travel

disneyland

Disneyland is a whole different beast!
Our second day at Disney we devoted to Disneyland. It is classic and more crowded. I admit that I’m more of a Pixar fan, but I still wanted to make the day special for the girls. There is something pretty special about that Castle when you walk through the main gates. 

We took advantage of fast passes and skipped a few of the big roller coasters that the girls were not so interested in riding. We rode Its a Small World a hand full of times. We ate Mickey Mouse pretzels, popcorn and giant caramel apples. We waited over 40 minutes for the Peter Pan ride but still loved it. We waited equally long for the Dumbo ride and Gwyneth was in heaven. With aching feet we took a break and rode the train around the park for about 30 minutes. We loved the Buzz Light Year Astro Blasters and the girls were terrified of the monster in the matterhorn ride. We had mickey lollipops, tired feet and a happy day! 
The girls waited 3 days for these yummy treats. They were worth the wait. 
We ran into Cruella on Main Street
We enjoyed those yummy apples!
Gwyneth was the Astro Blaster champion
As the crowds gathered on main street for the firework show the girls decided they had their fill and were ready to go. Both were hungry and tired and asked if we could head back to downtown Disney for a late night treat. I was all for it! 
We stopped at the first little bistro we came across. We shared some calamari and a little pizza and I enjoyed a glass of wine. We talked all about our very long vacation, favorite rides, and missing B. We talked until the pizza was gone and we could barely keep our eyes open. It was such  a wonderful experience!
Goodbye California. You sure were good to us!

breckenridge

We took advantage of a small break from school and were able to head up to the mountains. B was able to get away for the weekend and Don and Lisa joined us for a night as well. We didn’t have much planned just a few days of relaxing. I really enjoy the down time playing games. It’s such a wonderful treat. 
B had to head back down Sunday night for work, but I was able to work from the mountains and enjoy the Monday and Tuesday the girls had off school. 
We played around town and then I spent Tuesday morning picking up the house to head back home. I took a little too long and we left about an hour too late. It started to snow and by the time we made it to Silverthorne I was very uncomfortable with the limited visability. We got a little nervous and turned back. We stayed an extra night and the next morning was all sunshine making it much easier to get home.  
A lovely day in Breck

We grabbed lunch at Empire Burger and then wandered around town. It was a beautiful day.  

Our lunch spot
The girls requested a crafty afternoon. Annabelle decided to try her hand at canvas painting. 

Gwyneth and I gave mosaics a try. 

Annabelle did a great job on her painting and left it as a gift for my dad and Melissa. 

The mosaics were really fun. Gwyneth and I loved our pieces (after they were cleaned up). We’re eager to try it again and I’m trying to figure out if I can offer it at my studio.

We spent our night playing games and watching movies. Our favorite game these days is Farkle. I’m a risk taker in that game and it never seems to work out for me. The girls beat me every single time.

Tuesday morning started off gorgeous. A bright sunny day….who would have though we would end up snowed in!

We grabbed lunch at Eric’s and then played around town.

And then it started to snow. Just nice fluffy flakes at first. I love snow! I just don’t love driving in it.

This cracks me up! Gwyneth was loving the snow and Annabelle was counting down the days until she moves to California.

Annabelle really hates the snow. She is our beach babe! 

Luckily my dad and Melissa didn’t mind us staying another night in Breckenridge. We went back to the house and snuggled up. Sadly I had tossed out all our food because I thought we were heading home. We didn’t have much with us so we braved the weather for dinner at Breckenridge Brewery. The rest of the night we laid low, watching movies, and playing games. 

