Category: Travel

Posted in Travel

PNW Vacay Part 5: Seattle

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! I hope your week is off to a great start.

I’m linking up with Joanne for…

…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:

Part 1: Portland
Part 2: Eugene and Olympic Trials
Part 3: The Oregon Coast
Part 4: Olympic National Park

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.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Posted in Travel

PNW Vacay Part 4: Olympic National Park

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

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.

(Parts 1, 2, and 3:Portland, Eugene/Olympic Track Trials, Oregon Coast)

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.

Have a great Monday.

Posted in Throwback Thursday, Travel

Throwback Thursday: First Beach Vacay

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

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 Throwback Thursday post 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.

Posted in Travel, Tuesday Talk

PNW Vacay Part 3: The Oregon Coast

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Tuesday!

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.

Posted in Travel

PNW Vacay Part 2: Eugene and Olympic Trials

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Saturday!

After posting sporadically lately, I’m trying to find my blogging groove. I had time to do it, so I’m picking up where I left off yesterday and sharing part 2 of our trip today.

As I said in yesterday’s post, this vacation was planned because of the track and field Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon. Travis had been to Eugene once before when our nephew had a race years ago, and he knew Hayward Field is a special place.

Of course, both my kids run track and follow quite a few athletes, so this was really special for them.

Travis did the best he could choosing two days with races that the kids would specifically want to see. He chose Sunday because of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was slated to run the 400m, but she decided to focus on 400m hurdles which ended up being a different night. We still got to see many amazing races including Noah Lyles in the 100 and a few University of Kentucky athletes compete as well. Keaton Daniel is an outstanding UK pole vaulter, and he came in 4th and was named an alternate.

There was a fun area behind the track with photo ops, the merch tent, food, and a stage where the top three athletes would go for Q&A after the races/events.

Welcome to Track Town!

Hadley signed the (cardboard) “Olympic Torch,” which she thought was so neat.

We made our way to our seats which were on the second level, and we had an amazing view.

The weather was amazing too!

There’s Noah Lyles in the red after his 100m run:

Sunday night, we saw: men’s pole vault, men’s 100m semi and final, women’s 800m semi-final, men’s 400m semi, women’s 400m final, among other events.

Afterwards, we snapped a couple of pics…

…and then a lovely woman asked if I wanted to hop in a pic…which I appreciated 🙂

Afterwards, the kids wanted to go down a level to see some athletes. Sunday night they got selfies with Fred Kerley (men’s 100m) and Noah Lyles (men’s 100 and 200m) and then Monday night with Allie Wilson and Juliette Whittaker (both women’s 800m).

Going into these races, I didn’t realize how accessible these athletes would be after the races. It’s super cool that the kids saw so many of their idols up close!

After the races, we walked around a bit and then made our way to catch our Uber back to the house.

We were hungry, and Travis went out of find some food while the kids hung out in the hot tub.

Then, it was bedtime.

The next day was Monday, June 24 which was our 19th wedding anniversary. Travis is known for his bubble letter cards, and he tries to be artistic. Of course, this is my name looking like Hayward Field track. haha

Travis and Hayden left for Hayden’s workout, and when they got back, I woke up Hadley and we went to “Pre’s Rock,” which is where Steve Prefontaine died. If you aren’t familiar with him, he was an amazing distance runner from the University of Oregon who ran in the 1972 Olympics. At the age of 24, he died in a car accident near the university.

Runners leave items at the rock. Hayden meant to bring a medal or racing bib but forgot. I’m glad we went and visited this memorial.

After that, we made our way to the University of Oregon bookstore. Everyone wanted to get a shirt or sweatshirt, and I love a university bookstore. What we saw of the campus was really pretty.

Hadley loves a mascot!

Then, Hayden wanted to see the football field. We figured it would be pretty locked up, and it was, but he was able to get a peek at the indoor football facility.

Then, we went back to the house for a bit, before getting ready for night two of the Olympic Trials. We decided to leave early and get some dinner beforehand. We drove instead of taking an Uber, and we ate at Wild Duck which is a popular place near campus.

Then, we walked over to the field, and the kids watched some of the athletes on the warm-up track.

On Monday night, our seats were on the first level near the finish line which was so cool.

Hayden was so excited to watch the men’s 1500. The men’s 400, women’s 800 and women’s 5 k were also exciting. We also paid close attention to the women’s high jump as University of Kentucky’s Charity Hufnagel was jumping, and she won gold. The men’s long jump was right in front of us too.

