DC/NYC, we've seen it all.

Olivia and I finally got to go on the DC/NYC trip we were supposed to go on in 2020, which kept being rescheduled because of the pandemic. Honestly, the whole month before the trip, I really thought about just not going.  

I don't know what my problem was, it was probably just a lot of anxiety and generally not feeling well. In the end though, both of us went and I'm glad we did. We literally saw and did all of the things in both cities and I'm glad I had that time with Olivia. 

I wasn't prepared to walk 12+ hours every day, even though they clearly said we would be. I think it's one thing to be told something like that and actually doing it are two very different things. I honestly don't know how I made it every day, but by the time we got home my legs were in rough shape and I really hurt. 

I do wish we could have spent another day in Washington, D.C. though. I do really want to go back because while we got to see everything, I would really like to go back and spend a little more time at a few of the places, specifically the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. We saw both of them, but it was night, and also sleeting, we were all completely miserable and frozen, so I definitely didn't get to really take it all in like I should have. 

I'm also bummed that we didn't get to go into any of the federal buildings, which I totally understand why we couldn't, but damn... I really hope someday we can do that again because I just want to really experience the awe of all of them. 

I am so grateful that my kids are all great travelers, because Olivia is all about learning about the things we're looking at, and she is generally excited to see and do things. I really appreciate that about her. 

I think Liv would agree, but maybe my favorite thing to see in DC was George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. It's an absolutely beautiful estate, and I wish we could have had another hour at least to see things, but we made it through the home, some of the grounds and outbuildings, and George Washington's tomb. We also got to experience ridiculously rude students from a different school and that was pretty crappy. 

I have to talk about our tour guide super quick, her name was Liz and she works with EF Tours (the company our trip was through), and she was phenomenal. I literally would go anywhere Liz wanted to take me. She knew everything about everything, she knew her way around everywhere, and it was just amazing to watch her expertly get us around with ease. I'm so glad we had someone so fun because I learned a ton, and I hope the kids on the trip really appreciated that, too. 

We did see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and were lucky enough to watch a wreath ceremony and it was just super moving and I am so glad we were able to see that. I also saw Ruth and Marty. 

After a half day in DC, we rode a bus to NYC and went to the Empire State Building on our first night. Honestly, the view was beautiful, we saw a sunset and we could not have been there at a better time. I will say though, I didn't love it, and it kind of reminded me of the St. Louis Arch. It's cool, I can say I saw it, but it isn't anything I'd tell you that you need to see/do. 

We also saw Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and I'll be honest, we liked the Statue of Liberty a lot more. I really thought Ellis Island was going to be my favorite but I think not being able to see all areas of it was the key. I also wanted to know more about Ellis Island specifically, but the museum was a lot of information about immigration in general, not just Ellis Island, so it wasn't really anything we didn't already know. 

We were super grateful for the great weather though, it was a little over 70 and I was all about the sunshine because DC was freezing the entire time. 

New York City was.... a lot. 

I knew it was going to be a lot, I already kind of prepared myself for it, but honestly, NYC is a level of stimulation you literally cannot prepare for. 

I almost had a full breakdown in Times Square. Plopping a person with cognitive issues, memory loss, and issues with too much stimulation in the middle of Times Square and telling that person to have fun for two hours, that is really just... too much. I kind of panicked and I didn't really go anywhere off of the block we were meeting at because I was absolutely terrified I would get lost and I had no idea what I would do. I won't even talk about being dropped in China Town because that was even scarier. Thank god for McDonald's, that's how I would sum that up. 

Oh, and we saw a Broadway show! We saw Paradise Square, which was so good! Olivia and I both really enjoyed it, plus we learned a whole lot about a time in history that we just never learned about. 

We also saw the courthouse used for Law & Order episodes, and I loved it so much. Ha! 

The trip was good overall. There were some bumps, there were some real high points, I also had blisters which ended up incredibly infected. I had no idea that could even happen, and I went the entire week thinking my feet were just sore but no, I was walking miles and miles on infected blisters. Shout out to my doctor who called in antibiotics for me to start as soon as I got home. I won't even talk about the awfulness that was our trip home, I can sum it up by saying LaGuardia is just the worst and I will avoid that place at all costs for the rest of my life. 

I already have wanderlust and want to go somewhere else. I'm considering a summer road trip for us, but that's kind of up in the air right now. Maybe if I plan it, the universe will make it happen.... 

The Strand Six: Road trip 2021

I know I mentioned awhile ago that we were debating on where to take our road trip this year. We spent a LOT of time (I'm seriously talking over 20 hours) to plan out two options. We picked two states that were closest to us that we haven't actually visited because we wanted to cross them off of our map. 