colorado springs | garden of the gods, manitou springs, and santa’s workshop

Garden of the Gods is one our favs. When in Colorado Springs, you have to go! It’s a necessity. The girls love the exploring. Climbing the big ol’ red rocks. 
The leaning rock pictures are a requirement. We have them from every visit. 
One of my favorites shots of the day. 
We stopped in Manitou Springs for lunch. The downtown is so quaint and I’ve been going here for years….since back in high school when my friend, Diane would come out to visit me. We’ve never really found a restaurant that we love, but we keep on trying. 
Gwneth found this tap of spring water and thought it was just the best. She got such a kick out of it. 
We tried salt water taffy on main street. Annabelle loved it. Gwyneth hated it. 
Another fresh spring water tap.
;This was our first visit to the North Pole, a cute little amusement park on the base of Pike’s Peak.  It is right up Gwyneth’s alley. No big roller coasters; just lots of fun smaller rides. They girls did most of them together and had a good ol’ time. 
love that face!
having so much fun!
This is the one ride where the girls had to split up. They need an adult to take them on the reindeer zip line. B looks a bit concerned – ha!
Here they go…
On their way back…
Gwyneth’s turn:
She is going to take some convincing: 
She loved it too!
This was a pole of ice/snow and it was nice and refreshing to lean against on that hot day. 
Overall it was kind of a cheesy little park, but we had a blast. I would recommend it for people with younger kids or anyone who doesn’t love roller coasters. 
Back at the hotel the girls begged for one more night of swimming. 
They had the pool nearly to themselves. There were two other kids there, but the rest of the place was empty! They got fancy with the slide and went head first. They were nothing but smiles and giggles. 

colorado springs | seven falls and the broadmoor

We planned this little mini – “staycation” for the week of the 4th. It’s pretty quiet at both of our businesses this week due to the holiday. We wanted take advantage of that down time and have a lot of family time. 
The morning we were set to leave was a bit of a whirlwind. We had stayed downtown the night before because we didn’t want to drive home with all the crazies after the game and fireworks. We didn’t get back to our hotel room the previous night until almost midnight so we had some tired girls. 
B received a few surprise orders and had to head back to the Kitchen that morning to do some cooking. I had to do payroll and get a few other work things done which I did from the hotel room in the dark. The girls were sound asleep from our previous night’s adventure. 
B and I were a bit flustered about starting our little trip later than expected. He scurried off while it was still dark and we both worked away. Our little ladies slept through it all! They didn’t wake up until about 10 am. They got ready for the day and we were waiting in the lobby when B pulled up to pick us up and head down south. 
It’s funny the things that get us worked up sometimes and then turn out to really be nothing at all…
On to our adventure!
I may love Colorado Springs more than anyone else in the world. Yes, the entire world. There is so much to do in that beautiful little town. So many natural treasures…and man-made ones too. I joke with B that I’m going to end up buying a vacation home there and he genuinely looks concerned. I really do love it. No matter how often we go there is never enough time. There is just so much to do. 
I have started quite a little journey of visiting the resorts there. We tried out the Cheyenne Mountain Resort and the Garden of the Gods Resort and this year we stayed at the Lodge at Flying Horse. The only resort left on my list to stay at is The Broadmoor. Someday. Soon. 
The resort was beautiful and the rooms were very nice. The views were stunning. It had more of a neighborhood feel though with the clubhouse and restaurant being across the parking lot and catered to residents. It was a bit far from the sites also. We had a really wonderful time and it was gorgeous, but given the price tag I will definitely rank it below the other two resorts we visited on prior visits.  
Our first stop was Seven Falls.
This one has been really built up for us. When B was a kid he made this place “Eight Falls” and the girls just think that story is hilarious! I did very little research on this outing and thought it would be 7 individual water falls. It wasn’t quite as expected. I think the girls were a little let down but they laughed all the way to the top thinking about their dad as a little boy peeing off the side!
This trip really took me out of my comfort zone. I’m terrified of heights and was so nervous. I got a little shaky up top but I did it. 
We stopped at the Golden Bee for a quick snack. The restaurant is located by the shuttle to Seven Falls and the Broadmoor. It’s a great little pub with the best smoked salmon appetizer. 
After our snack we wandered around The Broadmoor. It’s such a gorgeous hotel and the grounds have the most amazing views. I love the history of the place with well-known visitors. 
As we were leaving we noticed this guy just hanging out on the lawn: 
You’d think the girls would have been worn out by now, but nope! They were still up for a swim. They spent the rest of the evening going down this slide. Over and over again. They loved it! 
After a busy, busy day they were so hungry so we appeased with room service. I think that may be there favorite part of traveling. It was a busy, busy first day and lots more fun planned ahead…