Monday night, we were able to watch: men’s 110m hurdles, women’s high jump final, men’s long jump final, men’s 1500m (Hayden was so excited!), men’s 400m final (one of the finalists was 16 year old Quincy Wilson!), women’s 5000m (such an intense finish!), and the women’s 800m final (with a heart-breaking trip up by Athing Mu!). It was such a great night of racing, and we were so close to the action!

After the races, the kids wanted to go back over to the area they went the previous night where the athletes enter/exit the track. We stayed put and told them to meet us back in our seats. We got a text that included my mom asking if GG had seen them on TV. She looked back on the track coverage, and lo and behold…there were the kids on TV right behind Mike Tirico. haha

We finally caught up with the kids after their time on TV. haha

We had to get a pic in their Oregon/Olympics merch. I joked that the only thing faster than the men’s 110m hurdles that night was Hadley finding the merch tent!

Afterwards, we got ice cream while Travis went to pick up Chipolte. Both nights, most things were closing around the time the trials were over…at least where we were staying.

We headed back to the house, ate, relaxed and went to bed.

On Tuesday morning, Hayden went for a run, and then we packed up the car. We had breakfast at the highly recommended Pancake House. While we ate our delicious breakfast, we spotted Noah Lyles with his mom, then Travis noticed Michael Johnson (who famously wore his gold spikes for the 200m race in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics) in a booth. On our way out, we spotted distance runner Craig Engles who Hayden looks up to. It was quite the place to be!

Before we left Eugene, Travis asked Hadley if she wanted to go to the Nike store as he’d taken Hayden the day before. As we walked up to the store, one of the employees asked the kids if they wanted to try to “Nike Experience” they were putting on that day. They signed in, were given the latest Nikes and then got to run down about 20m. When they were at the beginning of the “track,” they announced their name, blew smoke and said, “runner, take your mark!” and then as they ran, one of the employees snapped professional (ish) photos that could be sent to my phone.

They had a good time doing that.

After the Nike store, we got in the car and drove a couple of hours to Rockaway Beach, Oregon. We had the cutest house, steps away from the beach.

So, that’s a recap our the second part of our trip. It was a very memorable experience that we all loved. Honestly, I loved everything we did on this trip, but so far, when people have asked my favorite part, the Olympic Trials were definitely it.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel

Friday Faves {#214}: PNW Vacay Part 1: Portland

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday.

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July.

Like I said on Monday, July days just hit different. As Friday is already rolling around, I’m trying to savor these summer days!

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea (assuming they are hosting today) for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Well, one of my favorite things to do is to see new places, and Travis planned a really fun and different vacation for us, and I’m going to share a part 1 of this trip when we were in Portland.

This vacation began because of my family’s love of track and field…and the Olympic trials were being held in Eugene, Oregon. Travis took that idea and ran with it planning a little bit of everything: Olympic trials, outdoors time, hikes, beach time, and city sight-seeing. While I’m not trying to drag out these posts, we did visit Portland, Eugene, Rockaway Beach (and other cute towns), Olympic National Park, and Seattle. So, I could see this vacay recap being quite a few parts.

My apologies in advance, but I do think of these posts as a scrapbook of sorts. Anyway, here we go!

So, we were supposed to leave on Saturday, June 22, but about a month before our trip, they changed our flight which made us have a seven hour (or so) layover in Dallas. So, when Travis got online, he was able to schedule better flights on Friday, June 21. By going this route, we still had a layover and would still be arriving late, but at least the layover was quick, and then we’d have a bonus day in Portland that we weren’t necessarily going to have. We knew we could use this day to sleep in and do whatever we wanted.

As we pulled out of our driveway to head to Cincinnati, Travis got the text that our 7:30 PM flight got pushed to 8:30. We went ahead with the hour and 15 minute drive and made a stop for an actual dinner at Cheddars since we knew that would be our last meal of the day. We did leave at 8:30, but in Denver, our quick layover turned into a delay. Originally, we should have landed in Portland at 11:00 PM (PST), but instead we landed at midnight (PST).

Honestly, I guess not bad overall. We rented a car, drove to the hotel, and fell asleep at 2:00 am…that’s 5:00 am EST (woof!).

Travis always gets up early, but he likes to get the lay of the land…and honestly, I’m grateful for that. I woke up at 9, and we got the kids up around 10.

