my Papa.

  It happened. The reality that I have achingly tried to prepare for over the last few years is now mine.

I woke up this morning in a world that my Papa no longer calls home.

Yesterday, shortly after lunch, I witnessed him take his final breath before his home became heaven. And as he was welcomed with what I imagine sounded like the most beautiful song ever sung, all I heard was the sound of hearts breaking all around me. Mine included. It was liberating for him, and excruciating for us.

I have faith that he is healed and whole and free now.

I have hope that we will be one day, too.

And yet, no matter how much one tries to prepare for or reason with a loss this great, sometimes a heart still breaks all the same. I suppose the only way to avoid it is to keep love at a distance, but there has never been a moment when I wanted to keep my love for Papa at a distance.

So, I ache.

Not just me, but my Nana, my Daddy and step-mom, my siblings, my husband and kids, and my entire extended family. We are all aching together.

My Papa was truly one of a kind. In a world where people are increasingly not who you think they are or who they present themselves to be, Papa was. He was as kind and strong and wonderful as he appeared, maybe even more so. I think only my Nana knew the full extent of his genuine goodness, because his life was marked by so much humility, too.

I will miss so many things about him: the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw me (and anyone he loved), the way he was always willing to do whatever he could to help his family, the way he was just always there (even when he wasn’t), the way he cared, the way he preferred to stay behind the scenes, the way he worked so hard, the way he stood back and turned his light onto us so we could shine (further proof that he really was the foundation of so much), the way he loved.

Especially the way he loved.

One of my favorite memories of Papa was years ago when I went to one of his work parties. He was so happy I (we) came, and he spent most of the evening introducing me to his coworkers and friends. He was so giddy for everyone to meet his granddaughter, and nearly everyone recognized me from stories and pictures he shared. I can’t count the times I heard this that night: “Oh, THIS is Anna! We’ve heard so much about you.” He was proud of me, because I was his granddaughter.

He was proud of me simply because I was his.

I’ll miss that knowing pride everyday for the rest of my life.

I confess that I always wanted to make him proud, too, but there was a unique peace that came with the assurance that I already had. Somehow, knowing that I didn’t have to strive for his presence and love made me want to be worthy of it all the more. I wanted to be everything he believed me to be. I still do and probably always will. (The same is true for my Nana, too, by the way.)

Years ago, Papa called me to tell me that Nana had a cancerous spot on her skin that needed to be removed. I started crying on the phone with him because this news coupled with history scared me, and his response to my tears in that moment were a reflection of his heart: “Oh, Anna. I didn’t mean to upset you. I would never hurt you, and I’m sorry I had to share this news with you.” It’s true. He would never hurt me. Or anyone. His honest and thoughtful humility has been the foundation of his life, and I am so proud that I got the privilege of being his granddaughter.

There are certain things that people often say to those who grieve, likely because sadness has an uncomfortable way about it. Happiness is an ideal for us humans, and we are prone to pursue and inspire it whenever blue or grey color the world. I believe my Papa is better off now than before and that God orders and ordains beyond my comprehension, yes, but neither of those things make me any less sad. Truthfully, I feel grateful to have had the honor of loving someone so much that it makes me bone-deep sad to live earthside without them.

If grief really is the price we pray for love, then I will gladly pay it over and over again for the rest of my life. I'll hold the pain because it meant I got to spend thirty-five years living in the joy. The memories will be a source of sacred joy from now on, too.

Life will never be the same again, I already feel it even just after a day. I'll never be the same either, and it's because I was loved by one of the best men to ever walk the earth.

My Papa.

We'll miss you forever, Papa.

And we'll love you even longer.

READ MORE ABOUT MY WONDERFUL PAPA HERE.

<3

the bargeron explorers | points & miles FAQs.

 In late 2019, my husband and I opened our first rewards credit card with a simple goal in mind: to travel more. We hoped it would enable us to take 1-2 trips a year, and we were giddy to see if those hopes would be realized with supplemental points. We waded into this hobby slowly in order to get our bearings and make sure we could remain responsible with this addition to our finances (ie. pay the cards off each month, avoid interest, not spend just for the sake of earning rewards, etc.).

