November seemed a lot calmer than October, but things are changing just as the leaves did.
November was a good month and Iām excited to practice more mindfulness in scheduling, peacefulness and achieving my goals.
November 2025 Gratitudeš
travel
Second annual November Stone Mountain hike
Last year during Thanksgiving weekend, your favorite Tracey Trio hiked Stone Mountain. We decided to do this again, and plan on going on this family hike each year.
Hearing Lin crunch through the leaves, talking with Alex and feeling the sun and wind on my cheeks always makes for a great afternoon together. Being in nature with my two favorite fellas is the best way to spend an afternoon!
After rounding our favorite trails along the water, we decided to check out the quarry and learn more about the granite that was mined here.
Until next time, Stone Mountain! āļø
Media taken Friday, November 28, 2025
National Hiking Day: Linleyās special adventure
Iām a few days late here, but I wanted to tell you all about Linleyās unique experience he had on National Hiking Day! I had no idea Monday was coincidentally this national day, but Linley took a hike with a cool group in Atlanta.
We found Two Chicks and a Pack at a local block party earlier this summer (East Atlanta Strut). It was an awesome event with tons of dog-friendly vendors, and they even had an agility course and show for professionals! When Alex and I saw the van, and ultimately Linley smelled his way to their booth, I was super excited to learn all about this group.
Two Chicks was founded by this awesome woman named Laraine and her best friend. Now thereās an entire team of people who transport and hike with dogs. How it was is that you sign up for a certain day and time, they come scoop up your pup, and they take your dog hiking in a pack! Itās that simple. This was a great alternative from doggy day care, as his previous one in Atlanta failed to inform us that kennel cough was going around, and Linley was recovering from that for nearly a month.
Linley did such a great job getting into the van and crate (that part surprised me haha) and was apparently leading the pack! He got to meet so many other people and dogs, and got to hike at Arabia Mountain in Georgia (Iāve lived here two years and Iāve never even been there!) Linley absolutely loves meeting new dogs and people, exploring new places and peeing on all the things, so they knew he was in heaven!
I canāt wait to sign Linley up for another hike in early December!
Photos taken on National Hiking Day, November 17, 2025 at Arabia Mountain, GA.
Charleston & Folly Beach, South Carolina
Linley and I had never been to Charleston until this weekend, and Alex hadnāt visited since he was a kid. We enjoyed Charleston and the surrounding area, and found the cutest AirBnB that made us feel right at home! We arrived on Friday feeling excited to check out the amenities and the neighborhood.
After checking out all the AirBnB and neighborhood had to offer, Linley snuggled up and Alex and I headed out for our food tour. Weād won these tickets at a silent auction at the Georgia Aquarium, and figured weād take advantage since we were heading to Charleston anyway. The food tour was great, our host and people on the tour were lovely, and the food was absolutely delicious!
After the food tour, we came back, scooped up Lin, and grabbed dinner at an outdoor spot on the water. Although our food and drinks were nowhere near what it was like on the tour, it made us appreciate the food weād had even more, haha. It was cute to see Lin get all the attention per usual, and he even got a free bandana!
We were hitting a wall because of what felt like our food comas, so we had a night in, enjoyed the hot tub and some wine weād brought from home, and talked under the stars. Alex and I are usually talking during TV or long drives, so it was peaceful and much-needed to have a conversation with no other distractions (aside from the cute raccoons we saw in the trees!) Linley was outside with us, but had no interest in being near the hot tub (Iām pretty sure he thought it was a stew or witchās cauldron or something, haha!) We all slept great that night!
Saturday morning, we headed to Folly Island to hit up the dog beach. The sand and sea were beautiful, and it was so much fun to check out a new place together.