We got ready and walked to breakfast at Grits and Gravy. We were ready to fill up on some good food. We had all the good stuff: bacon, eggs, French toast, biscuits, gravy and more!

After that, we went back to the hotel and got ready for the day. Travis had found some hiking trails about 45 minutes away on “Waterfall Alley.”

The first waterfall was Latourell Falls, and it was so pretty.

A kind lady offered to take our pic. The kids had so much fun exploring.

Then, we got back in the car and drove a bit to another stop, the Vista House, and this was the view with the Columbia River down below.

We got back in the car and drove to another stop: Bridal Veil Falls. At this stop, we did quite a bit of walking…

…and the kids were more adventurous. “Hi, mom!”

Then, we made our way to “Horsetail Falls,” and that was a very pretty way to end our waterfall trek.

Hayden jokingly said, “I’m in my hiking era!” haha

Of course, Travis can find a brewery anywhere, and Oregon has many great ones. The good thing about breweries is they tend to have great menus, so the kids were happy.

We stopped at Thunder Island Brewing, and this was our view:

We got a table looking at the beautiful scenery. We had a few apps, and then the kids walked to get ice cream.

After that, we drove about forty minutes back to the hotel, rested, and showered before going to dinner. Of course, we were tired, so I was thankful for the early dinner.

We walked to Midtown Beer Garden because Travis had read about their food trucks. The weather was so nice, and it was great that there were so many options. Hadley got shrimp fried rice, Hayden and Travis got burgers, and I got some sushi. We all thought our food hit the spot.

Then, we walked back to the hotel, watched TV and went to bed by 10.

Sunday morning, Travis and Hayden got up early to drive to Beaverton, Oregon, so that Hayden could get his workout in at the Nike Headquarters. The Michael Johnson track is there…

Hayden had a great workout, and a fun experience. He can be a boy of few words, but he smiled as he told me about the track and how it’s built in the woods.

While Travis and Hayden were gone, I hit up the hotel gym to get on the elliptical since I knew we’d be in the car driving to Eugene for quite some time. Then, Hadley and I walked over to Starbucks.

Once we all got back to the hotel, we walked to the famous Voodoo Doughnuts. There was a short line, and we went ahead and picked up extra donuts for Monday morning too. I got the “Homer” which had strawberry frosting and was delish!

We walked back to the hotel, showered and packed up to head to Eugene.

We stayed at the Dossier Hotel, and it was beautiful and very convenient to places for us to walk to.

Before we left the hotel, Hayden mentioned that parts of Stand By Me were filmed in Brownsville, Oregon. Travis had looked on the map, and it was basically on the way. We drove about an hour and a half and arrived. We parked the car by Carlson’s, and walked around. Hayden was so excited. We even walked into a store that was filled with pictures from the filming. The ladies were so kind, and they even took us to the crosswalk where the put a penny every year as a nod to when Vern finds a penny.

After we left that store, we walked past the Coca-Cola sign, and then on to the bridge.

This was a cute little pit-stop in a sleepy, cute town. I was glad that Hayden added that to our agenda.

We drove about another hour and a half to Eugene. Travis found a cute house (duplex) for us to stay in. The owners were right next door and really nice.

This is where we stayed for our two nights in Eugene:

We got unpacked, and went to a nearby pizza place for an early dinner. After dinner, Hadley and I checked out a few stores while Travis and Hayden went to the grocery store. It was nice knowing we had a fridge and appliances for a couple of nights.

Then, we came back to the house to change and head to Hayward Field for the Olympic Track and Field Trials.

I will pick up there next time…Eugene was a cute college town, and the kids and Trav were so excited to be there. Me too…but as we all know, I’m the only non-runner in the family. haha!

Share Our Lives:

We have our monthly link up on Monday, and of course we hope you’ll join us.

This month’s topic is…day in the life: summer edition. I always love sharing and reading day in the life posts, so I can’t wait to read what others have to share on Monday.

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Prime Purchases
June Workouts

Speaking of posts, I might try to get part 2 of our vacay posted tomorrow as well as a Summer Sunday post on Sunday. We’ll see. I’ve had a bit more downtime this week because I’ve been in KC helping my dad after his knee surgery. He’s kept me busy too…haha…but not as much as being home, running errands, taking the kids places, etc.

