiliate links for products I love.
Clicking these links when you’re ready to purchase gets us a small commission, at no additional cost to you. This helps us continue creating our happy and sharing it with all of you! Thanks for your support. <3

Join our email list today!

Posted on March 14, 2019March 22, 2019 by Melissa

Hello and welcome to our new blog! We’d love for you to join our email list so that you never miss a blog post. When you join you will be eligible for discounts and special insider tips from us and many of our favorite partners and products. (and we promise, we won’t bombard you with daily emails, spam you or share your info with anyone. This is just to keep US connected to YOU.) 🙂

Just for joining before 3/25/19 receive a discount code to save 20% on this paint brush set with carrying case and palette knife from Benicci.

Melissa’s cheesy garlic bread

Posted on February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 by Melissa

Any meal that is served with a side of french bread in this house is a family favorite! Any excuse for them to get this bread, is always a treat! I’m not a big fan of bread, but it’s fun to make and I know how much they love it!

Take a loaf of french bread from your local bakery.
Slice it long ways down the middle.
Cover each side with butter.
Drizzle with light EVOO
Sprinkle with Lawry’s Garlic Salt (Or you may substitute a Garlic Powder)
Sprinkle with basil and oregano
cover with shredded and grated Parmesan cheese and some shredded cheddar and mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, then turn on broiler for a few minutes to help melt the cheese.

Pictures coming soon!

Triple meat and mucho veggies Lasagna

Posted on February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 by Melissa

Lasagna is one of our all time family favorites and one of my favorite things to make. Sometimes when I plan my grocery list I ask my kids for meal ideas and then they help me cook on the night I make their favorites. Max picks lasagna a lot, so he obviously likes to help make it too, and he especially loves eating it! Here is my lasagna recipe. I put meat in mine, but it has so many veggies in it, you could easily leave the meat out and make a very yummy veggie lasagna. (Let me know if you try it this way!)

Triple Meat and veggie lasagna

Ingredients:
2 tsp EVOO
1 lb. Ground Chuck
1 lb. Ground Italian Sausage
1/2-1 green bell pepper – diced
3-6 red, yellow & red mini peppers – diced
4-6 mushrooms – diced
1 medium onion – diced
6 cloves garlic – diced
1 medium carrot – diced
15 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato paste
15 oz. can diced fire roasted tomatoes or 6 fresh diced Roma tomatoes
1 tsp each basil, oregano, parsley
1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
no boil lasagna noodles (I usually use 9)
16 oz cottage or ricotta cheese
16 oz mozzarella cheese
1-2 cups Parmesan cheese (I use grated and shredded)
sliced pepperoni
1 cup water or red wine

Not sure about adding veggies?? My kids used to be picky about eating vegetables when they were little, so when I first started adding veggies to this, and many other recipes, I would dice them all in my Ninja first so they were so tiny, the kids didn’t know they were in there. Once they ate it and loved it, I started dicing them myself, so that they were bigger chunks and makes it so colorful too! It all depends on how big or small you want your veggies. (I love my Ninja, btw… if you don’t have one, I recommend it!)

Directions:
Brown sausage and ground chuck in skillet with 2 tsp EVOO.
Add diced veggies (except tomatoes) to skillet while meat is browning.
Add garlic towards the end of the browning process.
Drain grease once meat is browned.
Add water or preferably red wine to pan and scrape up any bits from bottom with a wooden or nylon spoon.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir.
Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350

In 9 x 13″ casserole dish, layer noodles, meat mixture, pepperoni, cottage cheese, mozzerella, parm. Repeat until meat mixture is gone. I usually do three layers. 3 noodles on each layer.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

serve piping hot with fresh garlic bread.

Time saving tips:
Sauce can be made the night before to allow flavors to marry longer.

Lasagna is also a great meal that you can make ahead of time if you do meal prep one day per week.

It also freezes well, so sometimes I will make two in one night, so I can freeze one for a future easy meal night.

Brown sausage and ground chuck in skillet with 2 tsp EVOO.

Add diced veggies (except tomatoes) to skillet while meat is browning.
Add garlic towards the end of the browning process.

We didn’t have enough lasagna noodles, even though I was sure I had checked before shopping. UGH. Oh well, we improvised with some fettucine noodles! 🙂

Layer noodles, meat mixture, cottage/ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni, then repeat layers.

OH SO CHEESY!!! Lasagna recipe — OH SO CHEESY!!!

We like our cheese nice and browned. Just bake yours
until the cheese is melted the way you like it.

Enjoy!
We like ours with my cheesy garlic bread. Click here for the recipe.

Our adults only trip to Punta Cana.

Posted on February 22, 2019March 8, 2019 by Melissa

In 2016 we were invited to go to Punta Cana with a group of 10 other adults. Thanks to a bonus Micah got that year, we were able to make this happen and it was one of the best trips ever! We had such a great time together as a couple, and as a group. We were celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday, so he did all of the planning for this trip. This was weird for me, because I’m so used to being that planner! But it was kind of nice, to just sit back and wait until the day we left, besides clicking a link a few times to pay our portion. 🙂

We stayed at the magnificent Majestic Elegance Resort.

Just look how beautiful this place is! We got 5 star treatment the entire time.

Plenty of pools and cabanas for cooling off.

We highly recommend Majestic Resorts!! In Punta Cana, they also have Majestic Colonial & Majestic Mirage which is their newest and has five exclusive adult-only buildings (Mirage Club 18+) and two buildings for families with children at Family Club (all ages). A new resort will be opening in the Fall of 2019 in Playa Mujeres, Mexico as well!

Majestic Elegance Resort– Punta Cana is a 5 star all-inclusive resort that offers 6 restaurants to choose from and we tried them all! Our group was pretty laid back, for the most part, and every one was on their own time all day. So we would usually run into others from our group at breakfast, but not always. We would all end up together by afternoon, either by the pool or on the beach, where we would spend the day relaxing or joining in on the many activities they have each day. Then we’d get cleaned up and changed for dinner and meet up at a certain time for that every night.