Seeing these two walk, run and play on the beach together always makes my day! ^ š„¹
We continued strolling on that side of the beach for a while, because the water was calm, the beach was private and the shells were too good to pass up! Once we could tell Lin was getting tired of chasing after things, we decided to grab coffee and a snack in town, then head to the other side of the beach. On the other side, there was a pier that dogs werenāt allowed on, but at least we could explore underneath itā¦
The beach was so beautiful that it was hard to leave, but we knew it was time. We were craving brunch outside and found a place that one of my coworkers recommended to me, and it was delicious! Ellis Creek Fish Camp on James Island had the friendliest staff, the best grouper and shrimp and grits, solid Bloody Maryās and an amazing R&B playlist that made us feel like we were back in Atlanta! 10/10 would recommend. It may not be our Hudsonās spot on Hilton Head Island, but it was a close secondā¦
After brunch, we headed to a local dog park and bar in Charleston. Broken Leash was a ton of fun for all of us, and we always love taking Linley to these sorts of places during our family vacations (we did in Birmingham, Asheville and other places). We chatted with the locals, Linley had a blast playing with the big dogs, and enjoyed the sunshine a little longer.
We swung by one more brewery for a snack and a couple cocktails before heading back to the AirBnB to relax in the afternoon. Linley needed the nap, and Alex and I enjoyed some trash TV local to Charleston. The boys went on a long walk before dinner and then Alex and I headed to a great seafood restaurant just us two. We sat at the oyster counter and enjoyed some incredible soup, shrimp, oysters and fish. I think we were still full from the night before; thatās how good we ate in Charleston!
We were exhausted after dinner and Iād passed out like I normally do during the week at home (I love a 9 or 10pm bedtime haha!) Linley was clearly still tired, too. Until next time, Charleston!
Media taken Friday, November 14 & Saturday, November 15, 2025 in South Carolina.
Tybee Island fun
I hadnāt been to Tybee Island until the first weekend of November, and I already canāt wait to return! Alex, Linley, Courtney, Chris and I rode with Captain Seth on a charter boat through the marsh and sea of Tybee Island. It was nothing what we expected, but it was absolutely beautiful and I couldnāt be happier with the experience.
As mentioned, we first rode through the marsh in our tiny boat. Seth went fast and it was such a rush! The water was only three feet deep, and was a delta where all the rivers fed into the ocean sea. Our boat actually got stuck at one point, but Alex and I knew Seth would get us out of the mess. Afterward, he went faster again and I was smiling from ear to ear! Seth took us to a sand bar that basically felt like a private beach, and we enjoyed some stretching and running around as we watched the sun begin to set and the birds begin to flock.
Although Courtney and Chris were with us this time, and although Alex was there and weāve been to the beach as a family before, I couldnāt help but think of all the sunrises that Linley and I experienced during our year in Chicago. I took him every single morning, and it honestly saved my life. I didnāt have many friends there, Iād lost my job and was going through a divorce at the same time. Our sunrises together taught me that I could start anew, and Linley had been my loyal sidekick through all of it. Itās always hard to look back on the past without dwelling on it, and it makes me appreciate the moments we have together now more than ever.
After our fun on the sandbar/private beach, just when I thought our experience couldnāt get any better, it did. We were going fast in the ocean when Seth decided to stop suddenly. As we came to a stop, we saw a family of dolphins approach our boat! Iāve never seen dolphins before and I couldnāt believe my eyes; I started tearing up, Alex started filming and Linley was whining away haha. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and it took my breath away.
Being with my two favorite fellas, two of my close friends and someone who led us to that moment was truly an unforgettable experience. We watched the moon and rode fast again once the dolphins let us be.
The last part of our ride back to the dock was equally as breathtaking as I saw the most beautiful sunset, which reminded me of a safari. Iāve seen sunsets in a few different countries and continents, but there was something really special about this one.
I didnāt get a horizontal picture of the sunset or photos of the constellations in the sky at night, but Iāll never forget any of it.
Until next time. š«¶
Media taken Saturday, November 1 on Tybee Island, Georgia. š
Hilton Head encore une fois !
Once again, we were in Hilton Head Island on November first. Itās hard to believe almost two weeks have flown by since our third annual visit there as the Tracey Trioā¦
This place is incredibly special because this was Alexās first beach experience with Linley in 2023, and where I proposed in 2024. This is exactly what I live for, and what life should be more about. It was special to share with our friends this time around, to see Lin run after his new favorite toy, and to eat at one of our favorite restaurants again.
