Florida | Treasure Island | May 2022

Headed south for some beach time and a surprise trip to Disney. I found a cute little motel called The Molloy on Treasure Island, Florida. The motel was hidden between a row of towering vacation stays but even being short The Molloy stands out because somehow once in the premise its a cute little white space with private beach access and a pool. It served our needs perfectly although I will warn parking is limited and I can image would be tricky in peak season.

We also did a day trip to Disney which was really special because none of the kids had been before. We went with Magic kingdom and I totally splurged and hired a Florida photographer to spend the day with us and document. This ended up being a great idea, if you find yourself busy on your phone trying to capture everything, or in my case on my camera, and end up loosing out on actually enjoying the moment OR never ended up in photos yourself. I can’t recommend Brittany The Photographer enough for spending a hot May Day with us at Disney.

Taking on Arizona

Listen, traveling is not for everyone, but we love it. We have been a little intimidated at taking on a “bigger” trip with three kids but decided to take the plunge. We planned a late summer trip out to Arizona. We choose Arizona because one, we knew there were a variety of things to see like the Grand Canyon and Sedona but also because I have family in Phoenix. It is important to me to make those trips and allow my family a far to meet my kids and have memories with them. The actual vacation was amazing and went way easier than we anticipated. The flight there was the only part I now have advice on.. so buckle up if you need it.

We flew to Arizona and my son who was 20 months did not require a seat so we thought, lap child and save the cost. BIG MISTAKE. He def needed his own room. So much so, that we purchased a one way ticket for the ride home, and the flight was so much better. If you are in this situation, two things that I think may make a difference for someone else. 1. Is your child distracted easily with something like a screen? (Knox was not). 2. What time of day are you traveling? Is it nap time? (the flight to Arizona was around nap time and he did not sleep in my lap as I had hoped and instead was cranky because he was tired. On the flight home, it was early morning and he was much happier in general not being his nap time.

Either way, it was a few hours worth the headache for the experiences and memories and I encourage you to take the plunge too.

Michigan Summer

We have been to Michigan now many times but never in the summer. Out friends who have a home in Leland that we stay at usually are there the whole summer but this year, they were having a baby and decided to stay in Ohio. SO we got to go and it was truly a treasured time. Michigan has proven to be eventful and beautiful no matter the time of year but since it stay colder than Ohio this was our first experience getting to swim in the lake and not be freezing. I’ve said t before and I’ll say it a again- Northern Michigan is where its at.

Spring Break 2021- Captiva Island, Florida

We moved back in with my parents at the end of the year last year after selling our home in Columbus. Ryan starts grad school in May and our income with be split in half. Also we have been warned the program he will be attending is very time demandind and I can count on him not being around often to help, so we also moved in hoping for some extra help with the kids. One of the best parts of moving “back home” was the girls started in a pre-school that is five days a week. They are picked up and dropped off by a school bus and its just all of our favorite adjustment since moving from the city. Since we now were following a school schedule, that meant we had a Spring Break to plan for. We decided to head to Captiva Island in Florida. I have been there years ago with my bestie and her family but really didn’t remember much about it other than the famous restaurant, The Bubble Room. The location is also not far from where my dad lives in Florida so we were also able to meet up with him and spend an afternoon together.

Captiva is honestly a dream. Its beautifully nestled on the gulf side of Florida. We booked an apartment/villa on Airbnb and it was by no means the prettiest place on the island but it served its purpose just fine. IT was a one bedroom- (where me and Ryan slept and set up a pack-n-play for Knox) and the living room couch was a pull out sofa (where the kids slept). We were in walking distance to a Starbucks, a public beach access and one of the many community pools. It just so happened we had friends who overlapped our stay by a couple days so we were able to hang out at the pools, do some photos at the beach and eat at the whimsical Bubble Room. It was the first vacation with all the kids that I thought to myself, “man, I could stay another day or two.” Usually we are all ready to get home and back to our normal routines, but this trip will forever be remembered as the one we could have stayed.

