Kauai_2

kauai – our adventure to paradise

In February we explored the “garden isle” of Hawaii. It was beautiful. It was relaxing. It was our first epic family vacation. I am not going to lie, I was terrified of the flight – anticipating a full fledged shut down of Homeland Security as we tried to get our mega load of baby stuff through – but we made it. (although it did include a full pat down with Maggie strapped to my chest in the babybjorn – but that’s for another post).

Some unforgettable sites, sounds and flavors of Kauai:
– Rooster crows in the morning
– Sunrises over the north shore
– Watching Laird Hamilton get towed into 30+ waves in Hanalei Bay
– Mai tais at the St. Regis of Princeville
– Waves crashing on Tunnels Beach while watching Doug body surf
– The best ahi tacos I have ever tasted from island taco
– Holding my baby while watching the sunset, thinking life is beautiful.
– Long walk along the coast with my husband (perhaps our first date conversation since Mag’s was born)
– Laughs with Barbie while exploring the beach at Hanalei Bay
– Wonderment at the canyon views of Waimea

This trip was a milestone – we can do this travel thing as a family (we may need a little more help – thank you Barbie!) – but we are excited about the adventures to come. I loved Kauai and can’t wait to go back someday.

 

places that inspire

While vacationing in Kauai, I read “The Descendants”. The novel helped me to experience the landscape through the eyes of a Hawaiian. I sat on the lounge chairs of the St. Regis in Princeville and read about how the family stayed at that hotel. A place can inspire great stories. Tonight, that novel won an Oscar for it’s ability to have viewers experience a powerful human story. Congrats to The Descendants.

Kauai became a place I will always remember as our first family vacation. I learned on this trip that our love of travel will forever be apart of our family story. I can’t wait for Maggie to love experiencing the world as much as her daddy and I.

for the road warrior #traveltuesdays

We just got home from our first roadtrip with Mags (we went to visit my parents in Alabama). She was a champ and I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed the SYNC in our new Ford Escape. It made us feel that a cross country roadtrip is possible again. In 2008, Doug and I hit route 66 and traveled from Detroit to California. It was a drive of a lifetime. What has been your favorite roadtrip?

Mackinac_main3

mackinac – a moment back in time – part 3

After a beautiful morning on the island, we took the ferry to the mainland and decided to explore Fort Michilimackinac.

 

Doug remembered visiting the fort as a kid and we explored all the old buildings and learned about the traders and native americans who called the shores of Lake Michigan home. On the weekends, the fort has volunteers who dress up in character and have demonstrations of cooking, blacksmithing and firearms. After a history lesson or two, we headed back towards home – but decided to take the scenic route along the shore of Lake Huron.

 

We turned to PureMichigan’s site for some inspiration and found their lighthouse roadtrip guide. Our first stop was the lighthouse of Old Mackinac Point – which is now a restored museum. It’s in a beautiful location (right beside the Fort and overlooks the Mackinac Bridge to the UP. We then headed south and our second lighthouse was 40 Mile Point Lighthouse – which is free and you can climb up the tower at no charge (we found that most charge a fee for this). I would highly recommend this location for a picnic on the beach – as they have a trail leading down to the water. Perhaps our favorite stop of the day was the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse (said to be the oldest lighthouse in Michigan). The tower is separate from the living quarters and the steps are hand carved out of stone – which makes this a picturesque lighthouse – however the most intriguing fact maybe that George (the old caretaker) is said to haunt this tower on occasion. The lighthouse has been disconnected from power sources for some time, and the volunteer said she has seen a phantom light coming from the tower on numerous occasions. So George may be present – making sure the ships come safely home.

 

Our final stop of the day was in Alpena – not exactly a hotbed of culinary options – but we used Yelp to guide us to the Courtyard Restaurante. Perhaps one of the most memorable meals of the year for us (and believe me that is no small feat with the restaurants we have explored). This local place has an eclectic decor and the menu features some locally sourced ingredients with a commitment to scratch-made italian dishes. The owners travel every year to find inspiration for their menu – and our pesto ravioli was truly inspired. A great ending to a beautiful weekend!