These Fridays in July really are hitting differently! I’m starting to feel the time crunch of getting some things accomplished at home as well as starting to think about school. I’m always grateful for this time off, but I also always struggle with the reality of our summer coming to a close.
Anyway, as always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Well, it’s the part of summer where I follow through with promises I said we could do this summer…and that included Hadley getting her second ear piercing. There’s a new place in Lexingon, Hey Rowan, that I believe is a chain, but registered nurses do their ear piercings. Just like when Hadley was eight years old, she opted to have both ears done at the same time. haha!
The place was super cute, and we were in and out within 30 minutes.
I haven’t purchased as many flowers this summer, but once I got back from KC last week, I made a trip to Trader Joe’s and picked up some tulips. They matched my “vanilla cloud” candle.
Last Saturday, Hadley and friends played in a sand volleyball tournament. This was her first time playing in a sand volleyball tournament. It was a doubles tournament, and Hadley and her friend went 3-2 on the day and had lots of fun.
The tournament had free t-shirts, and these girls chose the brightest colors.
Saturday night, we met friends for dinner at a new Sri Lankan place, and the food was really good.
After three days of volleyball boot camp and one evening of tryouts, this girl found out she made the high school volleyball team!
She was so nervous, but we’re proud of her and all the hard work she has put in during this past year. She’s pretty much been playing volleyball non-stop for the past year, so while I knew she was prepared for the tryout, I understood the nerves.
We can’t wait to watch her (and so many of her friends!) on the court for their first high school season.
(She was channeling her inner champion for tryouts while wearing her “lucky” Chiefs Super Bowl t-shirt, and we celebrated with the “red plate” and her favorite –salmon for dinner.)
Time at our favorite book store was a favorite this week.
Hayden’s been at running camp most of the week, and I think he’s been having a good time. I’m ready for him to be home, though!
(BTW – as we walked into the sparse college dorm room, he said, “oh…this is so preppy!” haha…oh the difference in boys and girls)
I tried two new recipes this week. A friend mentioned that she’d made ribs in the slow cooker, and my family loves ribs…but I never make them.
I also made this teriyaki chicken, and served it with snap peas and rice. Hadley said it was 10/11…so I will take that compliment!
Favorite Mom Meme:
I feel this deeply…but the other day I had a car full of girls who wanted frozen yogurt…and while I was ready to go home, I couldn’t say no to fro-yo, and enjoyed hearing all the gossip and laughs from the back of the car.
Weekly Recap:
I’ve still been a busy blogger this week. Here are my posts:
Well, I’ve enjoyed my little “Throwback Thursday” series this summer but…these posts have also made me feel a bit nostalgic…and even a little sad thinking about all the sweet memories from when my kids were little!
Earlier this week, we had to be out of the house for a couple of hours. The kids had a workout and afterwards, we went to Taco Bell for lunch, and then Hayden requested that we go to Joseph Beth Bookstore. Now, he’s always been more of a reader than Hadley has, but even this visit, he was on the lookout for the Kentucky Football magazine…not a book.
That’s ok…I was still grateful for time in one of my favorite places, and Hadley even picked up a book too.
When I went to round up the kids to leave, I spotted my boy…and it made me smile.
This is Hayden at the same book store in 2011:
Then, I got to thinking about how summer reading was such a big part of their childhood. We spent so much time at the library, especially when they were little. We’d go to “story time” a couple days as week, and then I’d let them play for a bit and check out books. They always thought it was fun to return the books in the return slot…and as they got older, they thought it was so cool to use the scanner to check the books out.
Every year, we’d go and pick up the “Summer Reading Program” paper to keep track of the books we’d read. Eventually, they’d read on their own….what a rite of passage. Then, at the end of the summer, they’d turn their sheets in and pick out their free books and other prizes.
I remember doing this as a kid with my mom, and even though my kids don’t read as much as they used to, I hope they remember all of our time going to the library.
During the elementary years, the kids had an amazing librarian at their school, and they’d check so many books out at the school library too. Of course, they lived for the book fair every year.
I know it’s natural, as they get older, to maybe not read for fun as much given their schoolwork, their schedule, technology (ugh!), and just having other interests. As much as I’ve always loved reading, there were stretches of time that all I read was for school. It’s been about seven years now that I’ve gotten back into reading really regularly. I hope they continue to find opportunities to read. Both of my parents are big readers, and I try to model that for my kids too.
Anyway, here’s a look at library time/summer reading through the years:
2012:
I’d say the summer of 2012 is when we started going to the library regularly. The kids would have been 2 1/2, so that’s a great age to take them.
We’d visited my mom in KC, and she was doing story time at the public library she worked at after she retired. (She was a 7th grade Language Arts teacher for over 30 years…and then worked (and retired from!) at the public library a couple days a week for maybe ten years?
The kids were on their best behavior. haha
Here the kids are at our library…
I loved that they could go and explore, play games, and check out books once or twice a week.
At the end of the summer, they earned their summer reading t-shirts.
