dogs

Sedona

/ Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

Sedona, Arizona – although touristy – didn’t disappoint!

Highs

  • We lucked out weather-wise! It was a little hot on our way to the car, but I’m so glad we visited and hiked when we did!
  • Linley had a big ole smile on his face the entire hike! 😀
  • Alex and I wore our matching dog fist shirts, and we met a sweet couple and their young daughter who wanted to pet Linley. They apparently had the same shirts as us, and also a small, white dog named Waffles, but didn’t wear them or bring him along. It reminded me of how much Alex and I love bringing Linley wherever we can!
  • The views were absolutely stunning! I mean, they were truly breathtaking (proof below).
  • We met so many friendly people on the hike, all of whom loved Lin!

Lows

  • The parking sucked. The touristy energy of the area sucked. It definitely wasn’t our vibe, but we had a great hike as a trio regardless!
  • I had to carry Lin’s poop bag for a while, and because of the heat, it stank BAD haha! 🤣

Buffalo

  • Lin’s paws were stained with the orange-colored dirt from the hike. He majorly needed a bath and a good grooming after our trip haha! All the dogs at the parks and along walks wanted to smell him after that… 😅

Media taken Friday, March 21, 2025.

Fun in Flagstaff

/ Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

We definitely had fun in Flagstaff between visiting the Grand Canyon and hiking in Sedona the following day!

Highs

  • The brewery we stopped at was awesome! Bummer we had to sit outside, but other than that it was great!
  • Our Thai takeout was wonderful, and enjoying it at our cozy AirBnB was perfect.
  • Stargazing at both our AirBnBs was amazing! I wish we would’ve enjoyed it a bit more…
  • The distillery we found after our Grand Canyon adventure was so great, that we visited three times while we were there!
  • We stopped for lunch and great cocktails after hiking in Sedona, and a kind couple paid for our drinks!

Lows

  • We couldn’t sit outside at the brewery, and it took us so long to find a spot that we could actually bring Lin into for dining… which just so happened to be our AirBnB! It was a headache but it was all good in the end.
  • Alex definitely got sunburned from sitting in the sun after hiking in Sedona…
  • On our last night in Flagstaff, we picked up some Indian takeout and it was absolutely horrible. It was flavorless, watery… none of what we were expecting. We love Indian food and we definitely need to order some soon now that we’re back in Atlanta!

Buffalo

  • When we visited the distillery for coffee on our way back East toward Albuquerque, Misty (our lovely bartender and barista!) accidentally made Linley three pup cups instead of one. She thought we asked for two to go, but we really wanted to mugs to go! It was sweet and Linley definitely enjoyed them.

Media taken March 20-22, 2025 in Arizona.✨

The Grand Canyon

/ Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

I’m going to put a pause on the “high, low, buffalo” theme for our honeymoon posts; the Grand Canyon was absolutely beautiful, it was the perfect day, and it was an incredible first visit for all three of us! I promised Linley that I would take him someday when I first rescued him over seven years ago, and it meant so much that we finally made it together — with our other best friend right by our side, too! 💛

From all the adults and kids who were smiling and greeting us as we walked by, to the kind gentleman who took his dog on a similar road trip just because, and the two young women who gave Linley some love on our way out: we had the best day as a family and couldn’t have asked for anything more. 🥹

Media taken Thursday, March 20, 2025 at the Grand Canyon. ✨

Our Flagstaff AirBnB

/ Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

The ranch we stayed at in Flagstaff, Arizona deserves its own post. From location to views, appliances to coziness, this place was just what we needed and then some. We’ll be back and this was probably our favorite AirBnB of the entire trip.

The best parts? Our big, family breakfast, seeing the gophers dig in the neighbor’s yard, and seeing Lin run around and have so much fun!

Media taken Wednesday, March 19 & Thursday, March 20, 2025.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

/ Cate Tracey / 1 Comment

Santa Fe did not disappoint! From the food and drinks, to the beautiful hiking, and all the crazy weather in between: I highly recommend paying this unique town a visit.

Highs

  • Our AirBnB was awesome! It was the quintessential desert stay that we wanted and needed. We also enjoyed nice breakfasts there each morning; Lin enjoyed sitting at the table with us! 💛
  • The rail yard near our place had some amazing breweries, and it was cool to see the trains roll by while we walked and enjoyed our time in the area.
  • It took forever to find a good, dog-friendly spot for dinner, but once we did it was worth it! We enjoyed good food and spicy margs before our next day of adventure.
  • We had a very fun, windy hike in the morning during our full day there. We almost got lost of the hike, but luckily we didn’t, and it was great to beat the crowd and the heat!!
  • Our lunch spot was wonderful and I enjoyed some of the best nachos to-date. They also let Linley hang out inside with us, and he was getting all the attention per usual.
  • After an eventful drive, we hung out at a brewery outside of the city center, and had a blast making it a restful part of our afternoon.
  • We stopped by a really cool pottery bar for a drink before dinner, and it was fun to watch people make pottery while we had great martinis out of pottery glasses!

