Well crud

I was talking to my husband the other day about using our sky miles to go on a vacation next year. He then told me that apparently, they had expired. I didn’t know sky miles expired at all but apparently there’s a lot I need to learn. So I figure if we want to go anywhere far enough away that we need to fly, I’ll be on the look out for some good travel deals to get the most for our money. Everything is so expensive these days, it feels like even at a discount, prices are still pretty high. We’ll have to see.

Movie surprise

Every week we like to get a couple of new kid movies from the library. I like having the variety and so do the girls. This last time, we picked up some that I wasn’t too sure about. A few the girls weren’t interested in and we were down to the last one. I don’t remember the title, something about Sesame Street and music. I put it in and saw that they had the people from STOMP on it. It was so neat! Not too long ago, my dad, brother, and niece went down to Las Vegas to attend another brother’s college graduation. My dad stayed with him while my brother and his daughter stayed in one of the hotels in las vegas. They all went to STOMP and they raved about the performance. What I saw on Sesame Street was good, but boy, would I love to see a live performance!

Good, little trip

So, our trip to Lagoon went well. I was glad the weather went from cloudy and rainy to bright and sunny. I was still recovering from being sick earlier in the week, so after only a few rides I had to sit down and rest. I still had fun though, watching and hearing my husband and our friends yelling on the rides. I wish we had taken our digital camera because it also functions as a camcorder, just so I could catch the looks on everyone’s face as they rode the roller coasters. Our friends had a small camera that we used and I tried to get some good shots. I may have sat out on a few rides, but it was still fun watching and laughing right along. I’m glad we made the trip to go. :)

So much to do today!

This week we decided to go with some good friends to Lagoon. We wanted to take one little vacation before school starts and this worked out perfectly. At first we wanted to take all of the kids along too but that got a bit pricey. So now it's just the adults and considering it's been years since I've gone, I'm excited! The girls will be staying with some cousins and they are looking forward to that.

It's all kind of last minute, so I'm feeling a bit rushed to clean up my house and pack for our little vacation. Even though we're only going for just over a day, it's amazing how much there is to do. Well, I better get started! Have a good weekend everyone. :)

A trip out East

One day, when are children are older, we’d like to take a trip out East. We’ve been told more than once what a change it is from living here in the West. I wouldn’t want to move personally, but I’d welcome a few vacations out that way to see what it’s like. Other than a cousin in Kansas, I don’t think we have any family out there we could stay with while vacationing. I know you can get rental homes through companies like Outer Banks so that’s an option. There’s always a hotel or camping too. I’m sure we’ll figure it out all when the time comes. It’s fun to think about in the mean time though. :)

Deciding on summer fun

Even though we’ve been out of town quite frequently the last month as a family, we haven’t actually gone on any vacations. It’s hard to plan a vacation with gas prices as high so high and anticipated to go even higher. It’s not that we want some extravagant vacation like getting one of those Hilton Head rentals, but somewhere out of the city and state. Other than a possible trip to Yellowstone National Park, I think the rest of our “vacations” will be with friends going on campouts. But we love to camp and with our new dutch ovens, we’re sure to have a blast. :)

Need a vacation soon?

I know of only one person who has actually gone to Branson, Missouri. But for everyone else, let me tell you about all the fun and excitement that happens in Branson. First off, there are so many fun attractions for the whole family. Whether you want to take a scenic railroad ride, or visit the State Marina, or go go-carting, or visit an IMAX theater, or hit the mall, there’s fun for everyone. Worried about lodging? Not a problem in Branson because they have so many luxury places for you to stay in, whether it be a condo, hotel, or a resort. I was just looking at all the shows they have and wow, is the list long. I’d love to see the 12 Tenors or Andy Williams. Oh! They have a Red Skelton Tribute Show! That man is a hoot! I haven’t heard something of his in a long time. Maybe I’ll book me a trip to Branson just to see that! lol But really, all of this is the making of a perfect vacation so be sure to look them up the next time you’re ready to pack up and go somewhere.

We need to travel more

While at the dentist yesterday, I came across a show about traveling. I think it was called “1000 Places to See Before You Die” or maybe that was the name of the book they were talking about. But anyway, it was really interesting. They were talking about a couple that takes five months out of the year to travel all over the world. I don’t know if they ever been to the North Padre Island or used one of the North Padre Island rentals but this time they were in Mexico. I began thinking about what they said in response to people questioning how they could just get up a leave their lives behind for five months. They said, “How could you not?” If we let our lives get so busy that we can’t go on vacations, then I agree, we’re missing out big time.

