When I was young I read books to transport me to fancy places. Now, as an adult, I get to actually visit places! So I plan to do just that, and share all of my adventures with all of you, right here.
Just a couple of happy parents … on a vacation without any kids 😉
Happy Monday, friends! Chris and I just got back from a less than 48-hour quick trip to Celebration, Florida, where Chris ran his 10th marathon.
I know, right? My legs hurt typing those words.
Well he crushed it, obviously. Finished in three hours and eight seconds (who does that?!), and we got to spend some much-needed alone time (in the sun and warmth, no less!), while Grandpa held down the fort back at home with the girlies.
It was a fabulous way to spend a January weekend, if I’m being honest 😉
We stayed at the Melia Orlando, which is a wellness-focused hotel with lots of health-focused amenities. What we really cared about, though, were the pool and hot tub…DELIGHT!Don’t mind if I do.
The race was Sunday, but on Saturday we got to chill. I rented a bike from the hotel and tagged along while Chris did an easy 2-mile run. We ate yummy food. Checked out the town. Saw a crocodile. Went in the hot tub. AND ALL WITHOUT CHILDREN!
This was too close for comfort for me. Chris, of course, loved it.So good <3We had lunch on Saturday in town at Avocado Mexican Grill, which was so yummy, and this was our burrata appetizer from our dinner at Reggiano’s. It was so good, and they had all the gluten-free options you could want for pasta and pizza.
Then Sunday was race day! Luckily the course passed by the hotel twice — once at the 2-mile marker and the second around mile 14 — so I got to catch my running man there twice. Then I walked a short (and so pretty) 30-minutes into the town center to catch him again at the finish.
2 miles in … piece of cake!Finished! Everyone laughs at this picture of the man in front of Chris who is lovin’ life, while Chris looks … tired. Let’s be clear: This was a half marathon AND a marathon. Mr. Heel-Clickin’-Good-Time had just completed the half in the same time it took Chris to complete the full. Still impressive. Not quite the same 😉You sure did earn that beer, love <3Then it was back to the airport and home to the kiddos! We had originally thought the whole family would make this trip, and that we would throw Disney into the mix, as well. When that turned out to be astronomical, we ditched the kids and came ourselves (courtesy of Grandpa’s watching the girls, of course.) I sure am glad we did it this way 😉
And that was it, friends! A quick and lovely time in warm and sunny Florida. It was a delight, especially as we landed back to 19 degrees and snow on the ground in Denver. Blurgh.
Happy New Year’s Eve, friends! With the near arrival of a new year comes my favorite part of keeping up with this blog: Reminiscing about our adventures from the previous year.
It was a good one, friends. A real good one. Here’s what we got up to 😉
January
Ringing in the New Year in Iceland!
I love this blurry photo of the five of us, chillin’ in a hot tub in Iceland the morning before flying back to the states. Rounding out our European holiday adventure (and here!) with a last day in Iceland on Jan. 1, 2024 was the perfect way to start the new year. The rest of January was spent heading to the mountains each Sunday for the girls’ ski lessons (we made an entire weekend out of it here and here!) and reliving my reporter days with a travel event in downtown Denver.
These girls ROCKED their ski lessons this year! Lotte was even riding lifts by herself by the end. (Insert Mom’s terrified face here!)Drinking booze back at the lodge was a big hit for Mom & Dad during lessons 😉Snow tubing in Frisco was so much fun!I loved heading to the Convention Center in downtown Denver for the travel expo. It made me feel like I was young again, traipsing around NYC to report on events for my editors at various mags.
February
The absolute joy of a cousin’s get-together <3
In February I snuck away to New York with the two big girls for a surprise 5th birthday treat for my niece, Rosalie. We all had the best time. The girls got to run wild, stay up late and eat an insane amount of treats. I got to see my little baby twin niece and nephew who are growing up way too quickly, and my sister and I even snuck away one night for dinner/drinks on our own. Amazing.
The best <3We love a good surprise in this family!Someone wasn’t very happy to be leaving …
Delicate Arch trail!Mexican HatForrest Gump PointMonument Valley!The Grand Canyon!Horseshoe Bend was a stunning, last-minute addition to the trip!Bryce Canyon, in all her glory.And Capitol Reef National Park, which turned out to also be such a fun surprise addition!
April
My birthday month arrived so quickly! We started the month off with a bang, heading to Steamboat Springs for a press trip that was truly a delight.
Such gorgeous snow!Lotte & Grace had the best time skiing the fun runs on the mountain! Emilia … not so much 😉 We have faith that she will get there!
At the end of April, Chris took Lotte and Grace on his first-ever solo trip with them! They headed back to New York to visit LEGOLAND! Too much fun was had by all.
I’ll never get over this amazing photo 😉I’m so glad they got this special time!Those are some tired but happy kiddos!
June was such a special month for us, as we headed Down Under for the entire month. We started out in Sydney, headed to Canberra, flew to Melbourne, checked out Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island, met friends in Brisbane and then were back in Sydney for a few days before heading home. We even had a couple hours layover in Vancouver on the way home.
What. an. epic. time.
Cutest cousins on the beach!The Vivid light show was on while we were there, and it was so beautiful!Such a special place to be. The gang is all here for Auntie Kate’s wedding party <3Canberra, AustraliaVisiting the Australian War MemorialQuestacon was so much fun!An initial Melbourne fam meet-up at Queen Victoria Market.Melbourne street art!The Great Ocean Road was so wonderful. All the beaches were gorgeous, but the 12 Apostles were particularly delightful.Dinner with my Melbourne family was such a highlight <3We even checked out the fairy penguin parade on Phillip Island!Airlie Beach, AustraliaBeach Baby in the Whitsundays. No biggie 😉Ready to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef!Gorgeous, gorgeous Whitehaven beach.Hamilton Island was a dream!We swam with sharks and sting rays!Then it was onto Brisbane!Where we had a lot of fun <3We even got to meet up with my bestie from 2nd grade — and her mom! — when we flew back to Sydney before heading home. So. Amazing!Cheers to an amazing, amazing trip <3
July & August
We made the most of the rest of our summer after returning from Australia, that’s for sure 😉
We racked up the activities after getting back from Australia — concerts, camps, visitors and lots of swimming topped the list — and before we knew it, we had a 3rd & 1st grader, and little Emilia starting 1/2-day preschool!
We saw Billy Joel and my life was made!The kids loaded up on fun camps, including this one at a horse farm where they got in lots of riding.My sister and niece came to visit!So did Grandpa and Mojo <3Some of our NYC friends came to visit for a week, too, and the kiddos went to Muddy Buddies camp together, which was adorable!We swam a bunch, too <3
September
Hello, Hamilton!
In September I took a trip back to New York to see Hamilton with my sister for her birthday, and we went to Mexico as a family on a press trip. It was one for the books.
Taking in the sights the first night I was there.Spending time alone with my sister was definitely one of the best parts of the trip.One of my many NYC happy places — Bryant Park.
Just a couple of gals, lovin’ Mexico!Gorgeous beach.Delicious food.Fun features. ‘Nuff said!
October
We very much made the most of fall in Colorado this year. We went to the mountains a couple of weekends, visited Great Sand Dunes National Park and really just Halloween’d out. It was a delight.
Frisco fall.Right in our own back yard <3St. Mary’s GlacierGreat Sand Dunes National Park was gorgeous.Great Sand Dunes National ParkZapata Falls, CO
November
Such a fun start to the holiday season!
In November we headed out on our last trip of the year — back to New York to spend Thanksgiving with our friends and family. We had so much fun! We spent time in the city (including seeing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person and checking out the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Lightscape with friends), and upstate, with stops on the Polar Express (oh hey there, Santa!), seeing Wicked the movie and having a lovely holiday. We hope your holiday season was bright, as well!
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lightscape with our crew.The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!Upstate with cousins!More family love!All. The. Family. Love!!!!
And that’s a wrap on the year, friends! It was a jolly lovely one, filled with so much friends and family … and travel!
