Trouvaille (noun) \ trüˈvī \.  A valuable discovery or lucky find.

Blooming (adjective). Thriving in health, beauty, and vigor; exhibiting the freshness and beauties of youth or health. (Merriam Webster).

I decided to start a travel blog called “Trouvaille” after spending about a month entrenched in planning a trip to Orlando, Florida and reading every travel blog I could get my eyes on.  In fact, this is something I do in the months before every vacation.  I research everything from where to park at the airport (thinking maybe it changed from last year?) to the best possible route through the amusement park or which site-seeing tours are a must…. oooh, and the restaurants.  This drives my family crazy in the months leading up to the trip, but they have all learned it pays off once we’re on vacation.  I recently learned that this excitement and anticipation that I experience before a trip, which I channel into my planning, is called “resfeber”.

My research led me to three conclusions: (1) There was already one travel blog called “The Trouvialle” (albeit, it doesn’t appear active) and other variations thereon; (2) There is a hole in the whole “mom-blog” market for a family like mine – blended with two boys: a late teen, entering college, a pre-teen, entering middle school, and a whole slew of rescue pups; and (3) If I had to write about past vacations now, I couldn’t remember enough to write anything meaningful (well, except maybe that time we got bed bugs – another time). A blog is a great way to preserve memories for me and the boys and if my musings can help someone else out in the process, great!  And, this is where the “blooming” comes in.  I wasn’t a “baby book” mom.  I didn’t take loads of pictures. I didn’t record the first smile or first word.  While I am glad to feel that I was “in the moment” for all of it, looking back over the last 12 years, I wish I had more to invoke those memories and remember the specifics.  As M gets ready to graduate and L is no longer a baby, I realize it really does go by in the blink of an eye – and I don’t want to blink. I don’t feel that all of that time is lost, but I have learned what I want for the future – I want to capture the “bloom.”  At 17 and 11, they’re still just boys and we still have memories to build and trips to experience.  Really, our family is just beginning to truly bloom and I want the boys to have something to look back on.

In this blended family of four (plus pups), we all like our space on vacation.  M doesn’t like to share a bed with L (L doesn’t understand sharing and he starfishes) and mom and dad like their privacy, so we often find ourselves seeking out affordable suites, with one bedroom and a sofabed, and sometimes we luck out and find a two-bedroom at a reasonable rate.  I hope to help other families like ours find affordable solutions.

As I say, this is “A travel blog by a lawyer who doesn’t travel much.” So, I will chronicle our little family’s journeys, whether both kids, one kid, or no kids, primarily for our memories and for any help I can offer others along the way.  I will also throw in some Central Pennsylvania trouvailles for the sake of content (since I’m not paid to travel and only get away a few times a year).  However, since I’m not sponsored or paid, I hope to find some “off the beaten path” treasures.

Only disclaimer:  While WordPress is great for first-time bloggers, I have a lot to learn!