Usually, after dinner we would hang out as a group. The resort has 10 bars so we never had any trouble finding a cool place to hang. Sometimes we would choose to relax in the lobby or piano bar. Outside at the Bar Plaza there was live music and dancing. There is also a casino and disco bar as well. After a few hours of dancing or chatting, everyone turned in for the night. But Micah and I are such night owls, we would walk the beach together, every night and goof off for another couple of hours.

We acted like teenagers at times, such a blast!

9 doors was our favorite restaurant! It’s a Japanese Steakhouse
where they cook in front of you.

9 doors restaurant at Majestic Elegance, Punta Cana

Fried Rice Heart - 9 Doors Restaurant - Punta Cana — Fried Rice Heart – 9 Doors Restaurant

We also loved “Il Bottaccio”, it’s an Italian place with amazing buffets. “Sea & See” definitely has the best view!

Click here to see all of the restaurants and bars that this resort has to offer.

Every day we enjoyed the many activities happening daily, by the pool and on the beach! All the guys (and sometimes the girls) would spend hours playing volleyball in the pool. I enjoyed the poolside dance lessons and it’s a good thing, because I was getting recruited by the girl who gives the lessons. Every day she would grab me and pull me over when it was time to start. She was so sweet and funny. 🙂

daily pool volleyball games were so fun!

There was ping pong table by one of the pool bars. They held daily tournaments. We got in on one and Micah took 2nd place for the guys…yours truly took 1st place in the girls tournament!!)

They also have daily exercises and dance lessons that you can join in on.

There was also a variety of exercise sessions and many different contests both poolside and on the beach. Believe me when I say there’s never a dull moment at a resort like this!

Plenty of floaties that are free to use! — The pools have plenty of floaties that are free to use!

Plenty of time and space to get much needed R & R

The rooms were so spacious and elegant! They all have very comfortable, California King, four poster canopy beds with lots of pillows, plus a ‘pillow menu’ with several different types of pillows to choose from. I tried several out before I decided on the perfect one or two to keep around. I never had a bad night’s sleep the entire trip, and I’m usually pretty picky about my pillow.

The beds were SO comfortable and they offer a
pillow menu with many choices to ensure you get a comfortable night’s sleep.

Each room also had robes, slippers and a jacuzzi tub. As well as a seperate walk-in shower with multiple jets and shower nozzles, above you and on the walls. The two sink vanity was separate from the shower and toilet, which was nice.

Daily fresh flowers left in our room. Majestic Elegance, Punta Cana — Daily fresh flowers left in our room made me smile.

Our beautiful room at Majestic Elegance, Punta Cana — Our beautiful room!

We had a bottle of champagne and fresh fruit waiting in the room when we arrived. Plus there is a mini fridge stocked with water and 4 different bottles of alcohol, which they will replace if you drink them all. We only opened one, so we brought all the others home with us. We were hardly in the room, so we usually were out having our drinks made for us at one of the 10 bars they have on site.

Did I mention the amazing cocktails that are included, all day, everyday!?!

For anyone interested in playing golf, the resort is located just 200 meters from Punta Blanca Golf Course. Included in the price of your stay is
1 free green fee for each guest staying in the main section of Majestic Elegance and 2 free green fees for Elegance Club guests
(*for a minimum stay of 5 nights)
Return transfer to the hotel lobby, Snacks and refreshments and Balls are all included.

*Mandatory Golf Cart fee of $45 usd per person.

This resort is a popular wedding destination too. We got to see a wedding during our stay, which was simply stunning.

In the middle of our trip we did a very fun excursion. We took a catamaran to Saona Island. On the way we stopped off at a natural sand bar. The beautiful clear blue water was only about knee deep and there were starfish everywhere! My only regret on this day was not having a water proof camera. No one got any good pics with the starfish, but was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. After that we went on to Saona Island where we enjoyed a BBQ lunch and cocktails that were included in the price. We had a couple more hours to relax on the beach before we boarded a speed boat to get back to the tour bus. I got my first massage on the beach that day too. It was not included in the price but I only paid $15 USD and it was more than worth it! Ok, so maybe the massage was the highlight…no wait, it was the speedboat! Nevermind… I can’t decide. The entire day was amazing!!

Guided activities and excursions can be booked on site at the resort.
(additional cost – provided by external agencies) Or check online for deals and discounts and book ahead of time.

Catamaran that took us to Starfish Island

This resort made this trip SO amazing!! It’s very hard to come back home after being treated so well for 5 days. To wake up, go eat breakfast by the beach, that someone else cooked for you while sipping Mimosas. Then relax in the sand, play in the surf, while sipping cocktails from coconuts. Fun and games by the pool and on the beach all day. Then fancy dinners at night! What more could you ask for?

Although this was an adults only trip for us, the resort itself is not adults only. They have plenty of family activities, live shows, Kid’s club and a game are for teens with pool tables, foosball, ping-pong and darts. We’d love to go back sometime and take the whole family.

Have you ever been on an all-inclusive trip? If so, where to? What places do you recommend?

Moving Goals

Posted on February 22, 2019February 28, 2019 by Melissa

It’s NO SECRET that we hate cold weather! The older Micah and I get, the more we hate it. Since Micah moved here from L.A. in 1995, he’s always wanted to get back out there! Not to L.A. exactly, but somewhere in SoCal. We love the Oceanside/Carlsbad area. Micah lived in cities near there before and now my best friend from high school happens to live there so moving there would be awesome!! But also would consider any nearby towns, even if they are a bit further from the beach than those two.

The kids are all so artistic and they are all interested in performing arts as well, so moving to California would be great for them if they decide to pursue anything in the field. (They are all interested in acting. Max and Macy would make great comedians. Macy wants to write and direct as well. Max would also make a great stunt double.)

