The Bluffs at Gardners Grove

One of my favorite parts of road-tripping across Kansas was watching the scenery around me. Yes, of course, Kansas can be boring. But just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’ll come across something surprising. For me, that something was Gardners Grove.

This little gem was in the middle of a pasture, and we had to drive a Jeep through a few wheat fields to get there. Apparently this little grove of cottonwood trees and the bluffs that tower over them were sacred for the Native Americans in the area. They’d run the bison right off the edge of the bluffs in order to kill them for their meat and fur, and to this day you can still find bison skulls there. There are also the elusive shark teeth, which we searched for, but never found. We did come home with a few fossils and some awesome rocks and crystals. The kids had so much fun, we decided to go back with Trent when he got into town. He and Lucy spent ages scouring the bluffs for fossils and other treasures. Next time I’ll bring my big camera, but this time around, I managed to get a few shots with the iPhone, which was much easier to carry on the big hike.

Hiking the bluffs today...pretty incredible. Kansas is beautiful! #kansas #bluffs #grove #gove #nature #rock #sky #plains #beauty #tate #climb

More from the bluffs...like whoa. That's Lucy, Ash and Ace in the distance. #gove #grove #bluffs #kansas #hiking #climb #beauty #nature #horizon

Untitled

Had to take dad to the bluffs! He was as amazed as we were. Came home with a bunch of new fossils and lots of good memories ❤️ #kansas #gove #gardnersgrove #bluffs #nature #cliff #climb #fun

IMG_0776

IMG_0823

Old Friends and New Places

When one returns from 13 days either in a car with two small humans or bunking at someone else’s home, one has a few choices.

1. Throw the entire contents of one’s suitcase into the washing machine and pass out
2. Make everyone go to bed early so you can finally get a moment alone
3. Revel in how easy it is to sleep in one’s own bed WITHOUT a three-year-old’s feet in your face
4. Attempt to write a blog post about one’s trip

We just returned to Kansas City after about two weeks of driving across our beautiful state of Kansas. I am always amazed when Kansas is described as boring, because I honestly believe it’s one of the most beautiful and diverse places around. We spent a few days in my hometown in the Flint Hills, then headed west, where the trees are scarce and the sky seems like it’s never going to end. Our first stop was in Hays, Kansas, where a great friend of mine from high school lives with her sweet family. There is something really special about watching your kids become friends with children of your own childhood friends. Watching our silly boys make trouble or seeing our girls share a private joke, it makes me wistful for the days when my friends were my whole world. It’s nice to know that even after all these years, grown-up responsibilities and professional living, we can still get together and giggle until our bellies hurt. We visited the Natural History Museum, spotted some bison, ate some great food, attended a neighbor’s surprise birthday party, and even gave Tate a little buzzcut on the front porch. Such a fun time, and I’m feeling especially grateful for old friends these days!

IMG_9364

Cruisin' in Hays, KS, USA...

The Natural History Museum with @hjbieker and family! So fun, and only a tiny bit scary  #museum #hays #kansas #history #fossil #fun #friends

Silly boys! So grateful to watch my kids become friends with my best friends' kids! #365grateful #silly #boys #goof #love

I am mostly posting this because a lifeguard yelled "No photos!" when she saw me taking it and I think that's straight up dumb. Rebel without a cause over here ✌️ #summer #pool #rebel #lazyriver #fun #friends #cantkeepmedown

The magic of @hjbieker is she's able to convince Tate, who screams in terror at the thought of a haircut, to shave his head on the front porch. Magic, I tell you!!! #haircut #friends #yay

I’ll be blogging more about the rest of our trip for the next few days. Next up, what happens when two city kids see a teeter-totter for the first time? Pandemonium.

Top photo taken with the Canon 60D, all other photos taken by my iPhone 4s, edited in Afterlight

Life Lately : According to My iPhone

Spring is such a fun season, but I find it to be totally exhausting. After a fairly uneventful winter, it’s like LIFE is springing from every nook and cranny. We went from cabin fever to being away from home almost every hour of the day. And even when we are home, we’re going and doing and working and having fun…and and and! It’s wonderful, but I’ve been struggling to write here or anywhere, for that matter. I have some exciting freelance gigs on the horizon, which I’m super pumped to share in a few weeks as well! That is, of course, provided I actually find the time to write them. Until then, enjoy a few iPhone snaps of life here and there over the last few weeks.

When your life is so full that you can’t find time to blog about it, that is a GOOD, good thing.

