travel

Weird vibes

| jamiefeinberg

So, I’ve been honest here about my recent struggles with anxiety and overwhelm and the work I’ve been doing on myself through the Enneagram, other forms of personal development, therapy, and self-care.

I wanted these past few weeks to be me getting back into the swing of things with my business after a delightful week of fun with my mom here on Prince Edward Island.

I wanted to be focused and on top of it.

And, while I think I’ve done a decent job of meeting my obligations and haven’t (I hope) missed any deadlines, I’ve been giving off vibes.

Weird vibes.

Vibes that confuse the heck out of people.

Can you possibly relate to this, or am I alone? Am I the only person who, in a state of anxiety, finds themselves making their friends and family think they’re getting the death stare when they’re actually getting the deer in headlights/confused as all heck look by someone who’s struggling to keep up?

It’s contributed to some communication challenges recently, for sure. And it’s given me plenty of fodder for therapy sessions.

But I am grateful. I’m grateful for family and friends who’ve done the work alongside me to communicate what they’re feeling, tell me when I’m bothering them, and taking care of themselves in the process.

I’m grateful for a cat who insists on all of the snuggles when I’m in a funk.

I’m grateful for a new therapist who seems like a great fit for me.

And I’m so excited for this season of concerts and my new pilot Enneagram program.

I imagine these weird vibes have something to do with my Enneagram type (I’m a 1) and something to do with all of the stress it can be really hard to avoid putting on myself.

I may not have my anxiety completely under control yet. I may have some weird vibes ahead of me. But I’m thankful for this life I’ve crafted and that you’re a part of it too.

Take care, friends.

P.S. I’m still writing a book. Any interest in getting on my email list in exchange for some previews from it? If so, please comment or reach out.

when the universe shouts

Black typewriter with white paper and a white background
| jamiefeinberg

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of writing a book about our travels across the US for a while now. For more years than I can remember, I’ve periodically had friends or family members or strangers ask if we were going to write a book about our adventures, or strongly suggest that we do so. In addition, I’ve long recognized that keeping this blog means that when I was ready to write that book, I’d have an assortment of stories to draw from.

Meanwhile, after putting my focus elsewhere (hello, operation: get to Canada!), for many months, in January I shifted my focus back to building my coaching business and other creative freelance work, both online and here in Canada.

I’ve got a giant to-do list, but I wasn’t feeling a lot of certainty about where my priorities should be as I relaunch things. Should I get more active on social media? Hop back into podcasting? Launch a course?

The universe, apparently, had other plans.

That Wednesday, I took Squeak, our cat, to the vet. Over the phone due to COVID, the veterinarian I had never met told me she’d “read the book about us traveling the US with a cat and having kittens”. I told her I’d probably have it written in 2-3 years – she seemed a little surprised. 🙂

Saturday, during a local (Zoom) book club meeting, after I’d introduced myself, a new friend said she’d “read the book of me traveling the US, coaching”.

Sunday, during a different Zoom book club, an acquaintance commented it looked like I was writing a novel – I was taking notes as we chatted. At the end of the session, she called out something like “Jamie, I want to read your book when it’s done!”.

So, yeah. Message heard loud and clear, universe!

The next day, I began writing my book.

Has the universe ever spoken to you? Or yelled at you?

Comment and let me know if I’m alone in this, please!

P.S. If you haven’t subscribed to this blog yet, that’s a great way to make sure you hear about my book when it’s available for pre-order! There’s a subscribe button – on your mobile, it should be the bottom right and say Follow, or look for a box on the right hand side if you’re on a computer etc. Thanks for your interest!

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help further by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums! 
  • Take Ross’ online ukulele course!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

Prioritizing community

| jamiefeinberg

When we finalized our plans to move into an apartment and settle down in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, both Ross and I were particularly excited about the opportunity to find community.

Previous to hitting the road in an RV, we’d both found community mainly in the arts. Though I was still seeking a “best” friend or two, for the most part, we were happy enough day to day with our social circles. We had friends of different ages, friends who we’d invite to parties, and the friends that we performed with. It wasn’t perfect. Ross struggled to find a strong, accepting music community with plenty of opportunities for him, and I didn’t have the close friends I was hoping for. But we knew we were lucky to have lots of friends and fellow musicians that we were sad to leave behind when we started traveling.

