• Garden of the Gods
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    Garden of the Gods

    May 10, 2017 - By 

    Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs, CO. It became a National Natural Landmark in 1971 and it is SO worth a visit next time you are in Colorado Springs. The beautiful red rock formations that tower above are quite mesmerizing. It is a rock climbers dream and you will see folks climbing, although we didn’t notice any while we were there. After taking a short drive from our hotel, we turned into one of the parking lots and to our surprise, a lady in the car next to us rolled her window down and…

  • Driving from Newport, Oregon to Portland? Here's somethings you should stop at see on the way!
    Travel

    West Coast Trip:Newport to Portland

    May 2, 2017 - By 

    Continuing with our family adventures on the West Coast as we leave Newport and head to Portland, Oregon. 1st stop was the Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head Lighthouses. Such a beautiful lighthouse and natural area. It was quite foggy that morning, which made for some cool pictures. 2nd stop was the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. We found this be a beautiful campus with lots of cool buildings, old and new. We also went to OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center, which has free to get in. They just ask for donations. I highly recommend this if you’re…

  • Travel

    West Coast Trip:Florence & Newport

    April 8, 2017 - By 

    Our drive up the coast of Oregon continued as we left Cottage Grove Oregon and headed to Newport, stopping a few times for some fun activities, like going to Sand Dunes, Sea Lion Caves, Thor’s Well, and more. First stop was Florence, OR for Dune Buggies ATVs. When we were researching we came to the realization that Dune Buggies for individuals really isn’t a thing you can do anymore. The thing now is driving ATV’s over the dunes. I really didn’t want to drive so Rob and I were in one and the kids each had their own ATV. Let…

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    West Coast Trip:Day 7

    March 30, 2017 - By 

    On our 7th day West Coast adventure, we got up and checked out of the cabin. We drove up to Crater Lake Lodge, which was built in 1915 and is listed as in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Beautiful log cabin feel with gorgeous views of Crater Lake. We enjoyed the view a little more, but since we saw most of what there was to see the day before at Crater Lake we ended up not staying as long as first planned. We continued on our journey north as we drove to Cottage Grove, but made several stops…

  • Travel

    West Coast Trip: Crater Lake

    March 25, 2017 - By 

    On our 6th day of adventures on the West Coast, we got up and left Eureka and continued north towards Crater Lake. We made a quick stop at Thomas H. Kuchel Visitor Center in Orick, CA. We used the bathroom and took a quick peek inside. They have an informational desk, exhibits, bookstore, etc. We enjoyed walking out back where there’s a boardwalk to the shore and some informative signs about Tsunamis among other things. There was a cool bird’s nest we observed as well. We later stopped in Cave Junction, Oregon for lunch at a Dairy Queen. Then, we…

  • Travel

    Spring Training Trip 2017

    March 22, 2017 - By 

    In recent years, my family has traveled down to Florida to stay with Rob’s Gramma and enjoy some baseball during Spring Training. This year was no exception. It’s always interesting to visit new spring training ballparks as they are all different for better or worse. Wednesday, we left after work and drove to Rob’s Gramma’s house in Spring Hill, Fl. We got there in the middle of the night and went straight to sleep. The next morning we visited a bit and then got on the road to Sarasota. We checked into the hotel (Ramanda). This hotel is located on…

  • West Coast Trip Day 5 - San Francisco to Eureka, CA - Golden Gate Bridge - Wine Country - Redwoods
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    West Coast Trip:Day 5

    March 4, 2017 - By 

    On Day 5 of our West Coast trip, we checked out of our hotel and head towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove over it and then stopped for some photos. It was a chili, foggy day. We drove through Wine Country and stopped at a couple different wineries. The first one was Milano Family Winery. The lady there was friendly and educated us a bit on a few of their wines. We tasted a couple and ended up buying a bottle of Big A$$ Blonde, which is a white wine with fruity undertones. We paid around $15, I believe.…

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    Gatlinburg 2017

    February 10, 2017 - By 

    We enjoyed another annual ski trip with the Scouts again this year. Last year I stayed back to deal with moving and organizing stuff after having the carpet installed. This year, I went so that Caitlyn wouldn’t have to pay for a room by herself. As usual we caravanned up there Friday night arriving around 1 am. The next morning the scouts got up and gallivanted through Downtown Gatlinburg, while Caitlyn and I decided to explore Gatlinburg on our own. We walked around and shopped and then ate an early lunch at Bennett’s Pit BBQ, which is my favorite place…

  • Sugar Bowl Weekend 2017
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    Sugar Bowl Weekend 2017

    January 27, 2017 - By 

    When we found out that Auburn was going to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, we decided we would go. We were able to get 2 tickets since we have 2 regular season tickets. Drew would be going with the Auburn University Marching Band (AUMB). They left Friday, Dec. 30th first thing in the morning. We left that morning too, but not as early because Rob hadn’t been feeling great. We stayed in Baton Rouge with Rob’s cousin and her family from Friday till Tuesday. We watched lots of football, played games, and just enjoyed visiting. Saturday, Rob and I…

  • Carnival Paradise {5 Day Western} Christmas Cruise
    Travel

    Carnival Paradise {5 Day Western} Christmas Cruise

    January 14, 2017 - By 

    Embarkation Day We spent the weekend before Christmas in Spring Hill, FL visiting with Rob’s Gramma, Grampa, Mom, and others. We celebrated Gramma McMahon’s birthday that Sunday. Then, on Monday we loaded up and headed down to the Tampa Cruise port. We always arrive at the port around 11am. Even though the cruise documents say you start checking in at 1pm that’s not true. Here’s everyone walking from the long-term garage to the cruise port and then Drew and Caitlyn after we checked in and were waiting for our group to be called so we could board the Carnival Paradise.…

  • Day in San Francisco
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    West Coast Trip:Day 4

    November 16, 2016 - By 

    The 4th day on our exciting and jam-packed West Coast trip started off with a ride on cable car down to Fisherman’s Wharf. We had a fairly early ticket reservation for the ferry over to Alcatraz, so we got up early enough to catch a cable car and get some breakfast and walk around down at the wharf. We ended up just grabbing McDonald’s. Although, the bread at Boudin’s looked and smelled amazing. They weren’t open yet. Mural down at the Wharf when we got off the cable car. Love the sunflare from the morning sun.