We have actually been looking into real estate out there a lot over the past couple of years. Yes….. it is EXPENSIVE! Although, I have found some pretty decent deals. The problem for us is finding something with 4 bedrooms, that’s just not the norm out there, so when you find them, they aren’t cheap!. BUT, I am confident if we decide to move there we will find some great deal on the perfect place for us.

We have also considered moving to the Sacramento area, near Folsom, CA. Micah has a lot of family there and his siblings and parents are possibly considering moving back there as well. It would be pretty nice to live near more Cains, since we’ve always lived near my family, and rarely see his.

Another state I’ve considered is Texas. Freeport and Port Arthur, TX both made the list of the 15 cheapest U.S. beach towns to live in. I’ve never visited, but between my research in beach towns and friends that are familiar with Texas who say there are a lot of ‘artsy’ towns there…I’m definitely intrigued with Texas. I have one friend, from Indiana who has lived in Texas before and recently moved back there, and other friends who are moving to Houston in a couple of weeks!

I would love to do something REALLY adventurous and move to the Caribbean! There are so many reasons why! Real Estate is cheap. The lifestyle is so laid back. Weather is nice year round. I could go on and on!

I have been researching this for a few months now, after getting hooked on “Caribbean Life” and other shows like it. Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve found.

As of Nov 2018. The cheapest places to live in the Caribbean are:

Aruba is not on the list of the cheapest, but it is the one that’s least likely to be hit by hurricanes. Check out the rest of the list here.

Of the list of the cheapest, Dominican Republic also makes the list of islands who have the best healthcare. Puerto Rico is also on the list. Check out this article on NBC News to find out more about healthcare in the Caribbean.

When we talk about moving to the Caribbean, many of our friends have asked if we realize how dangerous it is. Especially when I mention Honduras and the DR, because they are both known to have high murder rates. However, just like in the U.S. or any place else, there are safe areas and not so safe areas to live. Think about where you live, you most likely have areas that you are aware of, near you, that are known to be less safe than others. Just like you probably wouldn’t choose to live in one of those less safe areas near you, you also wouldn’t move to an island and then choose to live in the slums. You would find a nice Ex-Pat community, where you will be safe, but still live like a local.

Check out this article on the
safest and most dangerous places in the Caribbean.

Here’s another specifically about Roatan, Honduras.

And another article on the top 30 most dangerous places in the U.S. as well. I found it very interesting that besides three cities in California,
nd one in Texas, all others are in the Midwest, South and Eastern states! Indiana has two cities on the list and one is Indianapolis,
which is basically ‘around the corner’ from us.

As of right now, my top three Caribbean locations to move to would be Roatan , Honduras , Utila , Honduras, and Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. Since we’ve been to the DR already, we’d love to visit the two islands in Honduras, soon, so we can see how it measures up. I can’t wait until the day we get to actually look into real estate there! My dream is to buy something that has rental potential, like a little mini resort or a house with little casitas that we can rent out. Like this one!

For those of you who may be wondering about the kids…they are on board with the idea of moving. My sincere hope is that we can move by next year. 2020. I have to put this in the Universe as often as I can, so here it is for the Universe to see! I WANT TO MOVE BY 2020! Of course I wanted to move in 2019 as well, so I’m ok with pushing it back, if necessary, but you gotta start with goals! Right?

I know I talk a lot about the Caribbean, and even my deadline, but overall, I just know I’d like to move SOMEWHERE warm, sometime SOON… At this point, I’m just putting it out there and doing what I can to make it happen.

Always open to suggestions on places to move as well as moving tips!

Would you ever consider moving to another town?
If so, where would you go?
What are your thoughts about moving to the Caribbean
or to any other country?

How I planned our Epic Road Trip

Posted on February 15, 2019March 22, 2019 by Melissa

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of taking a road trip out west. Once Micah and I got together, we made several trips out there, by plane, to visit family and friends. I had been to Oregon, took a day trip up to Washington once. We had visited Sacramento, San Francisco and Lake Tahoe in California. These were all amazing trips, but I never wanted to move to any place I’d visited (except the Caribbean) until I fell in love with Southern California when I visited for the first time in 2014. Ever since then I’ve talked about moving out there.

My kids were not at all liking the idea of us moving away from Indiana, but I do not at all like the idea of staying in Indiana. SOOOO, I decided that we needed to get them out to California so they could see how beautiful and fun it is there. Along the way we wanted them to be able to see some of the amazing sights that this country has to offer, as well

I decided It was finally time to take that long awaited road trip out west. My parents had always wanted to make a trip like that as well, so we began our planning progress by inviting them to go along.

Our plan began with “what is the cheapest way to get us to Cali?” Our original thought on that was to drive there and camp along the way, then camp at the beach when we got there. Which is still a dream of mine, to camp at the beach as well as at some of the amazing places we visited on this trip. Ultimately, though, we didn’t end up doing the camping thing this time around. My parents have a camper, we do not. At the time we first began talking about this trip, their camper was big enough for all of us. By the time we actually took the trip, they had traded that one in on a fifth-wheel that is like a mini one bedroom apartment on wheels. It is very nice and perfect for them, but only sleeps 4, not 7. So that idea was out.

We looked into renting an RV as well. While renting RVs isn’t very expensive, they do have a mileage limit that is included, when you go over that, you pay extra per mile. For example: On Cruise America we could rent a 7 passenger RV for around $1260. 1400 miles is included, after that it’s 35 cents per mile. Our round trip was going to be about 1,000 more than that so add another $350 to that, plus taxes, fees, gas, and campsite rentals. (Beachside campsites were renting for $75-100/night.) We decided that this wasn’t really the cheapest way to go after all.

So we decided on a regular road trip, staying in hotels, VRBOs and homeaway rentals along the way.

