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An Intruder in Montana

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bear-countryI bolted upright. What was that!?!? Where the hell was that commotion coming from? I heard a terribly unsettling noise. Flashes of the posters we’ve seen warning of bears raced across my mind. I didn’t know what day it was, so many have passed that they have begun to blend together since setting off on our journey. What I did know, was that this sound was close. So close, it jolted me up from the comforts of my sleep. Wait. There it was again. It was louder now, and seemingly more menacing than before.

I was awake now and sitting straight up. Motionless. Not a muscle twitching. This time the noises were so loud that I realized it wasn’t coming from outside the RV, but from INSIDE. A hair raising feeling inside began to overtake me. Fearing not only for my safety, but also for the others in this tiny space with me, I decided I had to take action. This vile creature, whatever it was, was moving rapidly closer now, from what appeared to be everywhere. It lurched from one wall to the other. Occasionally, bumping its head across our 7’2” ceiling.

Glancing around me I saw the bear spray hanging by the door, but it was out of reach. I looked at the pocket knife across the room on the table, no good to me. Like a wild animal being hunted, it was time to turn the tables and make the predator my prey. My lips curling back now and hair standing on end, I realized my only available option…I would have to use my wolf-like teeth to bite into it.

I remained completely still and then lunged at it. Snap! Snap! Snap! I commenced the thrashing of my teeth at it. Missing each time, but relentless and not giving up, I continued the attack.

And then…I heard a voice say to me, “Did you get it, Lucy?” I paused and turned to my dad, Matt, who was sitting on the corner of the bed watching me. “Did you get that nasty fly? It was a big one, wasn’t it?” I thought to myself. “No, dad, I missed it,” as I walked over to him to get my consoling head rub. Next time, I won’t fail you, I thought. Next time that fly is mine. “Good girl, Lucy.”

Tales of Fly Hunting: By Lucy the Great.

What Makes Your Heart Beat the Loudest?

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1450What makes you hear your heart beat in your ears, feel it pound in your chest, and reverberate through your whole body? For me, it would most certainly be doing something that scares the hell out of me. A few of those things to date:

– Getting lost in the Scottish countryside at night
– Starting a new business (now on my third)
– High speed off-road driving through the Mexican Baja
– Scuba diving down to the ocean floor
– Asking my wife Kristin to marry me
– Learning to fly an airplane
– Exploring a haunted, condemned prison in the wee hours of the morning

All of these experiences scared the you-know-what out of me…but I made the choice to do each of them anyway. There’s probably hundreds of other scenarios I could include on this list. But you know what’s funny? The past is no longer scary. Having done something once, we grow, adapt and gain confidence. At least I know I have. The things that make our hearts pound the loudest can come in a variety of scenarios. What are some of yours?

Most recently, as many people know, Kristin & I decided to sell and donate 98% of our belongings and travel the good ole’ US of A. Talk about hearts beating loudly! But as it turns out, it’s really not all that scary…actually…it’s more awe inspiring that I ever could have imagined.

The scariest part so far has been riding out a hellacious thunderstorm in Missouri. That bad boy was damn close to flipping over the Destination Tree world headquarters and the mighty Ford truck that pulls it. But we survived the storm, fully intact.

That aside, I’m realizing more and more with every soul-lighting sunrise over a new, gorgeous horizon, that what scares the hell out of me and keeps my heart beating loudest……… is the very thing that keeps me alive. Without these challenges in my life, I’m fairly certain that I’d wither away into nothing to become part of the living dead. It’s not redundancy, familiarity and conformity that ignites my desire to live but rather change, uncertainty and a rebellious spirit that does. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again…it’s good to do things that scare the crap out of you!

If we shackle ourselves to the same fears over and over again, while choosing the same choices day after day, and always do the same comfortable things, then quite literally, we will become stagnant. Never changing. Never growing. Paralyzed. To those that are okay with this kind of existence, I say god speed and good luck, but that’s not the life for me.

All I can say is that life moves at us pretty fast. But if each of us doesn’t stop occasionally to look fear in the face and laugh at it with a heart-pounding smile, then we could miss life and not even know it.

I don’t know what the future holds for us as we travel this great country together, but I do know we’re ready for it. With our hearts a-pounding and adventurous souls on fire, we’re continuing to head down an unfamiliar path in life. Our hopes are to help make this world a more inspiring place through Destination Tree, while we keep our own rebellious spirits challenged.

In the words of Grace Hanson, I leave you with this, “Don’t be afraid your life will end. Be afraid it will never begin.”

So, from the pine covered mountains of Western Montana, cheers and here’s to scaring the hell outta yourself.

