joshua tree

when josh +  i met things moved really fast. we met at a mutual friend's dinner party and the rest is history. from that night on we were inseparable. his circle soon met mine and all of my friends adored him. what can i say? he's a charmer that cheek.

by 5 months we exchanged i love you's (man i can't remember who said it first... probably him though, duh) our first winter together he taught me how to snowboard. we went on to visit sf, ny and las vegas. by year two we felt ready to take the next step - camping. tbh i was not crazy about it. i mean was i ready for him to see me without makeup? could i sub yoga wear for climbing gear? uncertainty! but the idea of cozying it up by the fire, toasting faux dogs under the starlit sky had me sold. so right after thanksgiving that year we loaded the car with stuff (i can't remember who's car!) and headed to joshua tree. and i haven't stopped thinking about that magical trip since. it was so peaceful and quiet and just soooo nice. we jumped rocks, hiked and toasted our faux dogs. i couldn't wait to do it again.

finally, this year i got my wish. and while i wouldn't call it magical or romantic, it was certainly an adventure. we did go with two little boys this time, after all...

what was supposed to take 2.5 hours took more like six. ok, josh said it was like four hours but honestly it felt like an eternity. i do not road trip very well guys. FACT.

finally! joshua trees! i just love those funny looking trees! 

and then this happened. nope, not a joshua tree but some bush/tree thing you see off the side of the freeway. i said it was an adventure, right? well, what happened was by the time we reached the park all of the campsites were full. the only sites outside of the park that had space don't allow fires. so our only option (other than going home, which ALMOST happened) was to stay at a BLM site. it's ok if you don't know what that is because it was news to me! BLM stands for bureau of land management. this is public land that offers free camping. HOWEVER! there are no developed facilities here so you bring what you leave and pack out all of your trash. also, there were no joshua trees or jumbo rocks and it was killing my buzz. but we made the most of it...

and as the sun began to set, it actually looked kind of pretty.

the twinkle lights definitely helped!

we got an early start the next day and got a site in joshua tree. i was a happy camper.

this was just behind our site! and yes, climbing with toddlers is terrifying!

the previous day we pointed out skull rock to the boys and they went nuts over it. i couldn't wait to climb it with them. it was so great!

V HAPPY.

i can't even believe we squeezed through this cave! and how cool are caves?!

so cool!

knox's preferred mode of transport.

and knox's face when we tell him he has to walk.

isn't he just adorable?

so the trip started off rocky (haha) but we survived. much like a trip to the grocery or store or target... anywhere i go with my two boys it's always an adventure. and how lucky does that make me? so lucky. until next time joshua tree! we already planned our next trip! no more BLM's for us though!

xoxo,

sony