Me + Miss V: road trip to joshua tree

I love to travel and longing to see the world, but there’s always some unknown fear in me stopping myself from going.  Fortunately, my daughter, Venise, is growing to be an explorer herself and always ready to go wherever I suggest.  Few weeks ago, Venise had a day-off from school.  Without anything planned in advance, I asked her in the morning, “want to go spend some time at Joshua Tree?”  She quickly replied, not knowing what or where Joshua Tree is, “Yes!!  Let’s bake some cupcakes and bring them there too!”  So we baked some cupcakes, got into the car and just drove off!

Being a daughter of a photographer, I guess Venise is used to the thought of styling and composing an image.  So for this trip, she brought along her favorite Blythe dolls and styled a “photoshoot”.  Too fun!

Being a single parent, I always feel like I can’t ever provide enough for my little girl.  I’m always worried about not making enough money, when you don’t make enough money you can’t even think about traveling or the thought of pursuing pleasure.  However, once I chose to let go of that mentality and look for the positive side of this, I realized money doesn’t need to be involved in pursuit of happiness.  For this trip, we didn’t spend much other than just gas and we had SO MUCH fun!

More to add… Last night I stumbled upon this blog by Yolanda Edwards, a former travel and lifestyle editor of Cookie Magazine, and I really appreciate what she wrote on her profile bio:

I want to share our experiences here, because I think travel is so important, even if it’s just exploring in your own neighborhood. I know traveling is a commitment–leaving your comfort zone, wondering if it’s even going to be worth the hassle and expense. We all need ideas on where to go, the best way to get there, and what to do once you’re there. Usually these ideas are best when they come from a friend, someone you trust, who has done it already.

Looking forward to her new venture, Momfilter, with former Cookie editor Pilar Guzman.  And stay tuned for more of my trips with my little V!