Lows

  • Santa Fe really isn’t as dog friendly as I’d thought it would be. Even some places don’t seat you outside during certain days or times of the week… in hindsight, I wish we’d spent more time in Albuquerque as opposed to Santa Fe.
  • Linley actually had some bad altitude sickness in the morning on our second day there! I’d had it bad in Peru with my mom in 2018, so I knew all the symptoms he was experiencing. He bounced back in time for the hike, but definitely look for warning signs in yourselves and pets (nauseous, cold and shaky, etc.)

Buffalo

  • We really had a wild full-day of weather, including a dust storm AND a snow storm in the same day! It was wild, but very cool to experience.

Photos taken Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

Oklahoma

/ Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

Like the places we visited in Arkansas, Oklahoma City was a very underrated place with some really surprising, unique spots!

Highs:

  • Our garage-style AirBnB was super cool! We loved it and had the best time. We barely stayed in, but we enjoyed coffee and laughing at the local news the next morning before we left. (Shout out local news… it’s always so much better than the other garbage!)
  • We enjoyed drinks and brunch in a cute part of town that actually reminded me of a small, beach town I’d visited near San Francisco. Linley, of course, got more attention…
  • The park downtown that we walked through was absolutely beautiful! So many families were out and about, and it was a gorgeous day overall.
  • We popped into a cool library-style distillery before dinner, and when I say we had the most creative cocktails yet, I mean it! Alex ordered a pho-nomenial drink that literally tasted like Vietnamese pho! Our minds are still blown… 10/10 would recommend!
  • Believe it or not, we had dinner on a “lake” with the most beautiful sunset. It was a lovely way to continue our trip out west. And my gluten free vege burger with a gin and tonic didn’t hurt either!

Lows

  • Bricktown was super crowded! The river walk was way too touristy and packed, and that part of the day really wasn’t as enjoyable. But we quickly remedied that with the distillery visit I mentioned above.
  • I slept like *garbage* that night, because Linley kept pushing into my back the entire night. I love when he snuggles up to me, but it was a little too far… he made my stomach push out and it was feeling it for a while there! (He’s worth it, but still!)

Buffalo

  • We made the most of our dinner, but boy did it get cold while we were sitting outside! Next time, I’ll remember to bring blankets for all of us.

Media taken Sunday, March 16, 2025.

Arkansas

/ Cate Tracey / 5 Comments

Our first stop on the honeymoon road trip was Arkansas, which may not seem super glamorous, but it didn’t disappoint! Here are some of my favorite photos and “highs, lows and buffalos” from the first state on our journey:

Highs

  • Our AirBnB in Russellville was amazing! 10/10 would recommend the home. Seeing Linley run around in a yard was a big plus, too.
  • Hiking in the Ozarks was amazing! Although rainy at first, this was an underrated hiking spot that everyone should check out at least once.
  • The distillery we found in Little Rock was amazing! They had the best service and St. Patty’s Day drinks, and we ran into some kind strangers there and along the way.

Lows

  • Our county was a dry county, and we had NO idea! We tried ordering margs at two different places, only to realize the nearest liquor, beer or wine was at least 40 miles away! We still have a good laugh about it haha…
  • Of course some family stuff had to go down during this leg of the trip, but so it goes. Alex and Linley are my family, and that’s all that matters. 💛

Buffalo

  • Alex was whistling while we walked through a creepy Dollar General, and the cashier commented and said it felt like a horror movie. Way to go, Alex, for creeping out a complete stranger! 😅

Photos taken Saturday, March 14, 2025.

Honeymoon “high, low, buffalos!”

/ Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

March 14-27, 2025… what can I say! Those were the two best weeks of my life. Alex, Linley and I went on the honeymoon road trip of a lifetime.

As excited as I am to write alllllll about it, I probably can’t; it’d take too long and I’ll always have the memories in my heart. Instead, I’ll share stories “high, low, buffalo” style. Haven’t heard of this? Well, I’ll share a few highs, lows (or weird situations, I should say!) and “buffalo’s” are random things that happened on the trip.