2013:
Lots of time spent at story time, and Hayden finding any books he could about trucks.
Arts and crafts at the library… always is a good time!
2014:
Y’all, I distinctly remember the first time the kids sat down at these computers, and had no clue how to use a mouse! They’d never been on a computer before, obviously. It was so awkward until they figured it out.
Hadley loved the little reading nook, and I’d often find her there.
Hayden started wanting to read The Magic Treehouse series, and most nights we’d read them to him at bedtime. Hadley always loved books about animals, including the Critter Sitter Club books. I don’t think she’s actually reading in this pic. haha
2015:
Kindergarten time, so of course they loved Pete the Cat.
Hadley was starting to outgrow the library reading nook, but I would still often find her there.
2016:
This summer, they were more “independent” in the library whenever we would visit.
…Hadley found a buddy to read books to…
2017:
I took this pic at the end of the summer. We’d gone to pick up school supplies and get back to school hair cuts. We also stopped by the library for them to pick out their books that they earned from their summer reading.
Of course, Hadley loved Pinkalicious, and Hayden was very into the “Where is” and “Who is” books. He was (and still can be) very inquisitive.
2018:
Awe…they were getting so big…but we still went to the library often.
2019:
Throughout the elementary years, they always enjoyed reading at bedtime. Hayden was reading a story from an old textbook the teacher had sent home.
Of course, even in 5th grade, they read a lot as well…but that was the year they were mostly learning from home.
It’s no secret that one of my favorite hobbies is reading.
I hope my kids keep books as a part of their lives whenever they get the chance!
This was a fun stroll down memory lane, but I can’t believe how quickly these summers are flying by.
Wow…I really wish this week would slow down a bit. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday.
It’s been a while since I’ve shared an Enneagram post, but I saw these graphics by @mirabellecreations, earlier in the summer and thought they’d be fun to share since summer seems to be a heavy season of travel for many people.
Also, after sharing the posts about our vacation, it was fun to look at these again as an Enneagram 5w6 and reflect on how I travel.
Type 5 Travel:
Wants to learn as much as possible about their destination: This is definitely true for me. I don’t know if it’s the teacher in me or what, but of course, I want to learn a bit about where we are going. I loved our trip to Washington, DC and it was fun prioritizing what we could see while we were there. Also, if I go somewhere I’ve previously been, I like to try new things as well. I like the familiarity of places, but it’s also neat to try to restaurants or see other attractions.
Curious and perceptive, enjoys exploring new places: I do like to go somewhere new when we can. We’ve been pretty intentional about taking our kids to a variety of places, but it is nice to repeat locations as well. Like I’ve shared in other travel posts, we kind of have a “rhythm” to our travel in that we repeat locations like Siesta Key and the Destin area of Florida, and we usually go to more nearby locations for spring break. That being said, the kids have seen the Grand Canyon, been to Mexico and California, hiked in North Carolina, been on a tour of downtown Charleston, SC, gone to Smithsonian museums in DC and more. Of course, our recent vacation showcased new areas for all of us. And…to add on to “exploring new places,” it was nice that we were in the car so much for our PNW trip as we were able to pull over on our road trips to some of the scenic viewpoints or stop in little towns we might not have seen otherwise.
This pic is a prime example of pulling over on the side of the road to check out the stunning views of the Oregon coast.
Enjoys having their own space and alone time on group or family trips: Well, you know no matter where I am I will carve out some quiet alone time in the morning. On our recent vacation, depending on where we were, that looked different, but I sat in a hotel lobby, in a chair with a lake view, on the sand looking at the ocean and other places too. It’s nice to take in whatever it is we are experiencing but also keep the routine of my quiet time before the day gets away from me.
Type 6 Travel:
The absolute best at planning vacations: Well, I am a “type A” planner, so you would think that I love planning vacations, but I don’t. I’ve always said that I feel like I plan most of our days, meals, activities, schedules, etc. in the “real life” days, so I want a break from that on vacation. I feel the same way about going to the grocery store and cooking on vacay too! Thankfully, Travis has always done a great job making plans. That being said, I’m sure there are times he’d appreciate more input from me, but he also knows I’m better with choices…so he will ask if I’d rather do “x” or “y,” and I can usually give a response. haha On the PNW vacation, was nice to have the “bones” of the trip laid out with what towns we were staying in, but it was fun to kind of plan each day accordingly depending on our energy level, time frame, and weather. I planned our Seattle day, so at least I was a little bit of help 🙂
May sometimes feel anxious about new places and travel unknowns: I don’t know if this one exactly applies to me either…Oh…I definitely feel anxious…but it’s not really about travel unknowns. I will say that sometimes after I make a decision, I second guess myself…which then can bring anxiety about the unknowns. For example, when we went to Mexico two years ago, we narrowed down to two resorts, and I made the final call…and then wondered if it was the correct one. In the end, it was the best choice! Also, I can feel anxious leading up to leaving…there’s just always so much to do from laundry to errands to packing to picking up the house to cleaning out the fridge to making sure Homer is taken care of and more. Once we’re in the car or on the plane, I feel better.
