For the past few years, my parents have gifted us with a vacation for Christmas instead of actual gifts. Ask any of us–this is the best thing they ever did and I am so thankful for it! We get to make priceless memories together and that is so much better than any gift could be.

This year, we traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah. There were 15 of us total, so actually getting there was quite the experience. Two flights and three rental cars later, we pulled up to one of the nicest houses I have ever stayed in. It had 8 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a game room, a theater room, and a hot tub. These amenities came in handy when 6 of the 15 of us got the stomach virus and had to stay at the house for 24 hours.

On the first morning, we drove to Park City to walk around and explore. It was such a cute little town, with lots of shopping and sights. Our reading family LOVED Dolly’s Bookstore on Main Street. We ate lunch at Annex Burger on Main Street and it was delicious. The Buffalo Sliders were chef’s kiss.

We began day two with a hike of Donut Falls. It was our least favorite part of the trip. The hike was easy, but longer than we expected. And the waterfall we were hoping to see was all frozen and snowed over, so we couldn’t see a thing. It would be BEAUTIFUL in the spring or summer, just not in the dead of winter when we were there.

Later that evening, we drove to Coalville, Utah, to do some snowmobiling. We booked through BackCountry Snowmobiling and they were wonderful! They provided everything we needed for the ride and were very friendly and informative on the tour.

After lots of research (and even a few visits to different ski resorts), we chose to spend our ski time at Brighton Resort. Brighton is located at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon and is the cutest little village. We had a range of ski abilities in our group, and Brighton has slopes for all of us- from beginner to expert.

Kyndall has snowboarded for a few years now, so that was her first choice. Libby and Jase both started on skis but switched to boards after a few hours. They picked up boarding remarkably fast and fell in love with it instantly.

Way too quickly, it was time to board our flights back home. We said “See you later” to Utah, because we have every intention of going back soon!

During #SpringBreak2018, the West’s headed West: Alabama to New Orleans to Texas and back. It was one of our favorite vacations of all time and one that will take a few blog posts to recap. Let’s start at the beginning, when we spent the day in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The drive from our home to New Orleans is almost exactly 6 hours. We woke up extra early (4 AM, early!) to make the trip so that we could have several hours to spend in New Orleans.  Our first stop when we got to the city was for beignets.  Of course 🙂

Once our bellies were stuffed full, we took a walk around the city.  I fell instantly in love with the jazz players on every corner and all the vendors and the “history” of the city.

The girls stopped at several vendors for souvenirs. Libby picked up a beautiful painted piece of wood that commemorates the lives lost in Hurricane Katrina. The wood itself came from a home in the 9th ward of New Orleans that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Leaving New Orleans, we stopped at Don’s Seafood Inn for a late lunch/early supper. Don’s is authentic cajun seafood and is absolutely delicious!

Must-Do’s in New Orleans:

1. Beignets at Cafe Du Monde.
2. Walk around historical Jackson Square and enjoy all the magicians, street artist and entertainers, and other sights.
3. Stroll down Bourbon Street (in the afternoon, of course) and check out the atmosphere.
4. Ghost tour. We didn’t have time for a ghost tour on this trip, but we have definite plans to go back. The haunted history of New Orleans is so interesting!

Post written in collaboration with Mary Davis.

With the current pandemic going on, we can’t partake in our usual habits, let alone travel as we once did. At least for now! When it is safe to travel again, there are so many beautiful places to visit in the USA, especially with your family. 

Here are 10 American icons to see at least once in a lifetime:

1. The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is an iconic neoclassical sculpture that is the symbol of America and also one of freedom. It stands at 151 feet high located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, and it was gifted to the United States from France. 

2. The Chrysler Building 

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco-style skyscraper located in Manhattan. Used as an office building, the structure draws a number of visitors due to its architectural design and impressive height of 1,046 feet. The construction of the Chrysler Building began in 1928, back when people were determined to make NYC home to the tallest building in the world. 

3. Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is an incredibly beautiful natural site. It is carved out by the Colorado River and the eye can follow the river valley for miles. You can go hiking, catch gorgeous sunset views, and visit other natural sites in Arizona nearby such as Horseshoe Bend.

4. Mount Rushmore 

Mount Rushmore, located in South Dakota, is a sculpture with 60-foot faces of US presidents Lincoln, Roosevelt, Jefferson and Washington carved into the side of a mountain.

5. Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, located on the border between Canada and the United States, is made up of 3 huge waterfalls: the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls. One of the most popular spots in Niagara Falls State Park is the Observation Tower that gives you a view of all 3 waterfalls.

6. Golden Gate Bridge 

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is an iconic structure and one of the world’s most beloved bridges. It stretches over the Pacific Ocean to connect the city of San Francisco to Marin Country.

7. Yellowstone Park 

Yellowstone National Park is a must-see for nature lovers. You can hike, camp, visit the famous ‘Old Faithful’ geyser, and take in the beauty of this 3,500-square-mile park situated in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. After 14 years of creation, the sculpture was first open to the public in 1941. 

8. Walt Disney World 

Walt Disney World, located in Orlando, Florida, is an entertainment complex home to four theme parks as well as lodging. If you have a Disney lover in the family, this is a must see spot at least once that makes for an extra special family holiday. 

9. The White House

The White House is of course an American icon worth seeing. Home to the President of the United States and family, it tends to emote a powerful experience that is also inspirational for many visitors.

10. French Quarter, New Orleans 

The French Quarter in New Orleans is the oldest section of the city. You feel as though you travelled back in time as you explore the 18^th-century architecture and traditional-style area. It is one of the USA’s National Historic Landmarks. 

There are many things that I am looking forward to going back to when possible, and exploring and traveling with my family is one the top things on my list!

We woke up early on day 7 and headed to the LAX airport. Our flight went from LAX to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Chicago, and Chicago to home. LAX to San Fran was beautiful, San Fran to Chicago went smoothly, and in Chicago, we ran into a little problem.

We knew we had a scheduled 3-hour delay in Chicago, so we had planned on doing lunch and hanging out at the airport for a while. After our scheduled delay, we found out that there were issues with our plane. Our 3-hour delay turned into a 4-hour, and then 5-hour, and then finally, was cancelled until the following morning.

The airline provided us with a room for the night; all we had to do was hop on a bus to get to the hotel. By this point, it was close to 11 pm and most of the airport employees had gone home. We met up with a group of other travelers headed in the same way we were and together with them, we got lost in the Chicago airport.

In our defense, the route we were supposed to be taking was closed because of a suspicious package. They had called in the ‘bomb squad’ and were using a robot to check things out and everything. It was all very exciting, but it meant that it took us an extra hour (or two!) to get to our room.

In hindsight, we should have just forfeited the room and stayed the night in the airport. But at long last, we found our room and settled in for a short nap before heading back to the airport for our flight. From there, everything went smoothly—Chicago to Nashville, Nashville to Sweet Home Alabama!

We loved almost everything about our California vacation and can’t wait to go back. On our next trip, we plan to hit the Northern half of the state, so if you have any tips or must-do’s, please let me know!

On our 6th day in California, we went to the San Diego Zoo. We were one of the first cars in the parking lot when they opened and one of the last to leave!  There isn’t a bit of the San Diego Zoo that our family did not explore and we LOVED it!

The first thing we did was hop on the double decker Kangaroo Bus to get a quick overview of the zoo. The tour was around 45 minutes and was definitely interesting.

The animals were all so interactive! The weather was perfect, so they were out and about. They seemed to notice us and want to play!

The San Diego Zoo boasts “natural” habitats for its animals and it absolutely made it more fun as a visitor. None of the almost 3,500 animals were in cages–they roamed about in lots of space and what looked like, to my untrained eye, natural habitats.

