Days like today are why I live in Florida. Sitting by the pool on February 3 is just what this girl needs. We sat by the pool and Christina swam for almost five hours. It was kind of perfect.
Tag: travel
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January 26
This is the first of a long string of weekends we’ll be traveling for cheer and dance competitions. There was a stretch of about 15 minutes that was very tense on the way to Orlando when my gas gauge turned on just before a 15-mile stretch of highway without a single exit. I made it with about ten miles to spare and Christina was none the wiser. Next time, AAA, next time.
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November 11
There was some kind of soccer tournament going on near the hotel. There were at least 75 kids running around the lobby and the pool after dinner while their 125 parents drank beer and wine and largely ignored them. The noise! The chaos! It wasn’t the peaceful escape I imagined, but we did get this moment to ourselves before the soccer exploded.
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July 31
There was a bit of a mental breakdown today. I have been trying to make everyone around me happy on this trip and it just hasn’t worked. Robin hated me for making her hike up two mountains, Billy didn’t seem to want to hike with us at all. I felt like I was bringing Siggi and Brett into drama they don’t need. I finally broke down at the end of the day when I didn’t understand the GPS and then I drove over a curb. It was ugly. But I stole this smile from Robin when she wasn’t paying attention and I’ll take it. Maybe she doesn’t hate me completely.
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July 30
We went into Asheville today, which was a lot of driving for a hamburger and poking around in shops we have no business being in. It was a little disappointing. But we came home and made bouncy balls and grilled up some pesto pizza and Brett even got a modest fire going with some damp firewood so we could roast s’mores.
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July 29
I hemmed and hawed and fretted over whether to take out the SUP and use it at Lake Santeetlah. I haven’t used it much and I’m not confident with it, plus there were a lot of people swimming where I wanted to paddle. I was so self conscious. But I did it (no thanks to the kind gentleman who tried to help with his electric pump but instead of inflating it pressed down the air valve so that after I had finished hand pumping it and I disconnected the pump, all the air shot out of it), and we had a lot of fun paddling around the lake. Robin was a little scared to be out by herself, but Christina paddled all over the place for almost an hour and even stood up a couple times. She was even kind enough to give me a turn, which was nice of her. The kids were just thrilled they didn’t have to hike anywhere today. We also introduced them to disc golf, but oh my god it was way too hot and humid. Thank goodness Brett suggested disc golf first so that we could cool off at the lake afterwards. Robin really liked it. Maybe we’ll get a couple discs and play when we get home too.
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July 28
Today we went for a short hike up Black Balsam Bald. We watched a storm rolling in toward us for the whole hike and ALMOST made it back to the car without getting caught in it. What is a hike up a mountain without getting caught in the rain?
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July 27
Another year older. We went on a short nearby hike to this waterfall, where the girls and Siggi and Brett went for a swim. We played my new board game that Siggi gave me for my birthday called Wingspan. I won! Then we went out for dinner at a stream-side restaurant in town with great pizza. Finished the day with chocolate cake and a candle found on top of the dining room cabinet. Not too bad.
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July 26
Our latest adventure. Long day of driving followed by lots of trees, an outdoor deck, a hot tub, and the best friends a girl could have.
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July 13
Robin and I are on a solo trip to Tampa for the next couple of days for her cheer stunt camp. I hope we’re able to connect while we’re there. We need it.
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July 6
Long drive today from New Haven to southern Virginia. We detoured around a lot of traffic and made it in about 9 hours, including stops. Going between the same two spots in the opposite direction took almost an hour more, NOT including stops, so I call this a win. I’m looking forward to being back home tomorrow, although for what it’s worth, I’d rather still be enjoying some natural beauty instead of Five Guys burgers. I’m not much looking forward to going back to my old routine, which, frankly, kind of sucks.
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July 5
We decided to get up early and go to Jordan Pond for the hike we’d missed before getting on the road toward home. We were all packed up and there by 8 and definitely missed the crowds. By the time we finished our hike, the trail was getting a lot busier with people who were clearly not avid hikers. It was everything I hoped it would be, and for once on our trip, the sun was out. It was gorgeous and Robin even spotted a couple of bullfrogs on the rocks. Great way to start a long day.
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July 4
We had a solid plan for our one full day at Acadia, but instead we arrived to Bar Harbor to find the entire town shut down for their Fourth of July parade. The shuttle service we were counting on was suspended most of the day. We wasted an hour hoofing from our parking spot outside town to the bus stop and back, then driving to Thunder Hole. It was beautiful, but the tide wasn’t right for the full effect. We decided to head to the larger spot at Jordan Pond for bathrooms, except that after 35 minutes of driving around, we learned that the closest parking spot to that was a mile away. Hiking two miles to and from the car plus the 3.5 miles around the pond without having lunch was not in the cards, so I cried a little and we headed back to Bar Harbor. The parade was over and we had lunch and did some shopping and then our paddle tour, which was absolutely wonderful and peaceful and just what I needed. But then everyone was setting up for fireworks and there were insane lines everywhere for dinner. We decided to head out of town for dinner, except that by the time we got back to the car and found a place, almost everything was already closed. And when we got to the one place we thought would be open, it was closed for the holiday altogether. We ended up getting back to the campsite at 9pm and ate bagels and peanut butter by lamplight until surprise, it started raining again. Not the best day, but not the worst, and at least we enjoyed time together, which is the point.
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July 3
We hiked up Cadillac Mountain – 7.5 miles round trip with 1,500+ feet elevation gain over rocky scrambles and muddy, flooded trails in rain and fog with little to no visibility. The kids were good until about mile 3, and then they started complaining. Poor Robin had a nasty blister on her foot. But we made it, and I’m really proud of everyone. It was exhausting but in my opinion rewarding, despite the lack of panoramic views. Robin slipped and landed hard on her butt several times and there were tears, but I managed to make enough jokes about it to elicit some smiles and laughs despite it all. All in all, very impressive.
Year in Photos 