Steven goes every March, like clockwork. He has for as long as we’ve been together, and he will for as long as he’s a climber! Recently, we implemented a “every-other-year” Thanksgiving trip to climb in Kentucky and it’s been awesome!
Well, this year we shook things up a little bit. He went in March as usual, and then three weeks after, we went as a family of three with a group of friends from Portland! We still plan to go back this year for our Thanksgiving trip and we are so excited!
This past trip was Lily’s second time to the Red River Gorge, but our first time actually camping as a family! It was quite the experience! We bought a new tent for the trip and it was basically a mansion. It fit a queen size air mattress, Lily’s pack and play, and our stuff, and still had room for playing.
We arrived in KY on Saturday evening, and it was raining. More than just a drizzle but not quite a downpour. Needless to say, setting up in the rain, in the dark, is not the most fun thing ever. But we did it, and got to sleep. Lily slept like a champ in the pack and play the first two nights, but then the rest of the week she slept with us in our bed because it was SO cold at night and we were worried about her not staying warm.
Our first full day was on Sunday, and it rained the whole day, so we didn’t go out. Then Monday it was barely 35 degrees and snowing, so we didn’t climb that day either. Instead we made the drive into Lexington where we found the “Kids Place” for Lily to play around in, and we found a local Thai place to eat for lunch! We finished the day with an evening at the Lee County Rec Center where we bowled and had ice cream! Lily was pretty adorable with bowling, and she was SUPER excited to have her own little bowl for ice cream!
We had awesome climbing days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then we headed to NJ on Friday! We got to spend time with one of my closest friends and her son for the weekend before continuing our trek home to Portland! It was a whirlwind of a week but so amazing and worth it! I think it’s safe to say we are a climbing family!
Here are a few of my favorite photos from the week!
Lily still doesn’t know that you need to put money in to make these things work, haha, and we plan to keep it that way for as long as possible! 
What are some of your favorite traditions you have with your family?!
Linda is a Boston-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com. To sign up for the monthly newsletter full of encouragement and real life, click here!
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