At home in new places where they feel safe and secure: This is definitely true. On our PNW trip, once we were settled in each place, I almost didn’t want to leave. Of course, most vacations we don’t move around as much, but it was nice to feel “at home” in the various places from Air BNB to hotels to a lodge to a beach house.
The “5” criteria seems to hit home a bit more for me than the “6” criteria, but I guess that makes sense.
What are your travel plans this summer? Can you relate to any of these ideas?
Today is the last Amazon Prime Day. Have you made any good purchases? I don’t usually have any major purchases on Prime Days, but I do try to snag a few items that I typically use or smaller items I’ve had my eye on.
Yesterday, I purchased:
This desk calendar for school. I always buy one a few weeks before school starts, so I can go ahead and write down the kids’ activities and school related things like meetings.
Hadley really wanted these PJs, and I almost bought them on Monday night, but Amazon said they’d be on sale, so I waited, and did get a few bucks off (-25%) by waiting for Prime Day.
I desperately need a new makeup bag, and I’ve had this one saved for quite a while. I went ahead and purchased it yesterday. It comes in a lot of colors.
I’ve been loving this retinol eye stick, and while $24 isn’t bad the first time I bought it, I really appreciate the $14 Prime Day deal.
This “snackle box” is all the rage right now, and it’s currently sitting in my cart. I think I might go ahead and buy it today. I’ve had my eye on it all summer.
Anyway, I will probably share a few more things today on Instagram. I know this time of the year, I feel like all I see are “deals” and I do try to find the balance of what I actually need vs. what I think I want. haha
Have a great summer day!
{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog.}
…for the fifth and final post about our vacation to the Pacific Northwest.
Let’s wrap up this trip, shall we?
After driving from Lake Quinault Lodge, we arrived in Seattle around 12:30. We booked our hotel on the drive to Seattle. Can you tell we were over planning trip details at this point? haha
Really, we knew it would be easy to get a hotel, so we just pushed that final decision to the end. The bad news is that $400/night is about the cheapest you can find in downtown Seattle. We did end up at Hyatt Place for a bit less than that, and we were very pleased with the hotel and the location.
We figured we were too early to check in, but Travis went to the front desk, and they gave us access to park in their garage. Then, we got our bearings, but literally, when we looked up from the hotel, we could see the Space Needle, so that was an easy attraction to locate.
Travis had told me I was in charge of this part of the trip, and that was easy enough…I wanted to go to Pike Place Market and figured the Space Needle was a tourist spot we should see (and we’d get a great view of Seattle).
Also, I read Andrea’s blog daily, and she’s been recapping their time in Washington. They started their trip in Seattle and highlighted a few things like Pike Place Market.
We were about a mile from Pike Place, so we started our walk there.
It was a beautiful day in the low 80’s, and the walk was about 20 minutes.
We’d arrived…and I was so excited!
We were hungry!…but we spent about 20 minutes getting the lay of the land.
Trader Joe’s needs to take note on the beautiful peonies.
It was so fun to see the market with fresh flowers and fresh produce. If we were staying longer, we would have purchased flowers and fruit.
We did end up at the fish market where they famously throw the fish to each other. That was a popular spot, but we enjoyed standing there for a few minutes.
After that, we split up, and Travis and Hayden went to find something to eat as did Hadley and I. It was around 1:30, and before we parted ways, I booked the Space Needle tickets for 3:30. We’d said we’d meet back up around 2:30 after we got our food.
I’d missed it on the first pass by, but I spotted the original Starbucks. The line was out the door. It sounds silly, but if we were there one more day, I would have come back and stood in the line for coffee and maybe a coffee cup souvenir.
Hadley spotted a French bistro…and she loves a macaroon, so we stopped in there to pick up a few for dessert.
I’d spotted Beecher‘s Handmade Cheese, and I’d remembered that Andrea shared about it too. Mac and cheese is one of my favorite foods ever, and I was hungry. Hadley wanted the tomato soup, and then we also split a grilled cheese sandwich. They had a counter where you could stand to eat, but we also were able to watch the workers making the cheese. It was really cool to see.
We walked around a bit more, and I’d texted Travis to see where they were. He said they were at a pizza place by the gum wall…and I’d remembered Andrea sharing about that too. Anyway, we made our way to the restaurant and sat with them while they finished their pizza.
The gum wall is equal parts mesmerizing and gross…
…but of course we had to get a pic!
Then, we made our way out of the market, but the kids obliged me in taking one more pic for the memories. I truly could have hung out there quite a bit longer, but we needed to make our way to the Space Needle.
