October was a month of some serious ups and a few downs, but all-in-all, November has some big shoes to fill. đ
October 2025 Gratitude
love
Linleyâs Gotcha Day!
Linley has been my best friend for eight years, Alexâs best friend for two years, and we think heâs ~11 years old as of yesterday.
Although we couldnât celebrate as hard as weâd like (Linley is on the tail end of kennel cough!), we had a wonderful day, made it extra special for Linley, and canât wait to celebrate our little guy all month long!
Linley, we love you!!! đ
Media taken on Tuesday, September 9 for Linleyâs Gotcha Day!
Wedding Photos
Not everyone gets a second – and better – chance at love, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found my person. đ
Itâs been six months since our wedding day and I couldnât be happier in our marriage. Alex is more than I ever couldâve dreamed of.
Cheers to six months and forever to go!
Photos taken Saturday, March 8 in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta, GAâ¨
A couple weeks of baseball
Alex and I went to a Braves game on August 24, literally as we dropped Linley off from our weekend in Blue Ridge. That made us want to take him along for a couple games this season. And although the Braves donât do Bark in the Park the way the Detroit Tigers did, our minor league team does Wet Nose Wednesdayâs!
Taking Linley to events is equally important to both Alex and me, and obviously Linley enjoys himself! We went to games on August 27 and September 3, and it means even more now as Linley is currently recovering from kennel cough. Heâs doing great but makes is appreciate those moments as a family even more.
Wednesday, August 27
Wednesday, September 3
We canât wait for more Wet Nose Wednesdayâs at the Gwinnett Stripers games next season!
Media taken Sunday, August 24 at the Battery, and Wednesday, August 27 & Wednesday, September 3 at Coolray Fieldâ¨
Blue Ridge Beauty
Our second time in Blue Ridge was wonderful, adventurous and full of fun! Alex found a super cute tiny home for us with a beautiful view of the mountains, and we explored a winery and a lake as soon as we dropped everything off. We had no idea a lake was in the area, and weâll definitely be back to check it out again.
We checked out a brewery before heading back to our place for the evening. It was rainy so we chilled inside, Alex grilled out and we listened to music that made me feel immersed in the mountains. Iâve been needing more nights like that in my life lately, and I always enjoy our âTracey Trioâ adventures!
The next morning, enjoyed the sunrise and then we walked around town and grabbed coffee (and a pup cup!), from a cute cafe called Mountain Mommaâs Coffee, and enjoyed all the murals downtown. Being in Blue Ridge a second time really reminded me of northern Michigan and it was a great way to round out our summer travels.
We enjoyed breakfast back at the tiny home and were able to sit outside to enjoy the nice weather. Alex and I headed to the Tennessee boarder to go whitewater rafting in the Ocoee River, where the Atlanta Olympic trails took place! We felt bad leaving Linley at the AirBnB as we always do, but we found out that thereâs whitewater rafting thatâs much calmer in North Carolina and we plan on doing that with Linley in the spring. It was Alexâs first time rafting and we had a blast! The Rolling Thunder company we went with was wonderful and weâd highly recommend them; weâll be going with our guide JP again, and he actually grew up in the same hometown as Alex! Small worldâŚ
When we got back from rafting, we hung out with Linley on the deck again for lunch. The whole day was perfect so far, but that linch was so wonderful. It was simple, beautiful and perfect in every way. I love all those little yet memorable moments with my two favorite guys!
After some burgers and more good music while we sat outside, we freshened up and headed back into town. We may have had a little too much to drink at a distillery because they were offering tastings, but all in all we had a great evening. And Linley, of course, got lots of attention!
Our next morning was chill as we packed up and grabbed breakfast in town again. I, admittedly, was quite sad to head back, but I know weâll be back again soon!
Media taken Friday, August 22 through Sunday, August 24, 2025â¨
Rediscovering Atlantaâ¨
Earlier this morning, I wrote about how I need to take myself on new adventures. One small-but-mighty goal Alex and I have this summer is to rediscover Atlanta, which also means going to places nearby that we havenât explored yet. The rooftop bar at the hotel nearby is one of those places, and ironically, itâs where we stayed on our wedding night!
We enjoyed the stunning view of our city, some delicious cocktails, great disco-style music and even saw a couple get engaged a few tables down! You never know what youâll find until you do some exploring in your own backyardâŚ
Cheers to move adventures and exploring this summer!
And hey: if I need more insights, maybe I can check out this service at the hotel, too⌠đ
Photos taken Friday, August 8 at FORTHâs hotel bar, âMoonlightâ in Atlanta, GAâ¨
Gulf Shores, Alabama
We âshoreâ had fun on our long weekend trip to Gulf Shores! It was one of my last weekends of âfreedomâ before starting my new position for Delta Airlines, and it was great to have some quality time with my two favorite fellas.
