vacation

our tenth wedding anniversary

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

To say that our ten year anniversary snuck up on us would be an understatement.  I remember when we were dating and talking about getting married, how it would be our dream to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon.  Well, we underestimated how much the wedding and everything else would cost.  We settled for Jamaica (no complaints, we loved it!) and said we’d go to Hawaii for our 5 year anniversary.  We didn’t really plan for a trip to Hawaii but during the winter prior to our 5th anniversary, we were presented with the opportunity to go on an Alaskan cruise shortly before our anniversary.  Amazing! But not Hawaii.  What is it about Hawaii?  I guess to us, it’s the ultimate vacation destination.  Anyway, it worked out best that we go to Disney this fall and sorry Charlie, but we’re just not the type of family that is able to go on two big vacations in one year.  So around March, I started looking for destinations for a romantic weekend getaway that were within driving distance.

I discovered Hocking Hills (in Ohio) and could not stop oohing and aahing over the images online.  So, I booked our trip to Ohio (again, not Hawaii) for the 4th through the 6th. Maybe it’s a more realistic goal to get there for our 20th anniversary.  Maybe.

On Friday, July 5th, we celebrated 10 years of marriage.  I kept saying “know what we were doing 10 years ago right now?”  And we struggled a little to remember the sequence and details throughout our wedding day.  We pieced it together and had fun re-living the memories together.

Babies.  Just babies.
We stopped for lunch in Columbus and then headed south to Logan, where our hotel was.  I had never been to Columbus and noon on the 4th of July was certainly not the time to visit.  Deadsville.  But it seemed like a wonderful town.  Logan:  Not Hawaii.  I researched online and this town looked so cute with some of the neatest shops and restaurants.  In reality, the town was a dump.  Sorry, Logan.  I get the draw, the surrounding area of Hocking Hills is astounding.  Amazing.  But when we rolled into town, we didn’t know that.  Logan could do a lot to increase tourism in the area – or at least the tourists’ experience there.  We were lucky to have a delicious barbeque place called Millstone BBQ right next to our hotel.  It was the beginning of my undoing.  
Spiked Southern Tea (x2) and Apple Cinnamon Nachos.  Shew lawdy. 
I was too incapacitated (from the nachos, not the spiked tea) to go to the local fireworks, so we went back to our hotel to use the hot tub.  ‘Cept the jets weren’t working.  Cool!  
Friday morning (our actual anniversary) we headed to Lancaster for our big adventure of the weekend. 
It rained/drizzled throughout our 2 hour zipline tour, but overall it wasn’t terrible.  Most of the time we were protected by the canopy of trees.  I obviously wasn’t able to take my camera or phone so I was happy they offered a photo package.  We got to ride 11 different lines and rappel down from the last platform.  

Practice time – learning how to self-rescue.

Lucky me! I got to be the first one to go across the first line.

Before I figured out that you steer with your wrists, I was twisty-turny.

Zipping across one of the 1,000+ foot lines, over 100 feet in the air!

Racing.  (Pretty sure I lost).

Getting ready to rappel.
After ziplining, we were hungry so we went into the town of Lancaster, OH, where we SHOULD have stayed.  It was super cute and historic with the neatest buildings and homes, as well as a modernized area with all of the amenities you could ask for.  I already want to take the boys to the Hocking Hills/Columbus area when they are a little older so I’ll keep this in mind.  We found another neat spot to eat called Four Reasons.  So cute and delicious.  The rain let up so we stopped at the next attraction area on our way back to Logan. 
It was some pretty intense hiking despite this serene looking photo so afterwards, I was ready to do a bit of shopping and relaxing. 