Happy Monday, loves! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving break. We sure did. Our holiday started with a 2 a.m. wake-up call last Saturday to catch our 5 a.m. flight to New York.
We love New York.
To be honest, landing at 10 a.m. NY time was delightful. Sure getting up early was annoying. But there was zero traffic to the airport. The airpot was *slightly* less crowded than normal (lots of people, it turns out, like traveling early), and the whole experience just felt less stressful. Landing early meant we were less stressed out about quickly grabbing our car and racing upstate to get the girls to bed. Instead, we had the whole day ahead of us.
Delight.
We packed it in on this trip! Some highlights were:
Sleepovers at Aunt Stephie’s house, Grandpa Robert’s house and Fiona and Jake’s house in the city
The Polar Express train ride in the Catskills
Seeing Wicked, the movie
Checking out the holiday lights at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
SEEING THE MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE IN PERSON!
Spending a relaxing Thanksgiving afternoon with family upstate
Brunch with more family on Friday
Our flight home on Saturday was at 6 a.m., so it was another early day for us. But landing at 8 a.m. MT meant we had all day Saturday and all day Sunday to rest and rejuvenate. Honestly, everything went as smoothly as we could have possibly asked for (including a broken down Christmas train and pouring rain Thanksgiving Day parade), particularly for the busiest travel week of the year.
Here’s a bit of what we got up to 😉
Gorgeous city views on our flight in, including …The Statue of Liberty!LGA is by far our favorite airport. It’s hard to get the girls to leave! We also saw a bunch of the marching bands arriving on their flights for the Thanksgiving parade, which was so much fun!
We surprised Ro with our visit on Saturday, and let the girls know they’d be heading to the Polar Express on Sunday with a cute hot chocolate bar my sister set up. Because she’s super cute.
Spoiled-but-happy kiddos 😉Love these cutie cousins!
The Catskill Mountain Polar Express train ride is so cute! The staff sings and dances, you get chocolate cookies and hot chocolate, and the decorations are top-notch. Yes, our train broke down. Hah! But even so, the staff did a great job keeping the kiddos entertained, and although we never made it to the “North Pole,” Santa did make it onto the train, which was really all the kids cared about.
Ready to ride!Matching pjs for the win.Too stinkin’ cute.My girl <3The holiday season has officially begun!
My sister worked a half -day on Monday, and then we grabbed Ro early from school and headed to see Wicked, the movie, with Lotte and Grace. I wasn’t sure how they would do with the 2 hour and 45-minute run time, but they loved it! We’ve been listening to the soundtrack ever since.
Popular. You’re gonna be pop-U-lar!
Wednesday was so much fun! Chris and I headed into the city early to hang with our loves Fiona & Jake (and their parents ;), and then my sister and Rosalie and Robert met up with us later to check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lightscape. We had the perfect weather, and the kiddos loved running through all the beautiful lights.
So grateful for this crew <3We made ourselves right at home.Ro and Uncle Chris <3The show wasn’t too long, but it also was long enough that it felt worth the cost, since our kids basically ran through the entire thing.Definitely take time to stop and smell the flowers.And drink hot chocolate with snowman marshmellows!Love ya sis <3Love allllll these girls so, so much.Such a fun night!
Thursday was Thanksgiving! We had another early wake-up call — 5 a.m. — to leave Carla’s by 5:30 and be into the city by 6. It was absolutely pouring, but we got so lucky to find scaffolding that kept us warm and dry, and there was even a little ledge that the girls could stand on — away from the crowds — and get a good view of. A couple of tips from the day, if you’re ever thinking of doing this yourself:
Book your parking ahead of time. We found a garage at 60 W. 30th for $20 that was perfect.
Head to Columbus Circle/Central Park West, if you can. It was, we read, a less crowded spot, and had great views.
Get there by 6:30 if you want to be up-close. If you don’t care about that, getting there when it starts is fine if you’re willing to stand back behind the crowd and catch the floats from afar.
We read that strollers and umbrellas were not recommended, but having my sister’s double umbrella stroller was an absolute life saver for us. People also definitely did have umbrellas. Just something to think about.
Potties. Plan for them. They can be few and far between!
Ready for a rainy day parade!The turkey!Jolly Green Giant!Minions!Bluey!Dora!Such a wonderful way to start the day!There was even time to catch a nap on the ride back upstate 😉
We spent Thanksgiving afternoon with my brother-in-law’s family. It was super low-key and relaxing, with a tasty Thanksgiving dinner thrown in the mix.
I spent a lot of time on this trip trying to get this little girl to love me. Theo seemed to think I was okay. Arabella took a little bit more convincing!Brian’s sister Meg brought gifts for all the girls and made it into a fun little game. It was the sweetest thing <3Cousins at sunset.Grandpa!It was an incredible Thanksgiving, and one I am very grateful for <3
Friday was our last full day, and we spent it with a family brunch at my aunt and uncle’s place, followed by dinner at Grandpa’s.
A kid-approved spread!Uncle Brian made special muffins for Emilia, now that she can eat baked goods with milk and egg in them. All the kids were obsessed!Such a special day, hanging with our fam.More. Cutie. Cousins. How lucky are we to have so many loves?!
And that was it, friends. Our trip in a nutshell. We all headed back to Grandpa’s for one final dinner and to say our goodbyes.
This <3
Happy Thanksgiving, friends! That was our final trip/flight of the year, which is unbelievable. Now we settle in for the birthday/Christmas season, and all the craziness that brings. We’ve got our eyes (and wallets) set on the year ahead, and some hopefully super-fun things.
Until then, though … bis bald, friends, and happy holidays!
I cannot believe we are here, staring down the barrel at Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & the end of the year. It’s coming friends, whether we’re ready or not.
Anyway, I digress. We spent the girls’ fall break in the most glorious place — Great Sand Dunes National Park. The last time we were here, Lotte & Grace were so teeny tiny. I’m talkin’ Grace in a baby carrier teeny tiny. It was so much fun to be back with all three girls, and to have them a bit older to really enjoy it. We also stayed at an Airbnb that was about 10 minutes from the park entrance. That was clutch.
How beautiful, though?Just a little muffin, thoroughly enjoying her mountain morning.
After exploring a bit and having breakfast, we headed into the park. It costs $25 for a 7-day pass, and it’s worth every single friggin’ penny. This place is magic.
Don’t sleep on the visitor center. It has all the info about how the dunes were formed, plus gorgeous views to boot.Let the adventure begin!The excitement was palpable 😉The juxtaposition between the fall colors of the trees and the beige sand was incredible.Big pile of sand <3The girls did great! I mean, walking in sand ain’t easy!A classic photo op, of course.Love my girls so much <3<3<3And this girl sure does love her dad.We played on the dunes for about 45 minutes, then stopped for a snack in the sand before heading home for lunch.Cutie on a hill.Life is always an adventure with this guy.These colors though!
Our little explorers were such troopers! After a morning at the Dunes and then lunch back at our Airbnb, we decided we had more in the tank and headed to Zapata Falls, a .5-mile hike to a waterfall that includes traipsing across slippery rocks in the water. The girls — while slightly terrified — were so amazing.
Such a sweetie and always game for an adventure.Their album cover.This girl LOVED the hike!Initially Lotte held back on the last little (water-soaked) bit to the waterfall. But after we told her how cool it was, she went back with Chris.I mean … totally worth it, right?!Love this crew so stinkin’ much.
We slowly made our way back home on Saturday, with one more stop at the dunes visitor center and lunch at Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista, which is so amazing in the fall.
Pure gold for a fall lover like me <3The neighborhood around the brewery is so quaint, with a rocking climbing wall, the riverfront walk, a coffee shop and more.After lunch we checked out the river for a bit.Little cuties <3<3
And that was it, friends. Back into the car we went, for the 2-hour ride from Buena Vista back to the Arvada. And now we await our next adventure … New York for Thanksgiving! Until then … bis bald, friends! Keep livin’ that gorgeous fall life.