In the car...at the beginning of an amazing adventure! 10/14/2017 — The beginning of an amazing adventure! 10/14/2017

Now that we had decided on how we would get there, we began discussing dates. I don’t remember exactly how or when we decided on the dates, but we ended up planning to do it over the kids’ fall break from school. (Which perfectly started the weekend of our wedding anniversary! We orignally planned to leave on Friday, the 13th! But ended up leaving Sat, 10/14/17…ON our 17th anniversary!) We took the entire two weeks off, so I had 14 days to play around with while deciding what we would see and do on our trip.

Around the beginning of the year, (or more realistically, around mid March; after all the kid’s bdays were over) I began the true planning! Time to decide all the fun places to visit along the way. To decide this, I just opened Google Maps and set my directions to Oceanside, CA. It showed at least three possible routes. Of course, I look at the shortest or fastest routes first. But I’m also checking what other states we will be passing through as well.

I also did a Google search and a facebook poll on
“Things to see on a road trip out west”.

Here are some of the suggestions we got:
Four corners
Grand Canyon
Route 66
Hoover dam
Meteor Crater
Southern Utah (Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon, Death Valley)
Survivor Tree in Oklahoma City
Petrified Forest
Pike’s Peak
Sequoia National Park
San Fransisco
Down the coastal highway
L.A.
Palm Beach
Las Vegas

I spent some time researching each of the suggested places. Of course I knew I wanted to visit most, if not all, of these places so I first added them all, just to see where we were at with that. Obviously that was going to take way too long so we needed to narrow down the list.

I showed the list to the family. The Four corners and Grand Canyon were places the kids MOST DEFINITELY knew they wanted to see. I had always wanted to see Vegas, and I knew we’d be close so we added that to the list. Once I looked up all the places in Southern Utah , I knew we had to go through those because they looked absolutely stunning. Colorado was another stop I wanted to make so our list was starting to take shape.

When I looked at the directions to Oceanside, it gave me two different route options. I liked the northern route because it went through Colorado and
Southern Utah. We wanted to take a different route home, so I originally planned to do the southern most route on the way home.

Once we had a tentative list of stops and basic routes chosen, I went back to Google Maps and started adding stops to my directions to Oceanside. (When you add stops, make sure you select the box that says “reorder my stops”, this will put them in the best order for driving from point A, to point B, to C, etc.)

Here was our original list of stops we wanted to make:
Four corners
Grand Canyon
Route 66
Hoover dam
Meteor Crater
Southern Utah (Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon, Death Valley)
Survivor Tree in Oklahoma City
Petrified Forest
coastal highway
Las Vegas

Once I plugged in all the stops, it seemed doable.

I started researching each of the places we wanted to visit. I would look at as much info as I could to see about how long I thought we would spend at each place. (Sometimes when I looked up a place, there was a box on the right with info in it that would have the average time spent there, but I would always still look myself and decide what we would want to do while there, to determine how long it might take us.)

My parents had a dog at the time that they couldn’t leave with anyone for very long because she had been having pretty bad seizures. So they decided they needed to take their dogs, so our trip had to include pet friendly places to stay and visit. That made it a bit of a challenge, but taking their dogs meant we might as well take Milo too, which saved us on pet sitting fees. I’m not going to lie, I loved the idea of taking Milo because I didn’t want to be away from him for two weeks. However, I would not have chosen to take him, if my parents weren’t going and taking theirs. I knew that if we couldn’t take the dogs, my parents were fine with keeping the dogs while we went exploring. So it was a win win. Micah did not agree. The main thing we argued about while planning the trip was the fact we were taking dogs. In the end, my parents wouldn’t have it any other way, so he did not win that one. lol

Max and Milo at the beginning of our Epic Road Trip.

We weren’t going to have much time to spend in each place, 1-2 days each. So first off, I had to eliminate some of the places on the Utah list because, even though I decided we’d stay two nights there instead of just one, it still wouldn’t be enough time to do it all. Antelope Canyon looks so amazing and I really hated to eliminate it, but I read that it takes a long time to get to the best parts of it, and we couldn’t take pets, plus my parents weren’t into hiking too much, so that was best saved for a time when it’s just us. We ended up choosing to visit Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park .
(We definitely want to take another trip to Southern Utah sometime to explore more of the places we missed and revisit Bryce and Zion! We could easily spend a week there!)

I knew I wanted to visit Colorado , but didn’t really have a preference of a certain city to visit. Just knowing we were going to be driving all the way through the state, in the Fall, was good enough for me, so I zoomed in on
Colorado and wrote down all the cities we we would driving through on the route I already had. My parents also had said they didn’t want to drive more than 8-9 hours each day, so I focused on things that were about 16-18 hours from home. I pretty quickly found that we would be going near The Great Sand Dunes National Park. Home of the countries largest dunes. Micah LOVES sand dunes so I knew that had to be the place to visit in CO. It also happens to be 18 hours away, so it was perfect!

Exploring at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

I spent LOTS of hours routing and re-routing our trip. Our goal was to spend at least 5 nights on the beach in California, once we got there. So that left the remaining 9 days to make our stops. We had finally narrowed down our list to just Colorado, Bryce canyon, Zion, Four Corners, Grand Canyon and Vegas. We also had to make one stop between home and CO. I researched things to see in Kansas and realized that The Wizard of Oz museum was on or pretty near our route. Since Makensie and my dad are huge OZ fans, I knew that would be a perfect pit stop for us on our first day. So Kansas made our route complete.

In the basket of a hot air balloon at the Oz Museum.

After researching the places we wanted to visit, we decided that most of the things we wanted to see were on the Northern Route. It didn’t make much sense to travel the Southern Route at all, so we decided to take the same route on the way out and way home. We wanted to stay 2 nights in Utah and 2 nights in Vegas, and only 1 night each in Kansas, Colorado, Arizona. Now we were at 7 nights… leaving 7 nights for California. I needed to work the route for 4 nights on the way out, then 7 in Cali, then 3 on the way home.

