Thursday, May 23, 2013

Room with a View

We wrapped up our U.S. travels this spring with stops in two of my favorite cities. I think you'll recognize where we were just by taking in the view from our hotel room at each place.


Monday, May 20, 2013

Ha Ha Tonka State Park: Tips for Visiting

I've been so caught up in planning and executing our move to England that I've really neglected blogging about our great trip to Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri back in March. But since I'm now relegated to hotel living for a week, and no more cleaning/purging/organizing tasks to face (until we arrive, of course), it's time to dig into that trip.

The far and away best adventure we had while there was exploring the castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton.

A castle in the middle of Missouri? I was as surprised as you. Apparently at the turn of the century, a prominent Kansas City businessman, inspired by the grand castles he saw in Europe, found a gorgeous piece of land high on a bluff and built this enormous palace. Unfortunately, between the Great Depression and a fire that ripped through, the castle fell into ruins. But fortunately for the rest of us, the land is now a state park and the castle ruins are open for exploration.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Navigating Stamford via Church Steeples

My husband is off in England this week, hopefully finding us a place to live. We depart 3 weeks from today for our 3-year adventure in Stamford, so time is of the essence.

I'm learning that one of the questions you are frequently asked when embarking on an international move is, "What are you most nervous about?" I'm sure if there were a language barrier, that would be tops. But since there is not, my biggest concern is learning my way around. Getting out and about is essential to my happiness, so I know it's a fear I'll tackle early on.

In addition to that whole "drive on the other side of the road" issue you find in England, I happen to have a terrible sense of direction. I sometimes still have to ask my husband how to get from point A to point B in the town where we grew up. I'm that bad. So learning my way around a place that was built upon the curvy, narrow, original Roman roads will undoubtedly confused me for quite some time.


Monday, May 6, 2013

Family Vacation in Mississippi Gulf Coast

This post was sponsored by Mississippi Gulf Coast. All opinions shared are my own.

Since having kids, we've headed to Florida at some point each winter (except this year). It's my yearly pilgrimmage to the sun, something you're deprived of for months on end in the Midwest. I also vacationed there for many spring breaks throughout middle and high school.

I tend to be a sight-seer type while on vacation. I like to visit new spots, explore a variety of attractions, hit up a museum or two, etc. But I also know when to slow down and take a breather and just relax on vacation, and some time on the beach is definitely my preferred format of R & R.