• 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…

  • Travel

    Pacific Northwest Trip: Seattle Sightseeing

    August 31, 2019 - By 

    If you missed my first 3 posts from our Pacific Northwest trip, here’s the links to those: – Pacific NW Trip: Quinault Rainforest to Olympic National Park – Pacific NW Trip: Seattle Mariners Game and the Waterfront – Pacific Northwest Trip: Sightseeing in Seattle We took the hotel shuttle to the Seattle Center, where we stopped the day before, but Alex wanted to play on the playground some more. As I mentioned in my last post, the Seattle Center is a really interesting place. The playground is like nothing I’ve seen before. On one side is the colorful and oddly…

  • NYC Day 3
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    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…

  • Spring Training 2019
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    Spring Training 2019

    March 24, 2019 - By 

    For the last several years we have used our Spring Break to travel down to Florida to watch baseball during the Spring Training Season. Each year we try to see different ballparks as well as visit Rob’s Grandparents. The first Saturday of Spring Break, we got up at 3:30am and hit the road on our way to Lakeland, FL. We had a 1:00 game to get to at Joker Marchant Stadium, home of the Detroit Tigers. Detroit Tigers Joker Marchant Stadium Braves vs. Tigers (Lakeland) Home of the Tigers since 1966 Game Time: 1:05pm Opened: 1966 Renovated: 2017 Capacity: 9,000…

  • Travel

    Sight-seeing in D.C. Day 2

    February 15, 2019 - By 

    Here is the last post for our time in Washington, DC. Metro ride to start off the morning. Riding the elevator inside the Metro station Walking from the Metro to the Air and Space Museum Long line at the Museum that Sunday morning, but it went fast. I really enjoyed going to this museum mainly because my Grandparents took me here when we did our DC trip. However, the boys weren’t huge fans of the place and if I would have thought of it sooner we would have left and gone to the National Museum of American History instead. Live…

  • Site-Seeing Washington, DC
    Travel

    Sight-seeing in D.C. Day 1

    February 2, 2019 - By 

    Continuing my posts from our D.C. trip. If you missed the last post about this trip you can click: SAAM & National Portrait Gallery DC After a good breakfast at the hotel, we took the Metro to Arlington Cemetery. This place gets me every time. Just the sheer number of white marble headstones is breathtaking. If you decide to visit Arlington Cemetery, be prepared to go through security similar to airport security to enter. We were there early so the line wasn’t long. We followed the signs first to the Kennedy Memorial. The Kennedy Memorial and burial site for John…

  • Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery - D.C.
    Travel

    SAAM & National Portrait Gallery – D.C.

    October 18, 2018 - By 

    My last day of being on my own before Rob was done with his conference and the kids flew into join us, I had decided I wanted to check out the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) & National Portrait Gallery (NPG). I took the Metro in and after a short walk from the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Station Metro stop, I was there. This museum is massive. Somehow I didn’t get a map when I went in, but I managed to see everything I wanted to see and more. Half of the building the SAAM and the other half is the…

  • Afternoon in Washington, DC
    Travel

    Afternoon in Washington, DC

    October 2, 2018 - By 

    Here’s another post from our trip to DC. After having lunch with Rob and some folks from the conference back at the Gaylord, I made my way over to the metro station. I decided on using the Anacostia, because it was going to be cheaper and faster than the one closest to National Harbor. However, what I wasn’t aware of was that parking is not where the actual station is that shows up on the map. So after nervously figuring out that situation with some help from the Metro employees, I made my way on to the correct train and…

  • Morning in Old Town Alexandria, VA
    Travel

    Morning in Old Town Alexandria, VA

    September 27, 2018 - By 

    Today I’m continuing my posts from our DC Trip. Rob’s first full day at the conference, I decided to do something that wasn’t on my list of must does so that I could get back to the hotel for lunch (since it was included in the guest fee that we paid.) I drove over to Old Town Alexandria, VA. I didn’t have anything specific I wanted to see or do, but you know I just enjoy driving to a place, walking around, taking pictures, and exploring. I’ve always heard that Old Town Alexandria is such a lovely place so I…

  • Travel

    Fun Day in National Harbor, MD

    August 28, 2018 - By 

    It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about our Boston to Washington Trip. Here’s the last post in case you missed it: Philly to Maryland So Day 4, we woke up in our hotel that we stayed in for the next several days, the National Harbor Gaylord Hotel, which is where Rob’s work conference was being held. He had a meeting that morning and since I didn’t think I’d have enough time to go out and come back and meet him for lunch. I made the decision to just walk around the Gaylord and relax. Inside the atrium area of the…

