If you missed my first vacation reveal, here’s a quick recap: Daniel and I are cruising to Alaska this year, and I’m freaking out about it a little SO MUCH. But we’re also visiting another new place with my family! Daniel and I haven’t taken a trip with my family since we met almost 8 years ago, and I’m over the moon about the chance to bring together two of my favorite things – traveling with my family and traveling with Daniel. When my siblings and I were kids, we used to go to Mississippi to see our grandparents twice a year, every year: once in the summer and once for Christmas. It became a much-loved tradition, and I have many fond memories of listening to Adventures in Odyssey, stopping at the same travel plazas to get snacks, reading an entire book series during the 12-hour drive, holding our breath over the Mississippi bridge, and (when we got older) watching movies on the laptop. My family hasn’t really traveled long-distance since my grandparents moved to Oklahoma, so a trip together has been long overdue!

I’m dying with happiness over the fact that we’re going to….

COLORADO.

(Just typing it makes me shiver with excitement.)

My parents have been several times, including for their honeymoon, but none of us kids have been before. I’ve been dreaming about seeing genuine, huge mountains for my whole life, and if just looking at pictures of them can make me feel things, I can’t even imagine what it will be like to actually stand in front of one. I’m preparing for my breath to be stolen again and again!

We’re going to spend almost a week in a timeshare cabin outside of Pagosa Springs. While we’re there, we’ll take a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train, go whitewater rafting, and possibly even visit Mesa Verde National Park. And our home for the week looks awesome!

I’M. SO. READY.

I’ve never been to Colorado before, and I’m not sure what to pack! We’ll be there during the summer. Any suggestions?