So grateful for the last 365 days of my life. Each one was wonderful, even when I felt really broken. That's the thing about joy, you can find it's lights even in the darkest of places. ❤️ #365grateful #joy #odat #light #love #recovery

Honoring our friends in Boston today! Tate is Boston Strong! #love #boston #bostonstrong #peace

LAAAAAAMMMMMEEEEE. ❄️ #snow #spring #flowers #bummer

I take selfies with my dog. Don't judge. #selfie #rottie #puppy #instateddy #teddygram #sorrynotsorry #love

There is a chocolate cupcake missing from the kitchen counter and Tate claims he has NO IDEA what happened to it... #trouble #boys #cupcake #thief #evidence

Super proud of my little #fish! #365grateful #swimmer #firstribbons #lifetime #swimteam #proud

Evening walk to the park with this little man #love #365grateful

Daily walks with this beast are quickly becoming my favorite thing... #ilovespring #teddygram #instateddy #rottie #puppy #sixmonths #beast #spring #365grateful

Helping...and yes, we are both currently covered in paint. #helper #365grateful #paint #home #color #choices #littleimp #trouble

Spring blooms are the best! #365grateful #yellow #spring #happy #love #color #home #flower #daffodil

Our Clearwater, Florida Vacation Tricks + Tips

IMG_9042

When we decided (very last minute, I might add) we wanted to try and go on a family spring break vacation this year, we knew we needed to get somewhere warm. The past two winters in Kansas City have been beyond the norm (last year it snowed in May…MAY!) and since we’ve had about three or four months stuck inside, we really wanted to go someplace where we could go outside without 10 layers of clothing. Since we are in the middle of the country, there really isn’t anywhere close by that is both warm and beachy, so we knew we were going to have at least a few days of travel. We decided on Florida because we’d only be skipping one time zone (as opposed to the west coast, which would be two) and because we knew it would be warm. We have family in the Tampa area, and have been to the area beaches before, so that was our first choice as we knew what we were getting into. Clearwater Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the state, and is a great place for families, which was something we were concerned about on a spring break trip. You can get flights direct to Tampa from Kansas City via Southwest Airlines, which is also a huge perk.

IMG_8995

IMG_9022

Due to our long winter, we were fairly happy the first day and a half to just lay in the sun and soak it all in! We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and highly recommend it. They have an amazing pool area that overlooks the beach and lots of activities for adults and kids. They had daily activities Lucy loved, like limbo competitions, shell diving, dance parties, crafts and tons more. Their poolside bar and grill had good food and yummy drinks as well. They also offer easy access to the beach and towel service whether you’re poolside or on the sand, which was a huge plus for us, as it’s hard to lug around all your gear when you’ve got two excited kids in tow. Another awesome benefit of the Hyatt was their Camp Hyatt program for kids, which we utilized for an adults-only night out. Camp Hyatt runs days and weekend evenings, and for $50 per kid, we had four hours of beachy, toddler-free bliss. The price might seem steep, but it included dinner, a craft and a movie night. At home we pay by the hour for a babysitter, so this wasn’t too much of a stretch. And being able to get a romantic evening in the midst of a family trip was totally worth the cost. The kids had fun too, getting some parent-free time, and the camp had the same train table we have at home, so Tate was pretty much in heaven.

IMG_8938

On our date night sans kids, Trent and I went to a beautiful restaurant called Caretta’s, which was in the Sand Pearl Resort down the beach from the Hyatt. The food was incredible, and the view of the sunset off the patio where we were seated was amazing. I had sushi and salmon, while Trent had the grouper. And to top it off, Hulk Hogan was eating at the table right next to us! I am so cool and calm around celebrities, I totally didn’t make a fool out of myself.

(The previous sentence is obviously a HUGE lie. I was super uncool.)

On a windy, cooler day, we decided to take the kids on Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise, a two hour cruise tour, which was a total blast! From the minute you board the ship, the staff makes it a real pirate experience for the kids, with a watergun fight, a mission to find the mean Captain Blackbeard, storytime, a hunt for treasure throughout the ship and a huge dance party. I can check “Do the Macarena with my kids on a pirate ship” off of my Life List!

IMG_8981

IMG_8988

IMG_8967

We woke up one morning to rain, rain and more rain, which was a bit of a bummer. But a little rain can’t keep us down! We headed out to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for a day schmoozing with a few movie stars. This particular aquarium is the real life site for the film “Dolphin’s Tale,” about a boy who saves and works with a dolphin named Winter, who loses her tail in a crab trap and learns to survive with a prosthetic one. It was a huge hit amongst kids and families, and the real Winter resides at the aquarium. The thing I really loved about this place is it’s a rescue, rehab and release facility. The aquarium serves as a hospital for marine life, and the animals there are ones that would not have survived in the wild. They nurse as many as possible back to health and release them back into their natural habitat. It was a very educational experience, and I found it very moving to be there with Lucy. She was able to meet and touch a dolphin named Hope, who is Winter’s companion. She was also a huge fan of the sea turtles, many of which had been injured by boats and were paralyzed. She loved them and it was incredible to watch her interact with the animals.

IMG_9016

IMG_8994

A few other places and activities we loved:

– Renting a four-person bike on the beach and riding it to Captain Bligh’s Landing for mini golf.

– The Surf Style store, which was directly next door to our hotel. This facility serves a huge beach store/grocery store, with pretty much everything you could imagine. We bought sand toys and a kite to fly on the beach here, and the prices weren’t too high. The full grocery store was a huge benefit, since our hotel room had a kitchen. We were able to get snacks, water and mac and cheese (for our picky guy) and save a ton of money instead of eating out for everything. Surf Style also has a Flowrider (an indoor surfing tank), which is totally fun! Trent went one day and not only did he have a good time, we all had a blast watching him.