Matt

Our Route Across the Country – Part 2

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I’ve found it’s easier to break up our route into multiple sections. So, if you’re following along, Part 1 looped us from Ohio to Maine and back to Ohio. And Part II (below) highlights our route across the country from Ohio to Montana.

Part II
September 8, 2015 – September 17, 2015
We have always wanted to go to Montana and Glacier National Park. As it’s already September, we knew we needed to get in some serious mileage to make it in time to enjoy the area before winter descends. Of course, we hit some memorable stops along the way including Serpent Mound, OH, Cahokia Mounds, MO, Sioux Falls, SD, Badlands National Park, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Mount Rushmore, and Devil’s Tower, WY. To view the photo highlights from these destinations visit the album on Facebook.

Then….drumroll, please: MONTANA! Crossing the border into Montana felt like a big milestone and it’s a huge state, so we enjoyed the journey as we traveled further West and watched the landscape change and grow as we approached the mountains. We’re positioned west of Glacier National Park and are ready for some new adventures.

Below is our route map. Read more about the highlights of our time in Montana in this blog post.

Tips: Zoom in and out on the map, and move the map around to get a better look at the route. Or click “View Larger Map” below to get an even better view.

Our journey continues in Part 3 to the Pacific Northwest…

Destination Tree On the Road: Our Route Across the Country

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For our friends, family and fans that are following our journey, here are some maps of our route thus far. We’ll continue to update this as our destinations and adventures accumulate. Feel free to shout out recommendations, questions and comments. We’ll continue to share pictures on social media, and blog posts along the way, but keep checking back as our cross country adventure continues.

Part I
August 4 – September 7, 2015
Starting out, our primary objective was to drive to the east coast and spend as much time as we could in and around Acadia National Park in Maine. Along the way we enjoyed hiking, kayaking and sightseeing in Adirondack Park & Northern Vermont. After making our way across New Hampshire, Maine, through Portland (and a few breweries) we made our way to Acadia for two weeks. While there, we hiked the many trails of Acadia, explored the coast, visited the easternmost point in the United States at Quoddy Head State Park and even ventured to Campobello Island, Canada. We made another pit stop in Portland on our way out of Maine, enjoyed a few more days on the east coast visiting Glouster, MA, Cape Cod, MA and Gettysburg, PA on our way to Hocking Hills, OH to meet family for Labor Day weekend.

Click here for picture highlights from our first month of adventures and check out our route map below!

Tips: Zoom in and out on the map, and move the map around to get a better look at the route. Or click “View Larger Map” below to get an even better view.

Click here to check out Part II of our journey as we travel from Ohio to Montana.

 

Top 5 Invaluable Lessons Learned on the Road

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It’s the ultimate road trip: We’re traveling the country for an entire year! We left our “perfect” life for an “imperfect” future. Sounds like a piece of cake, right? Well, we’re not exactly aimless wanderers, and technically, we’re still entrepreneurs operating our small business on the road…which means staying connected, responding to customers and filling orders.

Fun and inspiration are a big part of the equation though, and we’re absolutely fitting in our fair share of hiking, sightseeing and exploring. However, do not be fooled…we may post the highlight reel on social media, but there are missteps along the way…

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All smiles on our first Acadia hike…

Here are five lessons I/we have learned (or rather, been reminded of) on the road:

Everyone’s a New Kid on the Block.

Huh? Not, NKTOB the boy band, but a newbie. In our case, we were newbies to RV-ing. Sure, we read the manuals, watched videos and practiced, but…we were still newbies. #westilldontknowwhatweredoing. So, our first night on the road we met Steve and Rhonda, aka our “RV Angels”.

Basically, they gave pointers, answered questions and were more than helpful as we learned the ropes with our first setup. When we expressed our gratitude, Steve simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “We’re all new kids on the block at some point.”

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A little help goes a long way…true for anything in life.

In everything we pursue, we are all beginners at some point. Thank you, Steve, for the wise words, we will pay it forward to other new kids we encounter.

Check the Checklist.

Didn't check the checklist. Opened the door to this...
Didn’t check the checklist. Opened the door to this…

Pilots have checklists for a reason – it’s a matter of life and death. In our case, maybe it’s not life and death, but it’s pretty important when you’re hauling your home and business behind your truck.

We have setup and breakdown checklists which go over each task we need to complete for the trailer hitch, water lines, electricity, etc. Those are some of the big things, but even not doing a little task, like “Check for loose items inside and outside the trailer” is important. A coffee cup on a counter will slide and shatter, duh.

However, we also have racks of supplies and tools in the back for the business. These are all bundled and strapped down with bungees to stay secure when we’re traveling. Unless we forget. We learned that the hard way when we opened the door to shattered shelves, supplies and glass. It was actually WORSE than it looked. There was a lot of broken glass under all that.

