Trail's End

The last stop on our Great Tour of the Midwest was one of the most fun.  Do you know what sits on Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio?

Cedar Point Amusement Park

Home of several world record rides, including one that takes you from 0-120mph in 3.8 seconds.  That's me trying an alternative to a facelift in the green jacket:

Once it reaches that speed, it's straight up 420 ft and then straight down 420ft.  It was a wild ride.
My favorite of the day.
Needless to say, I got cool mommy points for riding that beast.
By. my. self.

We mistakenly took 2 of our 3 kiddos on separate level 5 rides (5 being the wildest).  Oops!  That kind of sealed the deal on their dislike of wild rides.  Fortunately, Cedar Point has enough to offer to everyone...

Well, everyone except those who like a clean hotel "resort" room.  Ewww... don't be fooled by the word resort.  Stick with a national chain, unless you don't mind finding hairs of various length (meaning various owners) on the bathroom floor of your hotel room.  Just sayin'

The day proved to be very educational for my kids.  Unbeknownst to us, it was Special Needs day.  Literally thousands of special needs adults filled the park.  It was precious to watch and I only had to use my "don't ask me right now" look a few times.  The kids took it in stride and made me proud.  

Our final stop was the Ohio Amish country.  Talk about a juxtaposition!  One day we were riding roller coasters, the next day we were riding behind a horse drawn buggy.  

I love America!!!

All of our Favorite Things

Can you guess from the picture that we are foodies?  Can you guess where we are?

Yes, we're in Chicago!  The Windy City.

  It happens to be my favorite stop on our Great Tour of the Midwest.  I used to live there... when I was a little tyke...
Maybe that's why I thinks it's so great.  In keeping with our no-chain-restaurants theme, we decided to visit a few that we had seen highlighted on the Food Network channel.  Ginos East was delish.  Their pizza is very different.  Crust, cheese, then sauce.  We actually liked the kids' thin crust pizza the best.  Try it if you are ever there!

When I was growing up, the most famous and tallest building in Chicago was the Sears Tower.  It's still the tallest, but now it is called the Willis Tower.  We visited the 103rd floor with all the other tourists.
The views are fantastic:

Lake Michigan is gorgeous.

Willis Tower now has a section of the 103rd floor cantilevered out over the street with nothing but glass beneath.  Yikes.  I'm not usually scared of heights, but it kinda skeered me.  

Notice the death grip we have on each other. :)

While in downtown we also visited the American Girl Doll store.  Even though my girls have pretty much outgrown the dolls (sniff, sniff), it was still a fun stop for them to enjoy.  Another highlight for them was seeing a mall that goes up, not out.

The rest of our time in the Chicago area was spent in the suburbs.  Legoland Chicago was a huge highlight for our son the boys.

Life size animals and characters made out of Legos.  Crazy.

We also made a few stops for the grown-ups:

Weber Grill Restaurant (Schaumburg is the home of the original Weber grill)
Cabelas for my outdoorsman.
IKEA for mom.
We also visited the 3rd largest mall in America.  I know it would be amazing to some, but to me, if you've seen one mall, you've seen them all.

We finished off Chicago here.  I know it is sort of a chain, but we don't have one in NC, so it still counted.   The kids LOVED it.  I thought the food was okay, but not great.  

Do you have any favorites from the Windy City?

The Portal of Doomsday?

The next stop on our Great Tour of the Midwest was St. Louis.  God gave us the most perfect weather that day.  Seemed much too pretty for the predicted Doomsday.  :)

Since it was the end of the world day, security was beefed up.  The line for the ride to the top was, we were told, a two hour wait.  And by golly, we came this far, we were going up in that thing!
My adorable small town man didn't think twice about sticking his pocket knife in his pocket that morning, but as we approached the security checkpoint, he got a funny look on his face.  No weapons are allowed on the arch.  We stepped out of line to ask a park ranger about the pocket knives.  She was so kind.  Maybe she was just happy to see a good ol' American family.
The kids and I went ahead through the security line as he hightailed back to the car.  Kind-park-ranger-lady then escorted my husband to the front of the line.  Our wait ended up only being about 10 minutes once we made it through security.

I had seen pictures of the Arch many times before, but I had no idea of the magnitude.  See those tiny windows at the top?  They were each about 3 feet long.  Here's the view from the top looking down on the Mississippi River:

See the little tiny people?  Yikes!  Underneath all that grass is an underground museum.  Or a good place to observe the human race. :)
If you ever get the chance, GO VISIT the St. Louis Gateway Arch!

