Paris, Florida & The Beauty of Letting Them Fly

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Last night, our house was filled once again with the spark and laughter of our oldest daughter, Kalyra, fresh off her school trip to London and Paris.

It was so good to see her again, but even better to hear her stories. The joy, the bonding, the shared teenage drama, the freedom of roaming cities without parents hovering nearby—it was everything I could have hoped for and more.

She’s been transformed by this experience in the way that only travel can do. And hearing how she moved through the world made me smile: choosing Notre Dame over Sephora (yes!), rolling her eyes at McDonalds trips when French crepes were on offer, carefully spending her money on only a few meaningful souvenirs—a Van Gogh jigsaw puzzle and some delightfully quirky Paris cat socks for me.

She said standing close to the Mona Lisa was “actually cool.” (For the record, I’ve been to Paris four times and still haven’t seen it... so there’s that.)

And she knew that four-hour bus rides for one rushed sightseeing stop aren’t always worth it—but she made the most of the time, laughing with her friends. That’s travel wisdom right there.

As I watched her recount it all with this confident sparkle, I had one of those moments where you look back at the path you’ve chosen for your family and think: yeah, this was the right one.

I often reflect on the travel life we gave our girls. It's easy to focus on the challenges—missed milestones, the lack of traditional structure—but honestly, any life path comes with its pros and cons. You can’t waste your energy wondering if another choice would have been better.

You just have to keep focusing on the good—and wow, there’s been so much good. I see it more clearly now as they grow older. The independence, the adaptability, the open-hearted curiosity about the world.

This trip was another step in that evolution. A reminder of how much confidence travel can give you—how it cracks you open to new ways of seeing the world and yourself.

Meanwhile, Savannah is currently living her best life in Florida with her best friend’s family. They had to make a quick exit from Key Largo last night due to wildfires causing chaos—not in danger, just rerouting the fun—and will be in Miami for the next two nights.

Updates from her are rare (because she's way too busy soaking it all in), but I know she’ll have so much to tell me when she gets home.

There is zero concern about the confidence or independence of this child. Oh—and in true Savannah style—she casually announced that she’s now moving to Miami. 😂

I fully expect the University of Miami to be top of her college list for the next four years. Maybe it’ll be the motivation she needs to work hard for that scholarship!

Ah, travel. You give us so much more than miles and memories. You give us becoming.

Wherever you are reading this today, I hope you find a way to step into that sense of freedom, wonder, and possibility that travel brings—whether it's a new destination, a new perspective, or simply a new way of seeing the same street you've walked a hundred times.

Until next time,
Caroline

On the Gram - Cedar Key

15 Years of Travel Blogging

Talk about BECOMING. We've been blogging and running our own business now for 15 years. We never knew when we started it would become what it has

What a life it has given us - endless travel adventures, 7 years full time travel with our girls (so grateful as now they are teens, we're way down their list of priorities and both are currently traveling WITH friends and WITHOUT us), and the IMPOSSIBLE - a US Green card for our extraordinary ability in the art of travel blogging!

We've survived hit after hit, found ways to pivot and thrive again. We refuse to give up and continually strive to reinvent ourselves and stay connected to our passion and intention to help those in our communities live joyful lives.

We now love that we get to do this with our Raleigh site - applying all we've learned from 15 years of doing this and combining it with our pure love for this amazing city we call home and the beautiful people here who have always helped us feel welcome and wanted!

The journey is made better by all those we encounter along it! Here's to another 15 years.