Category: Travel

Posted in Travel

KC Recap

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday.

Two days of professional development down and two to go! So far, so good.

I was going to link up for Let’s Look, but the topic is worst habits which I already covered in one of my blog challenge posts.

So, today going to recap our visit to Kansas City last week.

As the kids have gotten older, summer has seemed to get busier. We usually get to KC in the summer to see family, but this summer took a bit of orchestrating schedule-wise.

Travis was in Saratoga, NY (for work/fun) and then had to go to California (for work) (with a few nights back in Lexington in between), so the kids and I drove to KC on our own.

In all my trips to KC with the kids, I think this is only the second time it was just the kids and me. Obviously, that meant I had to do all the driving…haha

Look at my co-pilots!

Thankfully, our nine hour drive was uneventful!

We arrived in KC on Sunday evening and made a pit stop at my dad’s. Then, we picked up dinner before going to my mom’s house. We ate and hung out and then Hadley and I stayed at my dad’s house while Hayden slept at my mom’s.

On Monday, we had some downtime before going to my mom’s house. While there, I went on a walk. The temps in KC can be pretty hot this time of the year, but it wasn’t too hot that day.

Later, we went to my Gma’s house for dinner. We looked through some old photos, and Hadley found this one with my brother being silly.

We had lasagna and then played Phase 10. I’d never played it before, and we all liked it.

We also enjoyed some Crumbl cookies we picked up for dessert.

The kids and I went back to my dad’s for bed.

On Tuesday, we all slept in a bit, and then Hayden had to do a track workout. Since we didn’t have Coach Travis with us, Hadley subbed in for the job.

He had to run 100, 200, etc. a few times at a certain pace. Hadley was his timer, but did a warm up jog with him.

I walked the track while they did the workout.

Tuesday afternoon, we ran some errands, went to my mom’s house and then I packed for my California trip.

The kids wanted to go to my Gma’s house again, so we picked up dinner and went to her house. We played Phase 10 again and hung out for a bit. I took the kids to my mom’s house and told them goodbye before heading back to my dad’s to go to bed because…

I had an early flight and he was taking me.

I don’t want this to be too big of a flex…but look who packed a carry on again for a flight!!

(I will share more about this next week, but Hadley did help me pack…and it was still pretty tight. Since my smallest luggage is a medium size suitcase, I packed it for KC and then pared what I wanted to take to California into Hadley’s carry-on suitcase. It’s not that I needed much more for my couple days in KC, but it’s hard packing for a week with hot and then mild/cooler temps! Anyway, we made it work!)

On Wednesday, while I was gone, my mom took Hadley with her to workout while Hayden ran. Then, she took the kids to the neighborhood pool, but I guess they were only there an hour or so before storms rolled in. They also went shopping because one of the local stores had Super Bowl athleticwear on sale.

On Thursday, they met my Gma and aunt for lunch and more shopping…(at this point, I told the kids to quit running up a tab…haha)

Thursday evening, my mom got Hadley a volleyball lesson with former collegiate player. My mom is friends with the player’s mom, so that was a fun way for Hadley (and Hayden) to burn some energy.

On Friday, the kids went to my dad’s house for a bit. Hayden got in his track workout, and then they went to Culver’s for lunch.

That afternoon, my mom took the kids to the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, and they had a good time.

My mom said Hayden was blown away by the Van Gogh paintings.

Afterwards, they played putt putt.

On Saturday, Hayden had his long run and then my mom and Hadley went to my aunt’s house for her stamping class. On Sunday, Hadley was excited to show me all the cards she made.

That afternoon, they went swimming and ate BBQ at my Gma’s house.

Travis and I were to arrive in KC at 11:59 PM, but our flight landed around 12:15.

By the time we got off the plane and took an Uber, it was 1:30 before my head hit the pillow.

We didn’t set an alarm, but we wanted to get up at a decent time on Sunday. I was up around 7:30 and Travis was up around 8. We went to my mom’s to get the kids. They were excited to see Travis because they hadn’t seen him in 10 days.

We packed them up, said goodbye to my mom before heading to my dad’s house to get our stuff. We were on the road around 9:45 and made good time back to Lexington.

I didn’t want to jinx it because I know travel can be wonky right now, but thankfully our air travel was pretty seamless this summer with our trip to Florida and then KC to California. Travis had some slight issues on his flight to Saratoga, but otherwise, it all worked out.

I’d say that we all enjoyed our trips. The kids had a really great time with a good mix of downtime, family time, craft, sports, culture and more! I was thankful for Trav being there to help on the drive home. We were tired and happy to get home to Homer.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel

Friday Favorites {#169} & Blogiversary

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? We’ve definitely made the most of my last official week of summer.

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

Here are a few favorites:

The kids got to hang out with their uncle and cousin at a photo shoot for UK volleyball.

They had so much fun, and Hadley was excited to meet Azhani Tealer.

Travis and I have been in California since Wednesday, and it’s been so nice to have some down time before heading back to school.

He’s here for work, and I tagged along. I’ve had some beach time…

…and pool time.

The weather and views have been amazing.

Also…

Today’s a big day…it’s the 4th blogiversary of Show Me and Sweet Tea.

I don’t take for granted this community, and writing these blog posts is still my favorite hobby!

