Staycation

I’m sure you all have heard of (and if not, go take a listen) the hit Miley Cyrus song from her Hannah Montana days, “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home”. These lyrics perfectly capture my mental and physical journey back to Appalachia. These past two years I’ve bounced around from NH to VA, to WV, back to VA, and have finally rested in the beautiful and holy mountains of WV again. And I’ve gone through a LOT of changes.

The first being my relationship status. I am no longer in contact with the person I was journeying through life with when I started this blog. I am thankful for our family and friends for helping me heal through this tough but necessary process; providing me with love, a home, and understanding through this complicated time. I was in between jobs, picking up odd jobs here and there, finding myself in nature a lot, attending therapy, and really figuring out who I was as a person. I am now living out my independence in a tiny historic town in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.

I have also picked up reading as a hobby that I hadn’t much enjoyed since high school. My focus, although, has shifted away from romantic and adventurous teen novels to more historical, educational, and self-help reading. Book recommendations may possibly become part of my blogging series in the future if you all decide to hang around.

I decided to greatly cut back on my escapades involving alcohol as the main factor, like brewery and winery outings, as I noticed these situations often promoted my unhealthy addiction and often led to over-consumption. I am back to therapy, off of any medications, and looking for more natural alternatives to nourish and take care of my body and soul in the way it needs. I believe the sanctuary of Appalachia and its people will provide me with the sort of “church” that I’ve been craving all these years.

I have still been traveling, catching up with family and friends, and continuously building stronger relationships with those I love. This year I was blessed with the healthiest relationship of my life, and am looking forward to a future with a companion that lifts me higher and heals alongside me. We will both be participating in a mini roadtrip from Texas back to West Virginia this month, and I cannot be more excited to discover new attractions to share with you.

Thank you for those of you who have been patient with me throughout this hiatus, for those of you that stuck around, and for those just now joining my adventure. Now, let’s get back to promoting local businesses, traveling within our means, and learning a thing or two about living outside the hustle and bustle of the ever-growing modern society. Welcome to Staycation: Appalachian Adventures.

As always, you can subscribe to receive email updates whenever I post, and follow along on my personal Instagram/Tik-Tok: @dancinggibby ❤