A quick trip to Kansas City!

I crave travel. Whether it's simply exploring my own hometown with my wide-eyed wonders in tow, or visiting a new city altogether, there is just something about getting out of the little routine of life that does wonders for my soul. 

Friday Brett surprised the girls and I and took the day off!  We quickly decided to venture to a city that is becoming one of our top favorites, Kansas City.

 Brett found the most awesome deal on Priceline and this was the view from our hotel! My sweet mom-in-law came with us and got a room right across the hall, which was also fun! 

 This sums up my life pretty well! I sure do love traveling with the girls.  It is really pretty easy these days! We pack fairly light, they don't need naps or quiet time on a daily basis, and can walk longer than a few feet.  All game-changers!  

 Just another stop on my Vintage Style magazine tour-haha! 

Actually my dear Brett started looking for the magazine and our home inside, without me even thinking of it.  

 Beauty found in the most unlikely of places, the parking garage.

 I don't own a single bit of clothing from Anthropologie and probably never will. ($$$$$) BUT, their displays are genius.  The "take note" above?  Made of pencils, eraser side out.  

 I do adore their home goods and mugs, specifically.  I treated myself to a new tall mug, with florals and a lid.  Now I can stop spilling coffee and tea on myself during all the driving I do. 

Oh, and the mug I purchased says "You look good."  Can't ever help to give yourself a little encouragement, can it? 

 A highlight of the city this time was taking my girls to one of the happiest places on earth-PAPER SOURCE.  Brett and I went into a Paper Source in NYC last December and I just fell in love.  I also instantly knew how much I wished my girls could have experienced it too.  So today made up for it!  

 Any vacation day must include a trip to a bookstore.  Barnes and Noble for the win! 

 You guys, this little breakfast/brunch spot was my absolute fave.  It was cozy and creative and artsy.  Super artsy.  Plus they had all the different kinds of food that are so delicious, like the "vegan sink", that I ordered!

 My "sink" breakfast had baby spinach, potato, mushroom, succotash, and lima bean hummus.  It was crazy good and healthy too.  

 This art was on the wall behind me at breakfast!  I think this is what the inside of my brain looks like!

 The coffee was also spot-on at Succotash.  Seriously folks, if you're near KC, go here!

 More beautiful hotel views!  I seriously love and adore our farm life, but I also need to feel the rhythm of a city at least a couple times a year! 

 These beds were super, super comfy.  We were all prepared for the girls to sleep on a pallet on the floor, which they have done before and love.  But we showed up and there were two beds in our room! Thank-you Jesus!  So they got to share a bed instead.  Anna told me "We held hands while we slept".  LOL. 

 This hotel was the Sheraton at Crown Center.  Using Priceline "Express Deal" we seriously got it for half-price! The way to go if your plans allow for spontaneity.

 Another very enjoyable activity we did was visit Science City at Union Station.  We were able to use our Amazeum passes (our local children's museum) and get in for free.  I was getting ready to pay for my mom-in-law and the man just let her get in for free too, "since we'd traveled all that way."  Another thank-you Jesus.  

 Union Station is just dreamy.  

We stayed one night and relaxed in the hotel, shopped a bit, went to Science City, and ate at really fun places!  On the way home we stopped in this tiny town for Brett to get some new boots at a boot store.   The trip was quick, time-wise, but felt long.  It was so, so good to get away with my favorite people! Seeing new sights, window displays, art, people.....well, it all just fills my soul right on up.  I came home with buckets of creative ideas to do for my photo shoots and at home. 

Mostly I came home more in love with my family and KC both.  

A win-win! 

Have you ever been to KC?  What are your favorite things to do? 

We have plans to go back for the zoo, aquarium, Ikea, and maybe a baseball game! 

explore your hometowns

I live with a permanent thirst for travel.  I can't really pinpoint when it started but I will say the amazing summer vacations we took as a kid had to have something to do with it.  My parents were diligent about saving up and taking us places like Colorado, Texas, Virginia, and the beach.  I can't not travel, it's just simply in my blood.  A huge part of the fascination isn't just to go hang out and do nothing in a new place.  It's to experience all different types of people, languages, food, and adventures.  Exactly how God made the world.  Since being a child I have continued to travel to Hawaii, Las Vegas (lol), St. John, Italy, camping, the Gulf Coast, New York City, and Chicago for a full 24 hours.  Another story for another day.  

Travel is expensive, yes.  The payoff is worth far more than the money you spend on going.  So for our family, we do without some things like cable, eating out a lot, frequent shopping trips, and going to the movies.  Instead, we'd rather use the money for weekend camping trips, or for dreaming big about cross-country road trips or a weekend away for Brett and I. 

Maybe traveling far isn't your cup of tea, or time and money simply don't allow you to at this time.  Or maybe you're like me and no matter how many trips you go on, you still have the itch to plan more.  Exploring your hometown(s) is such a real-life, fun way to include adventure in your everyday.  I have about a dozen trips planned in my mind right now, but for certain reasons we're not actually executing any of the plans for now.  But we are certainly still having plenty of adventure and new experiences, right here at home. I say, start where you are.  

