Since I moved to Denver, I’ve been posting monthly updates about the ups and downs of life out west: check out month 1, months 2&3, months 4&5, month 6, months 7&8 and month 9 here. Most of these photos are from Instagram, @ashleyabroad– find me there for travel inspiration and mountain pics! 

Fall is here! The last few days in Denver have been chilly and overcast, but honestly, I’m loving it. I’ve been enjoying wearing sweaters, cooking fall vegetables and generally feeling cozy. Plus, for the first time in my life I’m not dreading winter- I love you Chicago but your winters are abominable.

The last two months were great but very busy- I was out of town almost every weekend. And my pace won’t be slowing down much- I’m off to Seattle next weekend and then traveling somewhere international in November- Nicaragua! I can only imagine how good it will feel to dust off the old passport again- I seriously can’t wait and have been spending way too much time on TripAdvisor. Oops.

Highs

Visiting my cottage on Lake Huron

My cottage on Lake Huron is almost a sanctuary for me. It’s the place where I go to recharge and spend time with family, and is more of a home to me than anywhere else. I’m so glad I squeezed in a visit this summer during which I went boating, played tennis and spent time with my family and most importantly, my beloved grandmother.

Mackinac Island

Have you guys been to Mackinac Island? It’s a tiny island in Northern Michigan that is truly a step back in time. During my day there I rode in a horse carriage, biked around the whole island and treated myself to some maple nut fudge. I felt nostalgic not only for turn-of-the-century America but also my childhood, as I visited Mackinac a lot as a kid.

Telluride for Pretty Lights

Telluride now takes top-spot for my favorite mountain town in Colorado. But seriously guys, it was SO beautiful. I spent long weekend there watching Pretty Lights, hiking, cooking and partying with friends. It was fantastic but my hangover on the seven-hour ride home was horrendous.

Seeing my Little Brother and College Friends in Chicago

Over Labor Day I headed to the Windy City to see college friends and my little brother. The beautiful September weather was perfect per usual. Overall it was a wonderful weekend during which I brunched, visited friends and tried to go sailing. It was too windy but we drank beers on the boat, which is almost as good.

Now that I think of it I didn’t take one photo while I was there but sometimes that can be so refreshing in my highly over-documented life.

A Work Trip to San Francisco

I was so excited to be invited on a work trip to San Francisco! While we had little time to spare, I squeezed in a visit to the Marina as well as a drive down Lombard Street. Sigh, isn’t San Francisco just stunning?

Tons of weddings

Okay maybe not tons, but three within six weeks is a lot, right?

The weddings ranged a ton in size and location- from 39 people to 150! One took place on top of Keystone which was incredible- I loved riding the gondola up to the ceremony.

Anyway, I was honored to see so many beloved friends and family tie the knot this year- weddings are the best. Is it wrong I was happy they all had open bars?

 

Booking international trips

Can I be honest? I feel like my travel blog (and life) lagged this year because I didn’t travel much internationally. Well, in 2015 that’s going to change. I just booked trips to Nicaragua (10 days), Mexico City (3 days) AND Iceland (6 days). I’m EXTREMELY excited about all of them.

I’m actually going to Nicaragua with Jessica from Curiosity Travels, one of my favorite travel buddies of all time. You guys should probably follow us on Snapchat (ashleyabroad and jessicaannwray) because there will be debauchery, to say the least.

Buzzfeed

Can you believe I was featured in Buzzfeed? Me neither. I was especially thrilled to be featured among many of my friends (Edna and Kate!)and women I admire.

 

Lows

Fractured toe.

I fractured my toe in the most ridiculous way- simply by walking a lot in Chicago in shoddy sandals. I probably shouldn’t admit that on the internet but why have a blog if not to embarrass yourself occasionally?

Anyway, being limited in mobility for three weeks made me much more grateful to my feet, and I promise to wear better sandals from now on.

Feeling harried.

I traveled way too much during August and September and by the end felt harried and exhausted. Not to mention, my apartment and blog were a mess. So now when booking trips I will definitely plan for more downtime to preserve my sanity.

 

Best reads

Although I’ve always been an avid reader, recently I’ve been devouring more books than usual. I particularly loved At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home, All The Lights We Cannot See and What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding.

I’d also recommend my friend Kristin’s new new e-book, Conquering Mountains: How to Solo Travel the World Fearlessly, which she wrote for women who want to travel solo. For those of you who don’t know Kristin (though I’m sure most of you do), she blogs at Be My Travel Muse and has gone on some pretty awe-inspiring adventures. She has scuba-dived everywhere from Borneo to Belize, and has hitch-hiked by herself in China. Which is why I so enjoyed her book- she really knows what she’s talking about.

In her book she goes over everything from how to save money before your trip (tips- become an uber/lyft driver and sell furniture on Craigslist with the disclaimer “selling everything I own to travel- your purchase helps me travel longer”) to safety once you’re on the road. I found her immunization chapter particularly helpful as I remember frantically googling which shots I’d need before my trip to Southeast Asia.

Anyway, if you’re a woman deciding whether or not to travel solo I would definitely read Kristin’s book- it’s 101 pages with a full resources section and case studies and priced at $14.99. It really contains all the info you’ll need!

 

Well that’s enough about me! How is your fall going so far? And out of Nicaragua, Mexico City and Iceland which are you most interested in reading about?