Duly noted. Check the checklist.

Enjoy the Ride.

Sounds easy enough. But after years of schedules, deadlines, and my Type A personality, it’s a little harder to employ. Visions of multi-tasking danced in my head…which turned out to be completely unrealistic.

Typing a blog post on a bouncing laptop, while scrolling through social media, and also calling out upcoming turns and merges was not only unproductive, but I was missing all the scenery right in front of me.

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The beauty out the window as we drove through Vermont. And I almost missed it!!

So, screens away. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy the view. Be okay with taking a few wrong turns. Good advice for a road trip…and for life.

Stop Making Excuses.

It’s too cold. There’s too many mosquitoes. There’s a storm coming. These were the lame “excuses” in my head for why I didn’t want to go outside and look at the stars. I can be a real baby.

Fortunately, I listened to Matt and laid side by side with him on top of a picnic table. The pitch black sky, glittery stars and misty milky way were my reward. The impending storm lit the sky with silent lightning and we counted the meteors until the storm clouds rolled in.

I don’t know why I was making excuses, but I’m glad I didn’t listen to them. Sure, I got a few mosquito bites, but it was worth it.

P.S. No pictures of this. 1) Because a picture wouldn’t do it justice, and 2) Because it was a technology-free night.

Less is More.

We knew this going into it. As we sold most of our belongings, it felt good to declutter, freeing to get rid of things we didn’t need, or use. But the lesson is reiterated again and again as we learn to live in a smaller space.

Sure, we pared down a lot, but even with much less, we’re still only using a fraction of what we brought with us. (Why did I think we needed 4 coffee cups instead of 2? I’m not even going to tell you how many t-shirts, yoga pants and shoes I brought…)

Anyhow, the less “stuff” we have, the easier it is to keep our space organized and livable for two people and two dogs. Less stuff actually gives us more happiness.

And in case you missed it, here’s a tour of our cozy, small space, with less stuff:

Look Out For Dysentery, Cholera and Broken Wagon Wheels

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Destination Tree on the Road
Destination Tree On the Road

Why the Oregon Trail reference? Well, if you’re following along on our journey, you know we’re on a year-long adventure of growing our business and exploring the massively diverse beauty of the United States. However, before we officially set off on our adventure, we loaded our new horse and wagon (i.e. truck and travel trailer) and drove up from Cleveland to Michigan to spend a week with our awesome family.

When it was time to go, it was hard. And could have led to lots of tears. However, we knew it was just good-bye for now, and not forever. After all, it’s not the Oregon Trail and a Conestoga wagon, it’s not, “Good-bye, I’ll never see you again,” or “Wish me luck with the cholera outbreaks!”

Destination Tree On the Road
Our “Horse & Wagon.” Equipped with a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and Destination Tree workshop.

In all seriousness, we’re able to pursue this journey because of modern technology. We have a cozy home on the road and a mini-workshop to run our business in our travel trailer, with reliable transportation. Giddy up!

We also have wi-fi, a data plan, cast iron cookware and social media. Online orders roll in and we create and ship inspirational artwork from wherever we happen to be. (It’s a modern day Pony Express!) We are sharing the inspiration of our adventure via blog posts, pics on Facebook and Instagram as well as videos on YouTube. We’re also emailing, texting, calling, FaceTime/Skyping, and sending the occasional telegraph.

Geez, that’s a LOT of technology. Fortunately, we’re going to unplug along the way as well. Enjoying the journey and the beauty of our national parks can’t be accomplished if our faces are glued to our screens constantly. We could miss herds of buffalo! In fact, I think we can all admit less screen time would be a big improvement in all our lives. Our technology is a double edged buck-knife. It give us an opportunity to keep in touch with our loved ones, but it can also consume our time, attention and the beauty of the present moment in front of all of us. But not if we consciously set down the screen, look around, smile, take a deep breath and enjoy the people and experiences right in front of us.

So, we’re not saying goodbye forever, rather good-bye for now. And see you on the journey. And hello to new experiences, new people and new adventures.

We’re extremely grateful for the love, support and quality family time in Pure Michigan. Feel free to scroll through some of our picture highlights, but then I encourage you to set your screen down and create some of your own highlights without any technology at all.

Yee haw! Live Life Inspired!
Kristin

P.S. I make no apologies for my excessive Oregon Trail references. Actually, I do. But they still make me giggle.

 

 

 

 

Perfect is Overrated. A Little Crazy is Inspiring.