What qualifies as a “buffalo?” Well, the fact that we encountered a severe dust THEN snow storm in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the same day definitely qualifies. More to come on that later 🙂

Stay tuned in the coming weeks! In the meantime, here’s some disposable camera photos from our trip of a lifetime.

Asheville Strong

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Our best friends got married in Asheville, North Carolina this weekend, so of course we made a trip out of it! It was bittersweet seeing Asheville in its resiliency following the devastating flooding that happened due to Hurricane Helene. Although our trip wasn’t full of the usual hiking and nature exploration, we had a blast in the city itself.

We highly recommend Ginger’s Revenge and The Twisted Laurel if you’re in the mood for some good drinks and food!

The next morning, we had a blast at brunch and enjoyed the sunshine before Carolina’s and Matt’s wedding celebration. We even took Linley to the local Wag Bar—where he played and ran around like a maniac for hours! He also got attention from everyone – including little kids – at the local bars and restaurants…

After we tired Lin out, we headed back to our Airbnb so we could get ready and Linley could finally sleep.

The venue, ceremony and celebration were all beautiful and emotional given the delay since October. It was a lovely evening and wonderful to finally celebrate with Carolina and Matt!

The trip back on Sunday was smooth, and of course we had to enjoy some of our local spots in Atlanta given how beautiful of an afternoon it was.

Media taken Friday, February 28-Sunday, March 2 in Asheville, NC & Atlanta, GA. 💛

Beautiful Birmingham

/ Cate Tracey / 3 Comments

Do you ever have those days that just seem perfect, like every single thing is going right? And it actually does?! Well, that’s how I felt on Saturday, February 1 when Alex, Linley and I visited Birmingham, Alabama!

It was a beautiful, sunny day and we were excited for a mini-vacay as a family. We started at a fun dog park and bar (ironically called Good Dog Bar and Dog Park), where Lin ran around like a manic… and we were all smiles!

After some runs and fun’s in the sun, we had the best and most filling seafood lunch of my life! Linley was of course getting all the attention, and before Alex and I headed to an Atlanta United soccer game, we had to walk off all our delicious food.

Alex and I had a great time at the soccer game, but we actually left early because we missed Lin so much… haha! It was too nice of a day to have him cooped up inside.

Our evening was just as fun as the rest of our day together; we had some good drinks at a local brewery where two kiddos gave Lin all the attention in the world! It was such a nice evening with great conversation and company. And when we wrapped up there, we had some good bar food and a nice walk to wrap up our evening.

It was truly one of those days where everything went smooth. The drive was great, stopping at Buc-ee’s was awesome, all the activities and sunshine and smiles… everything was picture-perfect in Birmingham!

Photos taken Saturday, February 1, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Atlanta Snow Days

/ Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

Alex and I are recovering from a nasty case of the flu (we’re incredibly lucky we’re vaccinated!), and the sweats make me wish for another snow day. Here in Atlanta, snow is rare but we were blessed with two winter storms that made me feel like we were suddenly in Michigan.

Linley and I certainly missed this snow, but what made the first snow day extra special was spending it with Alex. The three of us have never had a fun-filled day in winter wonderland before, and we hope to have many more!

Media taken Friday, January 10, 2025 ❄️

Halloween Shenanigans

/ Cate Tracey / 2 Comments

It’s been hard to write since the election results, but I don’t want the weight of the world to crush me. The end of October was such a beautiful time with a wonderful vacation, the start of a new career and Halloween shenanigans with my best friends.

My partner Alex and our best friend Alex (confusing, I know!) went to a haunted house that’s extremely famous in the Atlanta area. Netherworld was full of jump-scares and laughs, and the best part is that we went into two haunted houses! The first was arguably better than the last, but it was still fun to see Alex (my Alex, haha) conquer his fear of clowns…

Halloween night was lovely because Linley, the Alex’s and our buddy Tyler were all involved in a group costume. We were Taco Bell hot sauce packets and Lin was our little taco! His Taco Bell shirt didn’t arrive in time so Alex last-minute ordered the taco costume, which happened to fit perfectly.

A tired Linley and spicy pawrents!

Before Tyler arrived, the four of us grabbed dinner and drinks at Bantam Pub — our favorite local hangout. We hung out at our place and got Lin cozy for the night, while the rest of us headed to some cool spots in Decatur. We laughed and made fun of how old we were because we were all in bed before midnight. It was exactly what I needed and was worth the hangover the next day 😌

I love my little family in Atlanta and look forward to more adventures to come!

Media taken Monday, October 28 and Thursday, October 31, 2024.