• Travel

    Weekend trip to Mobile

    September 26, 2019 - By 

    Back in August, we took a quick little getaway to Mobile for the weekend. Alex had gotten the first few days of school out of the way and Drew and Caitlyn were about to start school. So one last little hurrah before the major grind for the fall. We left right after work on Friday, drove 3 hours, got checked in, and found a place to eat for dinner. We ended up walking to Von’s Bistro, which was within walking distance of our hotel. We stayed at the historic Battle House. I got the Southern Hog Tacos, which were pretty…

  • NYC Day 3
    Travel

    New York City Day 3

    May 28, 2019 - By 

    If you missed my first 2 posts about our trip to New York at Christmas click —> New York City Day 1 New York City Day 2 Saturday, December 22nd Saturday after finishing off the eggs and bacon we headed out towards Central Park. The night before we had walked a little bit of it in the dark, so I was happy to get to explore it in the day light. This street performer was unique and attracted quite a few onlookers. Although, I’m not sure he made much money. The bubbles he made with the rope were huge. I…

  • 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…

  • Life

    West Coast Trip:Day 13

    June 17, 2017 - By 

    Day 13 of our West Coast trip was the day we were headed home. Our flight didn’t leave till later in the afternoon, which gave us time to do something. When Rob lived out in Portland, his favorite place to shop was Fred Meyer. Fred Meyer is similar to a Walmart, but way better. It is truly a one stop shop. From furniture to groceries to name brand clothing it has it all. After having breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we headed over to Fred Meyer so the kids could see what an awesome store it was and…

  • 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…

  • 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.…

  • 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…

  • Travel

    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…

  • Travel

    Texas Visit

    January 15, 2016 - By 

    After our eventful Christmas Eve and our fairly relaxing Christmas Day, it was full steam ahead headed west! First stop was to see Rob’s sister and family in Longview, TX. We got there late on Saturday, spent all day Sunday, and left after grabbing breakfast on Monday. Sunday the kids played outside for a good while and we had lunch at Jucy’s Burgers. Really great burgers and I love that they have all you can eat beans. Monday Maria and I went to Butcher Shop Bakery for some quiche and cinnamon rolls. Really yummy. While we were gone Rob and…

  • Travel

    Florida Tour 2014 Overview

    November 26, 2015 - By 

    For those that want a complete overview of our Florida Tour that we took at the end of last year, here is a complete summary of the trip with links to more detailed posts about each place. Itinerary/Budget for trip: Click pic for larger version Quick Stop at University of Florida Weeki Wachee Springs Myakka River State Park Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza Fort Myers River District Sanibel Island Naples, Florida Everglades City Everglades City Everglades National Park Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge Morning in Key West Morning at Sea off Marathon Key Spreading My Dad’s Ashes Burdines Waterfront Restaurant Bahia…

  • Travel

    Visit to Kennedy Space Center

    November 25, 2015 - By 

    We got up early, had a nice big breakfast at the hotel in Cocoa Beach, and drove over to Kennedy Space Center. Driving there we saw several gators and even a wild boar, which you see below. Such an impressive view. We got their before the gates opened, but were able to ask a few questions, take some picture, and just hung out until opening. Rocket Garden is one of the first things you see when you enter. This is the spot where old rockets seem to scrape the sky at 80-100 feet in the air. You will see Juno…

  • Travel

    Afternoon in Cocoa Beach

    November 20, 2015 - By 

    After leaving Fort Lauderdale, we continued north towards Cocoa Beach. We checked into the hotel and ventured across the street to the beach. I was feeling quite nostalgic knowing Dad used to live right near there on a condo in the beach. It was quite breezy and a bit cold, but that didn’t stop the kids from getting in the water. Rob and I walked along the beach enjoyed watching cruise ships pass by in the distance. There was also several flocks of birds to keep us occupied. Carnival ship in the distance Disney ship in the distance Lots and…

  • Travel

    4th of July Trip 2015

    October 10, 2015 - By 

    4th of July Trip in 2015 was full of hiking and site-seeing LaFayette, GA, Chattanooga, TN, and surrounding areas. Day 1 – a Stop in Rome, GA Day 2 – DeSoto State Park Hike – Fort Payne, AL Hike at Cloudland Canyon – Rising Fawn, GA Day 3 – Tennessee Aquarium – Chattanooga Point Park – Lookout Mountain, TN We stopped at the Incline Railway to watch it come up. They do get some lovely views from the windows on the top. Rock City – Lookout Mountain, GA Day 4 – 4th of July – Chickamauga & Chattanooga It is…

  • Travel

    5 Reasons to Travel Alabama Beaches #StayALBeaches

    October 7, 2015 - By 

    Remember last week, I was giving away an awesome beach Swag Bag from #StayALbeaches. Yesterday I posted a SnapChat video with the winner. Follow me on SnapChat @cameraNcookbook to see the winner. The winner was Maria B! Having traveled to many different coasts, I always enjoy the shining seas of our gorgeous country. However, there is no more gorgeous beaches than those right here in my very own home state of Alabama. There are many reasons why you should travel to the Alabama coast besides the fact they are beautiful… 1. Less crowded Both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are…

  • Travel

    4th of July in Chickamauga & Chattanooga

    September 30, 2015 - By 

    On the 4th of July, we drove through the area of the Chickamauga Battlefield. We first stopped at the visitor center where we were sent to a link on our iPhones that we could Bluetooth to our car to listen to a guided tour (Audio Tour). With the controversy that’s been going around as of late with the Confederate Flag, we saw many folks riding through the area showing their support of it. Wilder Brigade AKA Chimauga Tower (more info) provided beautiful views of the surrounding areas. After leaving the main battle field area, we stopped at Lee & Gordons…

  • Travel

    James D. Martin Wildlife Park

    September 17, 2015 - By 

    A few weeks ago Rob and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. Alex had a soccer game in Gadsden, AL, so we decided to make a day of it and head on up there. When I was googling free things to do in or around Gadsden I found James D. Martin Wildlife Park, which said it was a walking trail behind Gadsden Mall that is open to the public. I googled the mall address [Gadsden Mall 1001 Rainbow Drive Gadsden, AL 35901] and typed it into the GPS. When you turn into the mall, just follow around the edge of…

  • Travel

    Tennessee Aquarium {Chattanooga, TN}

    September 6, 2015 - By 

    During our 4th of July trip to Chattanooga one of the days we went to Tennessee Aquarium. When Rob and I first got together and even after we had Drew, we enjoyed spontaneous weekend road trips. Chattanooga was one the cities we would go to on those quick little jaunts. Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium was my favorite aquarium (until the Georgia Aquarium opened.) Needless to say I was super excited to get back there. Something we didn’t take into consideration was that we were there around a major holiday…Oops! It was super crowded, which made it really difficult to enjoy ourselves…

  • Travel

    Hike at Cloudland Canyon

    August 29, 2015 - By 

    Over our 4th of July trip, we decided to go to Cloudland Canyon State Park, which is located in the northwest corner of Georgia about 25 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. This Georgia state park covers 3,485 acres on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. Rugged landscaping and views of Sitton Gulch Creek, which splits the mountain. There is a paved, wheelchair accessible for about a quarter of a mile that overlooks the edge of the canyon. There are 4 more hiking trails that are range from moderate to strenuous. The Waterfalls Trail starts off paved and then moves into the…