Years later, earning rewards and planning our travel has become a sort of part-time job for me. And spoiler: it has given us so much more than just 1-2 trips a year. Since we began, we have visited bucket list places like Washington DC, NYC, Hawaii, Colorado, Costa Rica, California, Miami, Key West, Chicago, New England, and more. We already have a full year of travel over the course of this year, as well, where we'll be visiting places we weren't sure we ever would.

As the number of trips we take in a year has increased, the amount of money we save for travel has increased, as well. We have taken a lot of flights for a mere $5 per person and stayed in even more hotels for $0, but we are still very mindful of our spending while we are on each trip and it would be dishonest to say that all of these trips we've taken have been free. Yes, some of them have cost us a lot less than others, but intentional savings is still a huge part of our strategy. There are plenty of costs associated with travel other than just accommodations  and transportation, and we must be able to afford them on top of the things we use our hard-earned points for.

Even so, points and miles have opened doors that we could not have walked through otherwise.

Our order of operations is simple:

1) Determine how much of a minimum spend requirement we can manage based on our normal monthly budget plus any extra spend we have on the horizon (our annual property taxes, for example, could enable us to sign up for a card with a larger spend requirement and higher bonus).

2) Apply for the card we choose (and hope to be approved, which is never a guarantee).

3) Meet the minimum spend requirement in the amount of time allowed (typically 3-6 months).

4) Wait for the points we earned to post and book our next trip. This is the best part!

5) Repeat every 90ish days.

Between my husband and I, we average around 6-8 new cards a year. We did not start with this many, though, and we only apply for a new card when we feel we have the capacity and means to do so. Some years, we open more and some years (like 2024), we open less. Not every card we open is one we keep for the long haul, but we always keep every card open for at least one year before deciding to close or not. We stay organized with the help of the following: a monthly budget; a spreadsheet to track travel totals, card information, etc; an app on our phones called TravelFreely that keeps track of additional information for us, such as when an annual fee is due, as well as giving card recommendations; and an app called TravelSpend that we use to keep track of our spending while traveling.

If you are reading this and thinking that this is too much, it's so important to remember that we did not start here. Our journey with travel rewards has evolved since 2019. Five years ago, we were hesitant to open that first card, too. (I'm so glad we did.)

I am often asked a lot of the same questions every time I post about recent travels:

Q: I thought you were debt free?
My answer:
We pay off our cards in full each month, we have no credit card debt, and we have paid zero interest since we started in 2019. We became consumer debt free in August of 2018, and we work hard to keep it that way.

Q: Doesn't it hurt your credit score?

My answer:
We both have credit scores in the 800s. We have learned that responsible credit card sign ups,  regular usage, and on-time and in-full payments have actually increased our credit scores since we started.

Q: How do you keep track of it all?

My answer:
We are very organized with our cards, and that is an overflow of being very organized with our finances. We use various apps to keep us aware and accountable, and we track every card and trip in a spreadsheet that I update regularly. My opinion is that if you are not organized in this hobby, it can easily hurt you.

Q: How are you able to get so much value from your points?
My answer:
We rarely use the travel portal or cash out points, and instead we primarily transfer our points to each bank's travel partners. We transfer the bulk of our points to Hyatt and Marriott for hotel stays, and to Southwest, Virgin Atlantic, and Flying Blue for flights. We have found that we are able to afford significantly more travel when we transfer our points this way.

The most popular question I get is this...

What is the best card to apply for if I am just getting started?

I have answered this question many times since I first began sharing our travels publicly, and I love it because I remember asking it myself. In an effort to answer it as best as I can, below is a list of cards we personally have, love, and recommend to others most. Please note that these are my personal referral links that will earn me a pre-determined amount of points if you apply through my link and are approved. I intend to update the links below as needed.

My answer, in order of personal usage and value:

Chase Sapphire Preferred

This was the first card we opened in 2019, and it is our most used personal card. I recommend this card more than any other, especially to those just starting out.

