Tag Archives: vacation

Our Trip to the West and Southwest

Indiana Dunes- IN

We discovered beach glass for the first time while visiting the Indiana Dunes. Macey found a nice piece in the sand.

Henry Doorly Zoo-NE

We’ve had this zoo and aquarium on our bucket list for a few years now and finally got to go. It did not disappoint. We loved our visit here!

Estes Park, CO

We love Estes Park and try to go every year when we visit my parents in Colorado. This year, we saw so much wildlife! The elk were really active!

The Great Sand Dunes National Park- CO

This was so much crazier than we thought it was going to be. It was sooo windy, and the sand just buffets your entire body when you’re on top of the dunes. We found sand in our shoes and bags and clothes for days! But it was so worth it. Sledding down the dunes was an incredible experience and not one we’ll ever forget.

The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park- AZ

We really enjoyed driving through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. There were so many great stops. We got to see petroglyphs that are hundreds to even thousands of years old.

Oklahoma City National Memorial- OK

Our time here was sober, but I’m glad we went.

OKC

We had a great night in OKC. We ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory, which meant something to Matt and me. We ate at a The Spaghetti Factory in Philly the night we got engaged almost twenty years ago. That Spaghetti Factory has since shut down, so it was fun to experience one twenty years later with the kids. We also had a great time doing the Bricktown Canal riverwalk.

Pioneer Woman Mercantile and Lodge- OK

We had such a great time visiting the Mercantile and the Lodge. The food was Ah-mazing! Everything we had was so good, and the lodge was so fun to visit.

Scottsdale, AZ

We got to spend a few days in Scottsdale, AZ~our favorite. The sunsets in Arizona…there’s just nothing like them! We hit Butters, the best breakfast place in the area and a family favorite.

I will never tire of seeing the amazing beauty of God’s creation in all different places. Pictures just don’t do it justice.

We were on the go a lot, but there were a few mornings where we were able to savor a slow morning, drink an extra cup of coffee, and have a long morning time. Those were the best mornings. We didn’t take a photo until the last day…hence the towels in the background.

We are already making plans for our adventures next year! So thankful for this beautiful life!

Our Trip Across the West and Southwest

Our Annual Trip to Colorado

We had an amazing time away as we took our annual trip across the country to visit my parents in Colorado. This year, we added some extra excitement by tacking on a trip to the Southwest. So after our time in Colorado, including seeing family, hitting Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, we drove south and landed in Arizona.

Arizona and Texas

We got to visit Arches National Park on the way and see the amazing scenery God created there. Then we got to visit the Grand Canyon, which is indescribable. This was my second time visiting but Matt and the kids’ first time. Then after a few days in Arizona, we began the trip back home by way of New Mexico and Texas.

We got to stop at the Magnolia store in Waco, Texas. I’ve been talking about doing that for years. That was such a fun stop. And of course, we had to stop in San Antonia to visit the Alamo and do the riverwalk. I’ve wanted to take Matt there forever. It was so fun exploring the area together as a family.

On the way back, we got to visit Nashville; and Matt and Malachi got to visit the Corvette Museum in Louisville before spending a few hours with my sister and her family.

Family Memories

And then right after we got back, we sent the oldest two to church camp for the week. With them being gone, the house seemed so much quieter, even though we still had the younger two with us. It gave us a little peek into what it’s going to be like in just a few years when they go to college. Having them gone just reinforced the fact that we did the right hing taking that big trip. Before a big trip like the one we took, I start to second guess. The money, the time away, the being on the road, the wear and tear on the car…is it all worth it? It sometimes seems too extravagant. God reminded me this week that the time we have with our kids is limited. We won’t always have them with us.

So we need to take these trips while we can. Spend the time together while we can. Make the memories, take the pictures, visit the sights. In a few years, when they’re gone, I know we’re going to be so grateful for every single trip we took together and every memory we made.

What memories are you making with your family this summer?

Our Trip to Colorado

4,000+ Miles to Colorado

We’ve had a great start to our summer. We started out June by driving over 4,000 miles across country to Colorado. We left Pennyslvania and drove to Illinois where we stayed with my younger sister and her husband overnight. Somehow, I didn’t get any pictures of us all together. Not sure how I did that! I did manage to capture a picture of Culver’s, though. What can I say?

Estes Park, Colorado

After an amazing time there, we traveled the rest of the way to Colorado where we stayed with my parents. We had such an amazing time out there visiting family, relaxing, exploring, and more. We got to go to Estes Park, our favorite place to visit and had breakfast at our favorite restaurant up there, The Egg and I. Acting like tourists, we walked around and looked at all the shops, and the kids bought hats and t-shirts. We bought some taffy, the best snickers caramel apple, and dipped our feet in the freezing mountain creek water.

Family

We got to visit my parent’s church, and we got to spend time with my grandma and my dad’s side of the family while in Colorado. We always have a great time with them. On Saturday morning, we did our annual breakfast. My uncle brings his outdoor griddle and cooks up a feast—pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and so much more. We have so much fun sitting around the table and talking. It’s always one of the highlights of our trip.

Amazing Food

Matt and I discovered a new restaurant that was amazing! It’s called Oreganos and serves Italian food with a Southwest twist. They had the best gluten free food, which is nearly impossible to find at an Italian place. We had the best gluten free pizza I’ve ever had and an amazing bowl of what they call Alfredo the Dark. It’s Alfredo pasta, but they put a spin on it by mixing in poblanos and a blend of Southwest cheeses and top it with diced tomatoes, cotija cheese, and a jalapeño. It was to die for!

This is actually us at Nordy’s- a bbq place that we all went to as a family

Beauty of Colorado

We had an amazing time. Of course the scenery everywhere in Colorado is simply amazing. No matter where you look, there is something beautiful to see. Add in the low humidity, and it’s pretty much perfect!

Our Time in Kentucky

After our time in Colorado, we began the long trip home. We stopped in Kentucky to see my older sister and her family. We haven’t gotten to see them since before Covid, so we were super happy to see them. Our kids were so excited to see their cousins.

Our kids plus my niece Meya and my nephew Nate

They took us to this place called Rec Bar. It was a restaurant that had three rooms of arcade games. So after you ordered your food, you could go play arcade games. It was perfect for the kids. They had so much fun! I had the best meal there. It was totchos. it’s basically nachos, but they use tater tots for the base. Then they added amazing bbq pork on top and all sorts of other amazing toppings. It was soo good!

We had an amazing two weeks! We’re so thankful for God’s safety and for family.

Other News

In other news, we recently released our newest devotional, You Are Not Alone: Promises from Psalms. I have a book coming out on Tuesday. It’s book one of my next series. Bound by Protection pre-order is available on Amazon.

I also created a summer reading guide if you’re interested and a fantasy/romance reading guide as well.

All in all, I’d say summer is off to a great start! Happy Summer!

Faithfully Stepping

Encouragement for Women on their Journey of Faith