As full-time travelers in an RV, our definition of community shifted. We found online community with other RVers or musicians, in-person community when we settled into a campground for a while, and in some places, we were welcomed into the local music community too. When we hit it off with friends while workcamping, held in-person meetups with friends we’d met online, or stumbled into a wonderfully accepting music community (think Seattle, Denver, Orlando, and most ESPECIALLY Portland, OR!), we rejoiced and made the most of it. And when the pandemic hit, Ross found community with musicians from around the world at ukulele meetups.

By the time we moved to Canada, we were ready for other types of community. The need had been exacerbated by the pandemic as well. We were ready to find a local farmer’s market, a regular grocery store, retailers, restaurants. We were ready to build lasting relationships and find a musical home that would accept us and sustain us moving forward.

For Ross, finding community has happened fairly naturally. As a student, he met classmates and professors and was soon getting invitations to parties and musical performances. He started performing in ensembles and socializing during and in between classes, and together we enjoyed local holiday festivities and concerts with the wider community (when COVID protocols and our own comfort permitted).

For me, finding community has meant taking deliberate actions on a regular basis, and following my intuition. I had a hunch that music would be a great entry point to making friends, and that hunch was completely correct. It led to me making a couple of wonderful friends within a few months of arriving here, and I’m now collaborating with dozens more through Island A Cappella and Luminos Ensemble. I even made a friend through a purchase on Facebook Marketplace!

My friend Jenn and I, at a wonderful comedy show, pre-Omicrom variant.

I’m now regularly receiving invites and getting to know my new local friends. I’ve even joined a local book club, one of those things I’d “always wanted to do” pre-pandemic, but never had.

And while COVID often slows things down for a while, each of these efforts has had some positive effect. I have both in-person and virtual meetups regularly.

Meanwhile, I’ve continued to strengthen my existing friendships, with Zoom meetups and phone calls with friends and family: our personal development mastermind, RVing friends, monthly family teas, and monthly check-ins with family and friends from so many places in my life.

I spent so many years feeling frustrated that I didn’t have the close friends I wanted. If I threw a party, it was always a hit. And I could cast a show or a concert. But who did I call or text when I was struggling? Honestly, for most of my adult life, I didn’t have anyone, or if I did, it was my partner. My husband is amazing, but we do better as a couple when we each have our own friends too.

Now, as I’ve struggled with anxiety and overwhelm in no small part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on those tough days, I have a list of people I can connect with. I can make plans with friends. And in any given week or month, I’m getting some of those 1:1, deeper conversations that are one of my favorite things in the world and that energize me.

So if you’re challenged in finding community right now, I wanted to encourage you. I believe it’s absolutely possible. It may take months or years (even decades!) – but it’s possible, if you are able to carve out the time. Especially if you will prioritize it. Join a book club (online or not), a musical group, a walking or hiking club, start a group to attend theater shows together, volunteer…the possibilities are endless!

And one of my goals for this year is creating a retreat so that I can foster and share that kind of relationship-building that I’ve found so helpful and comforting in my own life and business. (Do let me know if that interests you!) I’ll be leading virtual retreats and, in the future at least, in-person ones as well.

Where do you find community? Is this an area that you struggle with? Have you found virtual outlets for when in-person gatherings aren’t feasible?

Please comment, and let me know. I’m so curious. And thanks for reading, friend.

The Rv has sold, and the adventure continues

| jamiefeinberg

Hello, friend! How are you? How is life in your neck of the woods? Are you safe, and healthy, and happy most of the time? We sure hope so.

Since our last update, so much has happened. Read on for updates on where we are, what we’ve been up to, and what’s next in the life of Ross and Jamie.