I worked and re-worked the route many times. I was having a hard time because the first night had to be Kansas, 2nd night Colorado, then Utah. But since we wanted two nights there, we were already at night 4 and still too far away from California to make it by night 5. To save Utah for the end would mean staying the first three nights in Kansas, Colorado, Arizona. Then a week in Cali, then 2 nights Vegas…2 nights Utah. WAIT…that won’t work either, unless we take the nights in Cali down to 5. Ok, that’s doable.

one of the long tunnels in the mountains near Zion NP

Then we started thinking about how exhausting Vegas can be. We didn’t really want to have a relaxing week on the beach and then go to Vegas on the way home. No matter how I routed it, Vegas had to be on the way out, but that wasn’t really working either.

Also it just seemed silly to pass some of our places on the way out, but not stop until the way home. And then it HIT ME!! Why not Rent a car and make the drive out…Take the entire first week to do all of our fun sightseeing, then spend a full week relaxing on the beach (with a day trip to L.A. in the middle) and then FLY HOME!! It was ultimately the best decision ever. It was such an amazing drive out there, especially once we got into Colorado and beyond. But it was SO nice to be able to just hop on a plane at the end of two amazing weeks and be home in 7 hours.

In the end, this was the itinerary I came up with:
Sat 10/14/17 Depart Indiana 5:00 AM
Visit Oz Museum – two hours – then drive 4 more hours; one night in Kansas.
Sun: Drive to Colorado, Visit Great Sand Dunes NP, Stay for one night.
Monday: Drive to Four Corners, then onto Utah. Check into Cabin.
Tuesday: Visit Bryce Canyon, stay 2nd night.
Wednesday: Visit Zion NP, then head to Arizona. Stay one night in AZ.
Bonus: We passed Horseshoe Canyon on the way so we got to make an extra stop to see it! Another amazing sight to see. 🙂
Thursday: Visit Grand Canyon, then head to Vegas!
Another Bonus: We jumped on Route 66 for a bit and found a really cool , very retro diner to eat at, called Goldie’s Route 66 Diner. They had great food at very reasonable prices.
Thursday evening: Check into hotel, visit Old Vegas.
Friday: relax by the pool, then visit the Vegas Strip at night. Stay 2nd night.
Saturday: Head to Cali!
Relax by the beach all week,
Trip to L.A. on Wednesday.
Fly home Saturday Oct 28.

Goldie's Route 66 Diner — Goldie’s Route 66 Diner

Now it was on to the VERY FUN task of looking for places to stay!

I like to scout out unique hotels and vacation rentals, so I planned ahead on where and when we’d be stopping, then looked for places near those areas. I love renting through VRBO,Airbnb and Homeaway, so I would always check them first. Since we have 5 people, we always need 2 hotel rooms or at least a roll away bed, and that gets cramped, so we usually opt for a second room, when we can. This time, we had 7 people and 3 dogs, so we definitely needed 2 rooms. In some cases, it was cheaper or as cheap to get a rental house all to ourselves compared to hotels. I did this when I could.

For Kansas, Colorado and Grand Canyon, I found such great prices on hotel rooms, so that ended up being the better option for those nights.

I found a really awesome Cabin in Utah on Airbnb for a great price. I always LOVE staying in Cabins, and I know my parents do as well, so I was specifically searching for a nice mountain cabin to chill in after a long day of hiking Bryce. This one was PERFECT! I has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. Sleeps 10 in beds! Nice second story deck as well as a smaller first level deck. Plenty of large windows to let the sunshine in and enjoy nature. There was a playset, fire pit and grill. Plus plenty of trails and wildlife around. When we go back to Utah, we’d love to stay here again!

We stayed in this very cool cabin in Utah called Eagle Crest at Duck Creek village.

For Vegas I wanted to stay in one of the casino hotels, so this one was going to be a bit of a splurge for us, where as all of the others I went for best price. We ended up letting the kids choose the hotel. I showed them a bunch of options that were within our budget and they chose The Golden Nugget which is on Fremont St. So we had the Fremont St. Experience right outside our hotel! IT WAS AMAZING!! The kids went out, but didn’t stay out there for long. They got a few laughs and decided to retreat back to the room. We escorted them up, then went back down for some fun. We got amazing street tacos, saw some awesome performances, and very much enjoyed people watching. You never know what you’ll see in Vegas!

You never know what you will see in Vegas! Especially at the Fremont Experience!

The second night, we went to The Strip to explore. We were so sad that the Bellagio fountain wasn’t working due to high winds. It had been a beautiful day, but that night it was so windy and cold, we didn’t stay out long. (I ended up going back to Vegas the following July for my best friend’s birthday, so I was able to see a little bit more of the city, including the fountains, but still I don’t feel like I’ve been able to spend enough time there either time I’ve been, and the kids loved it and want to go back, so we hope to make it back out there again!)

After that, it was on to Cali! I reserved the entire second week’s stay through HomeAway. We stayed at the “White Water Getaway” in Oceanside. This place accomplished my goal! The kids fell in love with this condo and with California! This place is the epitome of my dream beach home! It’s a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with an amazing view of the ocean and it’s just steps away from the beach! The kitchen is very spacious and fully stocked and shares the amazing view with the living room and balcony. I loved how the entire wall leading to the balcony was sliding glass doors. We had those doors open the entire time we were there, except when we were sleeping… oh wait, I slept on the couch a few nights and left them open…sooo, yeah, they were rarely closed that week! It was Heaven on Earth!

Our beach rental in Oceanside, CA — Our amazing beach rental in Oceanside, CA

We went grocery shopping on our first full day in California so we could stock up on snacks and buy some groceries so I could take advantage of cooking in this amazing kitchen while looking out at the ocean. If only I could have that every day! Hopefully someday!