Our recent vacation

Here it is, finally, my post about our little vacation. The day we left, was the first day of Miss J's soccer practice. So we stopped and let her play for awhile before getting on the road. It was cold but she loved running around with the ball and watching birds fly overhead. Never mind listening to the coach or doing anything else, but hey, she's three, and she had fun. After that, we were off and excited to finally go!

We traveled for awhile and stayed the night with family. The girls slept in the same room with us and after having this lovely camping experience, I was worried. It took them awhile to go to sleep and they woke up a few times, but all in all it wasn't bad.

The next morning we were up and out the door. Our first stop was Ogden, Utah because they have a dinosaur park we like to visit. This place is great for kids and adults alike. Kara and her boys, and another set of friends, came with us and we had so much fun. There are exhibits inside and outside. Here are a few pictures:

These are some of their indoor robotic dinosaurs. The last time we went, the kids were afraid of them, but this year they loved it!


The girls were so excited seeing everything, that we didn't get a chance to stop and read much of the information about each exhibit. So I can't tell you what kind of dinosaur this is, but it looked neat.


This is part of the play area for kids outside.


Neat volcano.


Now again, I didn't get a minute to read the caption, but what on earth is a cat doing in this picture next to the dinosaur??


A fun part of this park is you can actually buy geodes and have them cut. My husband, being a geologist major, of course had to buy a few. I don't think these pictures do them justice, but here are two we had cut. The first is a smaller geode and the second is a larger one.




After the park, we went with Kara to grab a bite to eat and then followed her home because we had yet to see her new house. (It's HUGE!) We checked in at our hotel and then went to what's called, The Mayan Restaurant. I wish I had taken my camera in because this was not your ordinary restaurant.

While the food wasn't fantastic it was still pretty good. The best part was the whole atmosphere. The place is decked out Mayan style and they had some incredible entertainment. Right in the middle was a huge waterfall and they had performers on the top. The performers were actual divers and they repeatedly jumped off into the pool below. My heart about stopped each time one of them did, because the pool wasn't that big. It was fascinating to watch and the girls loved it. There was a guy wearing a Mayan costume of sorts, who walked around talking to children and Miss A wouldn't take her eyes off him. I was bummed he never came to our table because she would have loved it. If you haven't been to this, I would recommend it!

After our dinner, we went back to the hotel for a quick swim before bedtime. Did I mention the girls loved staying up past their normal bedtime? lol We didn't even mind, it was so much fun being together. We bought swim wings and little tubes thinking they would love them. The wings were a total bust but the tubes were a big hit. And they even had their first hot tub experience. They are definitely mommy's little girls, sticking one toe in at a time. lol But once we were all in, they liked it.

After swimming we all took a shower and climbed into bed. It took only minutes and both girls were sound asleep. At this point, they really enjoyed being in the same room with us and sleeping in a bed together. They were so cute and we all slept for about 10 hours! The only problem we had, was that we woke up to ants all over our things. Um, EWWW! No, there weren't a ton, but enough that we got ready pretty quick. I told the manager and she gave us a whoopin' $10 credit. :P She first tried to blame it on us because we had food in our room. Well yeah, but it was in a closet on the top shelf. Then she tried to blame it on us being on the bottom floor and the time of year. I couldn't believe it. The credit was better than nothing, but next time I'll spend a little more money to stay somewhere nicer.

So we get back on the road and head to Salt Lake City. Our first destination was the Clarke Planetarium. They have a lot of free exhibits and it's fun to walk around. Here are a few pictures from there:

I took this picture without a flash and I think it looks pretty neat. The globe is right by doors and you can see different weather patterns across the world.


I can't remember which galaxy this is, but I like how the picture turned out.


Another galaxy, not sure which one.


Following the planetarium, we walked over to the Gateway Mall and did some browsing. We took the girls to the Build-A-Bear Workshop and oh my word, was that fun! You actually get to pick out your bear, have stuffing put in, add sounds, give it an air bath, dress it up, and give it a name. It was just under $50 to do this, which is kind of pricey, but worth it. Next time, I think I will do a bear! lol

After stopping at a few more places to do a little shopping, we headed home. We had so much fun in those two days. It was nice not to have to worry about work, school, or babysitting. It was just the four of us, enjoying time together. :)

Planning more fun

Even though we just took a vacation, we’re already planning our next one. I think this summer we might go to Yellowstone National Park. We’ve been a number of times, but the girls have not gone yet. It would be nice to have one of those travel trailers but I think we’ll be fine sleeping in our tent. I never imagined myself as a big camping type of person, but I think we’re headed that way. It is a lot of fun and a great way to spend time together and away from the city.