Asheville, North Carolina | 2020

Talk about a trip worth getting away to.. Asheville, NC. Its just far enough you can get to it in a one day trip and still have some time at your destination to relax and unpack. We ventured down with another family that we love and stayed at an airbnb- farm style in the mountains. We didn’t explore a ton of downtown areas, as Ive heard this is maybe not as kid friendly, especially during a pandemic. However just outside of town was the perfect quiet grounds to let the kids run around and parents sit outside and enjoy the change of pace. While we were there we did a day of hiking in the blue ridge mountains and found a fun spot with a waterfall to spend an afternoon. One afternoon we split from our friends and did a tour at the Biltmore estate, I personally love things like this, seeing architectural structures that you don’t see everyday, imagining a time when you needed a smoking room, gun room and separate sleeping dorms from your husband. I appreciate places you can step in and really see how it might have looked if you were there more than a century ago.

White Sulphur Springs, Framily Trip 2020

I think there’s a debate how many years we have been doing this trip. I thought it as five, but maybe its six. Regardless its a favorite. We manage to get away to White Sulphur Spring, West Virginia every summer for a long weekend. We all enjoy doing the same staple things every time, time at the pool up top the mountain, one evening getting all dolled up and heading to the Greenbrier, one nice home cooked meal (thanks Em), put put (too late at night for me) and lots of quality time. This year it was fun to end the trip adding hopefully another tradition to the mix, listening to our friends from the band Lucy play us a few of their songs.

Lake Michigan | 2020

In a surprisingly good turn of events amidst these stay home/quarantine times during covid-19, Ryan and myself found we had a long weekend off together after his scheduled drill weekend was canceled. Originally, we had plans to go stay at my favorite interior designer/nursing school bestie’s lake house in Michigan a few weeks ago and had to cancel due to Michigans strict rules of no travel at the time. Now with this new time off together, I checked with her if the lake house was open; AND IT WAS, cue the happy dance. With Michigan lifting their strict travel ban, we headed north to go spend some quality isolation/stay home time but with a change of scenery…(one with a view). Brittanys lake house sits right on Lake Michigan in an area called Lake Leelanau on Michigans famous Highway 22. We really enjoyed lounging around and cozying up by the wood burning fire while also supporting locally and ordering some of the areas best take out food. For two days in a row we went about 30 minutes north just past Northport and hiked a really easy 1 mile hike to the shoreline to go play on the sand dunes. The first day was pretty foggy with little visibility and the next day was bright sun, which made for two completely different experiences despite “doing” the same thing. We are home now and so glad we took the leap to take the long drive north.

We can’t express how thankful we are to have had the opportunity to get away while still feeling safely socially distanced. If the house catches your attention, check out Brittanys interior design services over at Will+Blu, she has always been my go to inspiration on styling my home and can’t recommend her enough.

Boho Box | Hocking Hills

For Valentines Day, I reached out to my best friend Emily and check if her airbnb rental, the Boho Box, was available for a couple nights. Sure enough it was, so my sister took the toddlers and we headed southeast with the baby for a couple days to rest and unwind. If you haven’t heard of The Box Hop, you’re missing out. These dreamy shipping container rentals are located just 45 minutes away from Columbus. Once there you are a short drive from all the Hocking Hills attractions. This getaway we ventured over to Ash Cave. To get to the cave/waterfalls is a short easy hike from parking. Guys, this place was awesome. The waterfall was full from rain all week and since it was the middle of the week in the winter, there was no one around. So naturally I set up my tripod and made Ryan and Baby boy take a million pictures. While at the container we did a lot of normal day to day things, made food, (pancakes for breakfast & heart shaped pizzas for dinner) watched TV and SLEPT, slept IN might I add. To top off all the ways to relax and unplug, there is one king size bed, hot tub, and huge soaking tub.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee | 2020

It’s a new year. Some people shun new year resolutions and some kill it. I personally love the excuse to chat with my husband Ryan about what our goals are individually, as a couple and as a family. One thing we miss as a couple is the ability to run off somewhere new. So we decided to attempt more family vacations and maybe a couple kid free, when possible. We are not ashamed to admit we are home bodies and don’t need long stretches away from home. Every once in awhile we get itchy for a change of scenery. Earlier this week, we were driving to pick up our girls from pre-school and talked about our week plans. Somehow it hadn’t been on my radar we had the whole week off together?!? Generally I’m very on top of our schedules but the shuffle of the holidays had me living more day by day lately. So... we decided to head south and figure it out on the way. We landed on a family trip to Gatlinburg, TN and it was perfect. Warm cozy cabin in the Smokey mountains was the perfect setting for our first getaway as a family of 5.

