http://optin.kelsadventures.com/

Kels Hiscock, Knoxville, TN (2026)

12/04/2023

And it's Mindset Monday again, where I hope to inspire you with quotes nature that help me (and you as well) put life into perspective and into a more positive mindset to start the week off strong!
This week's animal is near and dear to my heart, the Wolf:
*Trust your instincts
*Be at home in nature
*Keep your den clean
*Stand fur what you believe in
*Stay on track
*Howl with your friends
*Be a leader
*Pack life with good memories!

Did you know the Red Wolf is the most endangered wild animal in the United States? It is also the most endangered wolf in the world, yet many people have never heard of them! Only about 20 live in the wild, but due to places like Woodlands Nature Center, many more (about 230) live in captivity. I was EXTREMELY lucky to be able to work alongside my team the year I was interning, and our red wolves had pups. Routine check-ups were mandatory, and knowing I got to assist in the advancement of this species honors me to this day.

12/01/2023

Another Friday of our Opt to Act Challenge! Ready for week 2?!?

Week 2: Go bagless. Carry reusable bags for all shopping.
(Not So) Fun Facts about Plastic Bags:
*More than 500 billion plastic bags
are used each year
*It is believed that 90% of all rubbish floating in the ocean is made up of plastic
*Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food
*The US uses 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags

Plastic bags are everywhere. It's hard to change up something we have become so used to. But this week, make a mental note to grab your reusable bags before you head to the store. Now, if you do forget them, don't fret! Try reusing the plastic bags. You can use them for bathroom trash bags, clean up cat litter or dog p**p, or some places have a spot that you can put them to reuse. I know Kroger has a bin like this outside their stores.

I personally have two sets of reusable bags. One set is in my car and the other is in my husband's. That way, no matter which car we take to the store, we have reusable bags. It took about a month to fully get in the habit of always grabbing my bags as I shop, but I will say, carrying only 3 bags into the house vs 15 or more is sooo much easier!

11/30/2023

How long is your bucket list? What's the top 3 things you have on it?

From a young age, I knew I wanted to complete my bucket lists. I also knew that I could not wait until I was 65 and retired to complete them due to the nature of many items on that list. I started to knock things off my list early, traveling for study abroad in college, finding opportunities to make things happen like scuba diving and sky diving. The older I got, however, the more adulting seemed to get in the way. Having a job that paid the bills, had insurance, and 401k helped me survive, but not truly live. Then I became a mom, and my bucket list got even longer! Now, trying to find a job that paid the bills but also allowed me to prioritize being a mom first and earning vacation days next was next to impossible...
..and then I found it. An opportunity to get everything I wanted out of life. I could earn passive income while being present at home and make enough to have the financial freedom to explore my lists! The risk to jump was easy to make compared to the risk of not doing anything at all.

My top 3 items on my list are currently: 1) Hike Kilimanjaro, 2) Complete the Appalachian Trail, 3)Go to England and complete the Harry Potter tour

11/29/2023

Holiday times are pretty stressful, this year being even harder for me. With family asking you about how life is, how the job is going, and if there are any fun plans coming up. This year has been hard enough what with being laid off and trying to find a place that allows for me to be a mother first and foremost, but has the flexibility to take off and travel. Ya, needle in a haystack, I know.
We decided to go camping this past weekend to get away and enjoy the quiet. We rode our bikes around the campsite, found some mountain bike trails to play on, hiked around the trails (or as far as we could with a toddler leading the way) and roasted s'mores for breakfast. Very simple, very quiet, and exactly what was needed.
While planning to go camping a few weeks ago, I found my needle in the hay stack. I am still fairly new but extremely determined to succeed and live the life I deserve to have! Having the weekend to just reflect, read, relax, and just simply be a wife and mother was exactly what was needed to fuel my WHY and show me just how much I want to have more of these stress-free moments with my little family.

11/28/2023

Welcome back to Mindset Monday, where inspiration from nature helps me (and I'm hoping you as well) put life into perspective and a more positive mindset to start the week off strong.
This week's inspiration and advice come from my favorite bird, the Owl
*Stay focused
*Be "hoo" you are
*Trust a wise friend
*Live off the land
*Glide through the dark times
*Be observant
*Life's a hoot!

I was lucky enough to work with a variety of owl species when I worked at Woodland Nature Center at LBL. The Barred Owl (pictured here) makes a really cool call that sounds like they are saying "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" which makes them really easy to identify, since there plumage, or feathers, help them camouflage extremely well in the woods. They use their silent flight to prey on small mammals and even amphibians like frogs and salamanders. This beautiful bird was hit by a car, and half her wing was removed. She lives out the rest of her life here at the nature center, being an ambassador for her species.

Quote by Earth Sun Moon Trading Company

11/26/2023

Small Business Saturday!

I never thought I would be a part of my own business. I never saw myself as ambitious or driven. I just worked to make ends meet and tried to live in the off times as best I could. After I had my son, my perspective changed quite a bit. I wanted to be there for all his firsts, and especially all the little moments. I wanted to show him the world so he can decide how he wants to live in it after seeing the many options we have.

Having this business has allowed that time freedom to be present and able to be there for him. If you want the time freedom, financial freedom, and personality freedom of working for yourself, send me a message! I want to see you succeed like I am!