I mean, today is still supposed to hit 80 degrees. But the weather is slowly changing, and we have made the most out of the past few weekends, with multiple trips to the mountains (peak fall foliage!) and a gorgeous run/bike along the trail behind our old house. It’s been glorious.
This Thursday & Friday is Fall Break for the girls, so we’re off on another adventure. But until then, enjoy these fall photos from our past few days.
Last weekend we spent our Sunday in Frisco, which was truly the first time we felt like we saw fall colors this season.We <3 it here.Emilia & Dad … a love story <3Occasionally she’ll pose with me, too.This place is such a dream.We grabbed lunch at Highside Brewing and sat outside while the kiddos entertained themselves.I am gearing up to run the Apex Center’s Trick or Trot 5K the weekend before Halloween. So we grabbed the kiddos and their bikes and hit up the trail behind our old house on Saturday morning. So much fun. So many memories.It’s easy to forget how pretty this place is when you don’t live 15 feet away anymore. We had the best morning!Yesterday we packed up the car and headed back to the mountains. This time for the St. Mary’s Glacier hike.Did Emilia spend 99.9% of the hike on Dad’s shoulders? Sure did.Colorado. Is there any place like you?Emilia had never been to St. Mary’s Glacier, and Lotte & Grace were last here when they were teeny tiny.It was some kind of special to be back this time <3Never not picking the more adventurous route.A stranger took this picture, and it’s probably one of our best ever. Classic.It was a very fun day.
In four days we’re off to Great Sand Dunes National Park, which is yet another place that Emilia has never been to and Lotte & Grace only visited once when they were very little. Call this an unintentional revisiting of our past … whatever it is, I’m here for it.
We just arrived home from the most delightful long weekend at Dreams Bahia Mita Surf and Spa in Punta De Mita, Mexico. This was a press trip, so I won’t share all of the details until the actual article comes out. But for now I’ll just say … this place was a pure delight.
Some highlights …
Our room included a small plunge pool, which was perfect for relaxing after a long day at the pool.The girls loved playing “restaurant happy hour” with the treats in our room. Lotte was the mocktail maker, while Grace and Emilia served up some sweet treats <3Me and my oldest babe, on our way to dinner the first night.We’ve got our relaxation down to an art.First night dinner views were a delight!Honestly, the food at this all-inclusive was something special. It was very tailored to kids, while also being super tasty & special for adults. I was told that in November, you can often see whales from the beach. Can you imagine?!There were SO MANY pools and special features. The girls had a blast!The new kids water park was really amazing! Tons of water features and shallow water so you didn’t have to worry too much about the littles.We had a private cabana on Friday, and the girls REALLY took advantage of the services 😉We caught some glorious sunsets from our balcony.We went to a fun festival with a live Mariachi band!The kids club was a huge hit! They did crafts, danced by the pool, conducted science experiments, decorated donuts and tons more!Mom & Dad also were not too sad to have some alone time 😉 It allowed us to check out the “Secrets” section of the hotel, which is adults only. It felt extra special <3YUM.We were pretty happy to get the kids back … eventually 😉Drinks at the swim-up bar in the adults-only pool. Super swanky.We sure do love you, Mexico!We rounded out our final full day with a last visit to the beach.Adios, Mexico. Thanks for the super amazing time.The girls & I all wore pant/short-suits to dinner on our last night, and it was friggin’ adorable.Farewell Mexico!You sure were colorful <3
Happy Monday, friends! I just got back from the quickest little 48-hour trip back to NYC for the weekend. Even though it was warp speed, I packed it in! On the agenda included:
Tons of good drinks and food.
Some me time in a hotel!
Meeting up with family and friends.
Taking in a few of my favorite sites.
Seeing Hamilton with my sister!
It was a pure blast. Here’s a bit of what I saw.
I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square North, which was the perfect location for all things midtown related. I got into the city around 7:30 p.m. on Friday and hit the ground running. I walked around for a bit, taking in St. Patrick’s Cathedral (my sister and I even went back later to light a candle for our Mom and Grandma <3) …and said hey to Atlas in Rockefeller Center.
I also grabbed a drink at the bar while I waited for my take-out dinner from Papillon Bistro & Bar, which I ate in bed while watching Sex in the City. It was the perfect way to spend my first few hours in the city 😉
Then came Saturday! Saturday was such a fun day. Despite rain (lots of rain), I made the most of the morning with coffee and a treat in Bryant Park.
I walked down 42nd a bit more — past the NY Public Library and with views of the Chrysler Building as a backdrop — to Grand Central, where I checked out the market before hopping a train to Peekskill to meet the fam.
Oh hey there, Chrysler Building, playing peek-a-boo in the background 😉Grand Central is always so beautiful and such a highlight.Come hungry to the GC Market and grab a snack for the train!If you’re riding the Hudson Line somewhere upstate, try to grab a seat on the lefthand side, if you can. You’ll be rewarded with very pretty Hudson River views.
After about an hour I hopped off in Peekskill and met up with my sister, bro-in-law and their babes, my aunt, uncle & cousin’s daughter and my stepdad. We had Mexican at a cute little restaurant in the downtown area and caught up. It was a delight.
Love you!Love you!Love, love, love you!!!!
After lunch, my sister and I hopped back on the train together to head back to the city. We had the whole night and next day alone without kids! How. Much. Fun. Is. That???
The answer? So much fun.
We started with wine and tapas at Addictive NYC, conveniently located directly across the street from our hotel. Yum!Walking around to find dinner was delightful in and of itself.We so cute <3Dinner was gluten-free pizza and pasta at Trattoria Dell’Arte. So. Good!We had brunch the next morning at The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens. Sadly the outside area wasn’t open for us to eat, but at least the food was totally delightful!
After brunch we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the main event … HAMILTON!
I had seen the Disney movie version and listened to the original soundtrack several times, but to see it in person was very exciting. It did not disappoint.
Just a coupla sisters, out on the town <3
I even managed to sneak in one final drink with a bestie before heading to the airport to fly home. We met up at Lady Blue, which was just down the road from the theater.
Love ya, sweets!
And that was that! It’s pretty incredible what you can fit into 48 hours. We will be back in New York for Thanksgiving and, as Angelica from Hamilton says … I just can’t wait <3
In the meantime, we’re looking forward to a fun press trip that we head out for weekend after next. But until then … bis bald, friends!
We sure did manage to live it up for these 7ish weeks, though 😉 Here’s a bit of what we got up to after heading back from Down Under.
Camps!
I feel like we really hit our stride with camps this year. Rather than sticking to the same exact one, we switched it up.
Two weeks at the Arvada Center — for four camps total — was just the right amount of time. Even Emmy got to join in on the fun!Horse/riding camp at the Community Farm was a huge hit! The girls loved farm life, were obsessed with all the animals and, according to their instructor, were amazing at riding. The big girls did a week-long bike camp with Pedalheads. Lotte improved on her skills, went on road and trail rides, rode to the park and the library and just generally had an amazing time.And Grace finally learned how to ride! Turns out, with the proper instruction, she picked it up super quick 😉The big girls finished out their camp excursions with some awesome visitors <3 They attended “Muddy Buddies” camp at the Majestic View Nature Center and TKTKTKTKT. Which brings us to ….These cuties <3<3<3<3
Visitors!
We love our summer visitors. This time we were SO LUCKY because we had Grandpa and Mojo, Aunt Stephie and Ro, and our New York friends Carla, Fiona & Jake (who did camp with the girls). We sure do have the best time showing our loves around our Colorado home.
I love when my sister is here <3Steph & Ro & Gpa were here for Lotte’s birthday, which was so. much. fun!On Lotte’s birthday, one of her friends from school was having a birthday party at a local pool that Lotte wanted to go to. That made it super easy on us!Ro & Em got some quality time alone when the girls were in camp. It was predictably adorable.We went to Big Soda Lake one day, which was SO HOT, but also lots of fun!Sister <3We had lunch at the aquarium restaurant the day before Steph & Ro flew out.And walked through the downtown aquarium itself as well!Having a dog in the house — Grandpa’s Mojo — was a lot of fun, too!Besides going to camp together, we showed Fiona & Jake some of our favorite spots. That included, of course, the Butterfly Pavilion.