As a thank you, I will send a $40 gift card to one of you to Target, Trader Joe’s, or Amazon.

By end of day Sunday, just share a favorite thing you’ve done this summer in the comment section of this post for a chance to win.

Please bear with me with heading back to school on Monday and getting my life together after being gone all week. It might be a couple of days before I announce the winner.

Truly, thank you for reading my posts, commenting and making this space a fun corner for the internet for me.

Favorite Kid Quote:

On Tuesday, when Hadley looked at her phone, she said, “Ewww! It’s August 1st.” I could definitely relate 😆

Favorite Mom Meme:

This one made me laugh…

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from this week in case you missed one:

July Books
Siesta Key part 2
What’s in my Shower

What are your weekend plans?

I still have a couple more days in paradise and then Sunday is full on back to reality followed by back to school on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

Posted in Travel

Siesta Key Part 2

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello…and happy first day of August!

I hope your week is off to a great start. I have one more post recapping our vacation in Siesta Key. I shared part 1 last week, and have two more days to share today.

Wednesday:

I enjoyed my coffee before going for a walk in the morning.

It was hot, but the views were pretty!

We had a quick lunch at the house before going to the beach. Hadley wanted a smoothie bowl, so we stopped for one as well as sweatshirt shopping

We went to Turtle Beach for a few hours that afternoon. I really do love that beach because it’s only steps from the parking lot to the sand…and it’s not very crowded.

A fellow beach-goer saw me taking the girls’ picture and offered to take one of the three of use. She probably thought both girls were my daughters. haha

I had a great time with the girls.

(How cute is my “beach” ball cap? Remember when we took the kids to the outlet malls…Hadley went into Simply Southern and I saw it…I think it was $6! I figured, why not? Also, sometimes I have a hard time wearing my favorite sunglasses with ball caps, so that one fits perfectly for that too.)

I finished a book and started a new one while the girls swam and floated on the boogie boards.

We were there a couple of hours before a storm started brewing. Truly, this view was behind me and I had no clue. It was sunny and blue skies while I watched the girls float on the boogie boards, and Hadley pointed behind me and said, “Mom look!” We stayed until it was obvious we should pack up.

We were at the house for a bit before heading to the Lobster Pot for dinner. This is Hadley’s favorite place to eat. I showed her the pic from 2019, and of course she wanted to recreate it.

After dinner, we went back to the house. The girls were tired, so I went and caught the sunset. When I sent them the pic of the rainbow, they wished they’d joined me…haha

…I sent Hadley a selfie…

I’ll never get over how the sunset at the same spot of the beach can look so different night to night…

and…the lighting can change so much in a matter of minutes…

Then, I picked the girls up, and we headed for ice cream at Orange Octopus.

Like every other night, I read and they hung out and watched tv before bed.

Thursday:

As many times as we’ve been to Siesta Key, we’ve never been on the water. I was able to book us on a morning two hour boat ride…”morning dolphin cruise.” So, we were at the marina early to check in and get on the boat.

The captain was funny and knowledgeable.

In the first thirty minutes we passed quite a few “famous” houses.

Top left: Prince’s former house (in the foreground, you can see the edge of the purple pool)

Top right: Andre Agassi’s former house. There’s a gold lion head until the second level windows.

Middle left: Urban Meyer’s current house.

Middle right: Tommy Bahama’s house (can’t remember if it’s his current house)

Bottom left: The guy who has the patent for the Swatch Watch built that house.

Bottom right: The most expensive house in Siesta Key – $30 million…and guess how many bedrooms it has—2!

…the view of Sarasota was neat.

They stopped at one point and let everyone go to the front of the boat to snap pics if they wanted.

Besides us, there was a group of four and then a family six.

I thought this was so cool…the captain said this dog walker/day care brings the dogs to play on this sandbar. The pups were having the best time.

So, we were on the lookout for dolphins with not much luck…and then, on our way back, almost to the marina, we saw three dolphins right in front of Prince’s house! It was cool to see…but hard to catch in a picture.

After the boat ride, it was lunchtime, so we headed to the village for pizza.

The girls were full and tired, so they hung at the house, while I went to the beach for a couple of hours. I was able to read my book, and enjoy the view.

For dinner, we ate Mexican food at the Hub which is another favorite.

Then, we went to catch one last sunset.

The girls played spike ball again, and…

Hadley found a sand dollar. It was alive, so she just showed it to me, and put it back.

We hung out for as long as we could.

I always hate saying “goodbye” to the beach.

There were clouds rolling in, and the girls were being silly.

The sky colors changed so quickly…

…and even the walk back to the car was so pretty.

On the way home, we stopped for gelato at another favorite place in the village.

Then, we tidied up and packed our suitcases before just relaxing the rest of the night.

Friday :

We were up around 7, so we could leave by 8.

It’s a family “tradition” to take a pic in front of the palm trees at the house before we leave. I took this pic earlier in the week because they both had their new sweatshirts on…haha

Our rental car was a Jeep Grand Cherokee for the week…and I really loved it.

Honestly, I was expecting a four door sedan, but at the car rental rep gave me a few choices and mentioned the jeep, so I went for it.