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This is the story of why we left behind our ‘perfect’ life in pursuit of an ‘imperfect’ future. A real-life “Choose Your Own Adventure”.

Sometimes in life, we chart a path and we set goals and then we never stop to see if we’re still going in the direction we want. But it can be hard to stop and re-evaluate. It can be hard to change.

Ah, change. We let ourselves believe that change is difficult. We get comfortable. In our routines, and our jobs and in the security we think we’ve built. Or, we allow ourselves to fall into the Busy-Trap. Busy with schedules. Busy with chores. Busy, busy, busy.

I’m setting up a scenario here that’s a good description of my own life. Go to school. Get a job. Get married. Build a career. Buy a house. Buy stuff. Be busy all the time. Those aren’t BAD things. I’m glad I did all those things. I WANTED to do all those things, and they made me very happy. It was very much a ‘perfect’ life.

But Matt and I reached a point where we started asking ourselves some thought provoking questions. What did our future look like? How were we spending our time? Were we doing things we were truly passionate about? Up until this point, we had been extremely satisfied with our trajectory, but after doing some soul searching we chose to outline a new plan.

First of all, we wanted to downsize. Our beautiful home and all of our belongings were more than what we needed. We also wanted to build our business full time. Matt was already on this course, but I knew I wanted to do more than part-time night and weekend marketing support. And lastly, we wanted to travel more. Call it wanderlust, but we crave new places and new adventures.

And so it began:
Outline a plan: Check.
Set a budget: Check.
Sell the house and 98% of our stuff: Check.
Research and buy an RV (big enough to fit a 6’6” man!): Check.
Quit my job (fear & guilt abundant): Check.
Hit the road: Check.

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Part of the plan…good-bye house. Hello freedom on the road.

Think about it this way. Typically, you read a book from front to back. Page by page, chapter by chapter. But remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books? The ones where every few pages you’re faced with a choice and you flip to the continuation of your story based on that decision? And you can take that story in any number of different directions because YOU CHOOSE what happens next?

Well, we’ve been moving forward in our book of life but we didn’t want to get to the end of the book and have regrets. So, we changed our genre to a Choose Your Own Adventure book. We stopped, gave ourselves some choices, and are steering the direction of our story. A new journey, a different destination.

So, our next adventure is two-fold.

  1. Build our online business: Destination Tree. We are passionate about the purpose and fulfilled in the process of creating inspirational driftwood artwork.
  2. Travel the US. Yup, a good ole’ fashioned road trip. We know we’ve seen a fraction of the natural beauty our country has to offer and so we’re taking a year to go coast to coast and national park to national park. And of course there will be some brewery and winery stops in between (we have to stay hydrated!).
Our "Horse & Wagon"
Our home, our workshop, our ticket to adventures across the country.

The two pieces of our adventure go hand in hand. Our mission with Destination Tree is to inspire each other to enjoy and appreciate life’s events, challenges and destinations. What better way to inspire ourselves (and hopefully others!) than to go on an adventure like this?

So, are you ready to quit your job and hit the road? No? Good. That’s not our intention (and that’s NOT choosing your OWN adventure!). Everyone is inspired by different experiences. Yet, we must all strive to live our life without regrets. So, choose your own adventure and don’t be afraid to change the course, or do things “now” instead of “one day”. Because “one day” may never come. Don’t regret the things you didn’t do, the things you didn’t say and the risks you didn’t take.

We are grateful and eager to embark on a journey of adventure and entrepreneurship. We’re not perfect. We might be a little crazy. But we hope as we share our journey via blog posts that you find some inspiration in our story.

Matt and Kristin Rogers...ready to leave a perfect life for an imperfect future.
Matt and Kristin Rogers…ready to leave a perfect life for an imperfect future.

I’ll leave you with a quote I find inspirational: “If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.” – David Viscott

Now, go choose your own adventure!

Live life inspired,
Kristin
(& Matt, my better half, & our two crazy pups, Dobie & Lucy)

A Tribute to Mother’s Everywhere

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Mother, Mom, Mammy, and MA! She goes by many names,
Regardless of what you call her, she was the first to introduce us to games.

Along with fun she taught us manners, though we did not want to listen,
She held our hand after the fall, as our eyes would tear up and glisten.

“Eat your food and sit up straight, do you want to become a hunchback?
Tie your shoes and wipe your nose, and don’t forget your lunch-pack!”

Rashes and bee stings they were no match, she always had a cure that would work,
She’s patient, and generous, and ever so loving, even when we were a jerk.

We grew up fast and we grew up right with her lessons on life in tow,
What happened to my little one, she says, I didn’t want them to go.

But a new chapter began that wasn’t expected, for this was not the end,
We laugh, talk, and listen to each other now, your child has become your dear friend.

