Monthly Musings

Hello and happy Thursday…evening!

I got behind on my blogging this week and didn’t want to miss out on all the fun with Patty and Holly. Earlier today, I shared the books I read this month, and now I’m linking up with these ladies for Monthly Musings.

This month’s topic is….summer vacation guide.

1. Share your summer trips for 2025:

Well, we actually don’t have a big summer trip planned this year. I always thought we’d go somewhere every summer, and most summers we have…but this was one of those summers where time got away from us and the kids’ schedules plus a couple of family weddings have packed our summer calendars.

That being said, we went to KC for a few days and both kids go to camp in July. Also, Trav and I have plans to head to Michigan for a few days and explore a couple of Lake Michigan towns. I’m looking forward to it.

2. How do you manage the post-vacation laundry?

I fully embrace doing laundry wherever we are. We don’t stay in many hotels which means there’s typically laundry access when we stay at houses and condos. Most of the time, we mostly come home with clean clothes in our suitcases. Otherwise, once we unpack the car, if we do have dirty laundry, I toss it in the washer as soon as we get home. If we get home late, I set the washer for “delay wash” to get started the next morning.

3. Most memorable summer vacation?

I think we’ve gone on lots of great trips. Typically, we go to the beach in the summer and have made so many beach memories through the years.

That being said, last year’s vacation to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington, will be one we remember for quite some time. There was truly something for everyone, and we all loved it.

Mexico was also a great experience. It was easy to travel there, the resort was nice, it was all inclusive and checked all the boxes for us on a vacation.

4. Do you cook or eat out on vacation?

We typically eat out on vacation. Most of the time, we buy groceries to have food for breakfast, lunch and snacks, and then eat out for dinner. Depending on where we are or what we’re doing, we’ll keep it simple and order pizza to eat at the house or condo…especially if it means we get more beach time. When the kids were younger, we actually liked going to the beach early and then spending time at the pool or going out during the afternoon, grabbing an early dinner and then going back to the beach for a couple of hours and then sunset.

That seemed to work for us, but when traveling with others, it might not be their preference, I guess.

Of course, if we’re at the beach, we get seafood as much as possible. Trav and Hayden love oysters, and try to get those a couple of times at least.

5. Are you an over-packer, under-packers or just right packer?

Before I answer this question, I need you all to know that I’ve come a long way! haha

I used to pack the biggest suitcase possible and then bring a carry on bag. Then, I got a little better and started packing medium size (but still a bag that needs to be checked when flying) along with a carry-on bag. Now, I need it to be noted that I have traveled a couple of times with a small suitcase and carry-on bag.

I will say that I still firmly believe in packing cubes…for saving a bit of space, but even more so, for helping me stay organized.

Also, if we’re driving, I typically pack my medium suitcase along with a travel bag. There’s room in the trunk, so why not?!

When I leave the house with a suitcase, I’ve packed enough to be gone three days…but also ten days if needed. haha!

6. Beach, lake or mountains?

If we’re talking summer, our vacations are usually to the beach.

Through the years, we’ve also enjoyed other areas with mountains…

We all love the lake when we have the opportunity to go.

7. Road trip or fly?

We mostly road trip in the car. We have to be going pretty far for it to be worth it to fly.

8. Favorite vacation activities?

Again, it depends on what we’re doing. Honestly, I like to relax, so if we are at the beach, I want my toes in the sand and a book in my hand.

That being said, Hayden loves to golf. We all love to hike. Trav likes to try new breweries, so we definitely do more than just go to the beach.

9. Best packing tips?

I always make a list and check it twice. I print a packing list for the kids if we’re going somewhere for a quite a few days. More recently, like when we went to KC for a few days, I just sent them a text with a list of the basics that they needed to pack.

I use packing cubes, and Hadley uses one for her socks, swimsuits, underwear, etc…just to stay organized.

I also started to bring up a laundry basket and fill it with odds and ends as I think of them. For example, when we went to KC, I wanted to bring the Play Nine game, so I put it in the laundry basket. As the couple days before going went on, I added in things like my tumbler, a few snacks, etc…just a way to hold things in one place when I think of random odds and ends.

10. Favorite road trip songs?

Well, we most likely have the car radio on Sirius Channel 56…The Highway when we’re in the car. That being said, when I can get away with it, I like to listen to an audio book. The kids will also connect to Apple Car Play and use their music lists for what we listen to on our drives.

I love writing these posts centered around summer and travel…I’m glad I threw this post together this evening. 🙂

I hope you’re having a great summer so far!