Sometimes the slower-paced days sneak up and charm you the most. With a bit of extra sleep, familiar company, and breezy moments between conference prep and rooftop catch-ups, days 3 and 4 brought a welcome ease to our California rhythm. Not every day needs to be jam-packed with sights to leave an impression—some unfold through the quiet joy of shared breakfasts, casual strolls, and conversations that linger.
Last Tuesday after work, we headed towards Texas, planning to spend the night in Shreveport to break up the trip since its a 12 hour drive. We ended up having a delay when Google Maps told us to take a detour near Selma. We went over some railroad tracks and ended up going over a pot hole that gave us a flat tire. There was another car that had pulled over who had also gotten a flat tire. Long story short, God paved the way for us to get our tire switched to the spare and got a new tire…
Day 2 of our California adventure took us from misty morning farmland into the heart of towering redwoods, tech landmarks, and quiet college-town charm. It was a day of contrasts—ancient trees beside futuristic design, crispy waffle chips alongside creamy panna cotta—and one that reminded us just how layered a single afternoon can be. Spoiler: even the hotel fan had something to say.
With a couple days to spare before the conference, we hit the road and hugged the California coast—chasing foggy beaches, towering cliffs, and roadside surprises. From lighthouse silhouettes to sea lion lounging, moody skies to crumbly cliffs, this stretch served up all the drama and delight a wandering heart could hope for. Even the snacks played their part.
The weekend after going to Atlanta, we had another even to attend out of town. This time it was in Birmingham, Al at the BJCC. We have wanted to see For King and Country for years, so we were excited to finally have the opportunity. We stopped in Dadeville for a late breakfast and then once we got to Birmingham, we went to a thrift store called Encore. It was ok. We didn’t buy anything. After that since we were close to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, we went over there to check it out. It used to be one of…
Back in October, Rob and I got given tickets to the Atlanta United game, so we decided to make it a little getaway. Saturday morning after getting up, we headed out and ate brunch at Another Broken Egg. I had the Cinnamon Roll French toast, which was Ah-mazing!! Highly recommend. Not as sweet as it sounds. I also didn’t need to use any syrup. I wanted to stop at West Point Stevens Outlet that’s about 30 minutes from our house and on the way to Atlanta. They have huge discounts and run specials on top of that. We got everything…
In August we went on a cruise and met up with my sister and her family plus our niece (our brother’s oldest daughter) and our Aunt & Uncle. We left out of New Orleans on a 4 day cruise on the Carnival Valor. We drove down after work on Wednesday night and got in really late. Day 1 – Getting on the Ship Got up the next morning, and met up with Uncle Brad and his wife and went to breakfast at Terrytown Cafe. They have a good breakfast and their donuts are delish! I resisted and only got one.…
If you missed my first Texas post, you can click here. The 2nd half of the trip was visiting with family. On Friday morning, Rob said his goodbyes to the conference people and we loaded the car. We had about an hour and half drive ahead of us. Before going all the way over to Weatherford, we stopped back in the North Richland Hills for lunch at Chan’s Mongolian Grill and then drove by my Granny’s old house and the the house I grew up in. Neither of which are part of my family anymore, but since Rob wasn’t with…
Today I’m sharing about the first part of our recent Texas Trip. Rob had a conference in Allen, TX in April and we had planned to fly there. In fact we had plane tickets already. Then after having my surgery and as the trip got closer, we decided it would be better to drive. We were able to get e-credits for our flights so we didn’t lose any money. This was going to make it so I wouldn’t have navigate an airport with 1 arm. It also meant we could bring as much as we wanted to. I am using…
This is the last post for our cruise we took at Christmas. Day 7 was a day at sea. The last day usually goes by pretty fast because you have to pack and get your suitcases out that evening. Also after having 3 days in row at port, its nice to be able to sleep in and have a more chill day before getting off the ship. On this cruise, Rob and I became “Platinum” VIFP members with 75 cruising days with Carnival. One of the perks was getting a party on the last at sea day. We were able…