We arrived at the Space Needle, and I pulled up the tickets on my phone. Well, I apparently purchased tickets for an observation deck somewhere else? I’m guessing it was an observation deck with view of the Space Needle?? I’m not sure, and do you see why I shouldn’t be in charge of the itinerary?! haha
The look on my face must have shown my panic because the very nice lady gave me four tickets, but we’d have to come back at 5:30. I was so appreciative, and actually, it was probably a good call because we walked five minutes back to the hotel, and had about an hour to cool off, relax, and regroup.
As we entered the hotel, they were handing out champagne…see, it did work in our favor to come back to the hotel for a bit…haha
At the hotel, we checked in and got our bags from the car. Then, after about an hour, we went back to the Space Needle around 5:15 and got in line.
The line is outside and reminds me of getting on a ride….and then once you get inside, you still weave around until it’s time to get on the elevator to the top. While in line, there is a spot where they take your pic and give you a QR code to access the photos at the top.
We were probably in line about twenty minutes before getting in the elevator to go on up. I don’t love heights, so I was a little nervous that I’d be anxious, but once we stepped out of the elevator (which only took about 40 seconds, I think?), this was the view. It was so pretty…and I had no worries at all.
Mt. Rainier was easy to spot!
We walked around the top in order to see 360 degrees of views.
The Puget Sound was so pretty as well.
We even spotted our hotel.
We snapped a few pics…
…and then we went down one level to the revolving glass floor. I don’t think we took pics correctly…haha
How many times can you say you hit 10,000 steps at over 600 feet in the air?
We were probably at the top for about 45 minutes, and then rode the elevator down. As you exit the elevator, there’s a Space Needle made out of Legos!
While we were at the top of the Space Needle, we visited the kiosk to choose our picture backgrounds. Hadley had quite a few she liked, so I received four emails with four different background pics.
These two were my fave:
Then, we walked back to the hotel to take settle in for the evening. The track trials were on TV, so that was a great way to spend our evening. We were tired. The kids relaxed, and Travis and I said we’d go find dinner. He’d already spotted a few places near the hotel.
A funny thing happened though when we walked around the block…We’d paused at a restaurant to read the menu that was on the window, and the door burst open, and someone shouted “Jennifer!” Hardly anyone calls me Jennifer, and I was startled at first…but it was one of my co-workers! What are the odds that we were both in Seattle at the same time?! He’d just arrived in Seattle with his family that day and were headed to the Space Needle after dinner. Small world!
Even with the walk around the block, we settled on the pizza place right across the street from our hotel. Even though Travis and Hayden had pizza for lunch, they were fine with having it again for dinner. I got a salad as well. While the pizza baked, Travis and I got a beer and chatted.
We ate our pizza in our room, took turns showering, and then watched the track and gymnastic trials on TV.
We were all truly exhausted, and had no trouble falling asleep by 10:00. This hotel room also had a pull out couch, so it was nice to let the kids each have a bed to sleep in.
The next morning, we were up early and at the hotel breakfast by 7:00 when it opened. Our flight was at 10:30, and thankfully everything was on time. I was really impressed with Alaskan Airlines. We had a direct flight to Cincinnati and no delays! We got home to Homer around 7:00, and it was so nice to shower and sleep in our own beds.
The following night, we were all still awake at midnight, and it dawned on me that we were gone just long enough to adjust to Pacific time zone.
If you don’t read Andrea’s blog, you should check out her trip recap. She has lots of posts about Seattle and Olympia and all that they did.
Trip Recap:
Here are the posts about the other parts of our trip in case you missed one:
Thanks for following along on our journey. We saw so much and covered a lot of ground; some of the best memories were logged in the car and at various pit stops along the way.
I’d like to think we’ll be out that way again some day, but no matter what, I’m really thankful for Travis for planning it all, and I’m grateful for this time with my fam visiting new places.
Shew! I feel like the weekend flew by. Did you catch my Sunday post all about s’mores? S’mores in the summer are a favorite, for sure.
Today, I’m picking up where I left off on our vacation to the Pacific Northwest, and sharing about our time at Lake Quinault Lodge in Olympic National Park.
After driving a couple of hours from Rockaway Beach, Oregon, we arrived at Lake Quinault Lodge.
We did arrive about an hour before we could check in…
…so we explored the property a bit.
Big Foot!
The weather was partly cloudy and windy, but the views were still very pretty.
We sat in the lawn chairs for a bit, and then Hayden and Travis left for Hayden to get his run in. At least he was able to run in a national park…that’s pretty cool.
Hadley and I sat inside for a bit, and I enjoyed a drink.
Then, our room was ready. I spotted some pretty hydrangeas on our walk to our room.
Our room was in the Boathouse near the lake.
After we got settled in our room, we got back in the car and drove around a bit. One of the stops was at the “World’s Largest Spruce.” It was probably a half mile hike to see it…
…and it was quite the sight…
We got back in the car and drove to a hiking spot in the rain forest which was really neat.
We hiked for about an hour…
There were pretty views everywhere.
Then, we headed back to the lodge. Right across from the lodge was a general store, so Hadley and I walked over there for some snacks.
I got ready for dinner, and went and sat outside to read for a bit.
