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.…
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…
On Saturday, the 17th I flew to DFW, rented a car, and drove a little over an hour to my sister’s house in Weatherford, TX. My sister was due to have a baby the week of June 16th. However, Baby Lu came a month early, so I had to adjust my plans for a visit. Luckily nothing was set in stone with my trip so I was able to do it over a holiday (Juneteenth) weekend. I’ve taken solo trips to Texas before but this was the first time to rent a car on my own. I will say I…
Mountains, waterfalls, and serene views were calling our names for 4th of July this year. You may recall that we had an annual 4th of July mountain trip tradition going for a while (2010 2011 2012 2013), but we have done other things the last few years. Saturday We got up early Saturday morning, hit D Square donuts on our way out of town for a little sugar, and then got on the road. Our first planned stop was Tallulah Gorge, but we saw signs for great views at the Tallulah Point Overlook, which is basically a tourist trap. They…
Dec. 26th The day after Christmas we got up, went and got our rental car, and headed to Baton Rouge. We stopped at The Boiling Pot in Mobile, AL. Really great shrimp po-boys, pricy, but overflowing with shrimp so it was worth it. Next stop was Rob’s cousin, Candi’s house in Baton Rouge. We stayed with his other cousin Sara and her husband Phillip. They have 2 of the coolest pets. Dec. 27th Wednesday we hung out back at Candi’s house some more. We ended our visit there with a visit to our good old standby, Brew-bachers. From there we…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Recently we went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, since they are calling it quits. We drove up to Duluth, GA. If you’re planning to attend in these last few weeks, I highly recommend you get there for the Preshow that starts an hour before the circus starts. You get to go down on the floor watch and interact with the performers. Here’s several shots I got from the floor. We took a quick restroom break before the show started and then went to find our seats. This guy was hanging out near the restroom. Spectacular beginning…
We left Friday around noon and headed to Orange Beach for some fun and soccer. We didn’t get far before we had to stop because the truck was over-heating. Luckily we were close enough to Montgomery that we could turn around and find a place to go. We ended up at a car repair place in downtown thanks to AAA, which is a whole entry unto itself! We were able to walk to Daisy’s Diner. Great little place and lots of food for the money. Our stop in Montgomery set us back about 3 hours, but ended up in Orange…