Chase Ink Business Preferred

This is our most used business card.

Chase Ink Business Cash

This is marketed as a cash back card, but we combine its earnings with our Chase Sapphire Preferred card to use them as Ultimate Reward points. We love that this card earns 5x points at office supply stores and has a $0 annual fee.

Chase Business Unlimited

Another cash back card with a $0 annual fee that can be combined with a Chase Sapphire card and used as Ultimate Rewards. The automatic 1.5% on this card is great for purchases that normally only earn 1x.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Cards

Our favorite airline for family travel is Southwest. Their Companion Pass is a huge money saver for us! We have both opened personal and business cards with Southwest over the years.

Chase Freedom Flex

We love this card for its rotating quarterly bonuses & its $0 annual fee. This is a great starter card for those who are unsure about paying an annual fee on cards or who have a lower credit score.

American Express Personal Cards

American Express Membership Rewards are very valuable. We primarily use them for flights, and they have saved us so much money.

American Express Business Cards

Same as above, but especially the Marriott card with a reasonable annual fee. The automatic gold status makes this a winner and a keeper for us.

This list is a glimpse of cards we have personally received value from, but there are a lot more to choose from. Another honorable mention is the Capital One Venture card, but we no longer have this card (we will likely have it again the future, but it is not one that we currently have opened). If you know someone who has this card, be sure to ask them for a referral if you decide it's a good fit for you.

The final piece of advice I will give here is this:
The points and miles game is a marathon, not a sprint.

We have opened a lot of cards over the years to travel to some really amazing places, yes. But pacing matters. We started in 2019, and we are fairly predictable in waiting at least 90 days to open new cards. One reason for this is that we want to establish and maintain a good relationship with the banks that approve us for cards. This, also, helps us 1) not spend more than we otherwise would just to meet a minimum spend requirement and 2) keep an excellent credit score.

Another piece of this is that it typically takes us a year to earn the points we need to book travel for the following year, so we are typically operating on a two-year timeline for the majority of trips we take. So much goes on behind the scenes to make travel like this possible for us, and I never want to be misleading with the highlights I post about the trips we take. The first half of that two-year timeline is the earning of points for each trip, and the second half is saving the money we will spend while on it.

Simply put: the worst thing you could do is compare your beginning to our well-established rhythms and get overwhelmed; and the best thing you could do is be inspired to start and decide if it's sustainable (and worth it) for you. And as with anything else related to personal finance, everything about credit cards and points and miles is personal. My way will likely not be your way, and that's okay.

These three things were helpful for us to determine if this was good for us to continue:

1) Knowing what our comfort level to open and pay off credit cards was,
2) Knowing what our willingness and ability to pay annual fees and save for additional travel expenses was, and
3) Being sure that we actually value traveling enough to make it worth the effort.

Points and miles have added so much joy to our lives, and I hope we are blessed with many more years of earning and redeeming them. As long as we stay responsible and organized while dreaming of adventure, I think we'll stay on this path for as long as we are able to!

Xoxo, Anna

Click here to see a glimpse into what they have helped us see and do in recent years.

more // 2025.

2015: trust.

2016: healing.

2017: growth.

2018: discipline.

2019: new.

2020: rooted.

2021: release.

2022: see.

2023: hallowed.

2024: abide.

and this year?

more.

(determiner): a greater or additional amount or degree of.

The last few years have been marked with so much loss for us and for people we love. Some of the loss has been subtle, leaving scars that can be covered; and some of it has felt like we were pushed into moving traffic, leaving us crushed and in shock and barely breathing. One good thing that all the loss has done is reveal the sincerity and depth of our faith, our hope, and our love. None of which *felt* good at the time, though.

I remember the days when I would hoot and holler and celebrate the clock striking midnight, giddy with anticipation for all a new year would bring. It wasn’t so long ago.

And yet, last night was the fourth midnight in as many years that my first response was to welcome the turning of a page with tears, bitter and hopeful.

