A Puffventure is the little "yes" that turns an ordinary day into something worth remembering. It's the unplanned winery, the road you weren't supposed to turn down, and the random detour that becomes the story you tell for the next ten years.
What's a PUFFVENTURE?
A Puffventure is what happens when you stop saying "next time," ruin the schedule, turn the car, and choose a boring day rerouted. It is the freedom to play, explore local flavors, find the perfect unplanned campsite, and choose the adventure today.
Like and Watch on YouTubeIf you've gone a full week without a Puffventure, it was probably a boring week.
The humans
Danni
I'm a freelance writer who believes everything — wine festivals, road trips, even emergency dental situations — benefits from a sense of humor.
I was born in Australia, grew up in the Bay Area, and landed in dusty, high-desert New Mexico just before high school. I have a degree in psychology from the University of New Mexico and spent two decades working in a pediatric dental office, which is, without question, the best birth control in the world.
It's for the best. My husband wanted to name a baby Nuke. Nuke the baby. You probably think I'm joking: https://www.puffventure.com/2011/04/unique-baby-name.html
I've written for brands including Dove, Anheuser-Busch, and Jimmy Dean, and my work has appeared on Huffington Post and Houzz. These days I focus on food, wine, travel, and all the other little details that make a life.
Sexy Nerd (also known as Derek)
Every spontaneous decision needs someone who can actually make it work.
Derek grew up in a tiny town in Colorado — before that, an even tinier town in Kansas, where his grandpa was the mayor forever. I love to poke fun at him and his naive, small-town ways (with love, of course).
He's a mechanical engineer with a Master's Degree in mechatronics (something I'd never even heard of before we met...actually, I'm still not 100% clear on what this is) and he's one smart cookie a clever guy brilliant a big nerd. He even has a second "just for fun" Master's Degree in political science.
He builds things. Fixes things. Improves things. Entire rooms, trailer systems, life logistics. He's the calm, capable "how" to my "what if we just…" He also cooks, cleans, trims dog nails, brews beer, and survives my sudden detour commands at a level that should probably earn him some kind of award. He spends a lot of time being baffled by the decisions I make.
How this started
We met on Match.com and had our first date on January 10th, 2004. Keeping our relationship together was tricky because I was living in Albuquerque and Sexy Nerd was attending school in Flint, Michigan.
The first time he came back from school, I had my doubts about him, especially as he had invited himself to live in my apartment, completely freaking me out. Sexy Nerd decided to take a trip up to Colorado to visit his family. While he was away, I continued to think that us being together was a bad idea. I really liked having my apartment all to myself! As fate would have it, he returned with his hands all cut up - the only reason he'd gone to Colorado was to use his dad's tools to build me a wire candleholder tree, just like one I'd pointed out in a store. Isn't he just the sweetest guy ever?
Sweetest guy or not, Sexy Nerd's proposal after only a year of dating was a little soon for me - I had a panic attack, hysterically laughing while trying to decide what to tell him. It wasn't anything against him. It's just that, come on, we'd only been together a year. I'd had bad high school relationships that lasted for more than a year!
A long engagement later, we got married in Hawaii on our 4 year anniversary. The ceremony was performed by a man in a skirt, Captain Howie from Above Heaven's Gate Weddings, who was high as a kite, relieved himself in the bushes, and talked about "midget leprechauns" in front of all our friends and family. It was wonderful and unlike any other wedding...though I would not recommend Captain Howie under any circumstance!
Oh, and a chicken wandered over unexpectedly during our vows. We named her Chicklet. She was delicious.
(I'm just kidding about that last sentence!)
The dogs
We love our four rescue dogs — two chihuahuas and two pitties — and they are fully convinced this entire operation exists for their benefit. You know those little dogs run the show!
They're loud, chaotic, occasionally destructive, always stinky, and completely non-negotiable. One of them is named Puff. Yes, that's where the name comes from.
Rosé the Riveted, Our Airstream Basecamp
Our Puffventures launch from a silver Airstream Basecamp 16X named Rosé the Riveted. She wears a red polka-dot bandana on the hitch and has logged more spontaneous miles than either of us planned when we bought her.
She's our TINY tiny home, perfect for chasing food and wine festivals, high-desert views, hidden gems, and whatever looks interesting enough to justify a detour.
Join the Journey
Some Puffventures are perfect. Some go slightly off the rails. All of them are better than staying on the original plan. It's about saying yes to the extra stop, the place you almost skipped, and the small, beautiful detour that ends up being the best part of your week.