This post is sponsored by Zappos. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve been a bit quiet on my blog this summer, and for good reason: two months ago, Nick and I bought our DREAM HOME in Glenshire, a really awesome residential community in Truckee. Having previously lived on the other side of town the past four years, we’ve had a blast exploring our new neighborhood since moving in. Glenshire is a “local” community — while much of Truckee is filled with vacation rentals and second homeowners, Glenshire is one of the only neighborhoods in town that is mostly comprised of full-time residents like us. Even better? People actually get to know their neighbors here! Everyone’s been very warm and welcoming.
As some of you know, I am visually impaired due to a rare eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa. As there is no known treatment or cure, this diagnosis has had innumerable impact on many aspects of my life (I detailed the whole story here if you’re interested in hearing more), but the biggest adjustment has been losing the ability to drive. It’s now been a decade since I’ve sat in the drivers seat, and honestly, it’s been challenging to adapt to life in the mountains without driving. While I’m not a parent yet, I often think about how my mobility challenges will affect my future kids, and because of this, it’s always been crucial that whatever house we ended up in was near an elementary school. Lo and behold, our new home is literally one block away from Glenshire Elementary — from the moment we put our offer in to the moment we were handed the keys, I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that this house was literally crafted by God to be our home.
Because I can’t drive, two other things that have always been very important to me are walkability and the convenience of online shopping. Walking is one way I can literally transport myself where I need to go and maintain a little bit of independence without having to call an Uber or ask Nick for a ride. While Glenshire is a bit removed from town, there are beautiful trails all over the neighborhood — in fact, there are so many, even after two months I feel as if we’ve barely scratched the surface! So much hiking, trail running and mountain biking potential. I’ve been breaking in my new ultra comfortable Merrell Roam Mid Boots on the trails around our house — always nice when you can find that perfect blend of comfort and style. I found them on Zappos which is one of my all-time FAVORITE online shopping experiences. Super fast, FREE shipping and great customer service. Reliable shipping can sometimes be challenging in a rural mountain town, but I’ve literally never had any issues with Zappos. I’ve always been impressed with Merrell’s footwear (Backpacker Magazine called them the “best hiking boots ever made”) and can’t wait to test these boots out in the snow… perhaps sooner rather than later, as we had our first dusting yesterday, believe it or not!
I love that one of Merrell’s hashtags is #CreateYourTrail as that is exactly what I’ve had to do since this difficult diagnosis robbed me of basic mobility a decade ago. I call my walks around town “urban hikes” — of course, I also enjoy traditional hiking and backpacking, but in a very literal way, I am creating my own trail on a daily basis. While some freedoms that most people take for granted are gone, I’ve developed a fierce reliance on pulling myself up by the bootstraps (literally) and doing what it takes. It’s this grit that makes the joyful moments — like purchasing your dream home in the mountains — indescribably rich.
Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week, where I’ll be giving a tour of our new Lindal Cedar Mountain home! Please leave a comment below if you have any questions. Thanks for reading, friends!