I really had so much fun planning this trip and it was super exciting to finally be able to take the trip after six months of serious planning and looking forward to the adventure. I can’t wait to plan our next one! We are going to Lake Tahoe in July and I really would like to drive again. The kids are kinda feeling like they want to fly instead, but it all depends on what’s the cheapest way for us to go…I’d love to be able to make some more stops at some amazing places we would be passing on our drive. So we shall see what happens. We have 5 months to figure that out. And you better believe that I’ve been doing my research! 🙂 I am looking into renting and RV again, but I know it probably won’t be the cheapest way to go. Maybe we should just BUY an RV instead…. hmmmmm. (More on that later…)

Enjoy some more of our pics from the trip and
feel free to ask any questions you have on planning your own.
Also, please comment and let me know if you’ve ever taken a long road trip and where you went! I love hearing your stories!

Makensie at the Wizard of Oz Museum, Kansas
Diner in Kansas off I-70
Windmills are everywhere in Kansas.
About 20 minutes after we crossed the Colorado state line, we could see the Rockies in the distance, and we never stopped seeing them the rest of the time we were driving through! They are so huge and beautiful.
I saw my first Recreational Cannabis Shop in Colorado. I saw a total of 5 on our route, visited 1. I loved all the names, and the colors of this one. 🙂
us with my parents – Great Sand Dunes NP
We loved seeing the wild deer at Great Sand Dunes NP.
me at the Four Corners Monument
Us at Red Canyon, UT
on the way to Bryce Canyon, we passed through Red Canyon. So beautiful!
On the way to Bryce Canyon, we passed Red Canyon
Our babies – at Bryce Canyon, UT
Micah, Max and Macy at Bryce Canyon
Micah, Max and Macy at Bryce Canyon
Macy and Max inside Bryce Canyon, UT
Photo by Makensie at Bryce Canyon NP, UT
Beautiful sun rays at Bryce Canyon
Macy and Max getting some last minute play time in before we had to leave.
The kids loved the cabin and even though they were ages 12, 14, & 16 they enjoyed the swing set too!
Zion National Park
one of the long tunnels in the mountains near Zion NP
Macy holding a tiny lizard at Zion NP
Milo loved exploring with us! Chillin on a rock at Zion NP
Cactus at Zion National Park
Horseshoe Canyon, Williams, AZ
My mom at The Grand Canyon
I love this picture of Makensie! in Photog Mode at the Grand Canyon.
Milo and me at the Grand Canyon
Goldie’s Route 66 Diner
Max had to try out the robes at the Golden Nugget
The main reason the kids picked the Golden Nugget – the pool has a water slide from the roof that goes through a shark tank! (unfortunately, when we were there the slide wasn’t working. 🙁
Adults only hot tub at the Golden Nugget
I loved that the hotel was decorated with Chihuly’s glass art!
cool light show at the Fremont Experience in Vegas
me and the kiddos in Vegas
This is why I don’t take selfies! It’s blurry, but I had to get a pic with Betty Boop!

I enjoyed some time with my bff during our stay in Oceanside, since she lives one town away.
Macy and Max LOVED playing in the waves!
our sand starfish
macy asked to be buried in the sand. What is it about this that’s so cool!? lol
The sun was so bright and beautiful!
We love to make sand creations when we are on the beach.
Exhausted Milo after a couple of hours at a dog beach
All smiles after spending some time at the dog beach
The kids n me at Hollywood & Vine
It was pretty cool to eat at a diner on Route 66 in AZ and then visit Santa Monica Pier where the trail ends.
Santa Monica Pier
Our view from Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant at Santa Monica Pier
I grew up in Monrovia, IN and in L.A. I saw a few Monrovia, CA license plates
More BFF time!
I see hearts everywhere! This is one of my favorites!

Who loves travel?

Posted on February 15, 2019March 22, 2019 by Melissa

I absolutely LOVE to travel! I don’t do it near as much as I’d like to, but, who does? Right? I have a lot of great memories of family vacations growing up. My parents always did a great job of taking vacations and mini getaways.

As an adult, I don’t feel like we’ve been able to take our kids on as many vacations as we would have liked, but we have had some pretty great trips. Still, I’d love to do more! One of my goals in starting this blog is to help inspire others to travel more, to figure out a way to make it happen! I believe in positive vibes and putting things into the Universe will make them happen. So by writing out my travel dreams and sharing them with the world is putting them into the Universe. They are more likely to happen when you actually talk about them. So I will tell you about trips I’ve been on, as well as trips that are on my bucket list. You never know what doors will open up when you share your dreams and goals with others!

I’m 44. I figured up the other day that I can Only account for 40 weeks of that 44 years that was spent outside of Indiana.

I should note;
In this figure, I didn’t count my weekend get away trips to Ohio for amusement parks, which I’ve pretty much gone to at least once every summer of my life. Not to diminish them at all, it’s just one state away, so I was mainly counting up my longer getaways. 😉

Of the 40 weeks, 12 of those were still in the Midwest. And it wasn’t a ‘vacation’. Although, it was during our summer vacation from school. I had just finished fourth grade. We moved to Missouri for those 12 weeks, then moved back to Indiana. lol

Growing up, we almost always vacationed in Gatlinburg, TN, or somewhere in Florida. Living in Indiana, if you want to get to the ocean, most people vacation in Florida, or the Carolinas. You can drive to them in a day, or get a cheap flight. I’ve always loved the ocean, so any trip that got me on a beach was fine by me! I’ve been to pretty much every major tourist city in Florida, including The Keys. I’ve gotta say, I think Destin is my favorite!

4 glorious weeks of my life have been spent in the Caribbean! As a teen I visited the Bahamas a couple of times, as an extension of a Florida trip. One was a day cruise. The other was a cruise, plus 2 nights in a hotel on the island. That one was my favorite.

