Travel

More Thoughts on Florida

There was so much prep work for this trip. So much. It had been two years since we’d really gone on a trip like this, plus this was our first trip as a family of five, and had so many unknowns, so I think we went a bit overboard. Our motto was better to be prepared than surprised, but I think it worked.

Aside from packing suitcases, flights and having a place to stay, there were other details. Leading up to the trip we rented baby gear and coordinated it getting dropped off at the rental house. We put in Amazon and Target orders of snacks and toys and diapers and anything we could possibly think of needing while we were there. There were things like masks to think about and any other Covid related extras to plan for. We rented a car, asked someone to check on the cats, and figured out the car seats.

Mainely Memories

We recently went on our annual trek to Maine. I guess it was technically a vacation, but these days that word has a very different meaning than it used to. At this point it’s all about building memories and doing things to make the kids happy. And I’m okay with that, as tiring as it is. (It definitely gives me a different perspective of all those years in Maine when I was younger, and what my mom was going through!)

We did have the added bonus of having a lot of family and friends come and stay with us, which was amazing. It meant extra hands to hold our babies, to entertain them, to play with them, and to feed us! All good things. And our kids were psyched! There was so much laughter and running around and smiles. Nothing is better, or makes me happier than seeing someone I love, love on my children. It makes my heart happy.

Winter Wonderland Wedding

This past weekend we went to a different kind of winter wonderland.  Instead of celebrating first birthdays, we were celebrating a wedding!  

It's been a while since I've been at a wedding where I wasn't in the bridal party (or the bride!) but this one was so much fun (and less stressful!).  It was weird, because for the first time we had to worry about who was watching the tiny human we'd brought along with us, but luckily some planning ahead of time minimized that problem as well.  

Much Ado About Chicago

So what did we actually do in Chicago?  A lot of things!

It's hard to believe its already been a month since we were there!  I guess we've been pretty busy since we've been back, but we're still talking about this trip and how much fun we had.  While we were there, we went to Second City, one of my favorite improv houses, and watched future SNL cast members perform some of the smartest comedy comedy sketches I've seen.  We also explored the city on foot, ordered room service, and we visited the top of the Sears/Willis tower.  

Lesson Learned

"Hey, you want to rent one of those quad bikes? It could be fun and romantic!"

I don't remember which of us suggested it, but we got it in our heads that we wanted to rent one of those double bikes that look like carts. I don't think we really had a plan after that though.  So we paid for the bike, the guy pointed us down the street, and we started peddling.  And then -