road trip | las cruces

The second leg of our trip was only 3 hours which was a piece cake compared to the 6 1/2 hours the day before. 
We stopped about a half hour outside of Las Cruces for lunch. We had heard of this quirky little restaurant in Hatch, NM and had to see if for ourselves. It was definitely worth the stop. Hatch is known for it’s green chili so it’s no surprise the chili cheese fries were amazing. The girls loved their milk shakes and B gobbled up a chili cheese burger. The quirky decor was an added bonus. 
Enjoying their milkshakes:
Next stop was Las Cruces; home to New Mexico State Univeristy our alma mater. It has been years since we’ve been back to visit. Too many years to even count. So much has changed, but it still felt the same to me. 
It did feel bigger than I remembered and the girls both said it was bigger than they had expected. It is nice to see it growing and improving. 
Our first stop was the student union. We had to show the girls the student restaurant where we complained endlessly about our meal plan all those years ago. The food was not gourmet, but we sure do have fun memories of eating there with friends. 
The library
Our old dorms. Wow! What a dump. Seriously. 
There were not great when we lived there, but they have since built new residence halls and turned these into offices. 
B’s old room
The stoop. The gathering place. There was always someone hanging out here looking for trouble fun. I was never bored in college and have the best memories of my time in the dorms. I met great friends, played hard, and even attended a few classes on occasion. 
My freshman dorm. Seriously, what a dump!
The girls were melting during our tour.  They asked to take a little break in the shade to cool off. 
Campus
We stopped at the book store to buy some NMSU gear. Annabelle quickly picked out a water bottle
and Gwyneth found a stuffed bear that she quickly fell in love with.
One last cruise around campus
We showed the girls our first apartment which is also quite run down and they were not at all impressed. I loved that place though! We told them lots of stories of walking to classes, pulling all nighters and some pretty mischievous parties. 
B’s 2nd apartment, Alamo. I think this may still be one of his favorite apartments. It was quirky and fun, but a pain since it was a bit far from campus. 
After our campus tour we checked in to our hotel and the girls were in their swim suits in no time. Our old roomate from college, Anthony was in Las Cruces also and came over to the hotel to meet us. I’m beating myself up because I didn’t get a picture with him. It has been many years since we’ve seen him, but we fell right back in to our routine and it felt like no time had passed at all. He was heading back to New York the following week so I’m so, so grateful our time in NM overlapped. 
Pool time

road trip | albquerque

We started our summer off with a road trip. We decided to head south and show the girls where we went to school. We made a grand trip out of it and although we were in the car for quite some time, we had a wonderful time!
I really didn’t think I was a big fan of road trips, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was quite relaxing and we didn’t stick to a schedule. We just went were we wanted and did what we wanted. As a planner that really goes against my nature, but honestly I had the best time.
The first leg of our trip took us through Southern Colorado and these girls were great sports. 
Gwyneth read books the entire way while Annabelle slept. She made through two chapter books on the first day!
Annabelle had no trouble sleeping in the car. Getting comfy…
We stopped in Las Vegas, New Mexico for some junk food
When we were about an hour out of Albuquerque we decided we were done driving for the day and booked our hotel on my phone on hotels.com. I was so nervous about not having lodging booked all along our way, but it made it really easy to stop when we needed and we got exceptional last minute hotel deals. A little anxiety was well worth the fun.
B and I visited Albuquerque when we were in school, but we never explored historic old town. We stayed at the Hotel Albuquerque which had all the New Mexico character and charm that I love and have missed. 
We kicked off the weekend properly with New Mexican food, explored the town square, and the girls swam their little hearts out in the hotel pool. 
There were tv crews and equipment all around the square as they were taping an episode of Graves. We’ve never seen the show, but researched it and it looks right up our alley. 
The most familiar sites of New Mexico. 
After dinner we were pretty worn out, but the girls never miss an opportunity to swim. The hotel had a beautiful pool with an even better view. 
My little fish
B hung out with the girls while they swam and I explored the hotel. It had so much character and I fell in love with the chapel. Maybe we should renew our vows so we can go back?
View from the chapel:
The energy these two possess is unreal. 
They just swam and swam.
We all got a good night sleep and declared the first day of our adventure a success. 

mineapolis revisited

Our flight got messed up on our way home so we stayed another night in Minneapolis. We arrived back in town in the late afternoon so we checked in to a hotel:
And then hurried over for a late snack at the American Girl Doll store. 
Such a good dad and such a good sport. 
We decided to just keep it low key and relax before our early flight the next day. We walked around the gigantic Mall , visited the Peeps store and checked out a few other stores (again, we’re not big shoppers). We settled in for dinner at the Mall which had the saltiest food I think I’ve ever eaten. Even B said it was too salty…and that’s saying a lot! 
Annabelle was so tired of cheese curds. We ordered them at every meal and had to sample and compare. She was over it!
Luckily our hotel had a pool. The parents were worn out from travel and the long car ride, but the kids were still ready to go! They swam while we relaxed and it was the perfect end to a lovely little get away. 