We took a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon. We chose a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise through Royal Caribbean. We made 5 stops in 7 days, with only 2 days at sea. Which sounded like a blast, up front, and it was, however, it was a bit much for us right after our wedding, because that in itself is exhausting, so another day at sea to just chill would have been nice. Of course, we weren’t forced off the boat either, so we could have stayed and chilled, but we did explore each of the ports we stopped in. We started out in San Juan, PR & visited St Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St. Marteen, and another one…that I’m forgetting at the moment. (Isn’t that awful? Well, it has been 19 years! lol) Barbados was our favorite!! This was the one where we chose to venture out on our own. Got a taxi to a nice beach and just relaxed in the sun and sand. The sun was SO hot there, it was crazy! But we enjoyed soaking in the beautiful blue water to stay cool.

Royal Caribbean cruise ship in port at Coco Cay – their private island.

Our second cruise was a Western Caribbean, Royal Caribbean. 7 nights but only 4 stops. This was was with my parents and my sister and family. We had Makensie at the time and I was pregnant with Macy, my sister was pregnant with my niece. Lol That happened AFTER we booked our trip.

After doing a couple cruises, we decided we wanted to experience the Caribbean in a different way so we went to Cancun in 2007 and did an all inclusive trip. (Link) our kids were 2, 4 & 6 at the time. Many thought we were crazy, but it was a good trip. The kids had a blast! Max was too young for the kiddie camp and activities, but he enjoyed splashing in the baby pool.

In 2016 we were invited on a couples only trip to Punta Cana, DR for a friend’s 40th birthday. It was so much fun and what a great way to relax and rekindle the romance. Micah and I acted like teen Agers all week! We stayed at the beautiful Majestic Elegance Resort and we highly recommend this place! 5 star amenities! Great food and lots of choices! The beds and rooms are so elegant and comfortable. They were building a new one next door at the time, we hope to return sometime & try it out as well.

Majestic Elegance Resort – Punta Cana, DR

I’d LOVE to move to the Caribbean! That is on top of my bucket list. I love the island lifestyle. More on that later… in another post about my desire to move.

Some of my favorite trips have been out West, here in the good ole U.S.A. Micah has family there so, we have had many trips to California and Oregon visiting his family, which is always a good time! My first trip out west was to Sacramento. Micah’s sister and some extended family lived in the area. His parents in Oregon. We all met in Cali for Thanksgiving. So, not only did I meet his parents and siblings for the first time, but I met most of the Cain family as well!
(Talk about nerve wracking!! But it ended up being a great trip!)

In 2000 we went again, in July. This time we took day trips to San Francisco one day and Lake Tahoe another. (Lake Tahoe is where he proposed!) after that his sister moved to Portland so we started visiting them in Oregon instead. I’ve been blessed to have visited several places in Oregon, including the coast, which is usually of course, amazing! During one of our visits we took a day trip up to Seattle, Micah’s birthplace. I have always heard such negative things about Seattle (like it always rains!) but I absolutely fell in love with the place, although it DID rain, it was still such a lively and super creative city. Spending one day there was simply not enough! Another place I’d love to re visit!

Perhaps my very favorite trip of all, so far, has been our #EpicRoadTrip2017 We drove from Indy to Southern California. We took an entire week to get out there, then spent a second week chillin on the beach in Cali. The beautiful part…we flew home at the end! (We were able to do this thanks to my parents, who drove a rental out there, and drove our car back home.) For more details on stops we made along the way, check out our blog post called “Epic Road Trip”

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/pcb.2257739291107715/2257738824441095/?type=3&theater

Deer running at The Great Sand Dunes NP, Colorado

These have all been VERY FUN trips, and we have a trip to
Lake Tahoe in July! We are so excited about that!

I still have SO MANY more places I’d love to visit. My bucket list is very long!

Our TRAVEL BUCKET LIST:
Hawaii
Maine
Canada
Alaska
NYC
Napa Valley, CA
Belize
Roatan & Utila, Honduras
Ireland
Australia
Europe
just to name a few…

It’s important to create a bucket list and actually work on making travel happen! Decide on a weekly budget you can afford, even if it’s just $20. Set aside $20 each week. In six months you’ll have $520 saved. Maybe you take a weekend trip with that, then save again for the next year. Maybe you can up it to $30 each week now, so in a year you’ll have $1560. You can most likely find a place you can go for a week with that. Make it a priority to set goals and work towards them. It’s fun and so very rewarding!

Please comment below with your favorite trips you’ve taken and/or your bucket list trips.

I really enjoy planning trips and take pride in finding great deals. I hope that my blogs can help inspire you to travel more, as well as help you plan your trips. Not gonna lie, I’m also hoping to enjoy some travel perks along the way! So far, I’m affiliated with some travel sites like Skyscanner and Kiwi, for flights, cars & hotels as well as Homeaway and VRBO for vacation rentals. When you click these links to book your travel, we receive a small commission at not additional cost to you. That helps us continue sharing our happy place with you and inspiring you to create your own happy.
Thanks for your continued support!

2019 Art Retreats

Posted on January 30, 2019March 28, 2019 by Melissa

I’ve been teaching painting lessons for 7 years.
I’m now taking my teaching on the road with ART RETREATS!
I will be hosting several throughout the year in various places so
stay tuned to the blog and all social media sites for upcoming retreats.
All will be sure to allow plenty of relaxation and creativity.

South Lake Tahoe – photo from Google images

Summer 2019! South Lake Tahoe, California.
Join me in South Lake Tahoe, CA for a 5 night/ 6 day art retreat.

We’re going to be in South Lake Tahoe with in July for a family reunion on Micah’s side. I’d love to extend this trip for another few days and do another art retreat! Here are some details:

We would be doing acrylic paintings, plein air, as well as art journaling and a couple of abstract pieces. The trip would be July 16-21. (All paintings would be done on the 17th-20th, leaving the other two days for travel.)

Each person will complete 5 Acrylic paintings which will be a variety of seascapes, floral and landscapes. (1 per day, about 2-3 hours each) 2 Abstracts which will be paint pouring and resin. (Each will be worked on a little each day. About 30 minutes/day)

Each person will also receive a wonderful art journal and some journaling supplies too, so we can continue being creative outside of the classes as well as back home. You can choose to journal with me each day to learn some techniques and/or journal in your own time, anytime!