It makes for some really great memories!

Food and Music...

What More Could We Ask For?

Spoiler Alert: We just got back from a 2500 mile road trip of the midwest.  The next few days I'm going to bore inspire you with photos and such.  If you came here for deep spiritual inspiration or decorating ideas, come back next week.  Otherwise, grab a icy mocha and get comfy!

When we decided to make a stop in Nashville, Tennessee I asked around for suggestions of good eats.  

Several friends suggested the Pancake Pantry.  I'm so thankful for knowledgeable friends!

You know you can't go wrong with something called "Chocolate Sin."  Crepes, ganache, raspberries and whipped cream.  Yes, it was sinfully delicious.  Nothing like starting the vacation out right!

Even though Nashville has a wild nightlife, it was super family friendly during the day.  We started the day with a visit to the Visitor's Center because we're nerdy like that.  Sometimes nerdy-ness pays off.  They had this retro stage ready for photos.  The guy even encouraged the kids to pick up the guitars and act like stars.

Doncha just love that microphone?

Since my kids aren't huge country music fans, we decided to pocket the $75 and not take the Country Music Hall of Fame tour.  I know some of you are shaking your head in shame... :)
But we thought the sidewalk of stars was pretty neat and the FREE Dairy Queen Dilly Bars they were passing out put stars in the kid's eyes.

We (and I mean mostly my husband, but I liked the idea) decided that we would not eat in any national chain restaurants.  The kids were on board with the idea, so it made it kind of fun.  A couple of friends had recommended Jack's BBQ.  Come to Momma.  It was finger lickin' good.

I highly recommend it for a taste of real Tennessee bar-b-que.

We enjoyed seeing the home of the Tennessee Titans (football) and cooling off with Sunkist.  Why do drinks taste better in a glass bottle?  I'm not a soda drinker, but my family swears by it.  Thoughts?

I also recommend the Tennessee State (state of, not college team)Museum in downtown Nashville.  Besides being a great place to cool off in the heat of the day, it has a great collection of historical stuff that kids like.  Nothing like driving to another state for an end-of-year field trip!

Little man spent his own money on the straw cowboy hat.  I could eat him up!!!

Have you ever seen the Opryland Hotel?  I had no idea how amazing it truly is.  If you go to Nashville, you need to go see the hotel.  It is beautiful.  We should have spent the extra $75 and stayed there.  Wowsa!

One last little funny:

As we were leaving downtown Nashville headed out toward our hotel, our car started making a terrible noise.  Then we noticed it only made the noise when we drove past a wooded area.  I rolled down my window and realized it was the cicadas in the trees... not our car!   I've never been so glad to hear those annoying little bugs!  

Why I am Now a Cruiser

Up until a week ago the term cruisin' referred to an immature high school dropout student leisure activity.  And then we boarded the ship.  Now that I am a wealth of knowledge on the subject matter, I think I'll share my take on it.  :)

 { Subtitled: A great excuse to show my vacation pictures}

1. The ship is bigger-than-my-mind-can-comprehend big. Since my husband cannot stand to be stationary for more than 30 minutes at a time, I was a little concerned that he might feel a little cabin fever-ish.  It was never an issue.  There were more floors, doors, and elevators than in my parents' home town.

2. Now I know how kids feel at Disney World.  Everything is fancy, lighted, and clean.  Clean being the operative word for this germ-a-freak.  I felt like a princess.  Which, I am, by the way.
3. You can do absolutely nothing if you prefer. Which I do prefer sometimes.

3. Or you can choose to do excursions beyond your wildest dreams. Which I highly recommend.

We decided to try things that we may never have the chance to do again.  You only live once!

4. The food.  I know it sounds cliche` but it is true.  The food was fabulous.  Fresh fruit every single day.  I think I ate my weight in pineapple and watermelon.  For breakfast and lunch we grazed the buffet; but the evenings were a real treat.  The restaurants were linen-napkin and stemmed glassware kind of nice. No fast food items here. Grown-up and faincy!  Which leads me to number 5.

5. Economic.  How expensive do you think it would be to eat at a 5-star restaurant for six nights in a row?  Once we realized how economic a cruise could be for all that is included, we were amazed.  Don't get me wrong, it's a big chunk 'o change, but if you tried to take a vacation and eat like we did, the cost would be incredible.