Side note — Hadley’s “dream” car is a jeep…(a real jeep), so I was excited that they had this Grand Cherokee option, so I didn’t tell the girls which car was ours until we got to the parking spot…but it was parked right next to Hadley’s dream car jeep…lol

Also, my dad drove a white Grand Jeep Cherokee for many years –actually 17 I think!…so this was a fun blast from the past.

We stopped in the village at Meaney’s Mini Donuts and Coffee House before hitting the road.

I can’t believe how seamless the trip was in regards to checking in/security flights being on time, picking up and dropping off the car, etc. Each way, from leaving the house, arriving at the airport one hour before departure, the two hour flight and getting home was five hours total…and no issues.

And…did I mention, for the first time ever, I packed a carry-on suitcase? This milestone needs to be remembered…haha

Thanks for following along on our little girls vacay. We had a great time.

Posted in Travel

Siesta Key Part 1

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

Well, we’ve been back a few days, so I’m recapping the first couple of days of the little vacay that Hadley and I went on last week.

We’ve been going to Siesta Key off and on for years. Trav’s aunt has a house there, and she’s so gracious to offer it to family whenever it’s available.

The kids have fond memories, favorite restaurants, and we always enjoy our time there.

While Hayden was a running camp, Travis suggested that Hadley and I go for a few days. At first I hesitated, but since Hayden had been to the beach with his friend, and Hadley wanted to go to the beach, I decided to go for it…especially when I saw easy flights to and from Lexington.

While we usually fly there, sometimes, the flights are really early or late, and these were just right. Hadley was able to bring a friend, so that was an added bonus!

Monday:

Our flight left Lexington at 1:30, so we arrived at the airport at 12:30.

BIG NEWS, y’all…I packed a carry on suitcase for the plane…for the first time ever! To be honest, besides being so convenient, it was thrilling. (I really I need a life. haha…This just felt like such a great achievement!)

The flight is less than two hours, we landed, got a rental car and drove the hour to Siesta Key. We were to the house around 5:30…just in time for me to receive my first ever Instacart order! I’d never done this before, and it was so great to arrive and have groceries!

I just knew we’d be there around dinnertime, and I didn’t want to get to the house and then spend an hour shopping. I’m so glad that I did this.

We unpacked, and the girls wanted to go to the beach quickly before dinner. It had just rained, but it was still so pretty out.

Then, we headed to the Daiquiri Deck which is a fave. We were so hungry, so we split some chicken nachos, and then ordered food for dinner too…as well a a daiquiri…(virgin for the girls, of course)

Then, Hadley suggested we drive to Turtle Beach which we discovered on our last trip there. It’s an easier beach to navigate with only a few steps from the car to the sand….and it’s just so pretty!

We were there about thirty minutes, and it was just so nice.

Look at the sunset photo Hadley took! Stunning.

….and a beach selfie before we left.

Once we got back to the house, the girls swam for a bit and then watched tv until bedtime.

Tuesday:

I ran to the grocery store for a few odds and ends, and then I worked out.

We had a quick lunch at home before heading to the beach.

We went to Siesta Key Beach around 12:30

The girls swam and hung out on the boogie boards for a couple of hours while I read.

Then, we went back to the house and swam a bit before showering before dinner.

We went to SKOB (Siesta Key Oyster Bar). While here, I did miss the boys…they love the oysters here.

After dinner, the girls wanted to shop a bit, and each got a t-shirt. Then, they got some ice cream. Ice cream at Olaf’s is a must. (According to Hadley 😉 )

We went back to the house for a bit before going to the beach for the sunset. They played smash ball, we went for a walk, and then went back to the house after the sun set.

There was a sandbar between the beach and the ocean, and they had fun going to and from the sandbar to play.

It’s always amazing to me how the sky looks different every night for sunset.

The girls watched tv, and I read until bedtime.

And…then it was time for Be Real…I made it in the nightly photo. haha

We had a really great start to our trip!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, Travel

Friday Favorites {#167}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday.

I can’t believe my summer Fridays are slipping away! I’m trying to make the most of what we have left of summer break.

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

Here are some favorites from the week:

This post will be pretty short and sweet because Hadley and I have been in one of our favorite places this week: Siesta Key, Florida. She brought a friend along too!

Here are a few of our favorite photos:

Monday night’s sunset was stunning.

We had a great time.

Siesta Key girl!

Living her best life…

A book at the beach is one of my favorite things.

As many times as we’ve been here, we’ve never been out on the water. I booked a two hour morning cruise yesterday, and we spotted dolphins …in front of Prince’s former beach house…peep the purple pool!

I was 4 for 4 catching the sunset which is my favorite thing to do.

And this was the view on the way back to the car last night. Stunning.

We had a great few days at the beach.

and…I think these girls have had lots of fun this week…Of course they’ve added a new sweatshirt to their collection 😆

While Hadley and I have been away, Hayden has been at running camp. Travis called me after he dropped him off and said that I shouldn’t expect much from him when we take him to college. Hayden was ready to roll and had no issues with saying goodbye 😆

I guess that’s what we want as parents, right? …for them to want to be independent and spread their wings.

Hadley has always been my more extroverted child while Hayden tends to be more introverted and a homebody. So while Hadley was always excited for camp, Hayden never really showed any interest until this year.

I’m happy he is going to camp on his own terms because then I don’t have to worry about him at all.

I can’t wait to see him though and hear all about it.