Then, we headed to dinner at the restaurant at the lodge.
The kids let me snap a pic…
Dinner was delish. We had pretty views of the lake. Hayden got a burger, Travis and I ordered salmon, and Hadley had clam chowder.
The sun was setting as we left the restaurant.
Family selfie!
The kids went over to the general store to get some ice cream for dessert. Then, they found the only TV on the property to try to watch some of the Olympic trials, and I enjoyed a glass of wine.
So–one thing about this lodge (that we didn’t know until we arrived…) was that WiFi is VERY limited. Each device can log on for 30 minutes of free WiFi per day. You could buy a data package for less than $20, but if you are by the lake, even it wouldn’t work. So, when we used our 30 minutes, we had to be in the lodge and not in our room. Point being, we survived! Obviously, it was a nice break from technology, but Travis and I both agreed it would have been nice to be able to send a text message!
After dinner, we sat out on the patio and played cards.
In the lobby, there were puzzles and games, but I’d brought a couple of games with us like Uno and Monopoly Deal. We sat outside and played for a couple of hours before bedtime.
We did pause our game at one point because Hadley and I wanted to go down to the lake to check out the sunset views.
She loves a sunset as much as I do!
We played a few more hands of Uno, and then walked to our room around 10:00. It was crazy to me that it still wasn’t fully dark outside yet.
This was the nighttime view from our room:
Honestly, I didn’t have a great night’s sleep, so I was up pretty early.
Friday morning, after I got up, I walked up to the lodge with my cup of coffee.
I sat outside and used my 30 minutes of WiFi, drank my coffee, and read for a bit while the Hadley slept. Travis and Hayden left for Hayden to get his daily run in before we left.
We woke Hadley up around 9:00 when Hayden got back from his run, and they walked over to the general store to pick up a few things for breakfast like donuts and juice. We packed up and left the lodge around 10:00 to head to Seattle.
For the second time on our trip, I gave up my front seat for the “Passenger Princess.” haha
It took a little over two hours to get to Seattle. We stopped for a snack and a drink on the way. We arrived at our hotel, Hyatt Place, around 1:00. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we could see the Space Needle. Our room wasn’t ready yet, but we could park in the hotel garage. Once we did that, we walked to Pike Place Market.
*view of Space Needle when we went at our scheduled time…not the view of the SN from our hotel 🙂
I will share part 5 (the last part! about our time in Seattle) later this week.
How has your weekend been? Yesterday, we spent most of the day watching Hadley play in a sand volleyball tournament which was really fun. We also had dinner out with friends. I’m hoping for a little more downtime today…and maybe we’ll even “beat the heat” and go to the pool.
Today, I’m sharing another…
…and I’m talking all about s’mores. To me, nothing says summer more than s’mores. Of course, we’ll make s’mores in the cooler months as well, but summer and s’mores also go together.
My mom made this patriotic s’mores dip…(I’m not sure the exact recipe she used, but these seems like the directions she told me)…which got me thinking about s’mores recipes I have pinned on Pinterest.
How do you like your roasted marshmallow? I think I’m a “B3” girl.
This meme made me laugh….(if only it was that easy to burn calories!)…
…this one made me chuckle too!
Anyway, here are a few s’mores recipes I have saved on Pinterest. I haven’t made these yet, but maybe I can try a few new s’mores dessert recipes before the summer ends.
How was your week? Ours was pretty good, and it included a little bit of everything.
As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.
Here are some favorites from the week:
Last week I was in KC to help my dad after his knee surgery. While both legs of the trip to and from KC were long thanks to delays, on my flight from Lex to Chicago, I got bumped to first class. I don’t think I’ve ever sat in first class on a flight.
I won’t let it go to my head, but I did enjoy my Diet Coke out of a real glass! Oh the little things…
…and even though the flight from Chicago to KC was delayed, this was my window seat view once we finally took off. I don’t love to fly, but I’ve gotten better about being less anxious when flying. It is kind of amazing to be up in the air and above the clouds.
Ok this is random, but we haven’t had cable for a few years, and one thing I do miss about not having cable is all of the random channels like Lifetime, TLC, and Nickalodeon, etc.
Well, while at my dad’s, we watched a lot of “Me TV” last week.
I’m an old soul when it comes to TV shows…I could watch Green Acres, Leave it to Beaver, and The Beverly Hillbillies all day long.
Also, when I left, the Major made me bring home this pack of 72 pieces of bacon for Hayden. haha
Trav’s birthday was Sunday, and I didn’t get home until five hours past my original flight’s scheduled arrival time…and I ended up flying to Louisville instead of Lexington. Anyway, we didn’t get to Lex until after midnight!
After a week away, I was happy to go out to dinner with these guys to celebrate Trav….even if it was a day late.
We ate at one of our favorite restaurants: Carson’s.
We had dessert at the restaurant, and it hit the spot.
I was able to go to the pool two afternoons this week which was nice.