The cost of the art portion of the trip would be $350/person and includes all art supplies, standing easel (to use during trip only) and instruction from me. Travel arrangements can be made individually but I will offer suggestions for places to stay.

Nearest airports are Reno, NV and Sacramento, CA.
Plane tickets for that week to Reno are around $400 (from IND) right now. Sacramento prices are about $50 Higher at the moment, but I always check prices for both before booking. (Check out Kiwi.com, Skyscanner.com and Southwest.com for great deals!)

I love to rent via AirBnb, VRBO and HomeAway instead of booking hotels. Check out this 2 BDRM Cabin for $153/night! All in all, you could easily do this trip for around $1500 per person. Which is a great price for some R&R in the sun with plenty of creative juices flowing…surrounded by beautiful scenery!

$50 Deposit Due by April 20, 2019 to reserve your spot.

Click here to register.

September 2019! Southern California.
Join me in Oceanside, CA for week long art retreat.

My art was accepted for an art show in Newport Beach on September 21 so I will be out there for the weekend. Why not extend the trip for the entire week and do another art retreat! This time we would be doing paintings on four days (Tuesday-Friday) Sept 24-27.

We will be doing acrylic paintings, plein air, as well as art journaling and a couple of abstract pieces.

Each person will complete 4 Acrylic paintings which will be a variety of landscapes, plein air. (1 per day, about 2-3 hours each) 2 Abstracts which will be paint pouring and resin. (Each can be worked on a little each day. About 30 minutes/day, until you decide it’s finished.)

Everyone will also receive an art journal and some journaling supplies so we can continue being creative outside of the classes as well as back home. (If you don’t need a new journal, let me know and I can hook you up with some extra supplies instead!) You can choose to journal with me each day to learn some techniques and/or journal in your own time, anytime! Outside of these designated class times, the rest of the time is yours to relax and explore the beauty of So Cal!

Outside of these designated class times, the rest of the time is yours to relax and explore the beauty of Southern California! The cost of the art portion of the trip would be $300/person and includes all art supplies, standing easel (to use during trip only) and instruction from me.

Travel arrangements can be made individually but I will offer suggestions for places to stay. My first choice of location would be Oceanside/Carlsbad because I’ve been there a few times and have friends there who’d possibly like to join in on some classes.

Nearest airports are San Diego and Orange County/Santa Ana. Plane tickets for that week to San Diego are $250-300 (from IND) right now. (Check out Skyscanner and Kiwi for low prices! Or Southwest because bags fly free!) I predict they will stay around that price or maybe a bit lower as long as they are purchased by end of February. Orange County/Santa Ana which is about the same distance as San Diego, prices are about $50 Higher at the moment, but I always check prices for both when I go.

Check out VRBO, HomeAway and airbnb as well as hotels. Sometimes you’ll find much better deals on vacation rentals and they are more unique than hotels. There are plenty of 1 BR rentals for around $100/night or grab some friends and find some 3-4 BR for $200-250 per night. All in all, you could easily do this trip for around $1500 per person. Which is a great price for some R&R in the sun with plenty of creative juices flowing…AT THE BEACH!

$50 deposit due by July 20 to reserve your spot.
Click here to make your deposit.

Upcoming: Fall 2019! TBD

I’m likely going to do a weekend retreat in Brown County, IN sometime in October, also considering a 4-5 day retreat in Colorado. When do you think the best time to travel to these places and enjoy the Fall colors?

Comment below with feedback on other places you’d like to art in.

Have you been on an art retreat before? If so, where did you go?

Rock Stacking

Posted on January 30, 2019March 17, 2019 by Melissa

My family LOVES rock stacking! It’s so fun and relaxing to create these beautiful sculptures while we are traveling and exploring. To us, it’s a way to take a moment to relax, express ourselves, and take some cool pics.

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/a.2257729337775377/2257730037775307/?type=3&theater

Stack by Melissa in North Carolina

“Rock balancing or stone balancing (stone or rock stacking) is an art, discipline, or hobby in which rocks are naturally balanced on top of one another in various positions without the use of adhesives, wires, supports, rings or any other contraptions which would help maintain the construction’s balance.” (source: Wikipedia)

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/a.2257729337775377/2257730144441963/?type=3&theater

Stack by Micah in North Carolina

My goal for this post is to inspire others to create rock stacks when you can, but also, make sure you are knowledgeable about stacking and find out the rules of your location first, especially in National Parks and Forests.

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/a.2257729337775377/2257729307775380/?type=3&theater

Stacks by Macy & Max at the 4 corners – USA

While it’s considered an art to some,
it’s a definite NO NO to others!
Did you know it could be hazardous to wildlife and the environment?

Also called a “Cairn”, stacks of rocks have many purposes, including shrines, burial markers and trail markers. So erecting one in a National Park,
for example, could potentially confuse future hikers, as they may
think it’s a trail marker and go off course.

When stacking rocks on a beach, it could be a danger to wildlife.
A crab, for example, seeks refuge in rocks. He might confuse your masterpiece with a safe place to hide. It’s not a sound structure, so it could crush him!

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/a.2257729337775377/2257729241108720/?type=3&theater

Some National Parks have even banned the activity and actively go around dismantling rock stacks because their rules state you should leave everything in nature as you found it.

Our rock stacks have always been created with rocks that were within
an arms reach from the spot we were stacking in. Although we have
left them before, in hopes of inspiring others to create their own, we now stack, take pics and then enjoy knocking them down before we move on!

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/a.2257729337775377/2257730331108611/?type=3&theater

Stack by Max – Greeneville, NC

https://www.facebook.com/2247232375491740/photos/a.2257729337775377/2257730097775301/?type=3&theater

Stacks by Makensie (back) and Melissa (front) – Greeneville, NC

Please feel free to leave comments! Do you stack? If so, we’d love to see your pics! Did you know the dangers of stacking?