Lake Leelanau, Michigan | 2019

In April we got away with our besties, The Britts, for a long weekend to northern Michigan to a friends lake house. Its located in Lake Leelanau area and couldn’t be a prettier setting. Michigan really is a beautiful escape with all kinds of beautiful little lake towns along the shore. We explored some neighboring towns, wineries and relaxed at home with the kiddos. To end the trip we did a gender revealing for baby baker #3.

White Sulphur Springs | West Virginia

Every year for four years now, a group of close friends get away, adults only, to West Virginia. One of the couples parents own a house on a mountain in White Sulphur Springs and have been kind enough to allow us to all go retreat together. The mountain homes are part of The Greenbrier Resort which adds this whole extra piece of experience to the trip. The mountain views and quietness of the elevation is a perfect vacation on its own but then you add the visits into Lewisburg and to The Greenbrier and the trip becomes this whole slew of experiences. Ryan and myself went the first year but then missed a couple summers so we were very ready to get away with everyone. As cheesy as it may sound, spending the time with our "framily" is what makes it all and wouldn't be nearly as special without everyone.

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Holden Beach | North Carolina

I grew up going to Holden Beach in North Carolina with my family. We would go every other year and aunts, uncles, cousins and our grandma would all go. The last time I went was 10 years ago. So my mom inquired last winter about trying to go back to HB this summer. We found a house and made it happen. This was also the first time that Ryan and myself took a whole full week off for a vacation. As nurses we tend to try to work a couple shifts at the beginning of the week and take off for a "long weekend" somewhere. I was excited to go and start our own traditions as a family at the beach I grew up going to. Hattie and Hazel loved the beach. Hazel would sit in the shallows and let the waves hit her while Hattie took off exploring up and down the beach. Spending this much uninterrupted time was a nice break from the day to day hustle and I hope to make this a repeated trip in the years to come.

Dauphin Island | Alabama

Ryan and I, although we live and met in Ohio both have southern roots in our blood. Ryan was born in Alabama and his dad and many family members still live south. I was born in Ohio but my dad was born in Alabama and also have family who still resides there. It just so happened that our work schedules worked out that we had a long stretch of days off together and as with most getaways. We decided last minute to head south and see family.

Ryan, myself and the two girls headed south right before the girls nap time. This time of day worked out really great. We missed any big cities rush hour and the girls actually handled the trip really well. We landed our first night outside of Birmingham at my great aunt Sherry and uncle Jimmys lakehouse. The next day we woke to a home cooked breakfast. Sherry took us on a small driving tour around the lake telling quirks of her little gated neighborhood and how they came about landing their retirement home after living on a farm for as long as I've known them. We did lunch and sadly had to head south to arrive at our final destination. It was sweet to finally introduce my husband and children to some of my own southern roots.

Our home-base for the next three days was the Gulf Breeze Motel on Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is a small, quiet and quaint little place off the bottom coast of Alabama. The center of "town" has the essentials- gas station, small grocery store, church, couple restaurants and a bakery/coffee spot. When you first drive onto the island there are these "birdhouses" that caught my eye. A row of tall skinny houses for deep sea fisherman to stay at. The color palette of the homes help you feel like you have arrived on an island in the sun. The motel didn't have much online information and with it being spring break time there was limited lodging, so we took a gamble and booked it. In the end the motel offered exactly what we needed traveling with two toddlers. We booked a "suite" which consisted of a two bedroom, living room/common area and a kitchen. We set up the two pack in plays in the second bedroom and brought our own two highchairs. With each getaway we learn a little more on how to make traveling with toddlers easier. Bringing these pieces of furniture have proven to make life work outside of our home and I think help ground the girls in the chaos of changed routines. The motel is a bit old fashioned with a mom-pop ownership feel. The sky blue exterior really kept us feeling like we got away to the tropics.