Friday Find:

On Instagram, I just recently found @matteicheldinger who is a middle school teacher. You must check him out if you don’t follow him already.

His student stories are funny, uplifting, inspirational. and he’s such a good story teller!

Flashback Friday:

Since we’ve been in Siesta Key this week, here are a few throwback photos…

A family photo in 2016…

This pic from the same 2016 trip is one of my favorites….

Every time we come to SK, Hadley wants to eat at the Lobster Pot.

Here she is in 2019 and 2023 😆

Weekly Recap:

I was a busy blogger this week. Also, thanks for all the love about Hadley’s hair tutorial…She appreciated the compliments.

Hello Monday
50 States
Hair Tutorial
Thursday THoughts

What are your weekend plans? Well, it’s back to reality for us. Once we get home, I will have to unpack and get a few things accomplished, both at home and at school.

This has been a fun week with Hadley, but I’ve missed the guys…

I hope you have a great weekend.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel

Friday Favorites {#163}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

Why do the weeks seem to fly by in the summer?

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

Well, instead of my more traditional Friday Favorites post, I’m sharing the details of our trip to Julep Farm last week. This is definitely a favorite place, and one that I hope we visit again.

A little back story: A co-worker of Trav’s told him about Julep Farms, and Travis gave me a gift card to Julep Farms for Christmas 2021. I’d never heard of it, but appreciated the gift, of course. All along, I’d hoped we could visit there in the fall, but I’m not sure what I was thinking…the fall is probably our busiest time of the year. I had kind of forgotten about it, but Travis organized this trip since my mom was available to stay with the kids a couple of extra days when she was visiting.

We don’t do the best job at getting away just the two of us, so this was a great trip to do so and celebrate our anniversary and Trav’s birthday a bit early.

So…here are the details.

Last week, we left on Tuesday morning around 10:00. Thankfully, we had an uneventful car ride and arrived around 3:00.

Super cute scene as we pulled in…

On the property, there are four cottages, and one bigger one across the road. We saw that they are actually building three more cottages, so there will be more options soon. We were staying in the Magnolia cottage. (There is one named “Sweet Tea”…seems like that’s the one we should have stayed in…haha…but really it’s bigger and sleeps six…I guess we didn’t need that one)

Totally my vibe!

I loved the little touches like the mugs, welcome note and popcorn, and the print of the property. Upon seeing the mug, I told Travis I had to have one to take home!

We unpacked and sat on the front porch for a bit.

Then, we walked around the property. There was a large venue that I’m sure people rent for parties and weddings. Next to it, was a silo and seating area as well as a garden.

The “Social House” is where the gift shop, coffee/breakfast bar is as well as the restaurant.

We headed back to the cottage to change for dinner.

While I knew Julep Farms was in Dillard, GA, I hadn’t really looked on the map. Travis had done his “research” and knew that Highlands and Cashiers, NC were nearby. Eventually, when I looked at the map, I could see that Dillard is close to Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina borders.

Anyway, we took the twisty route to Highlands, NC for dinner. It’s a super cute town.

We stopped in Four 65 for a drink and apps. It was really nice to sit on the patio. I was surprised by the cooler temps.

Then, we walked around a bit, and Travis made a reservation for dinner at a restaurant we saw on our walk. Since there was a wait, we popped in to The Ugly Dog for a drink. Since we weren’t going to stay long, we sat at the bar.

Well, while at the bar, we met Billy who chatted…and chatted…and chatted while he had his dinner. He raved about the food at The Ugly Dog and had clearly taken advantage of the half price bottle of wine that is the Tuesday special. lol

Anyway, after our drive to Highlands, we knew we wanted to be back “down the mountain” by dark, so we went ahead and ate at the bar. I had one of the specials, porcini and truffle ravioli with chicken, and it was good. Billy was right! 😉

There were two “scenic overlooks” on the way back to Julep Farms…and I made Travis pull over at both.

Like…how could we not stop and take in these views?

Julep Farms even looks pretty at night!

We sat on the porch for a few minutes before heading to bed.

It was so so nice to sleep in on Wednesday morning. I didn’t get up until close to 9. I enjoyed sitting on the porch with my coffee.

Travis did too…

To be honest, I’m not sure what Dillard, GA has to offer as we spent most of our time on the farm or in NC. That being said, Travis found Veronica’s Cafe in a strip mall off the highway, and we couldn’t wait to eat breakfast.

He got biscuits and gravy, and I ordered pancakes and more coffee. It really hit the spot!

Once we got back to Julep Farm, we stopped in the Social House to check out the gift shop and coffee bar.

Then, we got ready for our hike. We drove to Highlands to Whiteside Mountain. Travis had found a two mile hike. The first mile was a “gradual” incline to the top, and then the return trip was more scenic and downhill.

We made it to the top!

We hiked a bit more and took in the views.

The night before, Billy had told us about Whiteside Brewing Co in Cashiers, so we had planned on going there for lunch. Well, as we made our way to Cashiers, we realized Wednesday was the one day the brewing company was closed.

Pivot!…we ended up at Slabtown Pizza, and it was such a cute restaurant in the village. We split a BBQ chicken pizza.

Then, we headed to a waterfall in Highlands called Dry Falls which is in the Nantahala National Forest.

Travis knows I love a waterfall!