  

Our cruise was an amazingly generous gift from my parents who often say they would rather live to see us enjoy their inheritance than wait until they're too busy enjoying their heavenly mansions to notice.  They knew we would never take a 7 day trip alone on our own.  When you are in this stage of life the vacation funds are for family vacations (or new ac units, whichever comes first that year).  They wanted to help us celebrate our 15 years of marriage with something that we wouldn't/couldn't have done on our own.  For that, we are forever grateful.  And exceedingly grateful for their example of a wonderful, lifelong marriage.

6. Details.  The attention to details was unbelievable.  Picture this:  you are watching a movie while reclining in a padded lounge chair under the stars on the deck of the ship.  Just when you think life couldn't get any better, a cute little steward walks up and hands you a WARM just from the oven oatmeal cookie, to go along with the bag of popcorn you've already devoured.  A little chilly from the night air?  There's a blanket at your feet. 

7. Something for everyone.  One of my favorite spots on the boat was on our balcony with a good book (above).  It was private and quiet.  Hubby headed to the courts to shoot some hoops and gave me a little down time in the afternoons.

8.  Excursions.  They are SO worth it! There is something for everyone.  Hubby and I like to stay active, so we chose to snorkel, kayak etc...   Something we learned: book reservations ahead of time.  Several people onboard told us they didn't get to do their top choice of excursions because they were sold out.  Just FYI.

9. And then there's this:
Yes.  Can you imagine?  Tropical paradise.  Falling in love all over again wasn't hard to do.

10. Recharged, relaxed, renewed.  We were so recharged after our trip. We had never spent 7 days away from everyone else we know on the planet.  Totally focusing on each other was so healthy.  We came home refreshed, renewed, and ready to be back in our roles at home.  Although having my bed turned down each night was pretty nice... 

What would be on the top of your must-do list for a cruise?

The 7 Day Date

Hello friends!  I know my blogging has been a little light over the past week and a half.

I've been a little busy.

Celebrating 15 years with this amazing guy:
We had 7 days of togetherness.  No phone, no computer, no work, no cooking, no cleaning.  

Just us.  And room service.  And blue water.  Lots of blue water.

And dinner on our balcony:

And chocolate dipped strawberries:

And some island music:

And hanging out with the locals:

Top things to do on a seven day date:

~watch 2 movies under the stars

~go see a comedian

~watch a musical

~eat more than you ever thought possible

~swim with the dolphins

~sea kayak

~play putt-putt in on the deck of a ship

~snorkel

~ride a giant catamaran

~hold hands

Travel and Admiration

I'm still working my way through the questions from Ask-Away-Day. You girls did great with the questions... lots of variety!

My new bloggy friend Kay asked: Why don't you tell us where you took your favorite vacation. Was it a family trip, couple or solo? How long was it and what made it so special?

Our most recent family trip to Maine ranks up there at the top. But if I had to choose one trip, it would be my trip to Europe last winter with my traveling buddy (my mom). Specifically Fussen, Germany and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Both are quaint, old (as in 700 years old!) cities, rich in history, with amazing views, and charm. We were able to spend 7 days in Germany, visiting my brother who happened to be deployed there at the time(tough deployment, wink wink). He was our tour guide and chauffeur. It was a fantastic trip. I highly recommend visiting Germany in the winter. It is the "off" season so the crowds are low and it is gorgeous. The picture above was taken from the Neuschwanstein Castle. My hubby doesn't like to fly but he encourages me to travel and enjoy the world. I love that man!

Samantha asked: Besides the obvious(God, Jesus, and your mom) who is/are you role model/s? People you look up to, admire, respect, and strive to be like. Why?

I've learned that people (including myself) will always disappoint if I expect too much {perfection} from them. Therefore, I cautiously answer this question. The first person that comes to mind is Beth Moore. Not only has she written numerous books and speaks to thousands each year, she is REAL. She's funny, in love with Jesus, beautiful inside and out, and caring. Unlike some big-name speakers, I've watched her join women in the crowd, get down on her knees and love on them. She's not pretentious or condescending. She is transparent and joyful. Most of all, she is IN LOVE with her Savior. I want that ... desperately.

I admire Alyssa Ann at Resolved to Worship, not only because she is an amazing photographer, mother of 7 beautiful children, and has a surreal ability to turn trash to treasure, but because she is wise beyond her years. I always feel refreshed and encouraged after visiting with her.