We drove in two Fridays ago, and immediately dropped off our things before grabbing dinner and drinks. Our AirBnB hosts had some interesting taste, thatâs for sureâŚ
We walked around a local park, where Lin immediately got attention and love from other dogs and people, before heading to a nearby brewery. We enjoyed some live music and nice conversation with a couple who lived in the area for the last decade or more. We always appreciate conversations with strangers and local recommendations! And of course, Linley got even more love and attentionânot that he needed it haha.
Our dinner closer to the beach took forever because the weekend wait times were insane, but it was nice to sit down, relax and cheers to a great first evening of the trip. We met some kind wait staff and guests at the table next to us, who loved Lin and kept feeding him fries.
The next morning, we headed straight to the dog beach, which was not what we expected. But alas, we had fun before grabbing lunch at a local spot on the main beach. And although the dog beach wasnât what we expected it to be, we had a blast watching the blue herons near us and watching Lin grab sticks from the water.
I wish we couldâve brought Lin on the main beach, because that was beautiful! I wanted to get on the water so bad, but weâll save that for when weâre in Savannah this fall instead. Even being by that water was beautiful, and we had a blast sitting up at the beach bar. We enjoyed some mezcal drinks and delicious seafood, while, you guessed it, Linley got more love! It was cute to see him dig in the sand to cool off again, which is something Iâd missed from all our Michigan beach adventures.
No Tracey vacay is complete without an afternoon nap, and thatâs exactly what we did during the hottest part of the day. Once we woke up and freshened up, we all got some ice cream and walked around a cute shopping center along the pier. We got some cute dog mom, dog dad and a funny toy for Linley after we all enjoyed our desserts and a drink, and then walked along the water before heading out for dinner.
Our wait for dinner was so long, but we luckily found a great backup spot that was super dog friendly. The best part was that it was called âCosmoâsâ after the ownerâs dog, and we couldnât pass up the chance to visit. We enjoyed good seafood, live music (and the singer brought his chocolate lab, too!), kind wait staff and even a stroll through a local pet store after dinner.
My mental health hasnât been the best with some family and friend stuff thatâs come up lately, so thereâs a part of me that felt really bad about bringing some of those feelings up during the trip (i.e.: I never want to ruin Alexâs time or feel like a burden). But I also know that these two make me smile more than anything in the whole wide world, and at the end of the day, thatâs all that matters. đ
Media taken Friday, June 6 & Saturday, June 7, 2025 in Gulf Shores, Alabamaâ¨
Alexâs 30th birthday!!!
Alex made my 30th so special, and it was my turn to return the favor! We went to Ellijay, Georgia for the second time as the Tracey trio, and it was so much fun!
We began our day with a morning hike, where Linley almost stepped on a two-foot-long water snake! Iâm not normally afraid of snakes, but seeing and hearing Alex freak out in front of me startled me at my core. Luckily, the snake had just had something to eat and had no interest in biting Linley or any of us. But man, I was sweaty after that jump scare!
After our hike, we drove to downtown Ellijay for some rooftop fun. We enjoyed a cocktail and lunch before heading to our AirBnB, and Linley of course got all the attention!
Our AirBnB drop off was quick because we wanted to hit Roo, an amazing winery we visited with my mom in July, before it got super busy. Surprisingly, it wasnât busy at all, but it probably helped that we were there on a Friday afternoon instead of a Saturday!
Our evening was equally as fun, as we found a spot with live music in downtown Ellijay. It was weird not to be there with my mom this time around, but it was great to be there with my with now-husband and Linley again. The restaurant was so kind to us that they even brought out a table for us outside, and really reminded us of our favorite local spot at home. Weâll definitely be back!
Until next time, Ellijay! âď¸
After Ellijay, we also went to an Atlanta United game and the bar with friends beforehand, and had a birthday brunch for Alex that Sunday.
I can only hope that I made Alexâs birthday half as special as he made mine.
Media taken Friday, May 16 & Saturday, May 17, 2025 in Ellijay, Georgia, & Sunday, May 19 in Atlantaâ¨
Favorite parts of our honeymoon
Many people ask âwhat was your favorite part of the trip?â or âwhere was the best place you visited?â Honestly, the best parts were all the moments in between: the car rides, the breakfasts in the morning, the cuddles on the couch in the evenings⌠and the best place was honestly being in the car on the journey!
All the laughing at Lin and saying âk byeâ when he moved to the backseat, the stops at Buc-eeâs and all the goofy songs and podcasts we listened to made the trip complete. I miss those moments more than anything and canât wait to start planning our next family roadtrips, especially our big one for 2026!
I never thought this life was possible for me, or that this level of love was attainable in this lifetime, but Iâm damn glad it is!
Of course, weâve all traveled before we became the Tracey Trio, and I had to scratch off the states weâve all been to!