So, what does all that have to do with “more,” Anna?

Our intention this year is not to do more or be more or give more effort or take on more responsibility. It is to simply do what we are able to at any given moment and to trust God with the more that will likely be required for it to come to fruition. We have lacked so much in recent years, and yet we have never been lacking. And as 2025 begins and brings its own requirements, our prayer is to remember that when more is needed, more will be given.

We, also, want to make more memories in 2025, too! More time with loved ones, more quiet mornings together at home, more front yard football games, more being in awe of the beautiful places we visit, more evenings when we’re all sitting on the couch reading a book, more gym dates, more dinner dates, more hikes, more trips to the zoo…

More laughter.

More joy.

More giving.

More receiving.

More wisdom and grace and mercy and compassion.

More acknowledging the purest of miracles (the breath in our lungs, for example).

More of the things we love (which requires a blessed awareness of what that is, another miracle all its own).

Losses will come, we know they are inevitable. But the spaces they leave in our lives aren’t meant to be black holes of misery. Our best days don’t have to be in our rear view mirror. We want to remember that more, too.

Less of what matters less.

More of what matters more.

And holding space for the grief and gratitude that the less and the more will inevitably bring.

Our meditation:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

-Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ (NIV)

Our song:

Made for More by Josh Baldwin

Our response:

Jesus, we are Yours and we were made for more.

travel with points // 2024.

 Last year, I said that I wasn't sure we'd ever have a travel year like that ever again.

2024 determined that we definitely did.

And had a blast in the process!

Our first year of earning and redeeming points and miles for travel was 2021, and we redeemed a grand total of $3,923.69. In 2022, we tripled that for a grand total savings of $14,972.30. In 2023, our shocking grand total was a whopping $45,123.57.

And in 2024, we beat our personal record from the previous year and redeemed this amount in travel rewards:

$46,610.18

Sounds crazy, right? But it's true!

When we opened our first credit card in hopes to supplement our travels, I seriously had no idea it would lead to this. I hoped to check off some places off of our bucket list, of course, but we have done that and MORE. These rewards have done more than just open our eyes to a world of possibilities that we didn't know existed -- it has helped our finances tremendously, too. Not only have our credit scores gone up significantly since opening those first cards, but our savings has compounded, too. Saving money is just more fun when you know you'll be spending it in places like Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Costa Rica, California, and Europe. That's true for us, anyway. We are personally more motivated to spend less on everyday splurges and treats at home when we have trips to look forward to. Plus it's an amazing feeling for us to be able to spend without stress while traveling!

Staycations are a normal thing for us now, too, and it has been so cool to play tourist in the place we're all growing up. Downtown Greenville has such a unique atmosphere, and we really enjoy being right in the action on these nights.

We spent a total of 38 nights in hotels together as a family, I was able to stay an additional 9 nights in hotels with friends for various getaways, and TJ and I spent one night alone together downtown Greenville at the start of the year.

So, where all did travel rewards help us explore in 2024?

Staycations

Wild Dunes

Puerto Rico

Bahamas

Costa Rica

Chicago

Indiana

Michigan

Wisconsin

San Diego

Anaheim/LA

San Francisco

Boston

Maine

New Hampshire

Vermont

New Orleans

Here is a breakdown of how we many nights & flights we redeemed for each of these trips:

S T A Y C A T I O N S

For fun, as well as to earn nights towards re-earning Globalist status with Hyatt for 2025

// 7 nights //

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

P U E R T O  R I C O

A timely spring break for adventure and respite

// 6 nights at an oceanfront resort//

// 4 round-trip flights // 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

B A H A M A S

The girls trip made it out of the group chat!

// 4 nights at a resort //

// 1 round-trip flight //

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

C O S T A  R I C A

Our first international trip as a family!

// 7 nights at 2 different resorts //

// 4 round-trip flights //

Memories from La Fortuna, Costa Rica:

Memories from Guanacaste, Costa Rica:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

C H I C A G O,  I L L I N O I S

A fun mid-summer trip! We, also, roadtripped to Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin during this trip.