  • Vacationing in the Mountains of North Carolina
    Travel

    Vacationing in the North Carolina Mountains

    August 10, 2018 - By 

    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…

  • Alabama Bucket List
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    Alabama Bucket List

    July 20, 2018 - By 

    Many travel lovers are always looking where to go next. So often we don’t stop and think about traveling our own state. Each state is unique and has good stuff to offer. I know my state of Alabama is rich in history and technology; from the Edmund Pettus Bridge to the US Space and Rocket Center. It also not lacking in beautiful landscapes from falls to state parks. I’ve gathered up a list of 50+ things (hopefully I didn’t duplicate any of them.) What are your must do’s in Alabama? Did I leave anything off? Nocculula Falls Fort Gaines Monte…

  • Heading to Maryland
    Travel

    Philly to National Harbor – Headed to Maryland

    June 26, 2018 - By 

    After spending the morning in Philly, we headed towards Baltimore, MD, but we had a couple planned stops along the way. One of our goals during our commute from Boston to D.C. was to drive through as many states as we could and see as many capitols as we could. Here’s the route we took. As you can see in the map above, we went a little bit out of the way to hit the Delaware capital, Dover. This is William V. Roth, Jr. Bridge in Delaware going over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal that we passed along the way.…

  • 24 hours in Philly
    Travel

    24 hours in Philly

    June 12, 2018 - By 

    Today’s post covers my trip from Montville, NJ to Philadelphia, PA; our 2nd day of exploring from Boston down to DC. If you missed my first post from this trip, you can read about our day in Boston here: Day in Boston. First thing was first. We got up and drove from our hotel in Mahwah, NJ to Montville, NJ which wasn’t too far. The significance of stopping in Montville was to go see where Rob’s grandparents lived back when he was a toddler. This is their house now: Then we thought it would be good to have breakfast at…

  • Day In Boston
    Travel

    Day in Boston

    May 17, 2018 - By 

    Back in April, Rob had a conference in DC. Well we always like to extend it out so he can have a little vacation before he’s at work at the conference. Well, we got a crazy idea to start our trip in Boston. Being that Rob is a huge baseball fan, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the Red Sox. It worked out for us to fly into Boston and spend a little less than 24 hours there before venturing towards the DC area. We flew into Boston Logan International Airport late Friday night, got to our hotel…

  • Atlanta Trip Report - Read about a short stay in Downtown Atlanta.
    Travel

    Atlanta | Trip Report

    November 15, 2017 - By 

    A couple weeks ago, Rob went to Atlanta for a conference and I decided to come along and do fun stuff while he works. You may remember he’s been to this conference in Atlanta a few years ago, but it was in Midtown. However, this year they did the conference in downtown Atlanta. We stayed at the swanky Marriott Marquis Atlanta. I always remember this hotel for the really cool view as you look up or down from the 42nd floor. Apparently, a couple scenes from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 were…

  • Pros & Cons to Driving p Pikes Peak
    Travel

    Pros & Cons of Driving Up Pikes Peak

    November 9, 2017 - By 

    When Rob and I were in Colorado Springs, we had plans to ride the Cog Railway up to Pikes Peak. We were well aware of the risk of accidents that we even discussed do I need to speak to insurance after getting rear-ended. Drivers who will get injured in a road accident may seek the services of a car accident injury lawyer or an auto accident attorney to ensure that their rights and interests are protected. What you should know is that when it comes to seeking legal counsel, a car accident law firm will be better equipped to assist…

  • Rock City - Lookout Mountain, GA
    Travel

    Rock City – Lookout Mountain, GA

    September 24, 2017 - By 

    Rock City is a tourist spot on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, which is about 6 miles south of Chattanooga, TN or about 120 miles northwest of Atlanta, GA. If you’ve driven anywhere in the Southeast or Midwest U.S. you’ve probably seen advertisements for it painted on roofs or sides of old barns that say “See Rock City.” These were painted from the 1930’s to the 1960’s by Clark Byers who was hired by the owner of Rock City. Rock City has several sections to walk through and enjoy. I recommend covering the entire park and I’d recommend at…

  • 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

    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…