Miscellaneous
When we weren’t camping it up or entertaining guests, we managed to have a lot of other fun, too.
Grace’s first concert, and Lotte’s second, was BILLY JOEL at Coors Field!! How cool/fun is that?!We had so much fun with these cuties <3We spent a weekend at Auntie Moe’s where we rode the Buckhorn Northern Railroad train and visited that quintessential summer institution … Dairy Queen 😉Dad had a date with Lotte at Meow Wolf!Dad had a date with Grace … at Meow Wolf 😉Mom & Emmy celebrated her last day of camp with a date at McDonald’s 😉We had neighbors over for the sweetest little birthday celebration for Lotte <3We continued our annual tradition of testing books for the Good Housekeeping Kids’ Books Awards. So many great ones this year!I took Emilia to what was likely her last-ever toddler story time. She was pretty over it. That is absolutely the end of an era for me. I CAN’T EVEN!Tie-dying tees was a huge success!Who doesn’t love an outdoor/backyard summer movie night situation?!
And now, we welcome the next season of this year. So far, it’s been a pretty great one, and I have a pretty good feeling about this school year, as well. We still have quite a few fun adventures planned before we say goodbye to 2024, but until then … bis bald, friends.
I mean, I know it wasn’t. I have the memories, photos, and credit card bills to prove it 😉
We headed back to Sydney on Wednesday, but not before leaving Brisbane with a spectacular send-off.
How good is a rooftop pool, though?Love you guys! See you soon!Off to yet another airport! Flight No. 6 of this trip!Look carefully and you’ll see the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House off to the right.Thursday was so special. We took a short drive out to Cronulla Beach, which was beautiful. But we also went to meet up with …MY BESTIE SINCE SECOND GRADE! If you’ll recall, the last time Mina and I caught up was last August, when she and I and two other old friends met up in Savannah to celebrate our 40th birthdays.Mina’s Mom — who was basically a second Mom to me growing up — was there, too, which was EVEN MORE SPECIAL.I hit the SIL jackpot ….I mean … look at these cuties!We were able to meet up with another couple of old friends — and their kiddos! — on Friday night, and it was such a fun catch-up.Leaving sure will be hard …
I cannot believe it’s come to an end, but I’m so grateful that it all has happened.
We hit the air again on Sunday to head from Hamilton Island over to Brisbane to meet up with some friends and check out Bluey’s hometown. (Had to do it, obviously!) Our last morning on Hamilton was pretty special, though.
We hit up the Hamilton Island Wildlife Cafe for some coffee and koala watching!Chris and I had come here when we at Hamilton Island for our honeymoon, so it was very special to head back with our girls.Far and away my fave Aussie animal. Come on nowwwwww!We headed back to the beach for a bit, but they weren’t allowing snorkeling because of the waves.So we hit up the pool instead!Happiest in the water <3And then we were off again!Thanks for being amazing, Hamilton Island. We will be back!
We arrived late to our Airbnb on Sunday and were pretty exhausted, but not too exhausted to meet up with our crew for dinner!
Chris and Anton have been friends since college, and now our girls are becoming friends. Nothing makes me happier than when our kids become friends with our friends’ kids <3
On Monday we hit the town!
Le Bon Choix Bakery goodies are no joke. OMG how much was this gluten-full goodie worth it!The Wheel of Brisbane was so much fun! If you’ll recall from our Seattle trip, Grace in particular is a huge fan 😉Delight!Loved out little adventure with this group <3We even saw a water dragon when we came off the ferris wheel!The South Bank swimming area was so great for kids! It was too cold for us to get in when we were there, but I loved how they had life guards and the swimming depths were clearly marked. Plus, it was such a beautiful setting!A beautiful setting with birds that want to kill you, obviously. This IS Australia, after all 😉The kids got ice cream, so naturally we couldn’t help but reenact one of our fave Bluey episodes!The adults skipped ice cream in favor of beers.Endless entertainment provided by the pretty Brisbane sign down by the water.Dinner was a delicious cheese board, seafood and sausages on our Airbnb rooftop.Yummo!While these girls played <3And with this view.Album cover.The Queensland Museum was so cool! And most of it was free, which was a super-nice change of pace at this point in our trip 😉Then we caught the (also free) water ferry over to the other side of the river to head to Felons Brewing, which was a very cool spot on the water. They had the coolest playground area for the kiddos to hang out in while the adults did their adulting.The food and drinks were super tasty, too!There are so very many tired faces in this photo, but it was so lovely catching up with some other friends of ours who moved from Denver to Australia. We met up at Julius for dinner, and it was phenomenal food and a fun atmosphere. Just a really fun time all around.
Tomorrow we’re back to Sydney before flying home on Sunday. As our trip starts to come to a close, I’m so forever grateful that we were able to take the time and have this experience. I am also very much looking forward to getting back to my house, my neighborhood, our regular routine.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my bed.
But for now … Sydney’s up next. Until then, bis bald, friends!
We hopped the ferry from Airlie Beach around noon on Friday and headed over to Hamilton Island. The last time Chris and I had been was for our honeymoon back in 2013, so we were super excited for this leg of our trip!
We stayed at Chris’ aunt’s and uncle’s place for two nights, which was beyond what we could have imagined. The place was gorgeous. The beach was so much fun. The sunsets were unbelievable. There were wallabies everywhere.
In other words, it was pretty much paradise.
Cranky faces here, but the ferry was a super fun experience!Everyone rides buggies around the island, which is quite the adventure. You can only have four people in a buggie at a time, though, so we did something we’ve never done before on this trip … leave Lotte alone for a couple minutes! She did amazing under the instruction of no food or showers while we were gone. She’s basically ready for college now.Look at this insane view! Lotte said it was one of her best days <3<3<3<3These girls had the BEST time on the beach!WE EVEN SWAM NEXT TO STING RAYS AND SHARKS! How that was okay, I’ll never know.Burying each other in sand was also a ton of fun, naturally.Watching the sunset at One Tree Hill is a must when in Hamilton Island.
We only had one full day in Hamilton, sadly, so we made the most of the beach on Saturday. Chris took the girls out on a paddle board, we went back to snorkel around the area again, we made sand castles, had a beach picnic and just generally relaxed the day away.
For kids who never see the beach, these girlies sure knew how to make the most of the experience.Gathering seashells and burying ourselves in sand were high on the list of fave activities.The girls loved paddle boarding, too!Fun and exhausting, was Chris’ assessment.Thanks for an awesome time, Hammo! We sure hope to be back.
Tomorrow we leave for Brisbane, where we’ll be until Wednesday. Then we head back to Sydney for a couple of days before flying home in exactly one week. This has absolutely been the trip of a lifetime. We’re the luckiest to have been able to go on it.
Hi friends! Welcome to installment four of our Aussie Summer Adventures! (Sydney, Canberra & Melbourne were the first three.)
We woke up 4 a.m. on Tuesday to head to the airport for our 7 a.m. flight to Proserpine, which was about a 20-minute drive to our Airbnb in Airlie Beach.
I do love a good window view.
We couldn’t check into our Airbnb for a couple of hours since we arrived early, so we stopped at Whitsunday Gold Coffee (a haven of delicious food and coffee, fun animals and a huge play area for the kiddos, even if you do have to pay $10/kid to play) and then found an amazing (free) playground by the beach that was literally one minute from where we stayed.
Delicious ice cream with a delightful Macaw as a chatting mate.Playground of our dreams.
We took it slow Wednesday morning, then headed out to explore in the afternoon.
