A great week with Alex & Linley

August 23, 2026August 23, 2026 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

I’m wide awake at 2:45am (which is highly unlikely me) because I’m so sad the fun of this week is over. I wish my mind didn’t think like that, but sometimes I long for the moments that just passed.

I know tomorrow (well, technically today) I’ll be in a better mood during my walks with Linley and throughout my conversations with Alex, but for now, I’m hearing them snore next to me, anxiously awaiting our next adventure.

East Palisades Dog Beach

We live about 20 minutes away from a bamboo forest trail that begins with a lovely dog beach! While I miss the Great Lakes very much, this kind of dog beach on the river is something Linley and I never experienced before coming here. Alex and I had so much fun encouraging Linley to explore, especially while jumping up on the rocks!

Wet Nose Wednesday

Our local Gwinnett Stripers baseball team hosted another Wet Nose Wednesday where pups are allowed at the games. They’re super fun and feature foster dogs as well, and any organization that supports rescuing is a winner in my book! We had so much fun and we can’t wait to go back next month. This was Alex’s and Linley’s fourth game today, and was my third.

Floating in Helen, Georgia

Yesterday (still feels like today to me because I’m up late 😅), I enjoyed one of the best days of my summer yet. Alex, Linley, two of our best friends and I floated in Helen, Georgia. We laughed, we had to navigate rapids and crowds, and Linley received tons of attention per usual. It was the perfect day with people I love. We then stopped for lunch nearby with the kindest server, Jordan, and enjoyed some mountain views at a local winery. This day was so perfect that I didn’t want it to end!

While I’m sad this week is over, I know we’ll have several fun memories to come this summer, too! And I’m going to cherish the days we already had together this week. 😌

Media taken Saturday, August 25, Wednesday, August 19 & Saturday, August 22, 2026.

My Parents Visited

August 21, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

A couple weekends ago, my parents flew down from Michigan to visit Alex, Linley and me. While it was a short trip, it was a lovely weekend and we were all sad it flew by so fast.

I often share how challenging my family dynamic can be – and it still is – but having a good foundation with my parents means so much to me. Even though I may not be close with other family members at the moment, it’s nice to have them at a phone call or quick flight away.

Telling Linley that we were going to the airport

Picking up “Grams and Gramps” from the airport

Caught in a rainstorm, hiding for coverage!

Linley was a lot salty sitting on my lap!

Seeing the “Cat Man” on the Beltline at dinner

Linley admiring himself in the reflection

Linley scarfing down his egg at breakfast

Linley’s lookalikes at breakfast!

Linley showing Grams and Gramps all his toys

We’ll be in Michigan for a week during Linley’s Gotcha Day, and we’re looking forward to making more memories and having more quality time.

Media taken Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, 2026 in Atlanta, GA.

Weekend in Chattanooga

August 8, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 4 Comments

Last weekend, Alex, Linley and I spent time in the Chattanooga area with my French tutor, her husband Jon and their dog Buddy. Janet and I have been working together virtually since April of last year, but we’ve never had the opportunity to meet in person until last Thursday evening.

What I love about language and travel isn’t *just* the language and travel; it’s the people. The people you meet along the way make experiences so much more fulfilling, and Janet has embodied that and then some for me. Janet holds me accountable, is an expert in not only learning French but five other languages too, and is my biggest cheerleader when I can’t find the right words or when I accomplish something difficult.

Everyone learning a new language needs a Janet, and every traveler needs a Geerlings family. I strive to be like Janet with my ESL students and change coaching clients alike: by cheerleading and holding others accountable to achieve their goals.

Thank you to International Language Cafe and The Chattanooga School of Language for bringing Janet to me!

Here were some highlights from our weekend together:

Linley sleeping in Alex’s spot of the bed

Alex carrying Linley down the stairs

Riverwalk and art gallery in Chattanooga

Linley being filmed for a restaurant’s dog month content, like the celebrity he is!

Not pictured: Linley and Buddy playing non-stop, Linley trying to jump in the Guinea Fowls’s crate, all the laughs while playing cards and all the memories around the dinner table. 💛

Media taken Thursday, July 30 – Sunday, August 2, 2026 in Chattanooga, TN

Reflection from August 2024

August 7, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

Two years ago, I was living some of my hardest days. While the hardest chapter of my life was 2020 – 2023, August of 2024 was a close second. I was still recovering from a horrible back injury that inflicted excruciating physical pain, which led to emotional and mental scarring, too. And while that was going on, we found out that Linley had a tumor in his lung that needed to be removed ASAP. While I was in PT for 10 months and getting spinal epidurals, I was also worrying about whether I would lose my son and best friend (yes, Linley is my baby boy, don’t judge me! 🤣)

Fast forward to August of 2026: Linley and I are both happy and healthy (thank goodness). But now I’m finding myself “needing” to make up for lost time, wanting to do all the things and rushing my way through the summer.

This is my reminder to all of you, and to myself, to slow down! We can’t do all the things at once. We can’t commit to every invite or constantly run ourselves to the ground. Sometimes doing less is more, and I’m *slowly* unlearning that going a million miles a minute is the only way to survive.

Here are photos – both beautiful and tough – from August of 2024. What a rollercoaster that time was, and I’m glad I’m off that ride!

Shoutout to Piedmont for getting me in touch with the best PT and specialists around, to Blue Pearl Animal Hospital for saving Linley’s life and to all our friends at Bantam who rallied for Linley (and me!) during that time. 🫶

Photos taken August 2024

The Tracey Trio Smiles

August 4, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

While Alex, Linley and I roadtrip, we always like to take selfies! Here are some of my favorites from our recent travels:

In Atlanta as we left for the east coast

Photos taken July & August, 2026

Missing Maine

August 3, 2026 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

It’s been a few weeks since we left Portland, Maine, and I’ve been missing it so much. From all the great food, tons of laughs, strolling around downtown, swimming in the ocean, driving with the windows down and enjoying all the views, Portland was awesome. Everyone was super friendly and welcomed us with kindness. I can’t wait to visit again soon!