Ree ranks up there too, with her ability to cook, write, homeschool, blog, and take amazing photographs... everything I want to be able to do when I grow up. ;)

These were such good questions, I want to ask you the same:

1. Favorite vacation destination?

2. Who do you admire and why?

Dear Faithful Reader,

I know you are surely tired of my vacation pictures, but, since this is my blog, I get to bore you reflect for one more day. Acadia National Park has to be one of the most beautiful places on God's green earth. Unfortunately, the first day of our visit it was more gray than green. Gray as in pouring rain and foggy. The previous night, we knew rain was in the forecast, so before we went to bed, we prayed as a family that the rain would hold off until morning so that we wouldn't have to break down camp and sleep in the car for the rest of the night. Our prayers were answered. It began raining at 6:15 am. We decided to go ahead and make a day of it and visit the park. Hubby and I enjoyed the drive, but unfortunately, we had promised the kids a hike.

But it was 45 degrees, raining and gusty. So we let the kids out of the car and told them to take a hike. Literally. They spent about 10 minutes battling the elements and we called it a day. I wasn't really complaining because I knew what was in store for the night: HOTEL

Twelve years later, and it is still one of our favorite spots in the world.

On our way home, we made a few more stops:

Nubble Lighthouse was our last stop in Maine.

Since it takes over 2 days of straight driving to get home, we decided to make one more "small" stop. Haha! I know, it was like a mini vacation within our vacation, but we like to make the most of it.

We visited 3 of the Smithsonian museums, and thanks to this burnished galaxy man, we took home a very happy little boy.
It was truly one of the best weeks of my life. Our family grew, laughed, bonded and peed in a bucket together. Would I trade it for a week of luxury? Not on your life. My memories are priceless.

The Maine Idea

If any state has it together, it is Maine. Everything there is aesthetically pleasing. There are no billboards, no annoying "open house" signs at every corner, and their Starbucks is the cutest in the world. After my night with the birds from hades, I took a walk on the wild side and ordered a Peppermint Mocha. With caffeine... something that I've been off of for several months.

After meeting momma's needs our breakfast treat, we strolled around Freeport, Maine. Not much is open at 7:50 in the morning except this place:
But after all, L.L. Bean is what Freeport is famous for. And their Canadian geese. Six blocks of L.L. Bean stores were open. We strolled a few, and then found the outlet. Did you know that with 3 kids and a shot of caffeine, you can do it all in 32 minutes flat?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As CPQ says, "always eat local while on vacation."

I totally agree. 100%.

It isn't hard to do when this is the local fare:
New England clam chowda. This is not your Cambell's soup variety either. Every bite was creamy goodness.

It's also fun to try the local beverages. Old Soaker won my heart.
Hubby even bought a six pack for me to bring home. Some people buy magnets, I buy soda.

But let's be real. What is the creme de la creme of Maine?
Oh. Yes. And I enjoyed every single bite. The kids thought it was totally gross that he looks at you the whole time, but I wouldn't have cared if he introduced himself in a cute little French accent. I had driven 1,247 miles for this plate and I intended to take my time.

We had reached our furthest destination of the trip: Bar Harbor, Maine. It is the quintessence of New England coastal living.
I highly recommend this little town located on Mount Desert Island at the base of Acadia National Park. A tourist spot? Totally. Charming? Definitely. A must see.

It also turned out to be my favorite camping spot. Rustic without roughing it. (Aka: warm showers, clean toilets, and enforced quiet hours.) One of the things I really liked about this campground was the separation of tent sites and camper sites. Not that I don't like campers... in fact by this point in the trip I had camper at the top of my Christmas list. However, it was nice to have a quiet, natural setting.
When we arrived at the Bar Harbor Campground, I made nice with the lady at the office and casually asked her about wildlife. She laughed and said, "oh, honey, the only thing we have have around here is deer and squirrel." I think I let the words I love you escape my lips, but I did refrain from wrapping her in a bear hug.

Out of all the campgrounds I had scoped online, this was the one that I was most nervous about. 1.) They don't take reservations. 2.) Their website looks like something I could have designed (that's not much) 3.) When I called, the guy laughed and said I definitely wouldn't have trouble getting a site (later I found out that it isn't peak camping week, hence the laughter)

But it was cheap. And it was the closest one to the town. So we tried it.

I am SO glad we did. If you are ever going to Bar Harbor and need a place to camp, this is perfect. Check out the view:

The fall colors were at peak that week (1st week of October). It was cold, but not unbearable. I did sleep in my earmuffs and gloves, but I SLEPT. Like a baby. Without loud teenagers, honking geese, rabid dogs, or bears.