Until next time, Hilton Head Island! š„¹š¤
Media taken Saturday, November 1st, 2025 on Hilton Head Island š
Our third annual October Savannah trip
The title gives it away, but we love Savannah in October! Alex, Linley and I make our way down every October and have since 2023, and this year was a little different because our friends Courtney and Chris spent some time with us, too. But one costume and photo at Forsyth Park will always remain the sameā¦
We decided to stay at the same AirBnB as 2023, and it was great to be in a familiar place in one of our favorite cities. Alex, Linley and I got in on Thursday (instead of Friday as usual), for an afternoon and evening just the three of us. We strolled by our favorite coffee shop and walked around the neighborhood like we do every year. Since we were there Halloween weekend this time, it was super cool to see all the decorations and you could really feel the spookiness and haunting nature of the city.
We checked out a new part of town for dinner and drinks; Starland District had some of the funkiest bars and overall had such a unique energy. We went to a spot upstairs for some sours, but went to their downstairs Smol bar for more good drinks, an awesome atmosphere and good conversation with locals.
For dinner, we stopped at Ardsley Station for more good drinks and amazing food. We sat outside by a huge fire with Linley, and it was so great to see everyone loving on him (as usual!) As much as we love our friends, Alex and I both said how grateful we are to have each other as best friends and favorite travel partners. Of course, Linley is always the glue and being with my two favorite fellas is the best feeling in the entire world.
Halloween morning was a little lazy and we slowly got around to meet up with Courtney and Chris. I took Lin on a walk around the neighborhood again, he made some friends, and we headed to our favorite brunch spot. It was fun to start seeing the city come to life and how some people were already in costume!
We had a great afternoon with Courtney and Chris, which started with brunch at Collins Quarter, strolling through Forsyth Park and other town squares and rows of homes with Spanish moss everywhereā¦ In other words: I was in heaven! After all of that, we kept on walking to the river and enjoyed an afternoon of catching up, people (and dog!) watching, and cocktails before our evening pub crawl.
Once we got Linley tuckered out, we dropped him at the AirBnB and we met up with our friends again for a lovely dinner and cheesy bar crawl: the perfect way to spend Halloween in a haunted city! We went to another one of last yearās spots for dinner, then had the best time at our event. We were the āSpice Girlsā and our costumes didnāt arrive in time, so Alex and I had makeshift ones. Throughout the night, we learned about some wild stories, tried a couple new bars and received compliments on our costumes. We all had a blast!
Another reason why we love being in Savannah is how close we are to the water. Iāll write about how we spent our Saturday in the next post š
Media taken Thursday, October 30 & Friday, October 31 (Halloween), 2025āØ
October 2025 Gratitude
October was a month of some serious ups and a few downs, but all-in-all, November has some big shoes to fill. š
Another wonderful weekendāØ (pt. II)
This past weekend was so much fun, that I wanted to dedicate a second post toward Atlanta Pride! We do things different here in Georgia: Atlanta Pride is usually the second weekend of October, and Savannah Pride (also fun!), is typically the weekend after. Why do we do it this way? Well, itās super hot in June so we push it out for that reason, but also to get people north of us to come visit these two amazing southern cities!
We wonāt be able to make Savannah Pride this year because weāll be visiting Halloween weekend, but I had a blast at my first Atlanta Pride! Ironically, our three LGBTQIA+ besties were all out of town, so Alex, Linley and I went as the Tracey Trio allies. We took a lovely stroll down memory lane (well, down old streets I used to live on to get to the parade) and posted up at a great spot. We even saw two of Alexās coworker friends, too!
Dancing to all the music while admiring all the creative floats, costumes and signs was an absolute blast. Delta was there, along with other big companies in Atlanta like Coca Cola, The Georgia Aquarium and more. See for yourselfā¦ š
After the parade, we made our way to Piedmont Park for some drinks, free goodies and celebration! A little boy gave us each a pride flag on our walk over, and I was really proud of his parents/family for raising him right. š«¶ We even ran into our besties Devin and Jesse, too; they recognized Lin in the crowd with his rainbow bandanna and his smile and tail wag š„¹
Iām proud that I live where I do. Iām proud that I have a partner who not only sees the importance of pride, but who genuinely wants to join in on events like this (and has a blast with me!). And Iām proud that Lin didnāt get overstimulated until the very end of the afternoon š
And so we strolled back home through āmemory laneā with big smilesā¦
Media taken Sunday, October 12, 2025 in Midtown & Piedmont Park, Atlanta.