We moved to Canada! To be honest, it happened six or so days later than planned, because in our rush to get everything complete, we managed to initially take the wrong COVID test! It then took multiple tries taking the PCR test in northern Maine to get our results back in enough time (within 72 hours) to cross over the border, but the pluses were that we got to enjoy some vacation time in Bangor (a much more fun, progressive, and affordable city than we’d realized) and got a tiny taste of Moncton, NB too, where we spent our first successful night in Canada. Once (hopefully) COVID is behind us, Moncton will be close enough to us for a day trip or easy overnight stay, so we were excited to get a little preview of it.

Though we’ve had a ton to do since we arrived, from coordinating the sale of our RV (thank you to everyone who assisted with that!) to purchasing some furniture, from learning where to buy groceries to setting up a bank account (still working on that one this week), to learning how to see doctors and mental health professionals here (there’s a big wait list for primary care physicians here, but having access to free mental health clinics a truly beautiful thing).

At the same time, Ross has gotten started at the university and has already played a few concerts on acoustic guitar (while simultaneously continuing his ukulele teaching and podcast editing), and I’ve started singing again (apparently I’m a soprano 1?) and will be the director of Island A Cappella, a barbershop singing group affiliated with Harmony, Inc., beginning in January of 2022. I also sang at a church this summer, so it’s been fun to get back into the arts, and the extra income doesn’t hurt either.

Thanks to school and the music ensembles respectively, we are each making friends and dipping our toes into having a social life and community here on the island. After five years of travel, it’s exciting to set down roots and really invest our time, energy, and money in a community.

Of course we both have supportive friends and family back in the US, and we’re thankful for Zoom and cell phones to keep us connected with them. Social media helps too, and we’ve been scheduling time to connect virtually with loved ones.

We’ve both had our struggles in adjusting to things, but we still wake up every day thankful to be here and eager to keep doing the work to grow and thrive here. We know how privileged we are, and we don’t take it for granted.

After a much-needed social media and blog pause, I’m looking forward to growing my coaching business and our music business in 2022. If you’d like support in creating the life of your dreams too, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to offer you a free session to help you get clarity on your priorities and find your path forward.

Thanks for reading, and have a beautiful day!

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums! 
  • Take Ross’ online ukulele course!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

Top Tips For Facing Your Fear

| jamiefeinberg

What a wild time to be alive, friends! I hope you’re prioritizing your own health and well-being. There’s so much stress and vitriol in the world, and if we let it consume us, it really will.

I read this quote this week and it really resonated with me. It can be really helpful to stop and articulate, with words (out loud or in writing, or even with imagery) how we’re feeling and what we’re fearing. Putting a name to it can make it easier to face. 

Here are some of the things I’m fearing right now: 

  • I won’t build my business to the level I dream about
  • I won’t be able to visit family and friends for a long time
  • I won’t be able to attend my friend’s wedding
  • I won’t be able to safely share my views & background and be my authentic self under our next administration
  • I’m not doing enough to help the causes I care about
  • My BIPOC and LGBTQIAA+ friends and those with disabilities (basically anyone that isn’t a white male, TBH) won’t be safe in the near future

Putting it down makes it clear that that’s a lot to navigate! No wonder I feel stressed sometimes, despite my healthy habits. 

Here are some of the things I’m pursuing to clear my fears: 

  • Daily work on my business & accountability checks with my mastermind & mentors
  • Weekly calls and video calls with friends and family, plus emails and text check-ins
  • Daily and weekly work to encourage voting, educate those around me and assist anyone with questions
  • Supporting the causes I care about, financially and with my time and energy

It’s so, so important to not only articulate what’s on our minds, but, when we’re in the right headspace, make a plan with concrete steps to feel better. If we’re feeling scared of the unknown, what’s one thing that’s within our control that we can make progress on? If we’re frightened that x might happen, what’s one step we can take that will listen the blow if it comes true? 

For instance, if we’re afraid that a wildfire could burn our house down, we should pack an emergency bag & create a plan. 

If we’re afraid of the outcome of an election, we should vote and encourage our friends to do the same, and lend our support to the causes and people we care about if we’re able to do so. 