We didn’t have to hike to this one…we just parked a walked a bit down the trail…

It was so pretty…

There was a path to the other side, and it was cool to be behind the waterfall too.

After that, we headed back to Julep Farms and relaxed a bit before dinner.

Since we had no kids (Hadley!) on this trip, we had to rely on a timed selfie on the porch…it was nice to capture a pic since we were dressed up a bit…

We made our way to the restaurant on the property at the Social House. We sat at the bar for an appetizer before sitting outside for dinner.

The views (and the weather!) were amazing…as was the food.

After dinner, we sat on the porch for a couple of hours. I could have taken 100 pics of these sunset views.

Besides the planning, Travis packed a few extras for us including snacks, the cooler, my favorite blanket, and this lovely bottle of wine. It’s a very nice bottle of wine that a client gave him, and we weren’t sure when we’d drink it…

…but I guess he figured this trip would be the perfect time to do so.

Cheers to a couple of great days away!

The next morning, we took it easy. I drank my coffee and read for about an hour before we packed up and headed home.

We definitely could have stayed at least one more day. What would we have done? Probably much of the same…another slow morning, another hike, another good lunch…probably at the brewery we didn’t get to, a nap, and maybe dinner at the place we didn’t get to the first night! While I love getting home, on short trips, I typically wish we stayed one more day.

Not shockingly, I did come home with a mug…in my favorite color.

It’s easier said than done, but I’d love to make this a place we go back to through the years.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one…

Hello Monday
The ABC’s of Summer
Thursday Thoughts

I enjoyed our trip so much that I put together a little reel for Instagram. I will post it this morning. Check it out if you want!

I hope you have a great weekend.

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids, Travel

Friday Favorites {#162}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

How was your week? We had a really good one!

I’m linking up with Andrea to tell you a bit about it.

Here are a few favorites from the week:

Hadley’s recital pics came in, and I couldn’t love them more. There were so many good ones, but these are the two I ordered:

Last weekend was super busy, and all of Sunday was spent at Hadley’s dance recitals. Her studio had two recitals. The first recital was the one where she had most of her dances, so my mom, Trav’s mom, Trav’s two sisters, and Travis and Hayden came to it. She danced in the large production opening number, one small group competition dance, two ballet, one tap, one jazz, and the closing number.

For the later performance, she was in the large production opening number, her other small group lyrical competition dance, and the closing number.

I loved all the colors in the background of each dance…so pretty!

So, over nine hours at the recital venue for two recitals with ten dances and seven costumes, she was one tired girl!

Hadley was also recognized for five years dancing at her studio.

We snapped a few pics after the first recital before grabbing a bite to eat. Then, my mom and I stayed for the second recital. We were all very proud of her.

Monday I had a busy day at school, Hayden played a round of golf with friends, and Hadley was at the pool for most of the day.

My mom continued her visit and watched the kids while Travis and I took a little trip.

We spent a few days at Julep Farms in Dillard, Georgia. I’m sure I will write a whole post about it, but it was a lovely getaway.

We stayed in the Magnolia cottage…

…which had the loveliest views.

Wednesday night, we even had dinner on the property.

Since we were dressed up a bit, we did a selfie using the timer on my phone. I sure missed having Hadley to take our photos…she always gets the high angle…haha

This one turned out pretty good!

Favorite Outfit:

I think I shared this SSYS dress when I got it in the spring, but this summer I’ve used it as a swim cover-up a couple of times, but then wore it to my brother’s birthday party on Saturday. I also got this belt bag recently…I wanted one that was a little bigger than my Lulu one, and this one is perfect.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Haha…I shared a similar meme last week…but this one also made me laugh.

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday

My sister-in-law had these cups made for my brother’s birthday party last Saturday…This “throwback” pic is too funny…

Weekly Recap

I only had a couple of posts this week, but they were fun link ups!

Not Just a Mom
LEt’s Look

What are your weekend plans? Today, I’m playing catch up from being gone for a couple of days…and I need to prep a bit for the summer school sessions I’m running the next couple of weeks.

Of course, on Sunday, we’ll celebrate Travis for Father’s Day. My dad received his gift yesterday and is probably using it while watching the US Open.

Thanks so much for reading,

Posted in Let's look, Travel

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I’m linking up with Shay and Erika for this month’s Let’s Look.

So far this year, we’ve looked at…

  • Scheduling/organizing a busy family in January
  • What’s in your medicine cabinet in February
  • Favorite Amazon finds in March
  • I skipped April because we had pet peeves as topic for May’s Not Just a Mom post, so I saved those ideas for that post.
  • Around May’s link up, I shared a “Day in the Life” post, so that ended up including most of my morning routine

This month, we are looking at our best travel tips.

Well, I’m not sure I’m the one to come to for travel tips, and I guess things have changed through the years based on my kids’ age. Also, my “toxic trait” is waiting to pack until the last minute and then always over packing.