The Airlie Beach Lagoon was such a hit! The depths of the water were so clearly marked and sectioned off that I felt totally safe letting the girls run around … PLUS there were lifeguards!Of course nothing beats the actual beach <3We spent a good few hours here, just exploring, collecting seashells and chatting with other beach-lovers.Such a gorgeous day.Chris was dying to see some crocodiles, but the actual tour would have cost us more than $500 for the five of us, plus it would have taken all day. Instead, we headed over to The (Real) Crocodile Lookout (thank goodness for Google) and did get to spot one!
Thursday was some kind of special. We booked the Northern Exposure Tour with the Ocean Rafting company, and it was AMAZING. The tour met up at 8 a.m., rafted out for about an hour and a half, and included two snorkeling adventures, a small “bush walk” to a gorgeous view, lunch on the beach at Whitehaven and then the ride back.
The crew was spectacular. They made me feel comfortable enough leaving Lotte and Emilia back on the boat for a bit when they got cold (Grace, however, rocked it, and absolutely adored snorkeling!), and they catered wonderfully to all of our dietary needs with lunches that were so super tasty.
This was a day that I know I’ll never forget. Hopefully our girls won’t, either.
Ready for fun!This girl has found her calling. Snorkeled for probably over an hour and saw a sea turtle, a bunch of Nemo fish, tons of other fish and amazing coral. It was a spectacular experience to witness.I cannot say it enough … these girls are up for anything, and I am so in love with their sense of adventure and fun.Such spectacular views.Beach love <3We spent about 40 minutes on the beach, which was meant to include lunch. Of course the girls had no interest in eating when the ocean was calling!Thanks for just an amazing experience, Ocean Rafting crew!
And that was it, friends. On Friday we packed up to ferry it over to Hamilton Island, our FIFTH DESTINATION!
After one final morning with Kate & Tom in Canberra, our little fam loaded up for the hour-long flight from Canberra to Melbourne.
As a side note, the Canberra airport was a dream!
We landed around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and checked into our Airbnb (which had THE MOST spectacular view!), checked out the neighborhood a bit (this is such a great spot!) and grabbed sushi dinner from Sushi Jiro (which was phenomenal). Not a bad way to start the third leg of the trip.
How amazing is this view?? One of the tall buildings in the corner even put on a light show every half hour in the evening. Spectacular!Sushi with a view!There’s street art down every Melbourne alley, and it’s so much fun to spot!I won’t post every photo I took because, as you can imagine, it was quite a few. BUT HOW FUN?!Some of my Mom’s fam met up with us at the Queen Victoria Market, which was a lot of fun. I love this family <3Just look at these cutie kiddos!It just goes to show that distance can’t keep family apart.We had the sweetest first full day in Melbourne!I sure do love my sweet travel buddies <3<3<3Riding the City Circle Loop (the free tourist tram) was a real hoot.Federation Square was a very cool spot for artwork, food, drinks and to check out the Yarra River.
Friend meet-up in Torquay!Torquay was about an hour from downtown Melbourne, and such a fantastic first stop on our trip!Poppa!We saw the most insane competition at Lorne between elite search & rescue teams. It was seriously impressive.And got our toes wet on the beach, of course <3Look at this gorgeous drive!Apollo Bay was cold but so, so beautiful.So. Beautiful.After about four hours of driving, we made it to the 12 Apostles!What a gorgeous view.Two cuties <3<3This was the idyllic view from the deck of our cabin in Port Campbell.The Bay of Martyrs was our first stop on Sunday morning.The London Bridge was also so. cool. Part of it fell several years ago — the part that connected the two rock formations — so it was pretty special to see what’s still up.The Grotto was my favorite, I think. What an insanely cool spot!Gorgeous.Then it was back to the 12 Apostles beach area for a bit more sandy toed fun.
After spending a few more hours on the Great Ocean Road, we headed back to Melbourne, and had dinner with my Mom’s amazing family. I hadn’t seen them in over 10 years, but it was as if I see them every day.
My cutie Italian Melbourne fam <3But how cute are all these kiddos, though?!My grandfather passed away years ago, but what an absolute treasure to spend time with his 94-year-old sister, Rosina.On our last full day the girls wore ALL THE SWAG they got from my wonderful family the day before <3We stopped at the Caldermeade Farm and Cafe on our way to see the fairy penguins at Phillip Island, and it was so much fun! Cute farm animals. A fun playground. Watching an assembly line of cows getting milked. What’s not to love?!Grace and Lotte’s abilities to sit through photos really started to wane about now. Fair enough. These kids have been AMAZING!We made it to the Phillip Island Fairy Penguin Parade! Phillip Island is about two hours from our Airbnb, and totally worth the drive! The penguins make the trek every evening around sunset from the ocean to their resting nests, and it is absolutely one of the best things I’ve seen in my life!You’re not supposed to take photos of the penguins or the march after sunset, but just trust me when I say that it’s incredible and well worth a visit.We <3 penguins!The penguin count for the day!
Grace’ face in that last photo says it all. Melbourne — we’ve done so much! It has been amazing in every possible way. And now we’re onto the tropical part of our trip. Airlie Beach, here we come! Until then … bis bald, my friends!
Welcome back to a recap of our Aussie Adventures! (The first round of fun in Sydney can be found here.) We fly out of Canberra today to head to Melbourne, but Canberra has been an absolute blast! After finally recovering from a round of stomach bug that knocked us all for a loop, we were able to fully and properly celebrate Aunt Kate & Uncle Tom in their home town, and to show the kids a bit of what Canberra has to offer. This is one of the spots they had never been before, so seeing it for the first time through their eyes was so magical.
Here’s a bit of what we got up to!
Our first couple days were stomach-bug rough, so it certainly was nice having THREE grandparents around to help out with the kiddos!Cockington Green Gardens was a nice way to spend a beautiful day outside, and the kids loved running around the tiny building set-ups.Tiny Aussie things.Cousinssssss!!!!We <3 you Poppa!And you, Auntie Sarah!Saturday was WEDDING PARTY DAY! The girls were super pumped to get their hair done.#teambride in full effectThanks for throwing a stellar party, Aunt Kate & Uncle Tom!Grandpa was here, too!My cutie MIL & SIL. I sure got lucky <3Can’t remember the last time Chris & I dressed up for a night out on the town. Love ya, hubs!Never not smiling when we’re with Nan & Poppa 😉A trip to the Australian War Memorial was both beautiful and sobering. Remembering those who gave their lives …The Questacon science center was so cool! Everything was so hands-on and the girls had the best time!We spent the better half of four hours here on a rainy Tuesday. So good.Adults had fun, too.We’re wiped, Canberra, but thanks for being a pure blast!
And now we’re off to Melbourne to visit my own Aussie family. I am so excited for the girls to finally meet my Mom’s family and to see that side of Australia. Until then … BIS BALD, FRIENDS!
Happy June, friends, and welcome to the first installment of our Aussie June!
We arrived in Sydney early on Sunday morning and have spent the past couple days showing my stepdad around. We drove to Canberra yesterday for my sister-in-law’s wedding party, and although a gnarly stomach bug has taken pretty much every single one of our gang down over the past few days, we’re hoping to be on the other side of it finally.
Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to in Sydney so far!
No one does an Aussie airport arrival quite like the Connors <3We waited months for this moment!The treats started flowing immediately.Fam-bam party [with a super-special “for Chris” hand gesture … it’s an inside joke, don’t ask ;)]It was chilly and windy at Bald Hill Lookout, but so, so beautiful!These cuties are having the best time … minus the vomiting :/We are very intrigued by the Cockatoos.Cutie cousins taking a lil’ beach walk.<3 x 5!The Simbio Wildlife Park was the perfect way for us to say hey to some Aussie animals.Smiles all around!Koalas!Kangaroos!Feeding the kangaroos is always an absolute highlight of any Aussie trip <3On Tuesday, Lotte, Cath, Robert and I headed to the Vivid Sydney light show at the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and downtown area. It was so gorgeous!Dinner and drinks at the Opera Bar!Pretty hard to beat that view <3We’ve got a lot to cheers to.So gorgeous!Thanks for the fantastic time, Sydney
And now we’re in Canberra ready to celebrate Auntie Kate & Uncle Tom. Until the next entry … bis bald, friends!