// 3 nights at a hotel //

// 4 round-trip flights //

Memories from Chicago:

Memories from Michigan City, Indiana:

Memories from New Buffalo, Michigan:

Memories from Kenosha, Wisconsin:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

S A N  D I E G O,  C A

The best kick-off to our 12-night adventure through California!

// 3 nights at a hotel //

// 4 one-way flights //

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A N A H E I M,  C A

We continued our California adventure with a trip to Disneyland and a few of the LA's most iconic spots.

// 4 nights at a hotel //

// 4 one-way flights //

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

S A N  F R A N C I S C O,  C A

The grand finale of our west coast trip. Unforgettable!

// 3 nights in a hotel //

// 4 one-way flights //

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

B O S T O N,  M A

A dreamy long weekend of experiencing New England in the fall. We, also, roadtripped to Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont during this trip.

// 3 nights at a hotel //

// 4 round-trip flights //

Memories from Boston:

Memories from York, Maine:

Memories from North Conway, NH:

Memories from Woodstock, VT:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

N E W  O R L E A N S,  L A

In my Girls Trip era

// 3 nights at a hotel //

// 1 round-trip flight //

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

We saved a lot of money on these trips, but we spent plenty while on them throughout the year, too. Our travel budget was smaller this year than the previous year, as well, but we were still able to make amazing memories. I read an incredibly thought-provoking book this year called Die With Zero that confirmed that we are on a good path with our emphasis on travel. One particular concept that the author unpacked throughout the book was memory dividends, which focuses on building a life full of memories instead of focusing on wealth accumulation alone -- because memories increase in value over time. We made a switch that aligns with this mindset a few years ago without even realizing it: we paid extra on our mortgage for a few years when we first revamped our finances, paused that pay off for a couple of years when we did not have the funds to do so, and have since redirected the money we were paying our mortgage debt down with towards travel instead. More concepts throughout Die With Zero are investing in experiences, balancing work and play, time buckets, and giving while living. Another quote from the book that I really resonated with was this:

"Instead of following what others are doing, live life purposefully and deliberately."

A lot of what we do does not align with what our peers are doing, and that's okay. Traveling is neither right nor wrong; it's simply something that can have value. We know what we value, we know how we enjoy spending our time and money, and we are willing to walk unconventional roads to get to where we want to go. In this season of our lives, one main way that we are embracing life to the fullest is by traveling. I wrote this in my journal last year and still agree with it a year later: We may not always travel like this. Our bodies are slowly failing us, our income is constantly ebbing and flowing, our family dynamics are changing, travel rewards are changing every day, etc. So, our motto is simple: we will do this as often as we can for as long as we can. 

We already have most of our 2025 travel plans booked, and we've even started to dream about what 2026 might look like. Next year, Lord willing, we will visit Europe for two weeks, which is absolutely thrilling! A trip like this was simply a pipe dream before we began earning points, and we are increasingly grateful for how this hobby has empowered and inspired us to realize so many of our hopes and dreams. As of now, we don't have as much travel planned in 2025 as we have the previous two years, but the trips we are going on will be big bucket list checkers!

A little over a year ago, we officially set a goal to visit all 50 states before our oldest graduates high school, and a lot of our travel this year was inspired by that. Next year, we plan to visit even more states to get us closer to our goal. When we made it official, we had visited 11 states as a family. Since then, we have visited 10 more states and will add 6 more to that by the end of 2025 if all goes to to plan (which may or may not happen, of course). We're so close to halfway, which is so exciting! We've got 8 years to make this dream a reality, and it feels good to be making progress towards it.

I really do believe that life has gotten sweeter since we begin emphasizing always having a trip to look forward to. Anticipation is quite powerful, regardless of what is at the other end of it. It's refreshing to have good things ahead, even when right now feels heavy.

As always, here's to living while we're living.

It's more fun that way, anyway!

“Start thinking more about how you use your limited time, your life energy, and you’ll be well on your way to living the fullest life you possibly can.”

-Bill Perkins, Die With Zero