Unfiltered Reflections: Volume II

Welcome to the second week of our Unfiltered Reflections series. If it would be nourishing or cathartic for you to share your thoughts, we warmly invite you to journal alongside us, here. We’ll continue to update this blog post with more unfiltered responses. Take a look at last week’s journal prompt here. What does building

Self-Love in Action: Meditation and Journaling for Mental Health

I used to wake up in the mornings and find myself on the toilet scrolling through Instagram.  That’s how I would set my entire day. Sure, Instagram is a beautiful platform for connection, but it has also been detrimental to my mental health. I unintentionally allowed social media to rob me of the present moment.

Finding Mindfulness in Motherhood

As I sit at the top of Multnomah Falls I follow the stretch of the soft green moss across the rocks, taking in the texture and the trueness of the green that I will never find in the home décor section of Target. I watch as the water runs swiftly over the rocks in the

Pregnant Backpacking: How I fought Prenatal Depression and Anxiety by Solo Backpacking

On April 6th, in the 33rd week of my third pregnancy, I pulled over on a completely deserted road, grabbed a loaded pack out of my trunk, stepped into the cold of 20˚F and set off on my first ever, completely solo backpacking trip. This year had been heavy, emotionally. Pregnancy is a hugely taxing

Project Swaddle Then Send

Part 1: SWADDLE I’ve hesitated on writing this blog post for awhile. I’ve made it through the aptly named “fourth trimester”, I’ve completed my first outdoor lead climbs, and I’ve maintained my position at the nonprofit I’ve worked at for years. Really, I’ve done a lot during this postpartum year. But to write this post,

1,000 Miles of Adventure Finale

The end of a year is here and, I’ll admit, this one went fast. December 31st marks the end of my ambassador project “1,000 Miles of Adventure”. I looked back at the “why” for this adventure and realized it changed in the rush of the year: life + the project + my brain = shifted

Life After Kids: Adventures of an Empty Nest Mama

I distinctly remember the day I met my mother-in-law for the first time. As I stepped into the hallway of the home she shares with my father-in-law in San Marcos, Calif., my husband pointed to STACKS of finisher medals draped around the neck of a statue. There were dozens and dozens of them: marathons, half

Holiday Gift Guide for the Minimalist Adventure Mama

It’s the “holiday season”, which all to often translates to the season of stress and spending lots of money. If you have an Adventure Mama on your shopping list, or are shopping for yourself, we at AMI thought we would help guide you in spending your money well. There are so many options in the

My Year of Living Big and Growing Up

This year I became an ambassador for the Adventure Mamas Initiative (AMI), and turned forty. This was also the year following my husband Matt’s kidney cancer diagnosis. His kidney was removed in the fall of 2016. The tumor was nine cm. Eight weeks after his diagnosis we found out the cancer had not yet spread

Come As You Are

I am not Bear Grylls. I am not a crag master. I am not a mountaineer. I am an Adventure Mama. I thrive outdoors. I breathe easier. I notice more. I feel more deeply. Time slows down. I stand taller. And that’s just walking along a paved trail through some trees at the local park.