We can’t eliminate the possibility of the things we fear, in many cases, but we can eliminate the fear by tackling it head on with the pursuit of new things, as Susie Moore says. Taking concrete steps feels good, mentally, physically, and emotionally. 

Can you relate to any of these? What is one thing you can do today to face your fear?

Your Personal Invitation from Ross and Jamie!

| jamiefeinberg

If you’re reading this, you’re probably interested in at least one of the following:

a) Creating the life of your dreams

b) Traveling across the U.S.

c) Following the adventures of Ross and Jamie

So if any of those are true, we think you’ll want to reserve your spot at the free Make Money and RV Virtual Summit on October 1-5th!

Ross and I were honored to be asked to be a part of the summit (we’re in incredible company), and we know there’s tons of value for you here if you make a little time for it!

We get asked all the time how we make money on the road, and while we’re happy to coach you through what worked for us, wouldn’t it be even better for you to hear from dozens of RVers crafting their own dream lives, on their own terms?

With a variety of lifestyle speakers and industry experts diving into topics including how to get a job at a national park, how to create digital products, affiliate marketing to monetize your blog, how to really make money from blogging, starting a subscription box service, podcasting and more, I’m sure you’ll find something that you’re interested in!

Here’s what you’ll find at the summit:
*40 Speakers: Enjoy seminars, interviews & bonus content specifically aimed at helping you find ways to make noney and RV
*Practical Tips & Advice: Learn from lifestyle speakers about ways to make money on the road. Grab practical steps and advice to implement now or whenever you need it!
*Freebies: Grab a variety of freebies offered by our speakers, to help you achieve a quick win now and get started sooner than you imagined! In addition to great presenters, the summit has some amazing sponsors like Escapees RV Club, Harvest Hosts and even the The RVers TV series on Discovery Channel.

To get started, just register for our FREE event ticket and watch each of the live sessions for a full 24 hours!

You’ll also have a chance to connect with speakers inside the event Facebook Community and grab a variety of free resources related to each session.

If you can’t make it to all of the sessions, or if you just need more time to really dig into the material and take notes, I suggest you upgrade your ticket to the VIP pass and gain access for as long as you want. For the low cost of the upgrade, you’ll get a ton of added value with all the freebies included in the VIP Passes.

VIP Passes Include:
*Create Space from Thin Air: Ideas for Adding Storage to Your RV (or Other Tiny Home)
*Resume Writer’s Guidebook
*30 Minute Travel Therapy Questions & Answer Session
*$10 off mobile RV internet membership
*7 Day Workamping Course
*Grow to 10K Instagram Followers eBook
& many other great products & services by our speakers!

In fact, VIP Passes also come with a free ukulele lesson with Ross or a free coaching session with Jamie!

Whatever you decide, I really hope we’ll see you there – it’s hard to beat free, and there are some incredible speakers. Here’s the link to sign up. Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful week!

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 


Using Frustration as Fuel for the Future

| jamiefeinberg

I’ve been dealing with some challenging situations in my work lately. One of my clients has been particularly disorganized, and for the first time in a long time I’m finding it hard not to carry their own stress into my life.

It’s not the scenario I hoped for when I took on this client, but it’s a scenario that many aspiring adventurers know well.

Do you find yourself carrying the stress of your 9 to 5 into your nights and weekends?

Do you find it tough to turn off the worry when you turn off the laptop?

Is it hard for you to devote time to working on your goals and dreams because you’re too stressed about the here and now?

I can certainly relate, and my best piece of advice is this: use your frustration as fuel for the future.

When you catch yourself dwelling on anger or frustration, reframe the situation by saying (out loud, in a journal or in your head) “I’m so thankful for work that allows me to pay my bills. I’m so thankful for work that allows me to save for my future goals. This situation is helping me to build my future dream life.”

Remember that this frustration is fueling your future in multiple ways:

  • Financially – this money supports you while you dream and scheme and plan, and it may let you save enough for funding future too.
  • Emotionally – this experience is giving you visceral lessons that will stick with you moving forward. You’ll remember this feeling and when you lose momentum or focus on the work of dream life creation, remembering how much you don’t want to experience this again will get you that fire under your butt that’s needed for change.