I shared my July trackers on Instagram, and they are saved in a highlight. Feel free to use them and tag me!
Favorite Clothing Item:
I bought the “Sally” set from SSYS at the beginning of the summer, and it’s been one of my favorite things to wear. I have their crepe set from last summer, and it’s one I wear often as well.
We were at Walmart this week, and Hadley picked up these“Athletic Works” shorts. They are less than $7, and so soft! She’s worn them to sleep in as well as to the pool with her swimsuit.
Favorite Mom Meme:
Funny story. The past few vacations, I’ve given the kids a list to use when they pack. I’ve told them many times to figure out exactly what they need. So, if I write “t-shirt,” they decide if they need three shirts or five. Anyway, Hadley, who is often wearing a sweatshirt, and for sure has too many sweatshirts, packed one sweatshirt on our recent vacation….to the Pacific Northwest…where you might actually need a sweatshirt even in the summer.
Well, joke’s on me…of course, she ended up buying not just one but two sweatshirts on our vacay.
Weekly Recap:
I’ve been a busy blogger lately. Here are my posts going back to last weekend:
What are your weekend plans? We don’t have too much going on. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve been home on a weekend, so I hope to do some “regular” things like meal plan, place my Kroger order, stay caught up on laundry and more!
I do have a Summer Sunday post planned, so come back then!
I hope you’ve had a great week. I finally feel like I’m getting my feet back under me after being gone. The kids have had a few things this week, but I also got to go to the pool and start chipping away at some of my “to do” lists for the summer.
A few weeks ago, I shared a ThrowbackThursdaypost about the first time Hadley went to camp, and today I’m sharing another post about the first time we took the kids to the beach.
Sharing my trip recaps has had me thinking about the first vacation we took as a family of four. Wow! Traveling with kids has definitely gotten easier!
In July of 2010, Travis and I went to Folly Beach, SC to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary. We left on a Thursday and came back on Monday, and the drive was only about eight hours to the Charleston area.
The following summer, we decided the eight hour drive seemed doable…even with the kids being 18 months old. We went on vacation with friends who also have twins (two years older than my two).
Anyway, we found a house in Folly Beach, and we arrived late afternoon/early evening. Our house was on the second row, so we just had to cross the street at the beach access point. As soon as we got everything unpacked, we decided to check out the beach.
Hadley has always been more outgoing and assertive whereas Hayden has always been more quiet and hesitant.
Well, upon seeing the beach and the ocean, Hadley was the hesitant one, and Hayden was all in. I will always remember her pointing at the water and just seeming so uncertain. Hayden, on the other hand, went from running to the water’s edge to playing in the sand. He got so wet that we had to take his shirt off so he could play and not get as messy.
Obviously, with each passing day, Hadley became less timid, and Hayden had the time of his life. It was so nice not having to walk too far with all of our beach gear.
Target was my “go to” for their swimsuits for years and years. Hadley still loves Target for her swimsuits. I would always put one or two swimsuits in their Easter baskets.
Hayden loved the water gun at the beach! Hadley…”diva mode” activated!
They loved sitting in these little chairs for snack time while looking out at the water.
We went out to dinner most nights. We’d also head to the beach after dinner to catch the sunset.
I still have this pic framed….it’s one of my faves!
I always loved dressing the kids up in cute little summer outfits.
Many of our afternoons looked like this:
(and this is one of my favorite photos of all time of Trav and Hadley)
It was nice being so close to the house as sometimes my friend and I would stay at the beach and the dads would take the kids back for nap time. Other days, we’d switch off.
We had our house Saturday to Saturday, and on the Friday that was our last day, it was very overcast, and it was going to be rainy. The other family stayed, but we decided to go on home a day early. We were tired, and the kids were fussy.
My kids have always been great sleepers, but always the first couple of days anywhere were rough. Once they got in a routine and settled it, it was always ok.
Even now, Hayden is still kind of a sleep talker/fitful sleeper the first couple of nights not at home.
On the second night of our recent vacation, at 3 am he hopped out of bed and was talking to us in the hotel room. haha!! He never remembers doing these things.
Anyway, the kids were tired, and I was just ready to be home. That next Monday, I remember taking Hadley to the doctor and he said that when the kids are little, it’s a “trip” and not a “vacation.” This was a lightbulb moment for me…haha
Hadley had an ear infection which might explain why she was out of sorts even at the end of that trip.
My friend took this pic of the kids and me as we said goodbye to them and Travis packed up the car.
It was a really great vacay even though it was a lot of work to be away from home. We had a lot of fun with our friends, so that was a bonus too. That trip to Folly Beach was the start of a few summers visiting the Charleston area.
In 2013, we stayed at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms which provided two more pics that make me smile when they pop up in my memories:
We went back to SC in 2014 and 2018 and we most recently went back in 2021.
It’s crazy to think that traveling has gotten quite a bit easier. The kids can entertain themselves on a long car ride, they can pack their own suitcases, and they can even have a little more independence and freedom when we travel. It’s true—the days are long, but the years are short!