Are there new spots in your town you haven't tried, like food markets that sell Asian or Mexican wares?  How about trying a You-Pick farm?  Or interacting in the weekly library story-time?  Why not invite someone new to your home for a playdate or dinner, or volunteer in your community in a different part of town?  

From checking out a fresh stack of books to read,

to cooking with a new ingredient,

or listening to a new type of music,

the world is truly your playground.

(this is at our local Botanical Garden)

(delicious finds from our first trip to the Asian market!)

(we especially like home to feel like a retreat away, even on our own back deck)

(thrift store shopping!)

To me, the world can be as interesting or as dull of a place as we want it to be. 

Where is one spot you've always wanted to check out in your hometown or a neighboring town? 

Beach Trip How-To

Sigh......I'm missing the beach very badly, I'll admit.  I wouldn't want to trade my freshly-cut hay pasture for wave upon wave permanently but there is just something about the ocean that I love.  I truly adore the hot, hot sun and the white sand and rolling waves.  And don't even get me started on the sea-shell spotting.  It's definitely on my favorite list of places to be, along with our farm, Eureka Springs, and New York City. 

Along with sharing the rest of our dreamy vacation photos I thought I'd share a look at the practical side of traveling almost 12 hours in the car with two toddlers.  

Let me just start by saying how many hours and hours of work I put into this trip before we'd even left the driveway.  This was intentional, NOT stressful as you may assume, and really paid off huge in the end.  I planned for the drive, the actual trip, and the coming home afterwards. 

For the drive I loaded up on things to keep the girls busy and entertained, while not just watching movies for 12 hours straight.  We left at 3 in the morning and drove straight through.  The first 4 hours were deemed "quiet" time, with only an audio book going (Little House on the Prairie to be exact).  I drove the first few hours so Brett could catch some sleep.  The next 8 hours were a good blur.  We had lunch food already packed in the cooler and only stopped for bathroom breaks.  The girls enjoyed finger puppets, geoboards, magnets on cookie sheets, color books, movies, audio books, and Melissa and Doug Water Wow paint pads.  They loved these the most! They also really loved looking out the window at all the new sights, like the crop-duster planes and row after row of corn growing.  

For the actual trip I bought/packed: mostly healthy snacks, juice boxes and water, spray sunscreen (a lifesaver!), beach buckets and shovels, wipes, two swimsuits for each girl, plenty of pony tail holders (a must for windy beach days), and beach chairs.  We also bought a canopy to take with us that we'll also use for Mill St. Market for my art booth and for camping.  A good purchase, indeed as the beach was extremely hot.   

We stayed in a condo at Fort Morgan along with several other family members.  The girls slept in the same room and did awesome together! (and yes, they sleep with a lamp on)

The last part of the trip I planned well was the coming home.  I knew we'd be overrun with yard/garden/farm chores once our feet hit the driveway so I made sure to leave a very clean house and the laundry baskets empty.  I also had plenty of groceries to last a few days.  This helped the coming home so much! It felt so relaxing to get back home to a clean, quiet house. 

Now here's the real reason I put all the planning into the trip! So we could be free and easy at the beach.  And indeed, we were! This is a trip I'll always remember with such deep, wonderful memories....

(so many pictures on the last night.....and I just noticed Anna's face in this one, lol)

The view from our condo!! It was amazing morning, noon, and night.

#catlady

My beautiful mom-in-law! 

Sweet Brett... 

The happy cousins! They had so much fun together! 

I could beach-comb for days. 

The hearts always find me...

One of my favorite parts of the trip was sitting under my vintage quilt I brought from home, reading or napping or just being. 

This is a much happier way to exercise than the treadmill! 

The brothers...

We were all about the #selfie on this trip! 

I tried my first gumbo,

and ate crab and shrimp!

From a practical standpoint because #momlife , this bathing suit top and athletic shorts were perfect for keeping up with three kiddos. Also my braids kept my crazy hair from getting too crazy. I'm definitely a no-makeup, suntan kinda gal. 

Date night!

We went to The Hangout in Gulf Shores for breakfast and evidently they have a huge, themed "Princess and Pirates" breakfast, complete with games and costumes.  

It was surprising and over the top and fun. 

Sand-castle building! 

We drove a different way from the rest of the family and just *happened* to pull up right behind them in the ferry line to Fort Morgan! So funny! 

Oh yeah, and I also ate a huge amount of po-boys on the trip. 

(take me back!!)

This was our version of fast-food on the way there! (and my foot, lol)

This beach vacation was wonderful.  Together is truly my favorite place to be.  The quiet sank in deep when I needed it most.  The new sights and sounds were exactly what my soul was craving and there couldn't have been better company.  

If at all possible, I encourage you to travel with your peeps! The reward is priceless.