11/24/2023

Hello and hi y'all! I have loved getting to share my everyday adventures with you so far and I can't wait to share this next one! As you may know, I enjoy getting outside in many different capacities, but one thing I have not touched on is my love of the planet. I push myself to be as green as possible for an everyday citizen. I'm not talking about solar panels or an electric car, I am talking about little things, the everyday changes to help.
"Changing the world isn't easy. Starting is." This is the slogan of which is a 52 week challenge of simple actions to reduce your impact, get active, and leave the world better than you found it. Every Friday I will post the week's challenge and how we can all join in and how I am personally doing the challenge. So let's go!

Week 1: Make cleaning up a part of your daily habits.
Instead of participating in the craziness of Black Friday, let's go out, pick up and properly dispose of litter we come across. It doesn't have to be anything big. Maybe it's picking up litter on your morning run, or picking up other dogs' p**p bags during your evening dog walk. However you decide to tackle this challenge, let us make cleaning up a part of our everyday routine and try to recycle whenever you can!
I personally wanted to start the challenge off strong and joined a local clean up near me. We went out to a boat ramp on Norris Lake and picked up bags full of trash that where littering the lakeside. It was a really great feeling seeing how much better the area was after we were done and the truck was full. I plan to take my reusable bag I got from on all my dog walks from here on out to help with trash I find along the trails or greenway.

"No one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced" David Attenborough

11/20/2023

Welcome to Mindset Mondays!
I know how hard it is to have a positive, relaxed, stress free mindset. I have a hard enough time dealing with anxiety and stress myself. It is crucial, then, to understand that our mindset determines what we focus on, because what we focus on we create, our energy flows where ever our focus goes and what we focus on, we invite back into our lives.
Taking all that into account, I want to share some fun advice from nature quotes that help me get into a better mindset. Taking simple ideas from nature and applying them to yourself and throughout the week should help us both achieve the mindset we deserve to be in!
Advice from a Turtle
Come out of your shell
Be well-rounded
Slow down
Know when to stick your neck out
Log time with your friends
Home is where the heart is
Snap out of it!

Eastern Box Turtles are the state reptiles of Tennessee and North Carolina. They live for about 25-35 years, but there are some documented that are over 100 years old. Males have red/orange eyes where as the females have yellow or brown eyes, making them very easy to tell apart. Box turtles are omnivores eating both plants, fungi, and fruits as well as insects, fish, and some small amphibians.
Photo by Kels Hiscock
Quote by Earth Sun Moon Trading Company

11/18/2023

Being a mother of an 18 month old, a dog mom of three crazy dogs, and a fairly busy outdoor person, I do not know what the word Relax means.
Ever since leaving the retail world and working for myself, however, I find I have more time to myself that I can just sit and unwind. These small moments are mainly at night after Bodhi has gone to bed and the dogs are in for the night, and I am not quite ready to go to bed. I fill this time with reading, watching movies, or playing video games (just got the new Hogwarts Legacy game on Switch!). Since these moments are more abundant now, I am also able to reflect on myself and really focus on where I wanna go and who I want to be. I am finding that being able to loosen up in mind and body is exactly what I needed but could not get in the retail world.
To my fellow mamas who have trouble finding those me moments, what do you do to relax and when?

11/18/2023

Mindset is a huge part of this business. What are some of your favorite affirmations?

11/17/2023

Getting ready for Thanksgiving week by getting gear together for a family camping trip! I wanted to start some of my own family traditions and one that really stood out was camping over the Thanksgiving holiday. I feel like this holiday has lost its meaning with the push of consumerism of corporate America and I want to go back to the basics. So here we are, getting ready for a camping trip, away from any stores or Black Friday deals.
If you work retail and are dreaming about a change, send me a message saying "Change" and we can chat about how I left the retail word into the online world so I can escape the craziness of this coming week and the weeks following.

11/17/2023

When someone says, "What are some fun facts about you?" I completely blank. I know I'm a weird person, and I love it, but how do I answer that?!?! I slept on it, and here are some fun tidbits about myself.
I have 7 tattoos (with another appointment coming up), and they all tell a story from different moments of my life. My latest is Bodhi's tattoo. He is named after the Bodhi tree, so the bigger leaves are from that tree. He was born in May, and May's flower is the Lily of the Valley, and its tree is the Hawthorn (the other leaves and flowers shown). There are two stems of Lily of the Valley since his Zodiac is a Gemini (the twins). The number of flowers represents his birthdate, and the antler that pulls it all together is for his middle name, James. Which brings me to my next fact.
I am a HUGE Harry Potter/Wizarding World fan. I am a Hufflepuff, and I use that term whenever someone asks me about my personality. Being the nerd that I am, I will also take any excuse to dress up or cosplay. I made my fairy outfit that I use at all Renaissance fairs, and October is my favorite month since I can use all my costumes, and no one looks at me too weird!
I also graduated with a BS in Wildlife Science. I have worked at nature centers and zoos, educating people on the importance of conservation and why we should save many amazing species of animals. I have gotten the chance to work with many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. My favorites are the birds of prey and snakes (I told you I was weird, right)!
I guess the last silly fact is while I am the oldest child, I am also the shortest in my family, so any 'authority' the older child normally has, I don't. I got hand me ups instead of my siblings getting hand me downs. I love my siblings, though!

Do you have anything in common with me??? Let me know by commenting!!!!

Kels Hiscock

12/04/2023

12/01/2023

11/30/2023

11/29/2023

11/28/2023

11/26/2023

11/24/2023

11/20/2023

11/18/2023

11/18/2023

11/17/2023

11/17/2023

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