Halfway through the zoo, we hopped on the Skyfari Aerial Tram and cut across to the other side of the park. The Skyfari was an experience in itself; it took us high above the zoo and gave us a really cool birds-eye-view!

The San Diego Zoo is a major contributor to animal research and conservation. They have over 300 conservation scientists working in countries around the world. For example, there are currently only two Northern White Rhinos remaining in the world. The San Diego Zoo is partnering with FrozenZoo to use science, in-vitro fertilization, and surrogates to breed more of this almost-extinct animal. How cool!

Tips for visiting the San Diego Zoo:

1. Arrive early and plan to stay all day. The zoo has over 100 acres and 3,500 animals. It will take a while to explore it all!
2. Grab a map as soon as you arrive and check out the Keeper Talks. We loved hearing about the animals from the experts!
3. Take the guided bus tour first to get your bearings.
4. Hop on the Skyfari Tram.

On day 5 of our vacation, we said good-bye to Pops and Gra-Gra. They headed home while we hit the road towards San Diego. San Diego ended up being our favorite stop in California–it was absolutely gorgeous and I can’t wait to go back!

Driving in, we stopped by scenic La Jolla Cove. The views were absolutely breathtaking–sea cliffs, rocky reefs, and endless stretches of the Pacific Ocean. We loved watching the seals and sea lions. We spent several hours just sitting on the beach watching them play.

The water around La Jolla was crystal clear. The Children’s Pool was closed for swimming because the seals and sea lions had claimed it for themselves. There were HUNDREDS of them lying around. We loved watching the mamas with their babies!

When we finally left the beach, we drove to Coronado Island. We stopped for dinner at Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill, which was delicious! It was also right on the water, so the view was amazing! I had a total country-bumpkin moment and embarrassed myself here, because when the waitress asked which places we had visited so far, I said “La Jolla.” For the record, the correct pronunciation is “La Hoy-a.” She corrected me very quickly 🙂

From the restaurant, we walked over to the beach near the Coronado Naval Base. We were hoping to see some SEAL’s in training. We weren’t able to see any on the beach, but they were doing helicopter training out above the water and it was so neat!

Are any of you Hawaii 5-0 fans? Jase had heard us girls talk about hoping to see Steve McGarrett so much that he ran around the beach yelling for him! Yes, we know Steve McGarrett is a fictional character and is not a real SEAL. But the actor who plays Steve McGarett is on my 100 Happy Things list, so there’s that 🙂

When we checked into our hotel in San Diego, the lady at the front desk called the manager out of her office to come hear the “real-life southern belle” that was checking in. They asked all sorts of questions just to hear me talk 🙂

If you are planning a trip to Southern California, La Jolla Cove is a must-do. Schedule in a few afternoon hours here so that you can relax and enjoy the scenery and wildlife!

California vacation day 4 was spent at California Adventures. When the park opened, we made a bee-line for Cars Land and it was awesome. We met Lightning McQueen and rode Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters.

After Cars Land, we got in line for the Radiator Springs Racers, and honestly, that’s where it all went downhill. When we got in line, the estimated time to wait showed 1 hour. Not bad for a place like California Adventures. THREE HOURS later, we were stuck. We had spent so much of our day waiting in line that we couldn’t leave. We had to see it through until the end. The ride was amazing, but it was definitely not worth the 3.5 hour wait it took us to get there.

From Cars Land, we grabbed lunch at Pacific Wharf. We rode the Incredicoaster multiple times, met Mr. Incredible himself, and tested our gaming skills at Pixar Pier.

At one point during the day, as we were walking by all the people and characters and rides, Jase looked around and said, “It sure is a nice day to be fishing.” 🙂

We finished our day at Goofy’s Kitchen and it was the best part of our day. Character dining is my favorite thing to do at Disney and Goofy didn’t let us down. We had a buffet of food to choose from, and the characters mingled and danced all evening. It was the perfect way to end our very busy day.

Note for the future: Plan a fast-pass for all 3 rides in Cars Land so that you don’t have to waste half the day waiting 🙂