Jeepin' and Road Trippin'

Last year my family and I made our first ever Summer Bucket List...and it quickly fell to the wayside due to my daughter's broken foot.  There was so much we wanted to do that either involved a lot of walking, or water, and with her in a cast, we couldn't make any of that work.

So, this year, it's Round 2!  We made a Summer Bucket List again, and the hubs and I have already checked off one item on the list:  Jeepin' and Road Trippin'!

Ever since I was 15 years old (and we won't even go there about how long ago that was), I wanted a Jeep. I briefly dated a guy in high school that had a Jeep, but we dated during the winter, so I didn't even get to enjoy the fun of cruising with the top off.

This past November, when my SUV finally hit it's peak of 204,000 miles and was costing more to repair than it was worth, we traded it in and I got my Jeep!  (If any of you follow me on Instagram already, you know I've been throwing that top back as much as possible!)

Memorial Day weekend, my daughter was visiting her grandparents, so the hubster and I stripped the Jeep of roof and doors and hit the open road!  We cruised for a couple hours north to our little cabin in the woods, where we hung out for just a bit.  The gnats were so bad I thought we might get carried away, but the drive alone was worth the trip.

On the way home, we stopped by to visit one of my husband's friends from work who lives on a huge piece of land and has a little farm.  We spent the afternoon hanging out with he and his family, enjoying the sunshine and playing with the animals.

Here are a few of the little critters I got to meet:

Jethro the Bassett Hound stole my heart!  He's so stinkin' handsome.  I think next time we come, I need to bring my sweet Daisy Mae and they can be boyfriend-girlfriend.  :)

Melvin the goat is a lover.  He just wants his face and ears rubbed constantly, and if you stop rubbing, you'll get a horn in the hip.

There were a bunch of chickens.  The three hens all had babies around the same time, so there were about 15 baby chickens running around.  The grass was so tall, though, it was tough to snap a picture.

Orion and his sister Artemus are both Great Pyrenese who live with the farm animals and protect them from coyotes.

Our little Jeep road trip was so much fun, and I am so thankful it's finally warm enough to leave the top and doors off the Jeep more often!  There's something therapeutic about driving around in a wide-open Jeep down long country roads with good music cranking through the speakers.  It does the heart good.  Especially when you have the love of your life riding shotgun!

What's on your Summer Bucket List?