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Kids Thoughts Travel

Celebrating Age Milestones

Posted on March 14, 2023

My husband had a brilliant idea when our kids were little. He suggested taking each kid on a special trip when they turned 13 and then at 18. I’m all about celebrating birthdays (especially when it’s my own) and was totally on board to celebrate these milestones in such a special way. Being the savvy jet setters that we are, our kids started dreaming big when we told them of this grand idea. We quickly realized that we had to set a few boundaries for these trips.

For the 13th, we had to stay in country. We were living in South Africa at the time so Joshua and Jeremy hiked the southernmost tip of Africa to celebrate Joshua’s. For Emma Grace’s she opted for a trip to Durban to enjoy the beach, hotel life, and a little pampering. 

For their 18th, we told them they could pick anywhere. At 13, Emma Grace chose Greece and never deviated from that decision. For five years, we planned and saved air miles until last Summer, just a couple of months before her eighteenth birthday when we boarded a plane to one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

I will share our adventures in future posts, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from going on these trips, it’s this. The experience together is worth all the money you will spend to make this happen. It’s incredibly bonding and something your kids will remember forever. I have never once regretted spending money on a shared experience with someone. 

Celebrate life. Celebrate milestones. Celebrate people. You’ll be oh so glad you did.

Travel

Father’s Day In New York City

Posted on September 8, 2022

Before I dove into the Connecticut remodel, we spent a day in NYC. I absolutely love the city, and this day was no exception. It was Father’s Day, and the weather was amazing. We’ve been to the city on many occasion, so we tried to do a few new things we’d never done before. It was so fun!

Since my flight landed around lunch time, we decided to fuel up with a pie at John’s of Bleecker Street. OMG. So good.

Since we were already in Greenwich Village (one of my favorite parts of the city, by the way), we decided to walk to the Friends apartment. It’s not the actual apartment they shot scenes in. It’s just the apartment they show in the opening credits when they show an aerial view.

From there we walked to Chelsea Market and then strolled along The High Line admiring the city from above the hustle and bustle.

Since we were so close to NYC’s newest park, Little Island, that looks like it’s floating on the Hudson, we had to go check it out. It was windy, but the view was excellent.

It was time for another fuel up after all that walking, so we stopped in for a cappuccino and cannoli at Cafe Reggio. Apparently they are the first cafe in the US to serve the cappuccino.

We ended our beautiful NYC day by finding a bench in Washington Square Park. The park was alive with activity, so the people watching was on point.

Ah, I love the city. I would love to have an apartment in Manhattan. A girl can dream, right?

Travel

Postcards from New Mexico

Posted on July 1, 2020

We’ve been back from New Mexico for a few weeks. Oh, it felt so good to go somewhere, even if we couldn’t go many places while we were there. I realized just how much good a change of scenery is for the soul. Here’s some postcards from our trip. I do wish all of you the joys of a change of scenery this Summer!

Family Fun Travel

10 Things

Posted on May 29, 2020

Every Friday, I will be posting 10 things I’m grateful for. Join along with me by posting your blog link in the comments of your own 10 things or simply comment with what you’re thankful for.

1. Grace. As you can see, I haven’t posted much this week. I’m a goal setter and sometimes, if I can’t reach the goal, I’ve had to learn when it’s right to push myself and when it’s right to give myself grace. I chose grace this week.

2. The mountains of New Mexico. We’re currently enjoying some time in nature, just the 4 of us. Well, 5…Posey came along for the adventure.

3. Emma Grace’s driving adventures on the quad. Glad she’s getting some practice on this before she’s unleashed to drive in a car!

4. Mountain food. Our menu isn’t that much different from home, but there’s something so cozy about simple grilling and easy meals that I love.

5. That being said, we can’t come up here without some Mad Jack’s BBQ. Jeremy and I went and stood in the social distanced line this morning donning our masks for some brisket and ribs takeout. SO GOOD!

6. Early morning hikes with the hubs. There’s something so refreshing about being in nature.

7. Game playing. I’m glad Emma Grace loves it, too.

8. Watching an elk right outside the back door. It was cool, but we had to take down the birdseed before he ate it all. Reminded me of those darn monkeys in Africa. They look kind of cute, but they wreak havoc!

9. Caliche’s frozen custard. So creamy and smooth.

10. Pinto horses in the nearby pasture. Love watching them graze during the day.

What are you thankful for?

Africa Family Thoughts Travel

Human Life Is Valuable

Posted on March 23, 2020

It’s been a little over two years since I posted anything in this space. So much has happened in those two years from saying goodbye to our home of twelve years to moving continents to where we are now – fighting against the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.

My daughter and I just returned from South Africa a week ago. I was in transit during that dreadful 9/11 day in 2001. I was supposed to fly when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, but our flight was canceled, and we ended up stuck in London for a week. I’ve flown during some crazy times, but flying during the COVID-19 pandemic was a little unnerving. Our flight from London to Dallas was packed, because lots of people were re-routed through there since Dallas was one of a handful of airports doing health screenings. We received a health questionnaire on the plane. I totally expected thorough checks and vetting. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case. Immigration was a breeze. No one even asked for our questionnaires let alone suggested we self-quarantine. It made this virus seem like no big deal although I knew this wasn’t the case.

We decided to self-quarantine anyway. I believe I’m healthy enough to fight this thing off, but if I’m a carrier, well, human life is way too valuable for me to be careless going around spreading this to others, especially the elderly and those with weakened immune systems. I think I can hunker down at home with my favorite people in the world in an attempt to flatten the curve. I just wish everyone would do the same. If we’re going to stop this dead in its tracks, we’ve got to let go of our freedom for a moment and just stay home.

There’s a lot of fear and a lot of unknown out there. I’ve decided as a daily practice to try and spread a little joy through this blog of mine. Who knows what I’ll post, but I do hope it will bring a smile in the midst of everything going on right now.

Love you all. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Be smart.