Whether near or far the distance doesn’t matter, you are always in our heart,
We don’t tell you as often as we could, but today’s a fine day to start.

Without our mothers bringing us into this world, we would not be alive,
To be as genuine of a person as you have been, we will always strive.

Mother's Day
Happy Mother’s Day

One day of the year is not nearly enough to say what we really want to say,
Thank you for all that you’ve ever done, and for that HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Dedicated to our mothers, Dorothea and Jean.
Thank you for being our moms.

Cleveland Artists & Entrepreneurs Unite!

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I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. Cleveland is full of extraordinarily talented and unique artists and entrepreneurs. Our entire community supports and celebrates these artists at popular and growing events like The Cleveland Flea and The Cleveland Bazaar. Many of us have websites, and Etsy shops, and social media, and word of mouth support. But what we don’t have is a local, online platform. One in which you can find the unique, handcrafted, special and amazing services your neighbors provide. The neighbors in your own backyard. The neighbors in your own community. The neighbors you had no idea had such incredible talents and skills.

Who are these neighbors? How about the neighbor who’s made every wedding and birthday cake on the block? Or the neighbor who makes the best all-natural, lavender soap you’ve ever smelled? Or the neighbor who takes reclaimed driftwood and crafts it into unique artwork (spoiler, that’s me). But really, imagine if you had a website where you could find all those incredible things your neighbors make, where you could find all the people you never knew existed.

Frekol
Frekol.com

Well, now there is. Welcome, Frekol.com. Frekol? Yep, sounds like freckle. Like the freckle on your face after a little time in the sun. Each freckle is completely unique and unlike any other, just like your neighbors. Frekol.com gives local artists, entrepreneurs and service providers a platform to share their gifts with their community. 24/7. And while Etsy is amazing, and our community events bring together a shared camaraderie and energy that cannot be replaced, Frekol gives us something a little different. It’s a platform to find the amazing things your neighbor makes. A platform to make a connection with each other. To support each other. And to bring our community even closer together.

Frekol is in it’s infancy right now, which is the most exciting time. So, if you’re a local artist like me, go sign up and learn more about adding your services to Frekol.com. And if you’re a local Clevelander, if you Believe in CLE, and if you love supporting the people that make this community the awesome place that it is, check out Frekol.com and stay tuned for the full launch of what promises to be another reason that Cleveland is incredible.

And we must give a big THANK YOU to Trent at Frekol.com for creating this amazing platform, for believing in all the talented neighbors of Clevleand and for giving Destination Tree the opportunity to participate in the video introduction of the Frekol community.

Cheers, to all those who Dream, Dare and Do!

Matt

2015 Handpicked | A Different Kind of Bridal Event

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Every community seems to have a bridal show, if not multiple bridal shows.  Usually the “expo” style show, it has plenty of vendors with lots of services for bride-to-be’s. Nothing against that, but it can be hard to find truly unique and special artists and designers at these type of events.  And if you’re like me, you’ve probably noticed the trend toward supporting local, talented artists and service providers.  Especially here in Cleveland, who doesn’t love The Cleveland Flea, The Cleveland Bazaar and all the other seasonal events and activities that bring our local, talented community together?  In fact, I’m proud to be participating in an upcoming bridal event that promises to be very special.  Just like our community. This one of a kind event is: 2015 Handpicked | a Different Kind of Bridal Event. It’s a Bridal Show – Meets – Styled Shoot Creation by Baci Designer.

2015 Handpicked | A Different Kind of Bridal Event
2015 Handpicked | A Different Kind of Bridal Event

Ever been to MOCA?  That’s the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland.  MOCA.  Say it out loud.  MO-CA. Jut your chin out on the MO and pull it back on the CA.  I know it sounds silly.  Just do it.  It’s fun.  Anyway, I’m off topic.  Handpicked takes place on Friday, May 1st from 5:30 to 9pm at MOCA (you did the chin jut didn’t you?) and we hope to see you there. We’re proud to have been handpicked to participate in this really unique event, and showcase our inspirational Destination Tree centerpieces, Driftwood Signs and Collages.  My own wedding day was one of the best days of my life. And I’m truly honored I get to create inspirational decor and memorable gifts that contribute to this very special occasion for others.

Cheers,

Matt

 

 

 

 

About Us

At Destination Tree we create handcrafted driftwood signs, collages and centerpieces. Each piece of artwork is completely unique and inspired by your story.

Our Mission

To create handcrafted, meaningful artwork that helps tell the story of your journey, one destination at a time.

Connect With Us

PO Box 156, Petoskey, MI 49770
info@destinationtree.com