Too bad these awesome-sauce boots were $130.
Friday night we ate at a Mexican restaurant near our hotel and it was delicious.  Afterwards, I wanted to die.  I ate way too much and am definitely going to have some make-up work to do for the damage I did this weekend.  Was it worth it?  Depends on whether or not I can lose this FIVE extra pounds or not… oh and by the way, the hot tub still wasn’t working.  WASTE!
Saturday we got up and headed to the heart of Hocking Hills. I have to admit that up to this point in our trip, I was feeling pretty disappointed overall.  Glad that we were able to get away but pretty bummed about the gloomy weather and the town we stayed in.  (P.S. As we checked out, we noticed that the jets in the hot tub were indeed working again. WTH).  So we found Old Man’s Cave which has several fantastic other spots to see, all within a 6 mile hike.  We did the entire thing and absolutely fell in love with the area.  It was gorgeous.  It seemed that there was a surprise around every corner.  The hike Saturday made the entire trip for me.  The ziplining was a fun adventure, but THIS was Hocking Hills. This is what we went there to see.  I again did not want to carry my camera, not knowing if it would rain, if I’d fall in the creek, or if I’d drop it in the mud so I went with only my cell.  If you have time or ever consider a day trip to the area though, please look up photos online.  Pictures can’t come close to standing there in the magical natural wonder of Hocking Hills.  Swear.

It was truly magnificent.  My opinion of our trip went from hum-drum/so-so to over-the-top-wonderful in the 3+ hrs we spent hiking there.  I would have done more if I thought my legs would hold out!  It was pretty rugged (and dangerous even) in spots with lots of climbing.  I’m sore today but it was so worth it.  
Can’t wait to take the boys when they get a little older. I thought of them so many times and how much they would love exploring the beauty of this place. We got home Saturday evening and picked up the boys first thing Sunday morning.  Oh, did it feel good to get them in my arms again!  What a fantastic break from work and reality for just a few short days.  So, was it anything like Hawaii?  Not a chance, and I’m okay with that.  
Having fun at Nana and Pop Pop’s.
xo,
A lady who’s been married for over 10 years

facebook’s annoying, i’m baking, Cincinnati, and vacation

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Where’ve I been, you ask? Well, this past week Strep throat knocked me off my feet (literally) for about 3 days.  Wow – I have never had it before and I guess I just thought it was one of those things that people got or they didn’t get.  Well, I got it.  It was worse than I ever realized.  So not only did it knock me out of work for 2 days (I was able to work from home the 3rd day), it knocked me off track with Couch to 5K.  I’m planning on getting back on track (treadmill) tomorrow but I’m a little nervous.  My throat still hurts and otherwise I feel okay, but I don’t know if I’m really back up to full strength yet.

We went to Cincinnati to celebrate my nephew’s 8th birthday party yesterday and watch him shine at his Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. It turned out to be a nice day.  I was glad we made the last minute decision to make it a day trip instead of a weekend trip. The boys needed the rest and so did I. It was nice having that unplanned day today to just relax and catch up things I was too sick to do last week.  As of this moment, I’m waiting for some cookie dough to chill in the fridge.  I’m making this:

Okay so that image is a little on the large side but you get the idea. S’mores cookies? Yes, please. If you’re thinking I’m strange for talking about diet & exercise in one paragraph and then S’mores cookies in the next, I guess you’re right. But I’m not giving up everything that I love. One word. Moderation. I wouldn’t last on any diet where I felt deprived. Moderation.

In other unrelated randomness, I am getting really super annoyed with Facebook. Too many links and quotes and pictures of the ocean that people didn’t take and drama and self-righteous people and on and on and on. Maybe people are annoyed with me for pretty much only posting links to my blog posts and pictures of my kids. I don’t care. They can delete me. I feel bad sometimes posting links to my blog but I don’t quite have a readership that warrants a fan page. I did recently surpass 50,000 page views however. That only took 2.5 years. 🙂

What else can we chat about? I am excited about plans and no plans. Lots of plans for May and but not much else planned this summer. Before we know it, it will be Disney time (October!). We did go ahead and purchase plane tickets. I toyed with the idea of driving, but eh. After an 8 hour trip home from Dollywood a couple weeks ago, I changed my mind. Theo started complaining 100 miles from home that his back hurt. He wasn’t injured so I can only imagine it was his position in his carseat. I hate sitting for that long too. Flying nonstop 2 hours will be a dream compared to a 16+ hour drive.