Rewriting our stories is truly important for growth. It’s essential that I keep rewriting my frustration so that instead of a thing that’s happening to me, I put myself in a position of power.

I choose to do this job to support my future life.

I do this work to feed my family.

I’m learning lessons that will help me in the future.

Choose a story of empowerment. Choose to use your frustration as future fuel.

Have you been in this situation?

How did you handle it?

How are you rewriting your story today?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com

A Forced Pause – Quarantine Life

| jamiefeinberg

How things change for full-time RVers during COVID-19!

Before leaving Florida, we spent several weeks stocking up on supplies (all via delivery), not just for our journey across the country, but also for when we arrived in New Mexico. It was fun – we didn’t just buy supplies for meals, but we also bought car snacks and treats so that we could avoid gas station runs or Walmart stops to minimize our risk.

Our Misfits Market subscription was also an excellent source for this, from oat milk to nuts and granola. In addition, we decided to top off our produce and proteins with a delivery from Sprouts (new to us) while we were in Oklahoma City.

Our planning was extremely helpful. We could have gotten through a month in the RV if we needed to! As it stands, we’re currently more than halfway through our two week quarantine in New Mexico, and we’ve got all we need for sustenance and fun, including several bottles of wine and fancy cheese for a once a week treat. Our planning has made our adventuring fun instead of feeling like a burden.

So, what do we do for fun when we can’t leave the campground? In addition to our work (which has run the gamut from music teaching and music making to virtual assistant work and coaching), we’ve done the following:

  • Completed a mystery box from Deadbolt Mystery Society
  • Enjoyed wine and cheese after a night of (virtual) yoga and a (virtual) ukulele jam
  • Watched the entire series Space Force on Netflix (it’s so funny and sweet!)
  • Watched several Youtube videos about the history of Disney parks and properties
  • Taken daily walks around the campground (well, Jamie has anyway)
  • Enjoyed mountain views
  • Had Zoom meetups with family and friends
  • Made tacos and guacamole, caramel popcorn, fancy pasta and s’mores

I’m sure we’ve done much more too, but those are the first eight things that come to mind. And since most of those are things that I imagine most all of us can do from home, maybe it will give you some inspiration to create an adventure at home this weekend or any time.

What’s your favorite fun activity when you can’t leave home?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com. 

The Top 5 Things From Our Cross-Country Trek

| jamiefeinberg

It’s an unusual week when we drive across the U.S. in 10 days, but that’s what we just did! Okay, sure we stopped in New Mexico, not California, but that was pretty darn close to coast to coast, so we’re counting it.

It would be easy for me to lament all of the cool places we didn’t stop along the way (due to COVID-19, budget constraints or anything else), but instead, I thought it would be more fun to share the top five things that we did get to do on our trip!

We’ve created an absolutely incredibly lifestyle for ourselves, and we know we’re very privileged to get to live and travel on our own terms. And of course, we’ve made lots of decisions along the way that have allowed us to build this life, and we love helping other people to do the same. Today, I’m celebrating our hard work that led us here, as well as the hard work that got us across the country in ten days! Here are the top five parts of our latest RVing adventure.

5. Cracker Barrel 

Okay, so maybe visiting Cracker Barrel doesn’t sound like your top choice right now, but as full-time RVers we love that Cracker Barrel has RV-sized spaces and allows overnight parking. We don’t eat at a lot of chains, but we do visit a Cracker Barrel a few times a year because it’s affordable, tasty and it gives us a safe place to stay (usually with a convenient location off the highway and near or in cities with fun things to do). In the age of COVID, I really thought we’d be skipping them this time around, but as we were driving we started noticing a lot of highway signs for Cracker Barrel that said “Dine In. Curbside. Delivery.”

So when we needed a spot for a night, we didn’t hesitate to try Cracker Barrel. We used their curbside option (Ross drove the car into a curbside space) so that we didn’t need to go inside. As usual, it was reliably delicious with big portions. And curbside was so easy that when Ross needed more coffee on the way out of town, it was curbside again for the win! (Oh, and if you’re wondering, Ross doesn’t really have a regular order, but I do – I love getting tons of sides so I can get my veggie fix! And some fried apples, of course.)

