{Our Life}

Thank you so much for coming to our blog! We're Tim and Whitney, and we love the lives we live! We want to share that love with the world!

So what does "Palm Trees and Gravel Roads" mean anyway?
~   Ok... For a basic explanation... We're both from small towns in Arkansas. We grew up around gravel roads with a love for the country... bonfires, muddin', huntin', and everything else that goes along with rural living. Gravel roads run deep in our hearts. However, we have both always felt at home in the tropics. Whitney loaded up her dog in her car when she graduated college and took off for a new life in South Florida. Together we began our relationship with tropical experiences, and return every chance we get. Palm trees are a symbol of serenity and happiness to us. So the blog name "Palm Trees and Gravel Roads" is simply a snapshot of us. This blog is our life. We are a complex set of ways, beliefs, theories, and actions. When you get down to the root of us, though, you will find nothing more complex than palm trees and gravel roads.

What do we do?
~   Tim was an Army helicopter pilot for many years. In 2006 while flying a stateside mission his engine completely failed, and he crashed to the ground from about 1000 feet in the air at an estimated 15G's... A LOT of force! He broke his back, immediately paralyzing him. By the grace of God, though, he learned to walk again and do many other activities. His newly altered abilities and daily pain forced him to retire in 2010 with nearly 22 years in the Army. He is unable to work because his struggles are so unpredictable, so this blog is our new journey together. It can be done at the pace he needs with the help of Whitney.
~   Whitney earned her bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and was just shy of completing her master's degree in Kinesiology. She worked for 12 years as a personal fitness trainer and group exercise instructor, eventually owning her own personal training studio. She shut it all down and ended studies in 2010 to stay at home with Tim to help with his daily living activities. She is now pursuing a master's degree in psychology.

Our Little Loves:
~   Tim has a 12-year-old son, Connor. When we got married we immediately began trying for a child together. We struggled with infertility for nearly 2.5 years. In 2013 we were blessed with a perfect little miracle angel named Brantley. We knew we wanted to have another child as soon as possible. To our surprise it happened on the first go-round. We are now due to have another child around November or December of 2013! We couldn't be more excited!!
We have three 4-legged kids who we adore with all our hearts. Cleo is a 6-year-old Great Dane, Bentley is a 5-year-old Beagle/Dachshund mix, and Russ is a 9-year-old Jack Russell mix.

How did we design this blog?
~   This "Our Life" page explains a bit about who we are.
~   With her background in health and fitness, Whitney had to include some Fitness and Yummy sections. You will find primarily family fitness ideas, and the food section has everything from adult food to baby food to dog food.
~   Hobbies have become a big part of our lives as they are essential to Tim's recovery (and they're just fun for Whitney), so in our Hobbies, Crafts, & DIY section you will find everything from kid crafts to woodworking to scrapbooking to photography and beyond. We love to DIY together, and home fixer ideas are always on Whitney's mind, so you will find much of that, too.
~   Travel is our passion together. We are always looking for fun road-trips, cheap family trips, discount travel, and unheard of/exotic locations to explore. We are big campers, so family camping is a fun part of our lives. Looking for ideas for your next adventure? Our Travel page is the place to go! Have ideas or suggestions? Send them our way!
~   Whether we are doing something big or small, we try to find fun in every day. Check out our Family Fun page for our day-to-day life blog filled with ideas of local fun, fun at home, and just daily life. This page is basically our family diary sharing the nuts and bolts of us!
~   Finally, Pick-Me-Ups has those bits of motivation, inspiration, and faith readings to help you get through your day and/or reach your goals. The psychology part of Whitney, and the devout Christian part of both of us, makes this section a must to round out the full-picture of our lives.

Happy Reading!!