Chris took the big girls on a trip to New York back in April to visit one of his bucket list places … LEGOLAND! Here’s what he had to say about their adventures.
When Dad is a huge LEGO nerd, and you have family that only lives 15 minutes from the new LEGOLAND in New York, you make a special trip to “take your kids” to LEGOLAND! This is how it went down:
While we were visiting for Grandpa’s surprise 60th last year, it dawned on me that I had never taken my oldest ladies (Lotte and Grace) on a trip by themselves. They are six and seven now, so traveling is A LOT easier with both of them … and I had always wanted an excuse to visit the new LEGOLAND theme park. So I put two and two together, and we found a Friday that Lotte and Grace didn’t have school, and booked the trip!
As we were planning our adventure, our team of three LEGOLAND enthusiasts snowballed into a crew of 13 covering three generations, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends. When visiting a theme park, the more, the merrier! We had such a blast with everyone.
The girls got a little treat by getting out of school early the Thursday before and we took an afternoon flight to New York. To say it was fun traveling with my two adventurers was an understatement. It also felt like a wonderful parenting transition — away from the stressful, exhausting travel with young kids into a new type of travel that felt so much more free and easy. It was truly one of those moments like losing a first tooth or seeing your kid ride a bike for the first time. I highly encourage it. I felt closer and more connected with both of them after we got home.
We landed around 9:30 pm ET, but were able to get into our rental car by 10:15 and got to my sister and brother-in-law’s just before midnight. The girls slept in the car and fortunately settled right back down to get a decent night’s sleep.
We intentionally picked a Friday early in the season for both better weather and lesser crowds. The weather was spectacular — 55 F and sunny — a perfect day to spend outside. The crowds were really light as well. Getting there right as it opened at 10 a.m. helped. We waited maybe a combined 30 minutes for all of the rides we went on. I am glad we chose the day we did to check it out.
The park itself is a blast! It is certainly geared towards younger LEGO fans, but I (a 40-year-old man-child) had just as much fun, both watching them experience it and also getting to experience it myself. Grace’s highlight was the Dragon Rollercoaster, and Lotte loved the pirate ship. My personal favorite was the Mini-land, which had realistic recreations of so many beloved U.S. landmarks. The detail and interactivity were incredible. New York and the singing Mt Rushmore really stood out.
It isn’t a huge park, and you can certainly cover it all in a single day. But there are a lot of stairs and hills, so the energy was starting to lag after lunchtime. We made one more loop on the rollercoaster, built custom mini-figures, and called it a day around 3:30 pm.
After some pizza and playing with their cousins, our ladies crashed for the evening. We then went to watch our cousin play soccer on Saturday and headed back to LGA for an early evening flight home. LGA is so fantastic now that it has been updated. The girls even wanted to get there early to play at the playground and see the fountain.
We got home around 9:30 pm on Saturday with two busted-but-happy little ladies. It was a short but very sweet trip and something I will certainly repeat in the future.
Who loved LEGOLAND more? Hard to say 😉What’s not to love about water features?!Kid-sized LEGO figures throughout the park were a real treat.So were the LEGO bumper cars!Empire State Building LEGO!This is by far Mom’s favorite picture from the trip. Grace’s face is priceless.I am so glad that some of our Manhattan besties got to join us!Happy and headed home …
I’m going to just put this out there … moving to the neighborhood that we currently live in changed our lives.
I was unhappy when we first moved to Denver. I expected it to be exactly like Manhattan. I missed my friends and family back in New York. I didn’t work in an office, have colleagues to chat with or feel particularly like joining any clubs or activities. I was lonely and depressed, and I didn’t know how — at the ripe old age of 32 — I would ever make friends again.
Wah wahhhhh!
Cut to the next year, when Chris & I bought our first house in a Denver suburb. We lived on a small street in a house that we loved, and we quickly made friends with our neighbors across the way. It wasn’t until our move into our second and current home, though, that we found our tribe.
I’m talking about those people you can text to ask, “please pick my kids up at the bus stop, I can’t make it!” or “please come to my house because my daughter got a pea stuck in her nose and I can’t get it out!” or “could you please come stay with my child while I bring my other child to the emergency room?” The women in the above photo — my neighbors — have sent all of those texts/calls to each other and then some. They have become my very good friends, my in-a-pinch-sitters … my backup family.
In other words, I adore them.
So when our one neighbor — whose husband works for the luxury travel company Inspirato — suggested that we book one of their properties for a girlfriends’ getaway, we were all too happy to jump at the chance. We picked a gorgeous place in Breckenridge (with a hot tub, obviously), and spent Friday through Monday of this past weekend having just the best time. I had one of the best meals of my life at the Blue River Bistro (so delicious, and so gluten-free friendly!), we never stopped chatting, went shopping, had margaritas at Rita’s and checked out the Breckenridge Troll.
You don’t usually know how your neighbors will be when you move into a new home, and it’s always a gamble.
I had spent months planning for this trip. I researched the best, kid-friendly Airbnb’s close to all the best markets. I made sure our rental car would be big enough for our group and rugged enough for potential wintery terrain. I compiled every possible detail into a Google document that I shared with family so they would always know where we were on a given day (and, let’s be honest, could provide information to the cops if we were kidnapped).
When it came to research and preparedness, I left no stone unturned. Yet, for a good month leading up to our trip, my anxiety was getting the best of me. I’d sit up at night paralyzed by the “what ifs.” Strep was swirling around my girls’ school in the weeks before we flew out. My youngest daughter has food allergies. We didn’t speak any of the languages in the countries we would be visiting. Our itinerary included a lot of driving, and all three of our girls have been known to suffer from car sickness. The holiday markets would be crowded, and let’s just say a fear of crowds is common these days.
Holiday stress — whether it’s centered around illness or something else — is common. According to a poll from Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, 53% of Americans were stressed from increased cases of flu, COVID and other respiratory illnesses heading into the 2023 holiday season, while another 44% were stressed from memories of holiday travel meltdowns from the year before.
“Many parents experience travel anxiety, and it’s completely normal,” said Dr. Ari Aal, a psychiatrist with Delos Psychiatry in Boulder, CO. “The mix of excitement, detailed planning, and the inherently unpredictable aspects of traveling with kids often leads to stress. This is especially true during holiday seasons, when there’s extra pressure to make everything perfect for the family.”
As you all know by now, our Grand European Holiday Adventure went off without a hitch. Still, it sure would have been nice to enjoy it with less emotional baggage. To that end, I tapped Dr. Aal for some tips that might help alleviate that anxiety for our next big adventure.
Learn some mindfulness techniques
It’s beneficial for parents to practice mindfulness with their children, says Dr. Aal. “Simple activities like breathing exercises or guided visualizations can be really effective in calming nerves for both adults and kids.” The Headspace and Calm apps offer great guided ones for beginners.
Practice smart use of technology
Embrace apps that make travel fun and interactive, like those that turn travel into a game or provide engaging itineraries. “This keeps the kids occupied and can help parents stay organized,” said Dr. Aal. Something like Roadtrip Bingo — a scavenger hunt for road trips — would have been great on our recent driving heavy trip, for example.
Establish a travel ritual
Creating a family tradition — like hunting down a souvenir in each spot you visit to put in a special place when you get home — can transform the journey into something enjoyable and less daunting. Plus, it becomes a comforting, familiar activity that everyone in the family can look forward to, said Dr. Aal. It can also provide a great distraction during times of stress while traveling.
Learn to love a checklist
Using checklists for everything from what needs to be packed to what needs to happen the day of travel helps get rid of the feeling that you may be missing something, says Dr. Aal. “In his book “The Checklist Manifesto,” Atul Gawande explores how the use of checklists has decreased errors in diverse tasks from surgery to engineering,” he said. “Most importantly, it lowers anxiety during the travel experience.”