4. Twin Fountains RV Resort, Oklahoma City, OK

This campground is such a cool one! In the time of COVID-19, many of the perks aren’t as appealing (limo rides to downtown, anyone?), but we enjoyed the spacious grounds (largest campsite we’ve ever stayed at!), catch and release pond and laundry facilities. They’ve also got a restaurant, salon and dog groomer on site. This was a great spot and if we ever want to spend more time in Oklahoma City, we will be happy to pay a bit of a premium to stay here!

3. Tontitown Winery, Springdale, AR plus Fayetteville Fun

This winery was perfect for a Harvest Hosts stay, with delicious wine, a sweet spot with electricity, room to walk in nature nearby and some amazing food too! We did a meat/nut/cheese/fruit tray for 2 for dinner, and it was incredible, with pickled veggies, olives, bread and crackers as well as the aforementioned deliciousness. And thanks to corona, they had made their famous grape ice cream for a local festival and didn’t have an outlet for it (no festival this year), so we were able to grab a pint of homemade ice cream too!

We went with takeout, but outdoor seating with live music was also an option. Such a fun night, and super convenient for exploring nearby Fayetteville! Under normal circumstances, we would have done a lot more, but even so, I (Jamie) had previously tried another location of Bliss Cupcake Cafe when I was passing through, and it was amazing and had stellar gluten-free options. (I also learned that delivery is now an option – so you can get these too!)

I made a trip to Fayetteville for cupcakes and a key lime frosting shot to go, and since I was heading in anyway, I got some homemade ice cream as well (also excellent). Basically a pretty perfect evening!

2. Big Spoon Creamery, Birmingham, AL

Well, if this was just about me (and not Ross), this would be number 1! But since Jamie went solo, it gets the number 2 slot. Big Spoon Creamery’s ice cream was incredible. Life-changing. I went with three flavors, and while they were all absolutely incredible, the vanilla was literally the best I’ve ever had in my life.

No doubt. More like a custard and more like white chocolate, honestly…so outstanding! I would probably just tell everyone to get the chocolate and the vanilla. Perfect together or solo. I can’t wait to go back someday. Such a highlight!! You can look forward to a blog about it here soon.

And finally, at #1, Iron Star Urban Barbeque, Oklahoma City, OK

Curbside from Iron Star was so good that we seriously debated going back immediately for more food. Ross went with a brisket sandwich (it comes with amazing pickles!), and believe it or not, I just had a bite and ordered some outstanding deviled eggs that came with a spicy vegetable pickle appetizer! (I was saving room for ice cream, TBH.)

This place is truly special, and we can’t recommend it more highly. Honorable mention to Roxy’s Ice Cream Social for some excellent ice cream with extraordinarily friendly service.

As you can see, we had a TON of fun despite the challenges of COVID. We felt much more comfortable treating ourselves when we got out of Florida and Georgia (the COVID hot spots), and we had some really tasty indulgences as we made our way across the country, taking what felt like reasonable risks for us.

So, I want to know: How are things where you are? How are you making the most of your summer right now?

______________________________

Supporting Our Blog

We are so thankful for your support of our blog and our careers! You can help by doing any or all of the following:

  • Purchase one of Ross’ albums!
  • Become a patron of our work!
  • Make purchases via our Amazon website links. There is no additional cost to you, and a portion of the proceeds can support our travels. Begin your Amazon search here.
  • Make other purchases using our affiliate links. Capital One 360 is one everyone can take advantage of to save money! Signing up with Dosh is a great way for everyone with a smartphone to support us, and we also have options for aspiring virtual assistants as well as occasional and full-time RVers to save money.
  • Listen to, subscribe and review our theater comedy podcast, Finishing The Season!
  • Subscribe to our blog, as well as perhaps InSearchOfAScoop.com, and recommend our work to your friends and family.
  • Take music or theater lessons (group or private) from us, either in person or via Skype at TinyVillageMusic.com.