Mackinac Island | Michigan

Another weekend away in Michigan, this time kid free and with our friends Seth & Emily.  Seth and Emily just had their four year wedding anniversary, something to really value and celebrate, so why not get away?! As usual this trip was a last minute decision. With the weekend off and a recent anniversary the Britts and Bakers were at it again. Emily had her heart set on Mackinac Island and I quickly agreed that be the perfect weekend away. We had actually both been there before for a girls trip and have always talked about wanting to take our husbands and someday our kids. Mackinac Island is one of a kind. You can usually categorize the places you visit- "city" "beach" "mountains".. they most likely will all have the same kind of things to do with their own personal touches but Mackinac is truly unique.

Mackinac Island is located between Michigan's lower mainland and upper peninsula. From Columbus it takes about 7 hours to get to Mackinaw City, where you park your car and take a ferry over (roughly about 30 mins). There are NO cars on the island. Everything is by foot, bike or horse. This alone helps set the tone of how peaceful and relaxed the town is. We used each method of transportation and enjoyed them all. This time we stayed at the Murray Hotel(great location) downtown across from the ferry dock. Last time we stayed at Mission Point (located out of downtown but also a nice stay). The big attraction is to stay at the Grand Hotel. Usually the ferry service will take your luggage to all the lodging so you don't have to lug it around to check in.

Day One. We arrived around noon. Lunched at The Pink Pony. I was underwhelmed with the food but enjoyed their decor and drinks (pony up bloody mary and rosemary-ginger sparkler). Then we set out on foot and took a tour of Fort Mackinac. Last time we didn't get to see inside the grounds and with a history buff/military husband this was worth taking the time/money to do. After walking through the grounds and visiting most of the buildings we took a coffee break inside the Fort at The Tea Room Restaurant. We sat outside and had the best views of the island from up high. We then headed back to our rooms to rest/clean up and get ready for dinner. This was a repeat event for me and Emily but we really wanted the guys to enjoy the same experience. We had our hotel call and schedule us a pick up by horse carriage to take us to The Woods. This horse drawn carriage ride takes about 30 mins but you get great site seeing and usually the drivers or other passengers have fun facts to share. This time our driver was Paul, from Transylvania, his horses were Betty and Sam (one lost a shoe on the way). The Woods is a restaurant you MUST experience. Its high end, mens hunter club aesthetics fit perfectly to the middle of the island location. We didn't think to call ahead and make a reservation early enough, so we dined in the bar room, still totally worth it. (Defiantly try to call ahead if you are visiting). There is a single lane old school style bowling ally and popcorn to help hold you over for any wait. The horse carriage ride home is just as fun, everyone on board is usually cheerful and chatty.... you learn about the people around you and all gather under horse blankets to keep warm. The dark quiet ride is spooky and feels like you've gone back in time.

Day Two we walked to get coffee and breakfast. We landed the best breakfast sandwich (Good Morning Egg Sandwich) at Good Day Cafe. Next up were the bike rides around the island. This was and still is the best experience on the island to date. You rent bikes and take off on the path around the perimeter of the island. One side is always water front and the other is either nature or beautiful homes you can only dream of staying in. It takes a couple hours to get around the whole thing, with stops. We stopped at the Arch Rock and walked up 207 steps to see the rock formation and look out off the cliffs. The water is so calm, clear and beautiful. Memory to not forget- Ryans bicycle chain falling off :)

Once around the perimeter we went up above downtown and headed toward the Grand Hotel. This place is seriously massive, beautiful and unique. SOMEDAY we will plan ahead enough to actually stay. The hotel is the setting for the old classic movie "Somewhere in Time", which is extra cool because I fell in love with that movie at Emilys house in our childhood. Last time visiting with girlfriends, we did afternoon tea inside the hotel and that was a fun experience, I'd recommend for anyone visiting. We did bike over to the Grands horse stables and walked through seeing all the different style of carriages over the years and saw some of the beautiful horses and their equipment. (also highly recommended). Once done site seeing, we headed back and jumped on the next ferry out.

You could easily spend more days there doing new things and repeating some of it over and over. Its a great get away as a family, couples and friends. There isn't another place like it and I can't wait to go back with Hattie and Hazel when they are older.