In the end, we chose IOWA. 

I know, you're like, "Iowa!? What the hell are you going to do in Iowa?!" and to that I say... we only kind of have an idea. We have some places/things to do written down that as a family we thought would maybe be fun. The real bummer is we don't have a ton of time so we can't fully see Iowa, so there is like... half the state we won't see. I know that we'll have to go through Iowa to other states, so we thought we could easily do some things on other trips, so it doesn't feel like we're cheating. The other deciding factor was cost. We are really sticking to a budget and trying to still do a vacation but be reasonable with cost. Our other option was Ohio, but when we listed out everything we wanted to do in Ohio? We didn't have enough time OR money, so that was a bummer because honestly, I was pushing for that. 

But you know what? We're going to have fun. 

Though not set in stone, some things we're hoping to see/do on our road trip at some point: 

1. Jolly Green Giant Park: Honestly, you know I love a good roadside attraction, and this one is pretty close to where we'd be driving so why not plan a pee break so you can see a giant green statue? You're no friend of mine if you say no. 

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2. Minneopa State Park: Specifically, I'd like to see Bison Drive and the waterfall. Penelope and Lucy told me they've never seen a waterfall (and I don't think that's true, but also, I can't think of when it would have happened so maybe they are right). 

3. High Trestle Trail Bridge: I knew the minute I saw pictures of this bridge, I had to do it. We are basically banking on plan of getting to this bridge at night so we can see it. I'm also REALLY hoping it's not sketch at all to walk around at night. This might be the first time I'm hoping for a tourist heavy time slot. 

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4. Blank Park Zoo: We actually enjoy going to zoos, and I feel like we basically go to one on every trip. I also feel like the quality of a zoo really says a lot about the city its in as a whole. If it's a great zoo, I leave that city with a great feeling about it as a whole. I'm snobby like that. 

5. Science Center of Iowa: I had some kind of fever dream where we did both the zoo AND the science center on the same day. I don't know what I was thinking, but dammit if we aren't going to try. I didn't think a science center would be a big deal, but both Olivia and Jackson really wanted to do this. I guess they had such a great time at the one in St. Paul, so we're going to give it a try. 

6. A giant swinging bridge. It's actually called Lover's Leap Swinging Bridge and I just really want to see it. And maybe even walk across it. It swings eight stories high and I already know Jackson is not about that life. 

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7. Dubuque stuff. Honestly, this is where I got a little sloppy and have no actual plans. Help me. 

8. National Mississippi River Museum 

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I am really hoping this is pretty great because it's kind of set to be our last thing in Iowa before we come home. 

9. Bookstores, obviously. 

River Lights Bookstore and Prairie Lights Books. I'm hoping that we have time to stop but obviously if we can't... we can't. And I'll probably be sad, but I get it. 

10. Places to eat? Am I missing things that I absolutely CANNOT MISS?! 

We are super excited, we leave for our trip soon, so stay turned for adventure stories. 

Sunshine, Turkey, and Goodbye

On our last full day that wasn't a holiday we decided we all needed some sunshine, so we headed to the beach. We always go to Madeira Beach because it's one I was at a lot when I was a little girl but it's also where Matt and I honeymooned way back when so we just always visit there. 

We had lunch with my parents, went in search of an ornament for our tree (tradition), and then headed to the beach. 

I know technically the water is significantly warmer there then it is at home, but I put my foot in there and it was FREEZING. I'm really glad I didn't bother with a swimsuit! I sat on the beach in my dress and watched everyone else out in the water with Matt. 

For a little while Lucy hung out near me to play in the sand, but she mostly went into the water. I forgot her ear plugs and honestly, her tubes already fell out awhile ago so I thought it was fine. 

Fast forward a few days and she had swimmer's ear and I've never had it but it looked horrible. Lesson learned: never forget her ear plugs!

Olivia and Jackson had a great time swimming and hanging out away from the little girls. I think they were glad for the break. 

Fearless Penelope was all about it. She forgets that she is only five and in fact, not a teenager. She doesn't like being held back but man.... she's ONLY FIVE. 

Lucy and I were buddies for awhile. She got a little scared once a wave crashed into her and I'm pretty sure where the water in her ear came from. 

I promise you these two are playing nice and having fun... though by Lucy's expression one can't be so sure!

I look at this photo and I think damn.... we are looking so old, it feels like we're aging at lightening speed sometimes. 

We weren't at the beach for too long, we had to be home for dinner, of course. 