Anyway, I hope you have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel

Friday Favorites {#213}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

We’ve had our best week of summer exploring Oregon and Washington. It’s been a really memorable trip where we’ve done a lot, but also had a little bit of downtime.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Well, we’ve had a busy week full of favorites.

I’m sure I will recap our trip, but here’s the quick run down:

We flew into Portland, Oregon and spent some time there…

…then on to Eugene, Oregon for two nights of the Olympic track trials…

…then we spent two days Rockaway Beach, Oregon in the cutest little house steps away from the water.

Our first day there looked more like this with fairly warm temps…

Our second day was definitely more of what I thought the weather might be like…overcast and blustery.

I still enjoyed my coffee on the beach…

…before we left and checked out nearby Cannon Beach…recognize Haystack Rock?

Highway 101 was so pretty to travel. We pulled over on a couple of the viewpoints, and the pictures don’t do them justice.

Yesterday, we traveled to Olympic National Park…

…where we stayed at a cute little resort.

…with these views….

…and we’re wrapping up our trip in Seattle before we fly home.

It’s been an amazing trip to remember. Besides seeing so much, crazy enough, I’ve enjoyed the road tripping hours in the car looking out the window and spending time together.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Oohhh the accuracy of this!!

Weekly Recap:

I liked keeping a pretty consistent blogging schedule this week. The end of the month always has some of my favorite posts:

Summer Sunday #4
Monday Memes
June Books

We’re headed home, and I will fill you in with the details of our trip soon!

Have a great weekend,

Posted in Amazon, Seasonal, Travel

Summer Sundays #4

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Sunday!

I hope you are having a great weekend.

‘Tis the season for travel! I’m keeping up with my Summer Sunday series to share some of my favorite travel items.

Here are a few of my “go to” items when we travel:

These TSA approved travel bottles are perfect for lotion, shampoo, conditioner, and more.

I bought them two years ago when we went to Mexico, and we still use them.

I bought these clear bags with handles for the same trip, and again, we still use them. We put various things in them including snacks, toiletries, chargers and more.

Hadley loves these cute toiletry bags for a a variety of her needs.

You know I love my packing cubes. I’ve shared them many times before, and we have them in blue, teal, and gray.

You know I don’t leave home without my eye gels! I have been using these, but I still love these gold ones…and they are probably easier to travel with as I can take a few packs with me rather than the jar.

I actually purchased this pack of toothbrushes when I started my Invisalign journey, but they have come in very handy for travel. Everyone in my family has one, and they know which one is their color of toothbrush.

This travel mirror with LED lights comes in handy.

I’m new to these sponges, but I love them. I brought a few with us on our trip to Washington, DC, and I use them at home as well. I liked packing things that when I use them, I throw them away which means I come home with less than I packed!

I bought this belt bag last year, and it’s still one I use especially when we travel. It holds quite a bit, and since it’s a cross body, it’s easy to wear and not have to carry or keep up with it.

This mini speaker isn’t a “must have” for travel, but I got it for Hadley last year (maybe for her birthday?), and it comes in handy for listening to music at the beach or hanging out.

I gave Travis this charging strip in his Christmas stocking a couple of years ago, and it’s great because you can charge so many things at once.

One of the first times we actually used it was spring of 2023 when our power went out. We went to my brother’s house a couple of time to charge everything, and we can do so when we plugged in this charging strip.

This travel bag is great for keeping all of the chargers and cords organized.

We’re off on a fun trip this week, and are using most of these items.

What are some of your travel “must haves?”

{This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog.}

Posted in Amazon, Friday Favorites, Meals and Recipes, Travel

Friday Favorites {#211}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Well, I feel like Fridays are arriving quicker than I like. It’s the opposite of during the school year…I’d like for time to slow down a bit.

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

KC:

Usually, I write a whole post recapping our trips and vacations, but I just didn’t have time this week. So here’s a quick run down of what we did when we went to visit family.

We usually go to KC at the end of the summer, but just how our summer is this year along with high school sports starting in July, I wanted to make sure we got our trip in sooner rather than later.

Last Wednesday, the kids had 9:00 dental cleanings, and then we left around 11:00 for KC. It was a nine hour drive, per usual, but thankfully, it was uneventful!

Honestly, we didn’t do a ton which I think we all really appreciated. Coming off the school year and still being a bit tired, it was nice to just hang out and relax.

We’ve played Left, Right, Center, but my mom LCR Wild, and it was a fun twist on the game.

I definitely recommend it.