Set boundaries
Even on a long trip, remember that you can’t do every activity that is available to you … you also need time to relax and recharge. “Set clear boundaries on how much you will commit to on the trip and how much downtime you need,” says Dr. Aal. “When you are clear with everyone on what your limits are, there is less of a chance that they will be crossed.”
Now, as our next trip gets ready to unfold — a big ole’ adventure Down Under — I’ll be keeping those expert tips in mind. (And, perhaps, making room in our travel planning this year for a less stressful staycation in the near future, as well.)
Happy Monday, loves! Our little family just got back from a quick press trip to Steamboat Springs. While I can’t share all the details of the trip until the story comes out, what I can say is that we love Steamboat. We hadn’t been in years, and never with our own kids who could ski, so this was a real delight. Here’s a bit of what we got up to …
Drinks by the mountain just taste better.I highly recommend visiting after spring break, when the town is nice and quiet but still oh-so-cute!This snow-covered ice rink was a big hit!Joy <3More joy <3It snowed such beautiful snow while we were there!We will be back, Steamboat .. thanks for being so fun!
After our Grand Canyon adventures, we loaded up to head to another new National Park for our list: Bryce Canyon. Grandpa had been here before, but Chris and I hadn’t, so we were really excited to be hitting up this park on our ride back home. We were surprised how much snow was on the ground when we arrived, but luckily it was just enough to slightly cover the hoodoos (the amazing rock formations you’ll find in Bryce Canyon), but not to cover them completely.
Before we arrived in Bryce, though, we stopped off at Horseshoe Bend, which was only about two miles total to walk there and back, and was totally worth the stop.
Look at that beauty!Hello, Horseshoe!Just the cutest little adventurers! Also, Chris found these shoes for Emilia in a secondhand store in Moab and, to be honest, they were one of many MVPs of the trip 😉
Horseshoe bend was about 2.5 hours from our hotel in Williams, Arizona, and we had another 2.5 hours to go before we arrived in Bryce. It had taken us longer to get out of the hotel that morning than we originally planned, and the stop took longer, too, so we decided to rearrange our planned hikes. This turned out to be necessary anyway when we arrived and saw how much snow was on the ground!
Our original hike in Bryce — the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden — was going to take about 1.5 hours to complete, so we figured we would get to it the following morning. Of course, that was before we did the Sunset Point to Sunrise Point walk and came upon the (very muddy, very steep) entrance for the Navajo Loop. We quickly realized that wouldn’t be happening for us, particularly with the three littles and the muddy/icy conditions. What we ended up doing was great, but I do hope to get back to do the Navajo Loop at some point, since it seems beautiful.
For our tired, hungry group of travelers, though, the (mostly chill, not too steep, but yes still muddy) Sunset to Sunrise Point walk was just perfect.
Don’t mind if we do!The first time you see the hoodoos it takes your breath away.Insane.Did I take 1,000 photos of them? You know I did.
After our walk, a check of the general store and dinner, we were about ready to crash. It was the perfect dip of our toes into this gorgeous National Park.
When we realized the Navajo Loop wouldn’t work for us, we stopped into the visitor center Thursday and asked a ranger for a suggestion. Turns out, the Southern Scenic Drive was perfect. It would take us to Rainbow Point (the highest point in the park) and past the Natural Bridge.
Rainbow Point sits at 9,100 feet. So yes, it’s high … but not so high for these Colorado mountain lovers!These signs cracked me up. As if I wasn’t anxious enough already, thank you very much!The Natural Bridge was SO BEAUTIFUL.
And that drive took us through to the end of our Bryce Canyon adventure. We headed back to Grand Junction, Colorado that day, but not before stopping at our fourth (if you don’t count Monument Valley, which is technically a Navajo Tribal Park) and final National Park.
Considering that I had never heard of Capitol Reef, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But holy crap was this park gorgeous! It wasn’t small, either — it took us quite a while to drive from end to end. The hike we attempted — the Hickman Bridge Trail — would have been gorgeous had we finished it, I’m sure, but it was pretty steep and rocky, and a storm was setting in. Plus, we were just ding dang exhausted after nearly a full week of travel! Still, we were able to get out of the car and stretch our legs a bit, which was all we really needed.
Just keep hiking. Just keep hiking 😉Such a trooper <3
And then, just like that … we were back in Colorado!
One brief stay in Grand Junction and lunch in Frisco later, and we were … home!
Phew! Thanks for coming along that journey. It was a great trip from start to finish, thanks largely to awesome planning (the writer takes a bow), amazing weather and the best company a gal could ask for.
Until next time … BIS BALD, FRIENDS! And happy spring!
We spent the morning exploring the grounds a bit more, having breakfast back at the restaurant and, naturally, buying 10,000 gorgeous Navajo momentos.
Hope Gpa didn’t think this was a REAL vacation!What a view!Thanks for the mems, Monument Valley <3
Afterwards we loaded our trusty Heidi the Highlander back up again and hit the road. This time we made sure to stop at the Arizona sign.
Hey there, Arizona!
The ride from Monument Valley to our hotel near the Grand Canyon was a little over three hours, so we broke it up with two stops.
The Navajo National Monument was a short and beautiful walk to a beautiful, historical spot.Not gonna lie, we were a bit skeptical of these dinosaur tracks at first, but everything we’ve read about them seems to be legit!Besides being insanely cool, it gave the girls a chance to run around and get their wiggles out 😉
After a few hours and a few adventures, we finally made it to our hotel!
Woop, woop … a new hotel awaits!
Here are some of the details of our stay.
Monday & Tuesday
Where we stayed: Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel Where we ate: We opted for the buffet restaurant at the hotel for two dinners and two breakfasts while we were there. That, and the train ride from the hotel to the Grand Canyon, could all be purchased for a 10% discount if you bought them together with your rooms. Where we hiked: The South Rim Trail
After resting up a bit on Monday night, we were ready to hit the train on Tuesday! The train ride includes a very cute “shoot-out showdown” before you board, and the ride itself is about 2.5 hours. There’s a cafe car and entertainers and tour guides onboard to answer all your questions. It was honestly the absolute best way to do the Canyon with three littles and for our first time. We barely had to figure anything out for ourselves (they even took care of our park entrance tickets!), and we got to relax and take in the scenery. If we ever make it back we’ll probably stay in the park, but for this adventure, this option was magic.
I’d like to take an additional second here to thank … THE WEATHER! We’ve gone places for our kids’ “spring break” before, and it’s been less-than-springlike. This time was so wonderful. Besides one random snow squall while we were driving, we had such delightful weather. Breezy and cool, with sun and … NO CROWDS. I don’t know how. I don’t know why. But the National Park Gods shined down on us this trip, and we were HERE FOR IT.Absolutely insane.Incredibly gorgeous.Not to be believed.Emilia, you won’t remember this. But hopefully these photos will help <3Thank you, train, for being amazing <3
Having two nights in one spot was much-appreciated by this point in the trip, so we were all too happy to head back to the hotel after our train ride, straight back to the buffet, to the swimming pool for a bit and then to bed. The next day was on to Bryce Canyon. Until then … bis bald, friends!
Happy Friday, friends! Welcome back to the Grand Canyon Road Trip Heard Round the World, and our Day 2 Adventures. On Sunday we were already in Moab, so we hit up Arches National Park (National Park No. 1 of this trip!), then drove to Monument Valley, which is a Navajo National Park.
Along the way we also hit up the Mexican Hat and had some fun at Forrest Gump Point, the point in the movie where Forrest is running, running, running and then, suddenly, decides to stop.
Here we go!
Sunday
Where we stayed: A premium cabin at The View Hotel Where we ate: The gorgeous (with mediocre food) restaurant at The View Hotel Where we hiked: Arches! Plus we did the 17-mile Monument Valley Scenic Loop
Rock scrambles and terrifying cliff drops got nothing on these girls! (Despite Emilia’s face looking otherwise!)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … my girls continue to shock and aww me. The Delicate Arch trail in Arches National Park is a “moderate,” 3.2-mile out and back trail that covers scrambling rock and terrifying cliffs. When I say that these girls rocked it, I very and truly mean it. I remember my first time doing this hike, and how difficult it was for me to complete, and I’m just so impressed with the way these girls handled it like pros.