The next day was Thanksgiving and, as usual, we have a pretty low-key dinner. We saw some family but not many, we ate some really damn good turkey, and we went to bed incredibly early. Our flight home was VERY early in the morning and the airport is about an hour from my parents' home so we had to get up around 3 a.m. to get on the road on time. 

Hot tip for you: go to bed in the clothes you plan to wear! We literally woke up, brushed our teeth, and left. Our bags were already packed, we were dressed, it was so much easier than trying to get organized on our way out the door. 

The kids were sad to leave but we'll be back soon. The cutest thing was seeing my grandma, in her pajamas, telling us to be safe and that she loves us at her fence. I love my grandparents so much but my grandma is just special. I think that's just what grandma's are, special. 

Our day traveling home was so long. We had a five hour layover at an airport that was only two hours away from our house. Honestly I don't know what I was thinking when I booked that flight, why didn't I just get us on a shuttle so we could be home three hours sooner? 

I have no idea. 

What I did learn is that you can use the app GRAB, and they will deliver food to your terminal. You order/pay on your phone, they deliver. It was so great because all of the decent food things were a million terminals away from us and I wasn't about to haul four cranky (and tired) kids around looking for food. I highly suggest looking into this app if you are traveling by plane anytime soon.

Overall? It was a good trip. I am glad we went, I was nervous the entire time, but I didn't realize how badly we all needed to go. We are hoping we can go again in the summer, or maybe when school is getting out, assuming Covid is under more control than now. I will say, people were very respectful of space and masks, and we didn't run into any rude people so that was really nice. It made the trip a lot easier for us. 

Magic Kingdom, super clean and still magical.

Our day at Disney was one that we were all excited about and I was so nervous about. I did a ton of research and I knew that things were pretty hardcore but let me tell you- I felt safer at Disney than I did at any place of business locally to me, that's for sure!

We left super early in morning so we could get there as the doors opens and I'm so glad that we did. 

I'll be honest and say right now, the reduced crowd size was AMAZING and I hope they continue with it. At no point did any of us feel overwhelmed by people around us, the lines weren't awful at all, and the park was incredibly clean. 

Right off the bat the kids were excited. Penelope and Lucy had never been there before so I was excited for them to see it all. We've been really talking it up for YEARS and I think them seeing the castle as we came in was pretty great. 

I won't lie, not having character meet and greets was kind of a bummer. We only really saw one character not on a parade and that was Buzz (a favorite of the girls) and this was their photo op. I'm just happy we got to have one, it was fun and Lucy really thought Buzz was 100% real. 

We rode all of the rides except Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain (Pep and Lu were too small for them) and the Snow White & The Seven Dwarves (that line was too long all day and it didn't feel like a must-do). We also didn't get to do the Haunted Mansion (we were SO bummed) because it wasn't open. 

One of my favorite rides from when I was a little girl, It's A Small World, is still open but getting a face lift on the outside. That was maybe the longest line we were in, surprisingly, but we did get to ride it. 

I love how much Lucy loved the ride, too. She sat there clapping the entire time and constantly pointing out a doll she wanted me to see. 

They are spacing people on rides, leaving quite a bit of space between riders, so we never felt crowded. Even in the line, they have spacing markers everywhere. Like I said, the lines weren't bad at all. Even if a ride said it was a 45 minute wait, we maybe only waited 20 minutes. We didn't use any fast passes at all. Those were still being used because we did see people getting into fast pass lines and being let in throughout the park but honestly, you didn't need them at all. 

OK, real talk, WHY IS CINDERELLA'S CASTLE PINK?! I even looked back in my older pictures, it wasn't pink. Why is it pink?! I hate it pink. 

I haven't ever been to Disney during Christmas so I had to take an obligatory photo of the Christmas tree. 

We did manage (by absolute fluke) to see the toy soldiers, the band, and the parade (all at different times). We saw all of the princesses during the parade, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and of course Mickey and friends. Penelope and Lucy were BLOWN AWAY and kept telling me they were REAL. It was pretty cute. 

Oh yes, they got their first pair of Mickey ears, we had to get sunglasses because I forgot theirs all together on our trip, and their "First Visit" buttons!

We stayed open until close and it was such a great day. I mean, this photo was around 3 p.m. and look how empty it was! It was really great to not be crammed with people, to be honest. 

Matt swears he was having a good time but he looks like the grumpiest person in the happiest place on Earth, right??

We spent a lot of time carrying Pep and Lu and my back STILL hurts. I couldn't do it very long but I thought this was a cute picture. 