  • West Coast Trip - Day 3 - Travel along as we leave Yosemite to Cupertino (Apple HQ), Stanford U, Painted Ladies, and more.
    Travel

    West Coast Trip:Day 3

    October 22, 2016 - By 

    If you missed my 1st couple of posts about our West Coast Trip, you should check those out first. – Day 1 – Day 2 – So on Day 3 of our West Coast Trip we woke up in our tent in Yosemite’s Half Dome Village. I woke up a little chili and actually quite sore from the hike the day before, but the brisk fresh air was welcoming. We got dressed and jumped in the car. We wanted to stop and check out Yosemite Falls on our way out of the park. We took a short hike to the…

  • West Coast Trip - Day 2 - Yosemite Day
    Travel

    West Coast Trip:Yosemite Day

    October 5, 2016 - By 

    If you missed my post from Day 1 of our West Coast Trip you can find it here. Here’s our jam packed day #2! I woke up totally discombobulated from very little sleep, but we still managed to be out of the hotel by 6:30 am. We were eager to get to Yosemite and begin our Yosemite Day before the crowds since we were there during the summer; peak season. The week before we were there President Obama and his family were at Yosemite. We had read that he had donuts from Donuts a Go Go down the street from…

  • Visit 5 Rivers #StayAlBeaches
    Travel

    Visit 5 Rivers #StayAlBeaches

    October 4, 2016 - By 

    I love sharing my travels with you even though I am so far behind. Today I’m looking back at when my family was in Daphne for my younger son’s soccer tournament. The Saturday we were there we didn’t have a game until that afternoon, so we had a decent block of time that we could do something fun. Rob had hard about 5 Rivers Delta Safari so we decided to check it out. While we were there we… strolled along the paths while enjoying the peacefulness and watching birds and learning about the trees that grow in that area. We…

  • Travel

    Take the Mobile Bay Ferry #StayAlBeaches

    September 20, 2016 - By 

    Earlier this year my family and I were in the Gulf Shores area for Alex’s soccer tournament. When they lost the semifinals game that left us with much of Sunday to find something to do. We ate lunch at Rafter’s, stopped at beach for a quick dip, and then headed over to the Mobile Bay Ferry. Mobile Bay Ferry FAQ’s (please check the Mobile Bay Ferry website to make sure this info hasn’t changed) Where do you get on? Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan Dauphin Island address 111 Bienville Blvd, Dauphin Island, AL 36528 Fort Morgan address 110 State Highway…

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    Visit Alabama Beaches even if it’s Raining #StayAlBeaches

    September 9, 2016 - By 

    I’ve already given you lots of reasons why you should vacation on the Alabama Coast: 5 Reasons to Travel Alabama Beaches Girl’s Getaway to Alabama Beaches Alabama Coast Top Casual Seafood Restaurants Alabama Coast Activities for Guys 44th Annual National Shrimp Festival! However, sometimes when you go the beach and up comes a dark cloud. The sky falls out and it starts raining cats and dogs, and you find yourself back at the hotel watching TV waiting for the sun to shine again. When you vacation in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, you don’t have to worry about being bored when it’s…

  • Travel

    Rochester, NY | Trip Report Day 1

    September 4, 2016 - By 

    Back in August, Rob flew out to Rochester, NY on Sunday for some training. However, I didn’t have enough vacation days so I couldn’t fly out until Tuesday night. I left work a little early to head to the airport. I arrived in Rochester just before midnight. The next day I drove Rob to his training, so I could use the rental car. I had my day roughly planned out. First stop was the Charlotte–Genesee Lighthouse located on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Genesee River, which is about 7.5 miles North of Rochester. I wanted to see this…

  • Travel

    Girl’s Getaway to Alabama Beaches #StayALBeaches

    August 22, 2016 - By 

    Fall is often a great time for the women of the house to escape for the weekend. I don’t know about you but Saturday mornings hit and the TV goes to ESPN and the only channels it gets flipped to are other channels showing football! I love that I live in a state that has such gorgeous beaches, so when I’m ready to escape football or just escape life in general, I can hop in the car and be at white sand beaches and crystal blue waters in a matter of hours. Here’s some reasons why you should go to…

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    West Coast Trip:Day 1

    August 6, 2016 - By 

    The day we left for Cali we got up, did a few things around the house, and headed to Atlanta to pick up Rob’s brother who would then drive us to the airport. We made a stop for lunch at Fire Dragon. Once we got to the airport everything went smoothly. Curbside check in was closed, so we went inside to find a line, but it went fairly quickly. The line for security seemed crowded, but it also went pretty fast. The kids really enjoyed riding the moving sidewalks. Since we had lots of time to kill we went to…

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    Disembarking in Baltimore

    July 12, 2016 - By 

    Our cruise earlier this year was a journey cruise, which is a new type of cruise that Carnival started last year. I highly recommend them if you’re looking to do a longer cruise. You start the cruise in one place and end in another. So after 3 days at sea, we disembarked in Baltimore. Yeah, it was kind of crazy going from nice tropical temps to Baltimore, Maryland in February with temps in the 40°s. The day was cold and dreary, but that didn’t stop us. After finally being able to leave the ship around 11 or 12, we took…