South Carolina is a great place that’s pretty convenient for us to visit.
How’s your week going? Y’all, my long travel day on Sunday and then hitting the ground running on Monday caught up with me! Yesterday, I woke up from a dead sleep at 9:30! I got almost 11 hours of sleep. I can’t believe it…but clearly I needed it.
I also can’t believe that it’s already the second Wednesday of the month which means I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for Let’s Look.
This month’s topic is let’s look at…podcasts and shows we binge.
Podcasts:
Well, I still don’t listen to a lot of podcasts. That being said, I finally reconnected my phone to my car, so maybe I will start listening to more podcasts when I have time.
On the podcast app on my phone, I do have downloaded random episodes of:
Absolutely Not (you know I love Heather McMahan!)
Hey Dude, the 90s Called (I love that Christine Taylor and David Lascher interview so many actors from the 80’s/90’s!)
I’ve Had It (Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan are hilarious!)
Let’s Be Honest (Kristin Cavallari doesn’t hold back!)
Two podcasts that I listen to regularly are:
Calm Down (Erin and Charissa talk about sports, news, travel, gossip and more!)
& …New Heights with the Kelce Brothers.
Just FYI – I was listening to this podcast before Travis and Taylor started dating! These two are also fun to listen to.
Audio Books:
I’ve just gotten into listening to audio books thanks to a few road trips and travel.
I listened to these two audio books last month:
This month, I’ve listened to Matthew Perry and Matthew McConaughey’s books, both narrated by them. I will share more in my July book review, but I really enjoyed both. There were definitely parts of Perry’s book that were hard to listen to knowing of his now untimely death.
I could listen to McConaughey’s voice all day long…just not on 1.50 speed like I usually listen to books and podcasts. haha!
Shows:
Recently, I watched Twelve Final Days about Roger Federer’s final twelve days before retirement. It’s on Amazon Prime, and I think it was just under two hours long. So, it’s not episodes, but a short documentary.
He’s definitely one of my favorite tennis players, and I loved seeing him off the court with his family as well.
On Netflix, I’ve been watching America’s Sweethearts about the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and I’ve really enjoyed it. I watched it last week when I was in KC, and I still have one episode left.
Also on Netflixis Sprint about the US sprinters in the year leading up to the Olympics. Of course, this is a family favorite.
My summer guilty pleasure is always the Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip on Peacock. It’s been fun to see the NY ladies again.
Travis and I have been watching Presumed Innocent on Apple TV. I think we’ve watched the first four episodes. Our viewing has been kind of sporadic as we watched the first episode before vacation, and then watched a couple more before I left for KC. A new episode comes out every week, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going.
Right now, Hadley is re-watching all of All-American before the next season comes out…
…and Hayden’s been watching Friday Night Lights. Travis and I used to watch that show together when it was on TV. We were telling the kids how we used to look forward to watching it live every week…and that went over their heads. haha
Travis and I both stop and watch some of the episodes when Hayden has the TV on. Who doesn’t love Coach Taylor and Tammy?!?
Movies:
On our flight home from Seattle, I watched The Boys in the Boat, and it was SO good. I’d wanted to see it when it was in the theater, but that just never worked out. Now I want to read the book. I highly recommend it.
I love having extra time in the summer to watch shows that aren’t normally on during the year, or finding the time to get caught up on shows or movies that I’ve missed out on. Usually, my reading time dips a bit in the summer, but I’ve been good and keeping that up too!
Do you have any suggestions on shows I should watch? We have Netflix, Prime, Peacock, and Apple TV.
I hope your week has gotten off to a great start. I was sluggish yesterday thanks to a long travel day on Sunday, but it was nice to sleep in, unpack, do laundry, and run a couple of errands. Of course, the kids had places to go too!
I’ve shared parts one and two of our trip to the Pacific Northwest, and today, I’m linking up with Joanne for…
…to share all about part 3.
I apologize but this post will probably be the one that has the most pics 😂…and please note that I actually have narrowed down what I want to share. haha
Once we left Eugene, we had about a three hour drive to the Oregon coast. Travis had found this really cute house in Rockaway Beach, and we were excited to go there.
To be honest, Travis planned these couple of days to “appease” me in the sense that he knows how much I love a beach. Of course, I had to manage the kids’ (especially Hadley’s) expectations that this isn’t the same kind of beach and ocean water that they are used to when we go to Florida.
I am glad that we took the two days here, and honestly, the timing was perfect because we were tired! We’d been busy and the time change had officially caught up with us.
Anyway, the details of the house were so cute, and I even loved the front door as it is one of my favorite colors!
The living room picture window was, well, picturesque. The cute little gate open with the ocean view…we were ready to get the lay of the land.
This little nook was perfect for sipping coffee and reading.
This little window with the view was too cute as well.
The view from the kitchen:
The details throughout the house were just perfect. I’d never seen this before, but this little hatch opened to allow in the breeze, and you could hear the ocean! There was one in each of the bedrooms.