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Another wonderful weekendāØ (pt. I)
One of the many things I love about Alex is that he cherishes weekend adventures the same way I do. I used to plan all this fun for Lin and me, and the fact that Iāve actually taken a backseat on some of that is rare. Itās great to be with someone with the same enthusiasm and āzest for life,ā to put it cheesy!
Thursday was super fun because we saw three French metal bands at one of our favorite venues, with one of our favorite friends. Justin and Alex have been best friends since middle school, and over these past couple years, heās become one of my besties, too! We even met one of the screamers from Resolve, and I got to practice a little French when buying my new hat.
Friday afternoon, we took a family walk around the pond where we got married in March (just steps away from our apartment), and I just reflected on how happy I am and how fortunate I feel to have Alex and Linley in my life.
Friday was also great because Alex bought tickets for an Edgar Allan Poe speakeasy event. We thought it was going to be more of a stereotypical speakeasy, but instead we got to watch for performers recite some of his most famous works. Not to mention they served us four strong cocktails in the course of 90 minutesā¦ itās a good thing we took an Uber! Afterward we took some fun pics at a local burger joint, and even took a Waymo home. āTwas a fun time!
Saturday was a blast because we checked out Amicalola Falls State Park with Linley, and this used to be a point on the Appalachian Trail. The falls were beautiful, the hike was challenging but fun, and Alex survived all the spiders! Linley was getting a ton of compliments per usual, which always fills our hearts up with joy.
After our lovely hike, we drove up to a resort at the top of the mountain. We took in the views and the sunshine on our backs before grabbing some lunch.
We chose to head back into downtown Dahlonega, where we had lunch before our camping trip last month. Itās hard to believe how fast time is flying this summer and fallā¦ but weāre trying to soak up every minute of it.
To round out the day, we went to one of our favorite wineries for a bottle of red, beautiful views and more sunshine. We had a great time, but it was strange because a little girl on the patio was also Linley, and her parents were upset that they shared a name! It was odd, and they shouldāve been honored to share a name with our perfect pup, to be honest! At least Linley wasnāt offended š¤£
I would say, āmore weekends like this, please!ā but I already know that every weekend with these two is filled with adventure, laughter and love.
More to come on yesterdayās adventuresā¦
Media taken Thursday, October 9 – Saturday, October 11, 2025āØ
September 2025 Gratitude
I decided Iām going to make a new blog page about all our Tracey Trio adventures from July onward. Itās been a couples months of healing, facing hard truths and resilience. That said, itās been wonderful to heal, laugh and love with Alex and Linley by my side.
Our summer adventures were so much fun and I canāt wait for more together!
Last weekend of September
I love the fall, but Iām not ready for it this year. The summer was just too good! Last summer, I was overcoming a back injury and could barely even walk Linley without being in pain. This summer, I did all the things I couldnāt beforeā¦ and then some!
There were so many firsts for Alex, like camping and whitewater rafting, and so many for me as well. I canāt wait for more adventures as a couple, and as the āTracey Trio,ā even if that means cooler weather and changing leaves. š
On Friday, we went to our second Aqua Vino event at the aquarium again. To think a year ago, Hurricane Helene was coming through Atlanta and completely devastated Ashevilleā¦ itās quite wild. Not only did I come a long way since last year, but the Southeast did as well #southeaststrong
Saturday was also a ton of fun because we took it easy, explored a new part of the city during a block party, and enjoyed a chill evening together. At the block party, we saw dogs who were trained to do all these tricks with frisbees, too!
Sunday was also great, as we enjoyed a gluten free brewery event with one of our neighbors and her adorable pup, Brody! It was such a great afternoon, and I canāt wait for more memories!
Although Iāve been navigating career, friend and family stuff lately, I couldnāt be more grateful for living in the moment, enjoying the little things and for all the laughter Iāve had this summer. š
Media taken Friday, September 26 – Sunday, September 28, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia š
Traveling with the Traceys 