My mom’s neighborhood was having their annual garage sale, and the kids helped out a bit..or did they?!

Hayden went to the driving range a couple of times.

We went to the Royals game on Friday night. They were playing the Seattle Mariners. Since moving away from KC, I obviously don’t get to see them play a lot(in person), but we’ve attended a few games through the years with the kids.

When the kids were probably six or seven, we went to a game, and they were losing in the first inning 10-0 (or maybe more!). Well, this team is better but the game started off the same way. They were down 7-0 at the end of the first inning, and then 8-0. Eventually, they started to chip away at the score, and we wondered if they’d make a comeback.

Well…they did! A walk off win was very exciting to see in person.

Bobby Witt, Jr. (#7) is definitely one of the favorite players.

Every Friday night of the season, there are fireworks (win or lose)…and they are even better after a big win!

There was a little bit of rain in the middle of the game, but otherwise, it was a really nice evening of baseball.

On Saturday, we took Crumbl cookies to my dad’s house.

While at my dad’s house, we watched the final episode of Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak as the host. This has always been a favorite show of mine!

Then, we went to Gma’s house for dinner, and we watched the UK baseball game and then played some more LRC Wild. Just like last year, Hayden is very into watching these games. We got home on Sunday just in time to go to the last super regional game with Travis and cousins.

It was a really great visit seeing family and enjoying some downtime.

Again, thankfully the drive home was pretty easy, but with only me driving, I was ready to get home!

When I got home, I was excited to see that my Trader Joe’s peonies had bloomed even more than before we’d left.

While we were in KC, we missed our “Homerversary”…

…so we got him DQ ice cream on Monday night. He’s five(ish) now, and we love him so.

After his dessert, we took him for a walk.

Fave Follow:

Do you follow Kara on Insta? (@karaskorner123) She’s a hoot!

Fave ‘fit:

I bought this set from Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and it’s great!! I ordered my regular size, and it looks like the price has dropped a bit…to less than $26. I’ve worn it a couple of times, including to summer school on Monday.

Now I kind of want to buy the shorts version I’ve saved as well.

I did get a little pool time this week…even though it was brief. Of course the one afternoon I could go, the pool closed early for a swim meet.

I’ve been on a reading roll lately…including listening to two audio books. I used my nine hours each way to KC wisely. Real talk: those are the first two audio books (The Office BFF’s and Birdie & Harlow) I’ve ever listened to…and they were both memoirs (ish), so that’s why I chose them. I’m still not sure I can focus and follow the plot of a book while listening.

Favorite dinner:

On Tik Tok a few weeks ago, I saw this simple recipe shared. I buy the “cook in the bag” pork loins pretty often, but this person took the pork loin out of the bag, added it to the slow cooker, poured in a can of beef broth, and a can of water and cooked on low for 6 hours.

Then, you do need to drain the meat, but we put it on sliders with some BBQ sauce, and shredded mozzarella.

This was my easy and delicious dinner the other night with a microwave baked potato and watermelon:

Favorite Mom Meme:

hahaha!

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

I love this memory from 2013. The kids shared a bedroom for their first 3.5 years of their lives. We had four bedrooms, so we turned their nursery into the guest bedroom, and then they each got the remaining rooms.

Hadley hugged Hayden goodnight and said, “See you next time!” before going to her own room the first night.

Weekly Recap:

I had a couple of posts this week:

Summer Sunday #2
Share Our Lives
Let’s Look

What are your weekend plans? I’m sure we’ll celebrate Trav on Father’s Day, and I hope to start crossing some things off my summer “to do” list and maybe get in a little pool time.

I hope to have another Summer Sunday post this weekend too.

Thanks for reading,

Posted in Travel

DC Part 3

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

How is your week going? I didn’t mean to take a short blogging break, but last weekend was busy from beginning until end, and Monday night the kids had a track meet. So, I just couldn’t find the time to write anything.

Anyway, I’ve shared parts one and two of our spring break trip to Washington, DC, and today I’m sharing the final part.

Wednesday:

Wednesday was the rainiest day of our time in Washington, DC, but we still had things to see, so we didn’t let that stop us.

When we were ready in the morning, it wasn’t raining, so we decided to get going.

We stopped in the hotel lobby for a quick Starbucks breakfast before walking to the Metro.

We were “pros” at Metro riding by this point 🙂

As soon as we exited the Metro and went up the stairs, we were met with a cold rain. The kids pooled together $8 cash to buy an umbrella from a guy selling them by the Metro.