Oh yes, I got one of Penelope in a mood. Of course. Oh! We also loved the way they do food now. You can't just go up and order something, you have to order on the app, pay, and pick your pick up time. At lunch we struggled a bit because we were learning as we go. By dinner, we were pros! We picked a place close to the Jungle Cruise ride, we figured it would be about 45 minutes before we were done with the line and ride, so we chose that as our pick up time. By the time we were ready, you literally go up, get your food, sit down, and that's that. It is so slick and you aren't stuck waiting in horrible lines with crying, hungry kids. 

The other bummer is there is no night-time fireworks, parade, party. I was bummed about this because there wasn't going to be Elsa doing her thing either. The castle DID look very cool though so I can't get too mad about it. 

Overall? Disney was incredibly safe, incredibly clean, the employees were so helpful. Multiple times during the day we'd say thank you to the workers we came across and they just looked so grateful. I think people working, in any capacity, during this pandemic are stressed out and us being just a little bit nicer is everything. 

Tomorrow I'll talk about the beach and coming home. I am so glad that we had this day, it made me so happy seeing my kids so happy, even if it is only one of a handful of days this year. 

We took a chance... and got on a plane.

 ** Now before you come at me with me blatantly ignoring travel warnings, know that 1. I booked non-refundable things well before that but I thought they WERE refundable and it turns out I'm not a great reader after all. Well some things were but others weren't and I don't have the kind of money to just flush down the toilet. 2. We had other reasons for going on this trip that I'm not going to share, so there. **

We've had a rough year. Actually, the entire planet has had a rough year. In the last few months it feels like everything that was a low boil was starting to boil over the pot, basically. A lot of things have been happening behind the scenes, I'm struggling, the kids are struggling, it is just to the point where I had to either take a chance and leave home for a bit or watch everyone bubble over. 

I fully understand that any one, or all, of us could get sick and it could go to hell. If anyone understands that, it is me. I also know that we have other things going on and frankly, I can't save the world, all I can do is try to make one decision at a time. 

So we went to Florida for a few days. We saw my parents and I didn't realize how much I needed that until we were there. I really, REALLY needed to unplug and check out for a few days. The kids needed to see their grandparents, and we needed to come together as a family without life constantly reminding us what we need to be doing. 

Penelope and Lucy had never flown on a plane before and honestly, I was so worried. I did a lot of research and we went with Delta for all of our flights, which made it a LONG day on the way there. Like three planes to get there and we were so exhausted. 

The great news- Delta does an AMAZING job at keeping things clean and people spaced as much as they can. We all sat in our own row and for most of our flights there and back we weren't around a ton of people, so that was really nice. I was cleaning things like crazy anyways but still, it's nice to know they did, too. 

Penelope and Lucy did great. I didn't realize they had video monitors for each person (I haven't flown in awhile, give me a break) and they hand out earbuds, but if you have little kids I suggest bringing headphones. Thankfully Pep and Lu went with the flow and didn't make a peep on any flight. I was so grateful for it too because there were a lot of kids on most of our flights and we heard some REAL colorful language coming from a boy that couldn't have been older than Penelope, and she's five. 

My kids are really great travelers and it is so nice. I cannot say it enough that traveling with your kids is a huge life skill in flexibility and patience. 

Side note: airports were SO CLEAN and basically empty. It was actually really eerie to walk through an airport at 8 a.m. and feel like you're trespassing because there is nobody around. Just saying. Also, I think it is weird that they had to make it clear that you cannot put your baby in here. 

WHO PUTS THEIR BABY IN THERE?!

Anyways. Florida was nice. My parents' new home is really nice, the kids loved it. Olivia was determined to catch a lizard, and she did, but it also bit her and I hear that hurts quite a bit. Needless to say, the novelty of lizards was short lived and Penelope is now terrified of them. 

One day we went to Zoo Tampa for the day, and that was nice. It wasn't crowded at all and everyone was masked, the entire zoo was impeccably clean, and everyone basically stayed away from everyone else, so it was really nice. Lucy got to see her beloved penguins. 

They measured themselves and frankly, if I ran into a penguin the size of Penelope, I would be terrified. I'm just saying, I feel like a penguin could, and would, kick my ass and I'm not OK with it. 

Penelope was greatly disappointed there were no unicorns and she was not impressed when I tried to pass off a rhino as a chunky one. 

The day was long and the day was hot. This ended up being the only group photo I got of the kids and honestly, it sums up the day. By the time we got home we were all really exhausted. We did learn a lot about animals though, so it kind of made up for missing a day of school, so there was that. 

Tomorrow I'll show you pictures of our trip to Disney. It was the ONE thing we planned ahead of time and I knew if I tried to reschedule I couldn't guarantee we'd be able to come back to Florida in that time period, and the girls would have been totally upset. So we ended up going, and it was great, but I'll tell you  more tomorrow.