My dough’s chilled!

night,
~C~

we booked our Disney vacay!

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest
We’ve got a couple of exciting things already planned for this year.  First and foremost…we booked our fall family vacation to Disney World!  This has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be more thrilled.  So thrilled, that I’ve started contemplating how all of this build up is going to crash and burn the day we come home.  Two years of waiting for one week of fun.  Yikes.

Anyway, some details are already planned and there will be lots more planning to come. 

We’re staying at the Art of Animation Resort on Disney property.  Staying on property is a no-brainer.  Wonderful transportation between all the resorts and parks and to and from the airport.  No need for a rental car and no cost for parking at the parks.  It’s a value resort (the cheapest rate for Disney resorts).  We contemplated staying at a moderate resort (the next price category up) since we knew we would be spending more time at the resort than in past trips. However, once I looked at the AoA resort online, I knew this is where the boys would have the most fun at the ages they will be (2 1/2 and 3 1/2).  An entire section of the resort looks like Radiator Springs from the Cars movies, which they both love.  You can stay in the Wheel Well Motel, just like in the movie.  It’s a big family trip – my mom, Ryan’s parents, and Ryan’s sister and her family are all going.  We opted for family suites in the Cars section and requested to be in adjacent rooms.  Each suite sleeps six, has a kitchenette, master bedroom, and two bathrooms. 

We made sure to build in plenty of time to rest.  When Ryan and I went 6 years ago, we were exhausted!  Walking from 8am to 10pm or later every day wears on the old body, and while I hope to be in much better shape by the time we go than I am in now, I’ll still be 6 1/2 yrs older than I was last time. Plus, I’m sure the kids won’t nap much (if at all) at the parks and I don’t want to waste time going back and forth. Days off will let us catch up on some needed rest.

{February 2007}

Currently debating flying vs. driving just because airfare right now is $300+ per person.  That’s over 12-hundo for all of us.  My time is definitely worth some money, considering that it’s a 2+ hr flight and a 16+ hr drive.  But I don’t know if it’s worth $1200+.

The preliminary itinerary looks something like this:

Friday: We will arrive and unpack, tour the resort, and enjoy some R&R.  Maybe head to Downtown Disney for dinner. 

Saturday: We will go to the Magic Kingdom first thing.  Ryan wants the boys to see Cinderella’s castle first since that’s what they recognize as being Disney World.  We may or may not stay there all day – we got 4-day Park Hoppers so we can change things up.  I don’t think we’ll spend an entire day at Epcot and Ryan’s parents aren’t interested in going there.  They won’t arrive until sometime Saturday so this would be a good time for us to see Epcot.  It will be fun for the boys to ride the monorail between parks. 

Sunday:  We plan on spending this day at the resort.  Hopefully the weather will be nice for swimming.  If not, there’s always Downtown Disney.  We are going to take the boys to a character breakfast one day and I think it would be ideal to do this on a day when we don’t have anything else planned so we’re not rushed. 

Monday:  A park – maybe Disney’s Hollywood Studios (my fave!).  I think we could easily spend an entire day here (maybe more).

Tuesday:  Resort.  Ryan and I have talked about leaving the boys with the grandparents one day while we drive over to Universal Studios’ Islands of Adventure for a date day.  🙂 We’ll see how we feel abou this once we get there.  Ryan’s parents are driving down so we’ll have access to a car, which will be really nice.  We’ll be able to make grocery store runs and eat some breakfasts & snacks in the room since we’ll have our handy dandy kitchenette available. 

Wednesday:  A park.  Animal Kingdom perhaps. I’m not sure if we’ll spend a whole day there and I know they close earlier than other parks, so maybe we’ll go back to Hollywood Studios. We want to save an entire day for Magic Kingdom. It would be kind of sweet to start and end our trip there. 

Thursday: Resort / relaxation day.

Friday: Park day (MK maybe). 

SadderDay:  Go home

So that’s all I know for now.  It’s really exciting that this is in the foreseeable future now…instead of 2 yrs away like it was the first time I wrote about it. 

excite!
~C~