(FYI – We’d brought a golf umbrella, but I’m not sure why Travis continued to leave it at the hotel!)

We headed straight to the…

…World War II memorial.

It was a really pretty memorial, and we took our time walking around it.

When I went to DC with my mom and brother in 2004, there was a kiosk where you could look up WW2 soldiers. I tried to find it again, but…it is twenty years later and 2024, so now, there was a QR code to scan that takes you to the website registry.

I looked up my dad’s uncles and showed their pictures to the kids. They thought that was really neat.

The cold rain was more than a mist at this point, but we were close to the cherry blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial.

Even though it was an overcast and rainy day, we were glad they were still in bloom.

The Jefferson Memorial in the distance:

Hadley took this pic:

…and this one…influencer in the wild 😆

Then, we started our walk to the American History Museum…and it was BeReal time, and this was Hadley’s post for the day. She sent me the silly selfie.

We all enjoyed a couple of hours in the American History Museum.

I loved the First Ladies exhibit…

…with the White House China. Then, we learned about the different wars and the Medal of Honor.

We spotted Dorothy’s ruby red slippers…

…and the Rockford Peaches! I love the movie A League of Their Own.

Travis checked out the beer display.

Hadley played Prince’s guitar, and we saw Archie Bunker’s chair and all about Micky Mouse Clubhouse.

Of course, Hayden loved seeing Muhammad Ali’s robe and Michael Jordan’s jersey.

The Star Spangled Banner exhibit was neat, and we were in awe of the original flag (but no pictures allowed in the exhibit)

Once we wrapped up at the museum, I’d hoped we could go to the National Archives, but it was still raining, and everyone was hungry. We still had Georgetown University on our list, so we rode the Metro…

…back to our hotel because the kids knew there was a Chipolte next door. At first, Travis and I tried to convince them to try somewhere new, but honestly, they’d been troopers, and it was raining pretty hard…and Chipotle makes everyone happy.

After we ate, we headed to the hotel to get our car, and we drove over to Georgetown University…

…because of course Hadley’s souvenir was a hooded sweatshirt. Hayden got a t-shirt.

We didn’t see much of the campus, but it looked pretty!

We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours to warm up, shower, and rest.

Travis and Hayden had big plans to go to the Wizards vs Lakers NBA game, so they left around 6:00 to ride the Metro there.

Hadley and I left about 6:30, and drove back to Georgetown to meet friends at Founding Fathers Fishers & Bakers.

Our good friends (Hadley’s bestie) were also in DC for spring break, so we made plans to meet up with them while Travis and Hayden were at the game.

Hadley had salmon (her fave) which was the special, and I had a Caesar salad.

Travis sent me this pic to tell me they’d made it:

…but Hayden worked his way closer to the action. haha

After dinner, the girls wanted ice cream, (of course they did!), so we walked to a nearby place.

Then, we drove back to our hotel around 9:30, and Hadley took this pic out our window:

We started to tidy up and pack and Travis and Hayden got back a little after 10.

Thursday:

Well, we had big plans for Thursday before we left, but the only real thing we accomplished was that Hadley was able to get an acai bowl from the nearby place she’d been eyeing since we got there!

Our plan was to go to Arlington Cemetery before heading home, but when we got there, there was a line a mile(s!) long. We parked, got out, and contemplated waiting, but we would have been in line for hours. I’m not sure if it was the fact that it was spring break or if because the weather was finally beautiful…or if that’s normal, but I was bummed we couldn’t make that happen.

We stopped in Charlottesville for lunch, but it was blustery and raining there, so we skipped Monticello (again!…I knew that would happen). We ended up driving through snow in West Virginia which was so crazy.

We got home around 9:00, and the next day was pretty cold and dreary at home. That gave us time to sleep in, do laundry, unpack, and be lazy.

Overall, it was a really great trip, and I’m so glad we made it happen. I was impressed with DC and how clean it was and how safe we felt there.

I do wish we’d planned a little better on a few things. I knew we’d need to get Holocaust and Air and Space tickets in advance, but I wasn’t really on top of that. So, if we ever get back there, we’d like to prioritize those two things and see Arlington Cemetery. Somehow, we missed the Vietnam Memorial, and I wished we’d seen that as well.

Anyway, I think the kids really enjoyed it, and will have great memories of our time in DC. Let me know if you have any questions about our trip.