We Moved Across the Country (and What’s Next for Finding Our Forte)
We are Aaron and Camille, and along with our son Carson, our daughter Avery, and our dogs Ace and Charlie, we are a family that travels together and tries to show you how to do the same, in a way that is accessible for everyone. (We also said goodbye to our dog Charlie this year, so we are a family of five now, and we miss him.)
The big one: we moved across the country
We did not do a ton of trips in 2025, and there is a good reason: we did something huge. We moved our entire family from the Southeast all the way to Pacific Northwest (PNW), Washington State.
We started in Georgia, spent a week staging things in North Carolina (where our parents live), and then drove roughly 40 hours over seven days across the country. Our plan to move everything in our own vehicles did not go as expected, so we ended up renting a U-Haul and driving in three separate cars (Camille's parents towing the RV, Aaron solo with all the storage, and Camille with the two kids most of the way). We even spent a night parked at a Love's truck stop. It was tiring and not perfectly planned, but it was a genuinely great adventure, and we got to see the country along the way.
What the move taught us
Moving cross-country with two young kids was harder than we expected, mostly the part that comes after the drive: establishing a whole new life. New schools, new activities, new babysitters, a new community, all while being far from family for the first time since having kids. For six years, our parents were close by, and we leaned on them more than we realized. Putting that much distance between us was tough on everyone.
But here is the silver lining. We have started finding community out here, other families with kids around the same age, through school and just getting out. And the move has pushed us to be more creative with the channel, leaning into "micro trips," weekend getaways that fit a busy schedule and let us keep making memories and showing you new places.
2025 superlatives
It would not be a year-in-review without some awards, so here are ours:
Best campground: Jekyll Island, Georgia takes the top spot (the raccoons and deer popping out everywhere were a bonus). Honorable mentions to the cross-country KOAs in Nashville, the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore, and the very first KOA in Billings, we just wish we had more time to explore each one.
Favorite (and most surprising) city: Chicago. We expected to like it and ended up loving it, the museums, the architecture, the river cruise, the friendly people. Summer Chicago is chef's kiss (winter, maybe not for us).
Most scenic view: Mount Rainier, hands down, now that we live near it. The view from Kerry Park in Seattle, with the skyline, the Space Needle, and Rainier in the distance on a clear day, is unreal. As East Coasters used to old, worn-down mountains, we did not believe the hype until we saw it in person. The cameras do not do it justice.
Longest travel day (that felt the longest): Sioux Falls to Mount Rushmore. On paper a six-hour drive, in reality it felt like fifteen.
Best unplanned adventures: Devil's Tower, the Minuteman Missile site, and Wall Drug, all spur-of-the-moment stops that became highlights.
Most unexpectedly popular video: our Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas cruise and our Seattle eats video. People were planning similar trips and found them helpful, which is exactly why we make this stuff.
Our goals for 2026
So what is ahead? A few things we are committing to:
Consistency. Now that the big move is behind us, we want to build a real structure and post something every week.
Exploring the Pacific Northwest. This is our first time out here, and we cannot wait to show you why people love it. Expect waterfalls, hikes with the kids, Oregon and Washington adventures, the famous tulip blooms, German-themed Leavenworth, whale and orca watching, and trips up to Vancouver across the border.
More "micro trips" and behind-the-scenes. We want to show you how we actually plan a trip: aligning schedules, deciding whether to pull the kids from school, packing for a family, all the real-life logistics.
Helpful resources. Down the road, we would love to share itineraries, packing lists, and planning guides (think downloadable PDFs) so you can recreate the trips you love without reinventing the wheel.
And yes, the kids are lobbying hard for California. (They used to ask to "just go to Tokyo this weekend," so we will take California.)
Thank you
To everyone who has stuck with us from the early days, when Aaron answered every question with a single word and Camille was still figuring out where to look at the camera, thank you. We have grown a lot, in our editing, our storytelling, and our comfort on camera, and it means everything that you have come along. We are proudest when you tell us something we shared was helpful or taught you something new. We are just average people going out, exploring, and passing along what we learn.
So drop your questions in the comments (we really do respond), tell us what you want more or less of, and stick around. 2026 is the year of new beginnings for us, and we cannot wait to share the Pacific Northwest and beyond with you.
Want to hear the full recap from us? Watch it on YouTube: 2026 Looks Different Now: Our 2025 Recap, and subscribe to Finding Our Forte so you do not miss what's next.