After unloading the car, Hadley and I headed to the beach.
The short walk was perfection...
…as were the views.
I was surprised at how warm it actually was there. It was in the high 70’s, and with the sunshine, it felt warmer.
Once Hayden and Travis got to the beach, I took a little walk.
It was such a lovely day. I ended up walking about half a mile and spotted a restaurant on the ocean that I’d seen as a dinner option. I just didn’t realize how close it was to our house. So, I walked back and told my family that I’d spotted it.
We hung out on the beach for a couple of hours, and then we walked to the Sand Dollar restaurant. There was a bit of a wait, but we ended up being able to sit on the patio for dinner. We had amazing views as well as delicious food. I had clam chowder, and it was so good.
Then, we walked back to our house. I had Hadley take my pic with Trav since we didn’t get one on our anniversary the day before.
Then, I persuaded the kids to let me take their pic since I said the next day the weather forecast called for rain…which meant that we’d most likely not have a sunset session. Hadley wanted a couple of pics too.
The kids headed back to the house, and Trav and I watched the sunset. I love a beach sunset…even for just one night!
While Travis and I watched the sunset, the kids walked a couple of blocks to the market to get marshmallows to roast. Truly, the town seemed kind of “sleepy,” but it was nice that our location was close to some restaurants and markets. They kids are the perfect age for a bit of independence…and they have no trouble using a debit card. haha!
Anyway, once they got back, we sat on the back patio and roasted some marshmallows.
Hadley perched herself up on the chair outside the patio. She had quite the view of the ocean.
After the fire extinguished, we came inside and got ready for bed. We’d had a great first day on the coast.
We’d checked the weather, and we knew Wednesday seemed like it might be overcast and rainy…and it was. I’m really glad we hung out at the beach the day before, since this day was more of what I assumed Oregon weather to be like.
We slept in, and then I went to the beach to read and sip my coffee. It was 57 degrees…and I loved it!
Hayden ran while Hadley slept in. Around 12:00, we got moving and decided to drive about a half hour to Cannon Beach.
We’ve all seen The Goonies movie, but Hayden and I definitely consider it a favorite. So, we made our way to Haystack Rock once we got to Cannon Beach. This is definitely a popular tourist spot, but it wasn’t too crowded. The weather was pretty chilly!
We explored for a bit…
…and then we made our way to Pelican Brewing Co. for lunch. Travis has a real knack for knowing if there’s a brewery nearby. Travis and I split the fish and chips, and it was a delicious lunch. Hadley had the clam chowder, and she loved it.
Honestly, this afternoon was one of my favorites. We had nothing on the agenda, so we explored the town of Cannon Beach. I found the library, and the kids found the candy store. We walked around for about an hour going in and out of shops. I ended up getting a sweatshirt, and it’s now one of my faves.
Then, it really started to rain, so we made our way back to the car.
The drive on Highway 101 is unreal. Again, it was nice to have the time to just pull over at the scenic stops. I couldn’t get over the fog…
…and Hadley is always up for a little walk.
It was so pretty, and the pics don’t do it justice. I felt like everywhere I looked was a Bob Ross painting!
Hayden was really wanting to watch the NBA draft, and due to the time difference, that meant he wanted to be home around 4:00. We made it back in time, and while he watched the draft, I read.
We had a lovely, lazy evening at the house. We were all pretty full from lunch, so we just ate sandwiches and other leftovers at the house. I baked cookies too.
That night, we watched Stand By Me. It was a really great way to end our day.
Thursday morning, I went to the beach for about thirty minutes. It was chilly, but I loved it. If I’m near the water, I always say “goodbye” to the ocean.
“Until we meet again…”
Then, it was time to pack up and say goodbye to this cute little house.
After we packed up, we made our way to Astoria. My brother had been there many years ago, and again, like him, we love The Goonies.
We drove about an hour and a half, and made it to Astoria. The Goonies house was easy to find (thanks to a Google search for the address!)
We parked and walked up the gravel driveway to the house.
This was the view looking out from Goonies house:
Hadley snapped our pic, so I could send it to my brother. (He gives me grief for not following his suggestions when we are traveling…haha!)
After we left the Goonie house and walked to our car, I looked up and saw this view, so of course I had to take a picture.
As I took that pic, my brother texted back and said I had to go see the elementary school from Kindergarten Cop. Right as I read this message, I turned around and saw an playground and wondered if I was looking at the back of the elementary school. Well, I was! I walked around to the front to send him another pic as proof. I was telling the kids about it, so now we have to watch that movie too.
After that, we got back in the car, and drove a bit, crossing a beautiful bridge into Washington. Even rest stops in Washington have views:
We drove a couple of hours making our way to Olympic National Park, and the Lake Quinault Lodge.
We couldn’t wait to explore the national park and this property!
So, that’s part three of our trip! I’m so glad we added in these couple of “beach” days as they were perfectly timed to relax a bit and have a different beach experience.
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