That being said, here are a few things that came to mind…

  • I do try to plan ahead about two weeks leading up to leaving for a trip to KC or vacation. I use my calendar to remind myself to buy anything I need for an upcoming trip about two weeks out.
  • A couple of days before traveling, I do all the laundry, and then put away what we don’t need for the trip.
  • I used to always type out a note on my phone of things to pack and then delete it after I’ve packed. Well, I still use a note, but I quit deleting it because the list includes things I never want to forget like: sound machine, Kindle, hats, purses, etc. So, now I just delete the seasonal items like swim suit or sweater and use the note as my packing list.
  • Speaking of packing lists, for a couple of years now, I’ve created a packing list for the kids on the notes app and text it to them to use to pack themselves. We’ve come a long way…I still check what they’ve packed, but it’s nice that they can pack themselves.
  • Since I am an over-packer, over the past year, I’ve made a list on my computer of what I actually needed/wore after getting back from vacation or other trips. So, if I packed four swimsuits and only wore two, then I updated my master list. Will I ever be a person who can pack in a carry on only? Only time will tell.
  • Travel packing cubes are still my favorite thing ever. We have a few sets in a few different colors. I use all different sizes to pack, and the kids usually just use smaller ones to hold socks, underwear, swimsuits, etc.
  • For travel in the car, times have changed. I used to pack all kinds of snacks, movies, headphones, books, bags with different things like coloring books or stickers. We still pack snacks, but now the kids usually just watch Netflix on their phones and have their Airpods. I do have them bring a book when we travel in the car…especially during the school year when I know they need to read for their Language Arts class.
  • When we are gone for a few days, I’ve started bringing a laundry bag to hold dirty clothes. There’s only four of us, but I like to keep everything together.
  • Do laundry when you can. If we are in KC or somewhere with a washer/dryer, we do laundry as needed and before heading home. It’s nice coming home with clean clothes.
  • When we get home, we try to unpack almost everything. Kind of like I procrastinate with packing, sometimes my suitcase is the last one unpacked after a couple of days. That being said, if everything else is put away (kids’ stuff, car things, gifts at Christmas, etc), then I feel ok just having my suitcase to deal with whenever I can get to it.
  • I have my favorite travel bag, and this past year, I started leaving the extra sound machine and a couple of smaller packing cubes in it. So, when we are just going somewhere for a night or two and I don’t need a suitcase, then I have those items handy.
  • Also, I leave the other packing cubes in the suitcases, so we aren’t looking for those.
  • I try to replenish travel size items like shampoo or hairspray when we return home, so I don’t have to scramble to buy them before the next trip.
  • We always leave the house picked up, so when we get home, cleaning/tidying isn’t something we have to do. If we are really on our “A game,” we schedule for our house to be cleaned while we are gone. It’s always so nice to return home to a clean house.

Well, most of these tips have to do with prepping to travel, so I definitely have a thing or two to learn. I can’t wait to see what tips others have to share.

I probably won’t have another post until Friday, so I hope you have a great rest of your week.

Posted in Kids, Travel

Summer Camp Packing List

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I can’t believe it’s already mid-week, and we are nearing the end of the school year.

The camp emails are starting to come in which had me thinking about what Hadley takes to camp every year.

I will be the first to admit that I’m not a camper. I went to Girl Scout camp in 4th grade, and I remember liking it…but I also remember being glad when I got home.

We went “glamping” for a couple of nights over fall break 2019, and we had a good time. One thing I knew about camping that this confirmed was packing for camping is so much work!

Hadley has been to summer camp for three years. I remember being so anxious the first time we left her at camp. Many of her friends had gone to this three day camp, but the first time Hadley went, she was old enough for the week long camp.

She was so excited, and she ended up loving every minute.

I searched for her face every night in the camp photos, and she always looked like she was having a blast.

That first year, when I picked her up from camp, I was one of the first parents to pick up. Hayden had a baseball tournament that we had to get to. I will never forever seeing her big smile. She gave me a hug and asked me to sign her up for the next year! She also told me she’d lost her toothbrush and hadn’t brushed her teeth since Tuesday! haha

Anyway, the other two summers she went to camp were easy breezy.

While it was weird not having her home, I was happy and less anxious knowing how much she loves it.

If you ask her if she would go to camp all summer long, her answer would for sure be yes. Honestly, I’d probably let her her…but dang —the cost of camp ain’t cheap…and she doesn’t even go to any fancy camps!

Of course, the camp sends a list, but today I’m sharing a few things that we’ve purchased through the years.

Some things we’ve previously purchased don’t seem to be currently be available, but I’ve found some similar options.

At the suggestion of my friend who had been sending her girls to camp for a few years, we picked up this tub with wheels to store most of what Hadley needed. It slides right under the bunk at camp. We found ours at Meijer.

A few other items:

  • Camping pillow – While Hadley does take her bed pillow to camp, this smaller camping pillow is similar to what she has and comes in handy when they have had rest time in the lodge.
  • Flashlight – She always takes a small flashlight.
  • Lantern – While Hadley doesn’t take the lanterns to camp, we bought them before our glamping trip and use them in the backyard sometimes.
  • Fan – This fan is similar to the one that has worked on most of her bunks because it clips right on. If not, sometimes, she just props it in the corner of her bed for some extra air at night.
  • Dry bag– This was a gift to Travis for Christmas because during cross country season, I realized how handy it would be to have something to keep clothes dry (or put wet clothes in). I also knew we’d use it during track season. While I don’t think Hadley will want to use it for summer camp, it’s a great item to have (and they come in a few sizes)
  • Sleep sack– Hadley requested this last year. She always takes her sleeping bag, but this is perfect for on top (or inside) the sleeping bag. She’s covered up, but it’s light weight. We also take a XL twin fitted sheet for her bed.
  • Laundry bag – This light weight laundry bag is perfect for her to keep up with her dirty clothes. We actually pack a Command hook to use to keep it off the ground in her bunk. She just hangs it on the wall, and then we take the hook down when we check out. Also, I’ve started keeping one of these with our suitcases, and if we go on a longer trip, I take one to keep up with our family dirty laundry.
  • Shower caddy- This shower caddy ends up being something that Hadley uses to pack. She will use it to hold bug spray, face wash, hair brush, toothbrush, etc…along with her soap, shampoo and conditioner.

