The beach on the island was beautiful. The water was perfect. We sat in the water watching a storm roll in for hours and almost made it back to the mainland before the skies opened up on us. We ended up spending the afternoon in our room, but we did manage to have some s’mores by the fire pit before it started raining again. I am so glad Billy talked me into saying yes to this trip. I only wish he was here with us too. He’s been having kind of a shitty week… every football practice this week has been ruined by lightning and they have yet to get on the field. Pretty soon we’ll be back to commiserate. But until then, pool and turquoise water it will have to be.
Tag: travel
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August 5
Made it to Bonita Springs and the resort is beautiful. Met up with Sonal and it was like we’d just seen each other last week. Man, I miss my NY peeps. Not enough to move back to NY (no offense), but pretty damn close. We hung out at the pool for hours, went down waterslides, floated on the lazy river (some of us lazier than others), sat at the fire pit… I truly can’t afford this little jaunt, but fuck it, I’m going to enjoy it anyway! (And I’m doing a pretty good job of it, at that!)
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July 4
We made it through Atlanta without getting stuck in any traffic, which is a July 4 miracle. This, just as we were saying we’d never travel over the Fourth of July again because everything is closed on the Fourth of July. There was a yarn shop and a chocolatier we wanted to stop at before leaving Nashville, but both were closed for the holiday. So be it, here we are, just south of Atlanta, where Christina just beat Billy’s and my butts at Five Crowns and we made our trip official by watching a Harry Potter movie on the hotel TV. I’m looking forward to getting back to the dogs tomorrow, food shopping, and about 200 loads of laundry. But it was a good trip. Good to get away.
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July 3
We literally did EVERYTHING today. We walked over the pedestrian bridge, went into a honky tonk, bought cowboy boots, visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and RCA Studio B, went into the Parthenon, had authentic barbecue, and ate the best ice cream sandwiches made from homemade cookies and ice cream. When you have one day in Nashville, you do it all or bust. We may have done both.
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July 2
We had to get some Kentucky bourbon before we left and found a place that distills Mammoth Cave bourbon on the way to Nashville, so we made a stop. It was really cool – a small family-run distillery. The owner gave us a tour and tasting, introduced us to his horses and his dad. They gave us tips for visiting Nashville, and it was generally great. Much better than going to Maker’s Mark or another big distillery. After getting to Nashville, we were exhausted, and ended up spending most of the day sleeping, but not until after much-needed showers.
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July 1
We went on another cave your this morning. It was unlike any other I’d done – the cave was wide open and, well, cavernous. It was really cool. It rained most of the morning, but after lunch we went for a short hike. It was somewhat drama-filled since there were varying levels of enthusiasm for the hike, most of which were barely registering. I may have screamed at everyone in the middle of the forest. The day got better, though. We played Uno No Mercy and got ice cream. We made pork chops and potatoes for dinner and then kicked Billy’s ass twice at Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Billy made the biggest campfire ever, using almost an entire package of firewood. It was, shall we say, MAMMOTH. As fun as it’s been, I think most of us are ready to go in the morning.
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June 30
We went on our first cave tour. It was really cool! National Park rangers are generally awesome. This cave is different from others we’ve toured because it’s so much bigger, and most of what we saw was dry. After the tour, we took it easy. We played That Escalated Quickly, which is always fun with Christina. I did some knitting. Making dinner was a lot smoother tonight. Christina caught more fireflies and we roasted s’mores. I’m glad it didn’t rain.
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June 29
Today was great. Made it to the campsite and got everything set up pretty quickly. Getting a fire going to cook dinner was not as smooth. We didn’t get self-lighting charcoal, and we didn’t have lighter fluid, so that was a bust. Luckily we got to the camp store one minute before it closed and got some firewood. It took us an hour to get it going, but then it burned for hours. Christina told stories by the fire and caught fireflies. She and Billy walked to the visitor center and saw 26 deer. We are in a group site loop in the middle of three busloads of kids with some sort of organization. They were loud for a bit but are otherwise fine. It’s so nice to be camping again. It’s been too long!
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March 21
I dragged everyone back to Cafe Du Monde one last time before heading home. I wanted one last beignet before we left. I thought everyone would be excited to join me, but there were a lot of grumpy people. Billy and Robin didn’t even eat any. Don’t care… I can still taste it and it was worth it. I didn’t want to leave. Such a phenomenal trip. One of the best.
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March 20
I have had such a great time with my family this week. Today we rode the St. Charles streetcar to Audubon Park. The kids – Robin – ran to the playground and played there for half an hour. I had honestly thought the playground days were over a long time ago, but they proved me wrong today. We walked around the Garden District, bought some candy and baked goods, and came back for an amazing meal at House of Blues. This town has SOUL. I love it.
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March 19
Today’s big adventure was a steamboat cruise to the Chalmette Battlefield, where the Battle of New Orleans occurred in 1815. I knew next to nothing about the War of 1812 before, and now I know next to almost nothing. It was still interesting, and now I can say I took a steamboat down the Mississippi River.
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March 18
We did a historical walking tour of the French Quarter, where I learned the difference between what is “Cajun” and what is “Creole,” and how awesome Marie Laveau really was. We had beignets and did some shopping and finished the day with a fancy Italian dinner at a place Robin chose. Our feet and legs are tired, but we’re ready for tomorrow!
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March 17
We arrived in New Orleans with enough time to have a nice dinner and take in a rooftop sunset by the pool. All we know for sure that we’re doing tomorrow is having beignets. Anything on top of that is a bonus.
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February 28
We paid off all our debts today. What an amazing feeling! Everything is clicking right now. Things I didn’t think were possible. I’m not sure how this is happening or why, or how long it will last, but I’m going to enjoy every second of it while I can, with heaps and heaps of gratitude for what I’ve been given. Now if Robin can do well at tomorrow’s competition, that would be a nice cherry on top. But I will not be greedy.
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January 31
Time for another cheer competition! This weekend we’re in Orlando. I spent the extra $30 to stay at a hotel with a “balcony” overlooking the pool. The balcony fits the three of us standing up side by side. I’m thrilled we don’t have to wake up at 4:45am. Others are not so lucky.
Year in Photos 