ashland

We finally arrived in Ashland, Wisconsin where B’s sister and her family live. Nathan came home from college for the weekend so we were able to spend the time with the entire family. It was really nice to finally get to see where they are living. Most of Paul’s family lives there and they have been for three years now. It’s not a super easy place to get to, but we finally got there. 
The town is located right on Lake Superior and only has about 8,000 residents. It is a quaint little town with a lot of character. I had a lovely time wandering around town and our brother in law Paul planned quite a few adventures for us. 
Our first stop was the local cheese shop. More squeaky cheese please! 

This is just an outhouse…with a satellite dish. Wait…what? Why? Annabelle thought it was hilarious.

We had lunch at Frankie’s, a local pizza place. The pizza was delicious! Really, really good. Afterwards we took the girls over to the Lake to explore.

Silly family

Uh oh, she’s going in! Just kidding, just kidding. 

We took a beautiful nature walk and learned about owls and lighthouses.

Not a bad view of the sunset, huh? May be one of my favorites from the trip. 
The next morning we woke up to a beautiful view and bright,  sunny skies. This was the gorgeous view from our hotel room. 

We said goodbye to our lake side hotel and had breakfast with the Rewalts before heading back to Minneapolis to catch our flight home. It was a quick trip, but we have now been to Ashland. I’m glad we were finally able to get away for it.

duluth

The second stop on our trip was Duluth, about a 2.5 hour drive north of Minneapolis. Our nephew, Nathan just started college here in August. It’s a smaller town of maybe 80,000 + and the school has about 4,000 students which seems to suit Nathan well. 
Nathan gave us a tour of his dorm, which brought back many happy memories from our college years, and he showed us around campus. I hope he is really happy there. College was such a great time for me and I hope he has a great experience too. 
B’s sister and brother-in-law drove from Ashland, which is about 1 1/2 hours away, to meet us for dinner. We spent the evening catching up and then we surprised the girls with a stay at a local indoor water park. The hotel was similar to Great Wolf Lodge, but perhaps a bit more shabby. The girls didn’t mind at all though. They had a blast swimming their little hearts out.
She’s just the silliest: 
Annabelle’s swim suit tore right up the back. We caught it with one last thread to spare and had to head to the gift shop to get a new suit. Disaster averted. 
The girls woke up early the next morning and they had the pools all to themselves. B and I took turns getting ready and packing up the car while they played. 
And then off we went to Ashland. 
So long Duluth, you are quite pretty right there on the lake! 

minneapolis

We used the girls’ fall break to visit B’s sister, Christi. Christi and her family live in Northern Wisconsin, in a very small town (8,000 people) so we had to get creative on our travel out there. We flew to Minneapolis and spent the night at the Mall of American before heading out on the next leg of our journey. We had never been to Minnesota and we’re always up for an adventure so here we go…
We got to the airport early and had a lovely lunch at Root Down. 
American Girl dolls joined us for our journey:
Oh, these two:
I’m always the one behind the camera but trying to be better about that: 
We arrived to Minneapolis just in time to grab a quick snack at our hotel…
…and then off toNickelodeon Universe in the Mall. 
That is one crazy mall and we are not big shoppers, but the indoor amusement park was pretty great. It was a Thursday night and we had the place nearly to ourselves. We rode all the rides and never had to wait in line. 
And off they go: 
hilarious!
Annabelle is our thrill seeker. She loves all the rides. Gwyneth not so much. This was the ride that did her in. We went as a family and she hated it. She was tough though and didn’t cry, but I think she really wanted to. After this we split up. B and I each took turns going on roller coasters with Annabelle and then some of the more gently, swing kind of rides with Gwyneth. 
This is more up Gwyneth’s alley…
We took advantage of the after 5 deal at the park and stayed until closing time. We rode all the rides and had a blast! 
The next morning we packed up our rental car and went for lunch in downtown Minneapolis. We received a great recommendation for Hell’s Kitchen. The food was delicious and we got our first sampling of cheese curds (the first of many on our trip). 
I enjoyed Minneapolis. I loved all the walkaways connecting the buildings so you don’t freeze in the winter. It was a very fun first stop on our trip.