A few other ideas…

  • We use large Ziplock bags to pack, and we label each one using permanent marker. So, there’s one for underwear/socks, swimsuits, dress (usually she packs one dress for the “nicer” chapel/dinner outfit), t-shirts, shorts, pjs, etc. Honestly, we’ve re-used the same bags through the years because by the time I pick her up, those are empty, and her laundry bag is full.
  • I send her with two swim towels and one bath towel. She probably showers twice if we’re lucky! I definitely don’t send her with the good towels.
  • We store everything she needs for camp in the tub until the next year…(and we roll it under the guest bed in the basement, so we always know where the camp things are)

This year, Hadley is going to a different camp…and she’s excited. I’m excited for her, and lots of her friends are going. That being said, since it’s not the camp I’m familiar with, I know I’ll be thinking about her that much more when she’s gone.

Hayden is definitely more of a homebody like me, and he’s never been to camp. I’ve never pressed the issue with him as most summers he’s had baseball and I’m not going to force him. Last year, he started talking about going to a running camp this summer, and I think he’s going to do that. It’s just a few nights away pretty close to home, so that’s a good start.

Of course, both kids aren’t going to camp at the same time…haha

One more story…

As I typed this post, I thought of the time Travis and I went camping after we’d been dating about eight or nine months.

We were living in Columbia, Missouri (where we met) at the time. One week, he told me he’d borrowed a tent from a co-worker and knew a place we could camp. Good thing he didn’t seem like a serial killer, and I was in love, so I obliged.

Wherever we went was about an hour away from Columbia, and we left on a Saturday morning. We set up the tent and other things, hiked, cooked out our dinner, drank beer and ate s’mores. The tent was fine, and we even cooked breakfast the next morning before hiking again and packing up the camp stuff.

I sure wish I had some selfies from that trip, but we didn’t even have cell phones then!

On the drive home, he told me what a good time he’d had, and joked that I “passed the test…” and went on about how he was ready to take me with him to Kentucky for a few weddings he was in over the next few months. While that moment was sweet, I was stuck on the “test” part and told him I was glad I passed the test because I would never camp again! lol

To this day, I love a good hike, don’t mind to roast a hot dog for dinner or s’mores for dessert, but I prefer to go back to the Marriott for a shower and good night’s rest.

What about you? Did you go to camp as a kid?

If you have a kid going to camp soon, I hope this post is of some help! Also, take comfort in the fact that they are most likely having the time of their lives and not missing you as much as you miss them. 😆

Posted in Travel

Greenville, You Cute…

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

Well, we’ve been home for over a week, but today I’m recapping our few days in Greenville, SC over spring break.

I’ve shared many times before, but by the time spring break arrives, I’m usually too tired to do much for break. Also, Travis is pretty busy this time of the year, but a few days away is always nice.

We usually try to go somewhere close enough to drive, and often times, we go somewhere new (to us). I like that we are showing our kids a variety of places and mix in activities with some downtime as well.

We’d stopped in Greenville on our way to the beach a few years ago, and Travis always wanted to go back and check it out. We have friends who went for a few days last year, and they enjoyed their time there as well.

To me, it seems that Greenville is when Asheville and Charleston collide. There’s the charm of Charleston and the outdoor activities and attractions similar to Asheville.

We had awesome weather three of the four days. Travis had planned ahead, and I’m glad he realized that many of the smaller restaurants and even some shops are closed on Mondays.

Here’s a recap of our trip:

Saturday:

One thing about me is that I hate being rushed to leave the house. So, we all slept in on Saturday, did regular Saturday activities like picking up the house and getting some chores done, we packed and hit the road a bit before noon.

We stopped at Jimmy Johns before getting on the highway. We hit some traffic, but arrived at our hotel around 5:30.

We relaxed a bit, and there was basketball on, so Hayden watched it while Travis figured out dinner.

We went to Kitchen Sync for dinner. It was busy, but we checked in online, and barely had to wait for our table.

Hayden got a hamburger, Travis and Hadley had pizza, and I had the shrimp scampi. We even indulged in dessert!

Once we got back to the hotel, we just hung out a bit more. Perks of having big kids now…they hung out in the room while Travis and I got a drink at the hotel bar. That being said, we were all in bed by 10!

Sunday:

On Sunday, it was nice to sleep in. Travis and I even had our coffee in the lobby while the kids slept a bit more.

There was Another Broken Egg nearby, so we went there for breakfast. I wanted to take the coffee mug home with me!

Then, we went back to the hotel, called the bike place, showered, and packed up. We stayed at a Marriott the first night. Since we knew we were arriving later, we stayed at a hotel right off the highway with food nearby.