Thank yâall for joining us on our blogging journey, and a special thank you to yâall who have been following my stories for a long while. We look forward to sharing more about our adventures to come!
Cheers! đť
Huntsville
I didnât really have any expectations for Huntsville, but I knew I wasnât ready to head straight to Atlanta after leaving New OrleansâŚ
Highs
- We found an awesome dog park/bar where Linley was running around and tearing it up!
- We also found a cool area with tons of outdoor bars and restaurants.
- The place where we grabbed dinner and a nightcap was super cute and a good last dinner of the honeymoon.
- We had a cozy night in at the cute AirBnB, where we watched the season finale of 90 Day FiancĂŠ: The Last Resort haha.
- During our last morning of the honeymoon, Lin and I sat outside in the sun while I enjoyed my morning coffee.
- Lin got to play at another local dog park before breakfast, where we had the pleasure of meeting locals (humans AND dogs haha!)
- We found the cutest brunch spot where they had dog-themed cocktails, good GF options and were super dog-friendly!
Lows
- Alexâs drink at the first bar we went to was horrible⌠it was sweet and blue and disgusting haha.
- I was very emotional on the last day of our trip; I donât think I was ready to be home in Atlanta because some family drama came up during the trip; and it was all hitting that last day.
Buffalo
- Linley had a been on him during our outdoor dinner! We donât think he got stung but we literally had to pull it off of him. We noticed he was acting weird and it was just super random!
Media taken Wednesday, March 26 & Thursday; March 27, 2025 in Huntsville, Alabama.
But boy, even after all the fun, did it feel good to be back home!
New Orleans (Part II)
After a fun-filled afternoon on Frenchman Street, we headed back to our AirBnB to freshen up before dinner. The three of us stopped at this really cute food hall for a couple drinks and appetizers, and even Linley had his very first Ritz cracker!
Although it was overstimulating for Alex, the two of us had to go to Bourbon Street just for the hell of it. The best part was catching jazz outdoors at one of my favorite local spots. Next visit weâll spend more time on Frenchman Street – where all the locals hang out – but it was funny to laugh at the Bourbon Street shenanigans, have mediocre food and ultimately head back to see Linley.
Luckily our next day was much better than the previous evening! Linley and I walked around in the morning together, strolled through the local neighborhoods, and admired the old architecture and funkiness of the cafes nearby. Once we got back, the three of us enjoyed a great brunch and even better conversation with some locals. We really loved how friendly and laid back everyone was, and kept fantasizing about moving there one day.
Our afternoon was full of adventure in the French Quarter! Linley was a good boy in the Uber and it was fun to experience the quarter with Alex and Lin this time. đ We wandered around, enjoyed the waterfront walk and view, met some kind strangers near Jackson Square, and ended up getting beignets and hurricanes. Hearing all the jazz music and the overall atmosphere brought back some fond memories. But doing all this with my two favorite guys made this time in New Orleans extra special. I canât wait for next time! And stay tuned for another postâŚ
Media taken Monday, March 24 & Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in New Orleans, LA.â¨
New Orleans (Part I)
New Orleans hits different when youâre with your two best friends (the third timeâs the charm)!
Although heading east after The Grand Canyon was bittersweet, we had a blast in New Orleans, and were majorly looking forward to that leg of the trip. Alex and Linley had never been, so experiencing it through their eyes was really fun. And it was fun to stay in a part of town and explore new places I hadnât yet!
We stayed near Crescent Park in the cutest AirBnB (definitely one of my favorites of the honeymoon, and one of my favorites ever!) and walked New Orleansâ version of the Beltline toward Frenchmen Street. It was great to see another part of town that wasnât as touristy as places Iâd stayed at in 2022 and 2023.
Frenchmen Street is WAY better and much more local than Bourbon Street (next time weâll be staying there more). We enjoyed delicious espresso martinis, mezcal drinks and seafood lunch at this cute cafe, and one of the employees brought her newly-rescued dog in! While we were eating, a gentleman struck up conversation with us and told us about some of the local history while we waited for his bike to be repaired across the street. He was a local artist himself, and it was amazing to hear about his life and all that New Orleans had been through. When we were done with our afternoon cocktails, Linley even found some âJerry beadsâ along the way!
Before heading out for dinner, we knew we werenât done exploring. While admiring the local architecture, funky art and old, southern charm down neighborhood streets, we stumbled across a dog-themed bar called Peppâs Pub. All dogs got their photos taken and we even got our photos taken after a shot, too! A kind stranger whoâd lost her dog not too long ago sat with us and it was awesome to hear about her life and her beloved pup.
All of our first afternoon reminded us to slow down, always chat with strangers and to appreciate the moments we had as our âTracey Trio!â
We continued to have such a great time in New Orleans, but more to come on that later đ
Photos taken Monday, March 24, 2025 in New Orleans, LA đ
Traveling with the Traceys 