Here we are for our last Carnival Mardi Gras 2023 cruise port post. I may do 1 more post to wrap it all up. Anyway, our last port of call was in Grand Turk. That morning we were up super early, so that we could scarf down some breakfast right when they opened at 6:30am as we had to meet in the theater at 6:45am for our excursion. We went through all that, got off the ship to go to our meeting spot. I already had in the back of my mind that since were supposed to be swimming with…
We’re continuing our Christmas Cruise posts. Today I’m sharing about our time in the Dominican Republic, which is one of Rob’s and my favorite ports. Carnival docks at their port called Amber Cove, but the nearest ‘real’ town in Puerta Plata. That morning we had breakfast in formal dining and then met up with the kids to get off the ship. It was looking super gloomy and overcast, but luckily it cleared up pretty quickly and ended up being a beautiful day. We got off the ship and walked to the area where the taxis line up. Rob got us…
If you missed the 1st two posts from our Cruise, you can check those out there: Day 0 & 1 Day 2 & 3 Day 4 of our cruise on the Carnival Mardi Gras was in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We got off the ship after eating breakfast at the Pig & Anchor. It was really the only place on board that opened early enough to get off the ship 1st thing. Our plan for the day was to explore Old San Juan by foot. Here’s what we saw as we made our way through Old San Juan… Loved all…
Day 2 and 3 on our cruise were both days at sea. If you missed the 1st post from this cruise, it’s here>>>>Carnival Mardi Gras 2023 – Day 0 & 1 The weather surrounding us was making for some very windy, rough seas. Luckily none of were feeling sick. It just meant the Lido and upper decks weren’t open and/or lounge chairs weren’t out for people to enjoy. That morning we got up and went to the Grand Atrium where the aerialists were even practicing for upcoming shows. Looking back now, I’m surprised they were even practicing with the ship…
Last fall Rob and I were entertaining the idea of a trip around Christmas. I mean we get 2 weeks off at Christmas and we knew Alex never got to go on a cruise since the one we cancelled. We ended up choosing one and pitching it to Alex and his girlfriend, Madison. They were good to go, so we booked it. We had to Drew and Caitlyn about it and invited them, thinking they probably wouldn’t be able to go since they already had one booked for April. However, they ended up calling us that night and getting it…
As part of my year end recap, I thought it would be fun to do a separate post for our travels. We didn’t travel as many time as last year, but I feel like some of these trips this year were more epic. January Rob with the Boy Scout Troop on their annual Ski Trip. I don’t have my hands on any of those photos. February Drew & Caitlyn enjoyed their honeymoon on the Carnival Freedom with a stop in Amber Cove and Grand Turk. April In April we took our desert trip to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and beyond. It…
Here we are for the LAST post from our NYC trip. This is another day there and then flying home. Another morning to see if we could be on TV at Fox and Friends! Here we are with Janis Dean. They were featuring a Teqball team, which was really cool to watch. Looked like lots of fun. Still just taking in the awe that is NYC! Staten Island ferry After breakfast at Westway Diner, we decided to take the Staten Island ferry over. We were both so tired and our feet were hurting. I wanted something where I could sit.…
Day 11 was another full day in NYC. Fox and Friends We woke up and walked down to FoxNews where they film Fox and Friends. We got pictures with Ainsley. She is so sweet and kind to take pictures with everyone. Rob was bummed the timing didn’t work out for us to see the Gutfield show, but he still wanted his picture in front of where you go in for the show. World Trade Center area I wanted to go back over to area for a couple reasons. First reason was to get some pics of the Oculus Center, because…
I feel like I’m in a mad dash to get so much done before Christmas…actually the week before Christmas! Anyone else feeling the same way? Anyway, here we are for another cruise/NYC post. If you missed the other posts from this trip you can look here>>>New York 2023 Trip. So on Day 10, it was our day to disembark from the Carnival Venezia for the last time. We had a long wait to get off the ship. I believe it was because since this was a 4 day cruise, most people were carrying all their luggage on and off the…
Here we are for another cruise post. Today I’m sharing about our day in Bermuda. If you missed the other posts from this trip you can look here>>>New York 2023 Trip. We got up early and packed for our day out. Then went to eat breakfast as the ship finished pulling in to port. It was the day of towel animal explosion on the lido deck. Rob got a coke while we waited to disembark. Our first order of business was to figure the best way to get over to Hamilton, which is the capital of Bermuda. We had made…