• Point Park - Chattanooga, TN
    Travel

    Point Park

    September 18, 2017 - By 

    When site-seeing near Chattanooga, TN, a nice place to stop at is called Point Park, which is located about 7 miles south of downtown Chattanooga. It’s great spot to get beautiful views and to soak in some Civil War history. This ten acre memorial park overlooks the Lookout Mountain Battlefield as well as the city of Chattanooga. Take the sidewalk around the park and read about the lookout points and learn about the corresponding monuments. The New York Peace Memorial is the largest monument in the park that was a tribute to “peace and reconciliation between Union and Confederate veterans…

  • Travel

    Totality {Eclipse Weekend}

    September 10, 2017 - By 

    In August, we got to experience something that not many never people get to see; a Total Solar Eclipse. We decided to make a weekend of it and head to North Georgia to a location where we were in the line of totality. We shared a VRBO cabin with Rob’s sister and her family. Saturday we drove up to North Georgia. After dropping our stuff off at the cabin, we drove around to scout out some places to watch the eclipse, ate dinner, and visited Rob’s old stomping grounds at Young Harris College. We also went to a planetarium show…

  • Travel

    Historic Fourth Ward Park

    August 23, 2017 - By 

    If you’re ever in Midtown Atlanta, the Historic Fourth Ward Park is a great place to checkout. This 17 acre park which is divided into 2 sections was built on the land where Ponce de Leon amusement park used to be. There are plans for this park to eventually total 30 acres. I found this park while looking for places to check out when I was in Atlanta with Rob and I needed something to do while he was in a conference all day. I was quite impressed with the beauty and design of the park. Watching the ducks and…

  • Auburn Alabama Bucket List - Here's a list of THE things to do while visiting this great college town!
    Travel

    Auburn Alabama Bucket List

    August 14, 2017 - By 

    If you’re planning to come to Auburn, Alabama, there are some really cool things to do without even leaving the area. Here’s my Auburn Alabama Bucket List of a few of the best things to do while you’re on the Plains. Roll Toomer’s Corner after an Auburn University win. Yes, we toilet paper 2 trees on the corner of campus after out Tigers win a sporting event. Now if you’re here during football season that of course is when you’ll see the biggest rollings, but folks often head to downtown for other sports when our Tigers put a W on…

  • Travel

    Reasons to Love Downtown Boulder, CO

    August 4, 2017 - By 

    When Rob and I were in Colorado earlier this year we had planned to meet up with my brother and his girlfriend for dinner. We decided to meet up in Boulder, because Rob and I wanted to check it out and the place he recommended there was a brewery. We wanted to make sure we got beer from a brewery in Colorado. I mean, come on! So after enjoying a chili, windy afternoon at Coors field watching the Rockies lose to the Dodgers, we headed up to Boulder. We made a stop at the University of Colorado. Stopping at local…

  • 4th of July in Gulf Shores
    Travel

    4th of July in Gulf Shores

    July 20, 2017 - By 

    This year the weekend before 4th of July we were in Baton Rouge for Rob’s cousin’s wedding reception. When we were planning it, we were trying to figure out how we could combine that trip with a short getaway for the 4th. We decided the most logical thing to do would be to stop in Gulf Shores for a few days. Rob and I aren’t really beach people so a couple days at the beach is plenty. We enjoyed just relaxing at the condo that was just a short walk to the beach. We stayed at Gulf Shores Plantation. We…

  • Visit to the New Braves Stadium SunTrust Park
    Travel

    Visit to the New Braves Stadium SunTrust Park

    July 15, 2017 - By 

    Father’s Day weekend, Rob decided that he wanted to go the new SunTrust Park for Father’s Day, so he ordered tickets online and we headed to Atlanta after church. Never having been there, we weren’t sure what to expect, so that’s why we went ahead and paid for a parking space online on our way up there. After we got off the interstate we were kind of wishing we wouldn’t have paid for parking since we found places where you can just pay cash and all of these places seemed closer than where I had paid to park online for…

  • Pine Hill Cemetery Auburn, AL
    Travel

    Pine Hill Cemetery

    July 9, 2017 - By 

    Oh how proud my Grandmother would be! My Grandmother (Wells) who raised me along with my Granddad was a genealogy junkie. She’s supposedly traced our family back to Adam and Eve. Researching our family was her main hobby and anytime we traveled she usually had to stop at a library or a cemetery to do some research. Several years ago, I decided to check out a local cemetery here in Auburn that is the resting place for many important Auburn folks. Among those include: George Petrie – Author of “Auburn Creed” as well as the father of Auburn Football who…

  • West Coast Road Trip Itinerary & Travel Booklet
    Travel

    West Coast Road Trip Itinerary & Travel Booklet

    June 24, 2017 - By 

    Road tripping on West Coast is some of the most beautiful countrysides to travel. So much to see and do. From the Redwoods of California to the Cascade of Oregon, there’s tons of landscaping eye candy. Here’s our 13 day itinerary where we started in San Fransisco, CA and ended in Portland, OR. Here’s a map of our trip with many of our stops and points of interest. Click on the stars or letters on map for details. Click on each picture below to go to the post to read all about that day. Click above picture to enlarge.  Editable Excel…

  • Memorial Day Weekend at Lake Martin 2017
    Travel

    Memorial Day Weekend at Lake Martin 2017

    June 21, 2017 - By 

    This Memorial Day weekend was fun. We always appreciate the invitation from our good friends to camp out at their lake house and enjoy the sun. This year felt a little different for a couple reasons. We cooked most meals up at the house because we didn’t have all the normal gear that we borrow from the Cubscout Pack. It was also different because Drew’s friend Joe wasn’t able to get back from school, which we expected. Boys on the tube Gabe skiing Fun on the kneeboard These girls are always fun to watch while their tubing Got some great…

  • Travel

    West Coast Trip:Day 12

    June 10, 2017 - By 

    As I mentioned before since our days were so long (in a good way) but since we covered so much ground and so many amazingly beautiful places my daily travel posts aren’t including as much detail and as many pictures as I’d like. I want to write individual posts on many of the spots on this trip in more detail with more pictures. One day when I’m caught up, I’ll go back and share more. Today’s post covers our last full day of our west coast trip. We slept later that day than any other day on trip, which was…

  • Day Exploring Mount St. Helens
    Travel

    West Coast Trip:Day Trip to Mount St. Helens

    June 3, 2017 - By 

    On July 4th we rose early to make our way to Windy Ridge Viewpoint at Mount St. Helens. I can’t tell you how hopeful I was that we’d be able to see this mysterious mountain that I’ve visited twice, but only seen for short spurts from a far and saw for literally 30 seconds last time we were at Johnston observatory. The other times we’ve been to Mount St. Helens we weren’t able to get to Windy Ridge because the road was always still closed. (Map) The day started off quite overcast in Portland as it usually always does, but…

  • Oregon Travels
    Travel

    West Coast Trip:Day 10 Oregon Coast

    May 26, 2017 - By 

    Day 10 was all about the Oregon Coast. We started off with a lumberjack breakfast at Camp 18 Restaurant. This place is a must see. Every time Rob and I drive up the coast we stop and get pictures outside, our friends who usually follow behind on their motorcycles love to take videos of the landscape we pass by, but they do have to be careful because one of them almost fell of their motorcycle trying to get the perfect scenery shot, that day would have ended up either in a hospital or talking all night with their motorcycle accident…

  • Garden of the Gods
    Travel

    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…

  • Travel

    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
    Travel

    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.…