We drove a few minutes downtown to our hotel for the next two nights. We parked and walked to Reedy Rides to pick up our bikes that we rented for four hours.

Like my coffee mug, my bike was just my style! (my favorite color)

FYI: The downtown area of Greenville is very walkable, dog friendly, and has many trails.

The Swamp Rabbit Trail is 22 miles long, and that’s what we stayed on for our bike ride. Before we hit the trail, we did bike a bit downtown. It was so pretty.

Then, we made our way to the trail.

I’m assuming that given the amazing weather and the fact that it was a Sunday, the trail was busy. There were so many people out jogging, bike riding, and walking their dogs.

Along the way, there were signs pointing to various destinations, a few restaurants and other attractions.

Well, once Hayden saw that Furman University was only 6 miles away, he wanted to go there. Travis had already planned on taking the kids there the next day for a track workout, but Hayden wanted to see the purple track. 😆

So, off we went.

The campus was so pretty. We parked our bikes, got Gatorade out of the vending machine, and sat by the lake for a bit.

Photo cred: Hayden

Then, we found the track.

The kids ran around for a bit.

Then, we started the 6 miles back to town.

We stopped at Southernside Brewing Co for a few apps and a beer for Travis. It was pretty crowded, but we parked our bikes, found a table, ordered using the QR code, and we had our food in less than 10 minutes. We were impressed (and thankful since we were so hungry)

We returned our bikes around 4:00. We had ridden over 15 miles that day! Then, we walked back to our car by the hotel. We stayed at Embassy Suites Greenville Downtown Riverplace, and it was so nice and convenient.

We checked in, relaxed, showered/freshened up before hitting up the cocktail hour. We’ve stayed the the Embassy Suites a couple of times, and Travis is now a big fan due to free cocktail/snack hour and free breakfast!

The kids joined us and had a few snacks, and then we headed to dinner.

We went to Soby’s which was highly recommended. Travis had planned ahead on Open Table, so it was nice to walk right in and have a seat. Y’all, we were so tired…and hungry. The food was great, but we did have to wait a bit to get our food. Thankfully, the app and bread basket held us over.

The walk back to the hotel was pretty.

The Embassy Suites has “Up on the Roof” that’s a restaurant and roof top patio. Even though I was tired, Travis talked me in to hanging out up there for a bit. We knew the weather was going to be colder the next day, so we went ahead for a nightcap.

Again, we were all asleep by 10! We were tuckered out!

Monday:

Monday morning, we slept in before breakfast.

The temps went from 80 to 60, and it was a rainy day.

After breakfast, Trav and the kids went to run at Furman. I hung out for a bit in the room, but then decided to get some steps in. I went for walk around the town…and visited some of the areas we’d walked through at night.

I was gone about an hour. Once they returned, we decided to get lunch. This is when we really noticed how much is closed on Mondays. We did go to an outdoor place called Gather that has different food trucks. They also have heaters on the patio, so even though it was colder with some rain, we enjoyed eating outside. Hadley got an acai bowl at one place, I ordered a grilled cheese at another, and the boys got hamburgers and fries. Not every place was open, but we still had plenty to choose from.

If we’d stayed another night, we would have come back here for dinner and just hang on Tuesday.

Then, we walked around a bit. Hadley’s friend had told her about Blueberry Frog Frozen Yogurt, so of course we had to stop there. It was delish.

Then, we walked around and hit up some shops.

Once back at the hotel, we relaxed for a bit. Trav and the kids went out and walked around a bit more. Since I had already done that in the morning, I stayed back, read my book and took a nap.

Then, we made plans to go to Top Golf, and we had a good time. It’s fun to go when it’s darker outside, and the sun was setting just as we got started. We had a few apps while we played.

Then, we stopped at Iron Hill Brewery for dinner. Honestly, it was just on the way back to the hotel, and we knew the men’s championship game would be on. They had lots of good food choices though.

We got back to the hotel around 10:00, finished watching the championship game and went to bed.

Tuesday:

Again, we slept in a bit (it was nice that we slept in on this trip rather than be rushed in the morning).

We went down to breakfast and then got ready for the day. We packed up and left around 10.

We drove outside of Greenville to a trail Travis found. It was just a two mile loop that included a few waterfalls.

The weather was beautiful, and it was a good hike to get some steps in before being in the car for five hours going home.

The only family photo of the trip, but it was a good one. Thank goodness for Hadley and her selfie skills.

We got back on the road and near Asheville there was a White Duck Taco. We love going there when we visit Asheville, so it was a good stop for lunch.

We enjoyed our lunch outside before getting back in the car for the ride home.

So many times when we are on a trip, we just get up and head home. I’m glad we took the time to ease into the day, take a scenic drive, and sprinkle in one more activity and great pit stop for food.

We got back home around 6:00, and of course we were all excited to see Homer.

I was thinking back through our spring break trips, and we’ve been to Hilton Head and KC, but we’ve also been to Knoxville, Asheville, and Nashville…and now Greenville. We apparently love a “ville.”

It was the perfect little getaway, and I bet we’ll visit again in the future!

I don’t think I will have a Friday Favorites post tomorrow, so I hope you have a great rest of your week and weekend.