Sunset at Pier 60 is a must-do if you’re staying in Clearwater Beach. There are tons of vendors set up on the pier, along with entertainers, musicians and one night they even had a movie playing on a big blow up movie screen.

– We ate at a ton of places, but we definitely had a few favorites. Frenchy’s South Beach cafe was right on the way back from mini-golf on the beach, so we parked our huge bike and enjoyed a yummy meal in the sun. I had the lobster roll and it was perfect. We ate at Clearsky Beach Cafe on St. Patrick’s Day, and they had great kids selections along with good adult food. The price wasn’t too shabby either. We asked one of our pedicab drivers where to get the best pizza on the beach, and he recommended King’s Pizza, which was right next to our hotel. I don’t know if it was the best (since we didn’t try any others), but it was tasty! Our last evening we ate at Tate Island Grill (Fun Fact: Clearwater Beach was once known as Tate’s Island, after Ernest Tate purchased a nearby island in 1896…our Tate didn’t seem to get the reference, but we bought him a t-shirt anyway), which is also in the Sand Pearl Resort. It is right on the beach, so while we waited for our food, the kids made sand castles and hung out in hammocks. After the sun set, they set up fire pits and s’mores on the sand and on the other side of us they had the movie “Frozen” playing over the pool area. The kids were fans, to say the least!

– We didn’t rent a car for our trip, so we depended on a few modes of transportation. Florida Free Rides is a cab service in the area that works exclusively for tips. The Jolley Trolley also runs up and down the beach, and has golf carts to get you where you want to go. We also got a few cab numbers from our valet at the hotel, which helped us out when we got stuck out in the rain on a few occasions!

– One thing I’m VERY glad I did was call ahead of time and get on a friendly, first-name basis with the concierge at our hotel. He made recommendations for restaurants, transportation and activities. He also made reservations for me on several occasions, and provided coupons and discount codes for activities like the aquarium.

IMG_8945

IMG_9018

IMG_8991

This was BY FAR the most enjoyable trip we had as a family. I believe this is because we came prepared, but flexible. While it’s more expensive to travel with older kids, it was incredible how much easier it was not having to worry about a crib or diapers. We packed the travel bags with lots of new chapter books for Lucy, coloring packs for Tate, and they took turns using the iPad Mini and our smart phones. The iPad was a life-saver, since our hotel didn’t have free kids movies or television. I have a case for the iPad I purchased from Target, and it keeps the iPad safe and easy for Tate to handle. We also had a loose schedule, which could be easily changed if one of the kids was tired or the weather was bad. After only one night, Trent and I were discussing how we need to do a trip like this on a yearly basis. It was so fun, and I couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who helped make it happen!

(For a roundup of our iPhone pictures from the trip, click here. For all of our vacation photos, click here.)

Our Vacation Through the iPhone Lens

My family and I just got back from a wonderful few days away on vacation on the Florida Gulf Coast. We had never (ever!) taken a vacation with just the four of us, so I was so, so excited to get some time away from our daily life with the people I love most in the world. To say things have been chaotic around our home for the past year or so is the greatest understatement of all time, and if I would’ve known the relief a few days of fun and sun would provide, we would have done this months ago! There is something about snuggling in a big hotel bed, with sand between my toes and everyone smelling of sunscreen, that makes everything in my little universe seem okay. I have a ton of photos to go through, but since we just got back, my plate currently full with everything we ignored while we were away. I’ll definitely be sharing in the near future, along with some tips for traveling and activities in the area, but for now, here are of my favorite iPhone photos of our trip. We certainly are the luckiest of ducks!

And we're off! #cbspringbreak #springbreak #365grateful #travel #yay

IMG_9636

IMG_9677

A #latergram from dinner last night...what a great night! Oh, an also, we sat next to Hulk Hogan at dinner and I acted like a crazy person. No photographic proof though, because of my aforementioned craziness. Tidbit: He is huge! And his mustache is quite

IMG_9706

IMG_9722

Vacation is so exhausting, little dude can't even stay up through one episode of Dinosaur Train! #sleepy #cbspringbreak #springbreak

IMG_9653

IMG_9797

IMG_9676

Sunset dinner, grown-ups only  #cbspringbreak #carettas #fancypants #sunset #springbreak  #love

Nice to know every once in a while he'll still take a nap on me ❤️❤️❤️ #365grateful #love #son #mother #nap #adorable #poolside

IMG_9674

Big day for our future marine biologist! #cbspringbreak #springbreak #clearwater #clearwateraquarium #dolphin #marinelife #joy

IMG_9715

IMG_9734

IMG_9765

Goodbye Clearwater Beach! You were awesome! #cbspringbreak #springbreak #clearwaterbeach #clearwater #horizon #blue #viewfinder #binoculars #ocean #gulfofmexico #water #sky

IMG_9783

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...