As nice as it would be...

I wish we could stay in a condo or in a vacation rental, like those with Outer Banks, for our vacation. I know how nice they are and one of these days, I’d like to rent one. To be honest, I think it would be a vacation just staying in a condo let alone doing anything else. lol But staying in a hotel this time around, will be fun and I know the girls will like it, so it's fine. One day though. :)

Now, what to do?

Deciding where we wanted to go for our little vacation this week, was harder than I thought it would be. I really wanted to go to Spokane, but that was over our budget, so we decided on Utah. There are a few places we’d like to visit, but we're still looking for more family activities. I did a search for horseback riding because I would love to do that. Although I haven’t found much information, I’m still looking. We don’t own any type of equestrian clothing so if we do end up going, we would need to rent some. It’s been a lot of years since I was on a horse last. It would be fun to do it again.

Where to stay?

This week is our Spring break and we couldn’t be more excited! We’ve decided on a trip to Utah, but we’re still working out the details. One thing we haven’t figured out yet is where we want to stay. I know one night we’ll be at my brother-in-laws, but the other two, I think getting a hotel would be fun. Don’t you love looking for hotel rooms? Seriously, there are so many to choose from! You have the hotels that are in certain cities only, like Branson hotels, and then you have others you can find most anywhere, like the Holiday Inn or Marriott hotels. I better make a decision soon, we leave in a few days!

Let's go on vacation!

Do you know what fractional ownership is? I didn’t know myself but here’s the jist of it. It’s when you have leisure real estate and you want to sell more than a weeks worth of time for someone to stay there on vacation. With this you usually get more services and amenities. We used to have a timeshare but it was too much for us to pay and we ended up selling it. This sounds a bit more reasonable to me. Besides, who doesn’t need a vacation? :)

Girls, we need to get out of the house!

You know what I think would be fun? Going on a cruise with a big group of friends! All my mommy friends and I probably need a break and what better way to get together and relax than to take a cruise. I’ve actually never been on any cruises before, the whole Titanic thing scares me lol, but it still sounds like fun. Besides, cruise ships are better equipped today right? And of course all my friends would be with me and I’m sure we’d survive with our girl power and all. See, now you’re all excited and ready to go!! :)

Book your hotel online

The last time you went out of town and booked a hotel, did you use hotelreservations.com? If you didn’t, next time you should. You could save up to 70% off your next trip. Trips can be very expensive so visit Hotel Reservations and start saving your money now. They even offer up to a $100 rebate for booking through them! Even if you need more than a hotel, take a look at their resorts and vacation packages and you will be glad you did.

Las Vegas baby!

I have yet to go to Las Vegas, but one of these days I will. I'd love to be able to stay in the Stratosphere Las Vegas hotel because it looks amazing! The view alone from the restaurant and rooms is beautiful. I think I'd be pretty content staying in my hotel room and count that as my vacation! Whenever we do go, I’ll be sure to post some great pictures.

Pleasure Beach

A few posts ago, I mentioned the Theme Park Pleasure Beach. Richard and I love theme parks and this one I know we’d have a lot of fun at. They have a new ride called the Infusion, which would probably scare me to death, but I’d still ride it, screaming all the way. lol There other rides, Pepsi Max Big One, Space Invader 2, and the Big Dipper would also be fun. This theme part has everything from rides, shows, food, and indoor attractions. This would make for a great family vacation when the girls get a little older. They would enjoy it as much as we would because Pleasure Beach has activities for adults and kids alike.

Big Blue Hotel

Once in awhile we get to go on vacation. Recently though, we usually end up staying with family. There’s nothing wrong with staying with family, but we would much rather stay in a hotel. We like our own space and we love to swim in the pool. That’s why we would love to stay in the Blackpool Hotel in the UK. This hotel is beautiful and they have everything you’d want when vacationing. Right next to them is Pleasure Beach where you can see shows and go on rides like the Pepsi Max Big One, the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in Europe. Definitely a trip worth booking!