Rock album cover.Totally worth the hike. I mean …We even dragged out kids out even further on the hike, so that we could take this precarious photo under the arch. I told Chris later that I had visions of never seeing them again the whole time we walked over … but when in Rome????Cute hat twins <3Another pair of cuties.
So, so proud of these loves. (You too, Grandpa!)
After our hike it was back into the car and on over to Arizona (new state No. 2 for the girls!) and Monument Valley. On the way we saw a few other cool things.
Mexican Hat!The Forrest Gump Point! You just KNOW Chris had fun with this one 😉
Then it was on to Monument Valley. I’m not going to lie — I didn’t know quite what to expect here. But man oh man was I blown away. This is such an insanely gorgeous spot in the world, and staying in the cabins overlooking the monuments themselves was an amazing experience.
The 17-mile loop is driven, so that makes it easy to check out all the gorgeous spots. A lot of the reviews say it doesn’t matter what type of car you have, but I would beg to differ. An all-wheel drive that’s not directly on the ground is, I would say, optimal. She bumpy!Couldn’t have asked for a cuter crew <3I would allow for about two hours to drive the loop, depending on how often you want to stop and get out.This was the view from the porch on our cabin. Absolute perfection.
That was Sunday in a nutshell, fam! The night included an incredible sunset and star-gazing. More cabin pics to come in the next post. Until then … bis bald, friends!
Hello friends — happy Thursday! Here I am, blogging from the road of our epic Spring Break Road Trip from our home in Arvada, CO to the Grand Canyon and then back. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve blogged from the road. Maybe … never??
All told we spent approximately 23 hours in the car and drove approximately 1,420 miles. We stayed in 6 hotels, visited 4 National Parks and 4 other places of interest. I am so proud of how these girls handled this trip. They were rockstars on our (pretty difficult!) hikes, and they handled the car rides like a pro. We planned the trip so that we were never in the car for longer than 4.5 hours a day, and on those days we planned decent stops halfway through. Our legs included:
Friday: Driving from Arvada to Glenwood Springs, CO Saturday: Driving from Glenwood Springs, CO to Moab, Utah Sunday: Driving from Moab, Utah to Monument Valley, Utah Monday: Driving from Monument Valley, Utah to Williams, Arizona/the Grand Canyon (we stayed here for two nights) Tuesday: Visiting the Grand Canyon! Wednesday: Driving from Williams to Bryce Canyon, Utah Thursday: Driving from Bryce Canyon, Utah to Grand Junction, CO Friday: Driving from Grand Junction home!
It was a trek, to be sure … but I wouldn’t have done one single thing differently. Here’s what we got up to on Saturday!
Entering Utah, a new state for the girls to scratch off their maps when we get home!The Corona Arch Trail was so much fun, but definitely not for the faint of heart!
The drive from Glenwood Springs to Moab was about three hours, and we headed straight to lunch at The Trailhead Public House and Eatery when we arrived. This cutie restaurant is right in the center of town and super close to a bunch of hikes. Plus the food was really good. I would highly recommend it if you’re in the area!
From lunch we headed straight to our first hike of the trip — Corona Arch! This trail is about 2.3 miles out and back, and definitely includes some rock scrambling and pretty steep climbing. The girls did so amazing, though, and had the best time! You don’t have to hike the full trail to get a view of the arch, either, so it’s definitely worth it even if you can’t do the full trail.
These cuties came ready to hike!Emilia spent the majority of this trip on Dad’s shoulders, which was A-Ok in Mom’s book 😉The two big girls ended up climbing a very treacherous rope with Dad to make it a little bit farther up the trail. I was simultaneously terrified and incredibly proud.Corona Arch … worth the hike!Moab, you are a pure delight <3
That was our first day in a nutshell, friends! Sunday was Arches National Park in the morning and then onto Monument Valley. Until then … bis bald, friends!
Happy Friday, friends! I’m way late to this post because honestly … life. Phew.
But I’m here now to share a bit about our fabulous Fort Collins staycation from last weekend. While Chris was off snowboarding for a couple days with a friend at Copper and A-Basin, the girls and I used it as an excuse to catch up with my best friend from high school — Auntie Moe. We hadn’t seen her since Thanksgiving (!), and hadn’t been to her place in even longer, so a girls’ weekend was way overdue.
We love our Auntie Moe so much, and she planned the sweetest time for us all, including birthday and Christmas presents (no visit with Auntie Moe is ever complete without presents. She spoils us.), a trip to the very cool Twin Silo Park, dinner at Totally 80’s Pizza, ice cream sundaes and a Trolls movie viewing, then a pancake breakfast before we headed home Sunday morning.
If you must pull single-parent duty for a weekend, recruit a bestie to do it with you, I say 😉
Emilia spent pretty much the entire time at the playground right here, being pushed by Auntie Moe <3I’m not going to lie, this playground intimidated me at first. There are lots of things for kids to do that require them being out of your eyesight. The girls had THE BEST time, though, and once we were there for a while and I realized they could handle it, I came to enjoy it as much as they did <3 I mean, look at that joy!Such intrepid explorers!Lotte has been working on her monkey bars, and it’s really paying off!We love ya lots, Auntie Moe. Sure are lucky to have you in our lives.Next up was Totally 80’s Pizza, which was such a trip! There was SO MUCH 80’s memorabilia and they played 80’s music and hi, I could live here!Moe’s sister, sister’s partner and nephew all met us for dinner. It’s always so much fun to see this crew and watch the kids hang and bond.I meannnnn … does it get any cuter?!Any time ice cream is involved, we’re on-board.
We’re sure glad Chris had fun on his snowboard trip …
But we’re also super glad we got to use it as an excuse for a ladies’ weekend full o’ fun.
Bis bald, friends! Next up … our Great Grand Canyon Spring Break Road Trip, taking place the week after next! See ya soon!
Happy Tuesday, friends! Lotte, Grace & I got back last night from a long-weekend whisk away to New York, where we surprised my niece, Rosalie, for her 5th birthday. This trip was full of Mom/Big Daughter bonding, cousin cuddles, family fun and lots more. The girls had the sweetest time together trashing houses, playing with puppies, and just generally eating way too much sugar and staying up way too late. Birthday treats galore! Movie nights galore!
What’s not to love about that 😉
We’re backkkkkk! G had an ear infection earlier in the week last week, so I wasn’t sure this trip would happen. I’m glad we ended up decided to go, though. It was pure delight, as per usual <3Grandpa picked us up at the airport and we stayed with him for the first night. The bond between this man and my girls makes me very happy.Our surprise visit was a hit! Rosalie had no idea we were coming, and she was so excited to see her cousins. Lotte & Grace loved being the objects of a big surprise, too. It was off-the-charts adorable.Cousins <3<3<3On Friday night the girls went to a movie/pizza/dance party night at Rosalie’s preschool. They wore pjs and watched Trolls and had a great time!Meanwhile, Steph & I got to have some one-on-one sister time while they were preoccupied. It was a win-win.The twins are getting so incredibly big! They were both working real hard on their first steps while we were there.On Saturday we headed out to The Castle Fun Center, which was a HUGE flashback to my youth!These cuties had a blast!Grandpa came, too, and Steph & I got to hang with him for a bit while Uncle Bri mucked around with the big kids.Angel baby.Angel baby No. 2.These two are SO ALIKE. Sometimes … that causes problems. Hah. But mostly, they’re so super cute together I just can’t stand it.Aunt Stephie, we love you so.Grandpa pile on!I cannot believe Rosalie is five! Kindergarten, here we come!We spent the last day building forts, having movie nights, snuggles and playing tag.Cat snuggles were included, as well.We REALLY hate saying goodbye :/ But you know we’ll be back soon.
And that was our trip in a nutshell! Next up: Spring Break Road Trip to the Grand Canyon! I am so excited. Until then … bis bald, friends!
