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The question I get asked most often is, can the signs be kept outside all year round without getting ruined? The answer to that is yes! 

i apply two coats of spar urethane to the signs prior to shipping which helps protect the paint from the sun's uv rays and rain or snow.  Of course if you want to bring them inside in bad weather you can.  

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A post shared by Jennifer Hillaby☀️SableSol (@sablesol)

In this quick video i show you how to keep your signs looking like new for many years to come. 

What do you do when your kid moves away to live and work in a National Park?  Plan a trip to visit them, of course!

Our youngest daughter spent the last 4 months living and working in Zion National Park (rough life, I know). Super exciting for us because we LOVE LOVE LOVE visiting Utah. It was nice having our own personal guide on the trails – even if we did slow her down a bit.  I guess if you live there long enough you start zipping through the trails like a seasoned mountain goat. Not calling my girl a goat - just a comparison, k?

We spent 8 days in Utah, visited 3 National Parks and 4 State Parks.  That’s a ton of stuff in 8 days, but we were relatively close to all but one National Park and one State Park.  

I love the National Parks but will save that topic for a future post. I think it’s time to give the State Parks some love. They are just as amazing and are worth a visit.

Here are the 4 State Parks we visited:

Sand Hollow State Park – blue water and red sandstone everywhere you look.  You can swim, boat, paddle board and even dune buggy here. This is a great place to take the fam for a picnic and cool off. Rock jumping anyone?

Snow Canyon State Park – Disclaimer: I did not visit this park, but my husband did, and he got some really cool drone footage while he was there.  I’ll let you know when it’s up for viewing on his youtube channel –jaybonemusic1. 

This park has a campground surrounded by red Navajo sandstone and ancient lava flow and trails and dunes for you to explore on foot, bike or horseback. Another great place to take in the desert landscape (one of my faves) and I’m a little bummed I didn’t take the time to visit.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park – Are we still in Utah?  I thought I was on another continent when we parked the car and took the short approach to begin our hike up the massive dunes to sled and sand board – think Sahara Desert.  Here you can rent sleds or sand boards and cruise down the huge sand dunes.  Warning – it’s a ton of fun, but also a ton of work getting back to the top of the dunes if you want to slide down more than once.  So worth the effort! If dune buggies are more your thing you can rent those here as well.

Kodachrome Basin State Park – Located near Grand Staircase Escalante we made a quick stop to do a short hike and we were not disappointed.  You’ll see spires (sedimentary pipes) and multi-hued sandstone layers here.  This park wasn’t very busy while we were there and we had the entire Angel’s Palace trail all to ourselves, which was a nice break from the crowds at the National Parks.

Fun fact: In 1948 this place was named Kodachrome, after the popular color film. Can you see why?

Have you visited any of Utah’s State Parks?  If so, comment below and tell me your favorite. I’d love to know!

Happy Travels!

Jen

Let’s go on a road trip!  Tent, check. Grill, check. Body boards, check and check. One of our favorite places to go during a holiday weekend is Daytona Beach.  It’s about a 3 hour drive and on the opposite coast from our house. My parents live in between, so, we crash there and make it a big family adventure.  I’m talking tent, grill, tables and tons of food. They only go to the beach once or twice a year, so we make it worth their while and stay ALL.DAY.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Seriously, Daytona Beach; the parking lot on sand? There are so many better beaches in Florida, why there?

And, you’re right but this beach holds a special place in my heart.  When I saw the ocean for the first time I was a 12 year old, pasty white, freckle faced kid visiting from Pennsylvania and it was Daytona Beach where I got to put my toes in the ocean for the very first time. I knew right then and there that one day I had to live near the beach.  Flash forward a few years later and most of my family moved to Florida, grandparents and all.  My grandparents lived just over the bridge from Daytona so I would hit the beach then go visit Gramma and Grampa.  Sometimes Gramma would tag along so she could people watch.  Those are some of my best memories at Daytona Beach and I want to keep the tradition going by having a family road trip at least once a year with my kids and their grandparents. It’s all about making memories.

One other reason we head to the other coast is to ride the waves!  The Gulf of Mexico is pretty and all but it’s like a big ‘ol bathtub. We are adventurers and we need to get in the water to get tossed around by the waves for a few hours.  So, we load up the body boards make the journey and hit the water.  Once we get to the beach we watch the waves set with a Krispy Kreme in one hand and a Longboard in the other.  Keeping with traditions.

Does your family have a special place where everyone meets up for a long weekend of traditions and memory making?  Let’s hear it!

See you on the beach!
Jen

p.s. Tell me about the first time you visited the beach in the comments below.