Linley enjoying the drive

A bachelorette party’s dog sticker for me!

Our favorite spot on the dock

…and the seagull’s favorite spot

Having fun at our AirBnB

Media taken Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July 11, 2026

Food of Portland, Maine

August 2, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

For some reason, in the fourth grade, I had a dream I lived in Portland, Maine. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to visit Portland so badly. Now that I have visited, I can say it’s because of not only the energy and beautiful scenery, but also the incredible food! Being celiac and pescatarian makes eating while traveling exponentially harder, but it felt like Portland, Maine was made for me.

Here are some of the best meals we had during our time in Maine:

Gluten free lobster, crab and shrimp rolls at Luke’s Lobster

Found a salty lobster on the beach; did not eat!

Fully gluten free Orange Bike Brewing beer!

The birds outside Orange Bike didn’t like Alex’s Mazda…

Photos taken Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July 11, 2026

Alex’s Mazda Climbed Mount Washington!

August 1, 2026August 1, 2026 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

Before heading east, one of my clients said I couldn’t pass through Vermont and New Hampshire without visiting the White Mountains. I felt super ignorant, but I didn’t even realize the White Mountains were a thing! Apparently, we have a mountain range on the east coast that looks exactly like the Alps and I had no idea until a couple months ago…

Needless to say: I’m grateful for the recommendation and it was worth the extra day of the trip!

After our Franconia Notch hike, we cooled down with a drive up Mount Washington. We could’ve hiked it; however, to our surprise, it’s the most dangerous mountain hike in North America. While only slightly above 6,000 feet in elevation, the weather can change on a dime and people constantly get stranded, blown off the mountain from a wind gust or get hypothermia from the drastic changes in weather. I love Alex and Linley too much to risk anything crazy happening! It was smarter to drive, especially after the “moderate” hike we’d already done that morning.

The drive up was beautiful and I soaked up every moment of it. We saw the temperature drop from 85° to about 59°, and saw the Sunny sky turn to an ominous fog. Even though I’ve jumped out of a plane at 18,000 feet, there was something about the foggy drive up that made me feel like we were going to fall off the edge (Alex is a great driver though!)

Once we got to the top, we parked by the couple and their dog we’d seen at dinner the night before. Great minds think alike! We enjoyed some photos and videos of our 360° views around us. It really did feel like I was back in Norway or somewhere else in Europe when we were up there.

Yes, Linley was begging for food at the top!

Bumper sticker we received on the way up

The drive down was absolutely stunning as it warmed and cleared up. I took much more videos then, as Linley was loving the fresh air and as I was comforted by us using lower gear…

Toys for Linley we bought on the way down: Douglas and Tanner!

We will definitely be in the area again while we travel to upstate New York next summer!

Media taken Friday, July 10, 2026 at Mount Washington Summit

Echo Lake/Franconia Notch Views

July 30, 2026 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

The views we saw in New Hampshire were worth the steep and hot hike, that’s for sure! Before we drove up Mount Washington, we wanted to move a little when the rained cleared. Alex found a “quick,” “moderate” hike that really turned out to be a difficult, long one – but it was worth every second. Navigating through tree roots, embracing the post-storm heat and sun, and crawling up parts of the trail were unexpected challenges. Luckily, Linley had been through agility training recently, so he was extra ready to jump over and walk under things!

At the top, we met a kind couple from Rhode Island who recommended we camp there next time we visit. I’m going to follow through on that next summer, and maybe with kayaking and a stroll around the lake. 😌

Photos taken Friday, July 10, 2026 ⛰️

Traveling through Vermont & New Hampshire

July 29, 2026 / Cate Tracey / Leave a comment

After a bittersweet goodbye to Alex’s family, we hit the road toward Maine. I was sad to leave Clayton, Alex’s family and all the memories from Linley’s and my second visit, but was excited to have a “Tracey Trio” part of the vacation.

Driving through Vermont and New Hampshire, two states none of us had ever visited before, was absolutely beautiful! Taking in the Green and White mountain ranges were gorgeous and transported be to a new world.

I can’t wait to spend more time on the east coast next summer!

Taking the ferry from NY to VT!

Media taken Thursday, July 9 and Friday, July 10, 2026 in VT & NH!

Thank you Clayton, New York!

July 28, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

From strolling around downtown, to lazy mornings looking at the water at our rental, and swimming at the lake house, Clayton never disappoints. As sad as we were to miss the family trip last year, it was certainly worth the wait.

We’ll be back next summer, Clayton! ✌️

Lin exploring by the water

Lin doesn’t appreciate the sunset like we do…

Reminds me of our Chicago dog beach days!

Lin got the zoomies!

Good morning from Lin!

Media taken Tuesday, July 7 – Thursday, July 9, 2026 🌊

Family Photos (Clayton, NY • 2026)

July 27, 2026 / Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

From being bullied and ostracized by blood relatives to being accepted and loved by TWO families? Priceless!

I’m grateful to have Alex’s mom’s side of the family here in Georgia, and Alex’s dad’s side in upstate New York. I never thought I would be lucky enough to have one group to call family, and to have two means the absolute world to me. My inner child is healing and I love Alex’s family so much!

I not only had the honor to take surprise engagement photos, but also family photos a couple days later. I can’t wait for next year’s family vacation already!