Thanksgiving in NY

When we told the boys that Meezy and I were taking a weekend trip to Arizona, they said they wanted to take a trip too. I asked where they'd want to go and Dutch said New York. He wanted to see the 9/11 Museum because they had been learning about that day's events recently in school. That sounded like a good idea, and if we were going to be in NY, I figured we should try to get tickets to Hamilton because they both really enjoy that soundtrack. We picked Thanksgiving week because they'd be off from school and it was Jude's birthday week. I checked Broadway's vaccine requirements and, at the time, if you weren't fully vaccinated, you'd have to show proof of a negative test within 3 days of the performance. That presented some logistical problems because our show tickets were for the day after Thanksgiving and I wasn't sure the boys' test results would be back in time with a holiday in the mix. As luck would have it, right around then they released the shots for 5-12 year olds and Broadway updated their rules to say they only needed to have their first shot at least 14 days before the show. Perfecto! The boys got their shots, got their vaccine cards, and we were good to go!

We traveled to NY on Thanksgiving Day, which worked really well. The lines weren't long at security and the airport wasn't that crowded in general. Only snafu was Jude getting a nose bleed on the plane! Then he got another one in the car on the way to the hotel. That's never happened before! Thank goodness for helpful flight attendants and Meezy having the foresight to keep a couple extra napkins on hand after the first incident. 

We stayed at the Hyatt Centric Times Square. I thought the rates were reasonable, but I definitely would have preferred a larger room. It was a great location, though, because we wanted to avoid public transportation as much as possible. We were able to walk to numerous tourist attractions and find food nearby. The first night we took it easy and just visited Times Square and M&M's World.

 

We started our first full day in NY at FAO Schwartz. It was pretty awesome, but (luckily!) we weren't able to buy much because it wouldn't have fit in our luggage. 

Up next was Hamilton! I had seen Hamilton performed in DFW a couple years prior, but seeing it on Broadway was another level! When a song started, Jude would lean over to me and announce which one it was. They enjoyed it, but definitely started getting antsy before intermission. Being able to grab snacks and drinks helped them make it through the second half. This was my third show to see on Broadway, and I look forward to more in the future. It was fun to experience this one with the boys.

After the show we had reservations at Serendipity3 to celebrate Jude's birthday. We surprised him with a birthday song from the staff. He was so embarrassed but he took it like a champ! The desserts were delicious.

The next day we started by visiting Oculus Plaza. It provided some good photo ops! It helps that my kiddos are so cute. 

The next stop was Dutch's choice - the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Meezy and I had visited during a prior trip to NY, so we let the boys decide which exhibits to check out. Jude liked seeing the gallery of dogs that assisted in rescue efforts. Dutch read as many placards as he could. After we listened to the phone calls/voicemails of the passengers on United Flight 93, he decided he couldn't take anymore. It's a lot for anyone to take in, let alone a 9 year old.

We headed up to the One World Observatory so we could get some great views of the city. It was neat to show the boys the Statue of Liberty and also Ellis Island, which was their Opa's first stop in America.

We hit up Schnipper's for dinner, which had some super yummy shakes, and ended our day at Nintendo NY. 

I love that our kids picked this destination and that we were able to make it happen. I think it's important for them to travel and see other parts of the country and world. It's also nice that they're at ages where we can actually enjoy vacations that aren't completely catered to kids' activities! 

Weekend in AZ

Meezy and I took a quick trip to Arizona to see the sights and attend an NFL game. His favorite team is the 49ers, so this is our third time traveling around the country to see them in action. We started the trip with a visit to the Grand Canyon. We stayed at Yavapai Lodge East on the South Rim. It's no Four Seasons, but the location can't be beat. When we checked in, we were the only dummies wearing short sleeves and flip flops. We did not anticipate the temperature change! After putting on more appropriate attire, we were able to walk a trail along the South Rim just after sunset and enjoy the incredible views. After getting our exercise in, we drove a little ways to the Grand Canyon Village to get dinner at Plaza Bonita. The next morning, we were up by 6:30 and headed to the South Rim again to see the sun rising over the canyon. I walked a couple miles and Meezy ran a few in sub 40 degrees.

After that, we left the Grand Canyon and headed toward Sedona, stopping along the way at Foodie Club for breakfast. Since it was Saturday, the trails and shops were packed when we arrived in Sedona. We had originally planned to hike, but since it was so crowded, we decided to just check out the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It's built atop the red rocks and has great views. While you're up there, you can't miss the incredible estate owned by the person who invented the laser scalpel used during LASIK procedures.

The weather was fantastic, with clear skies and comfortable temps. If we hadn't come on a holiday weekend, I definitely would have wanted to spend more time in Sedona. From there we headed south to Phoenix. Our home for the next two nights was Renaissance Phoenix/Glendale Hotel & Spa. We chose this hotel because it was right across the street from the stadium. While in the lobby, I mentioned to Meezy that it looked like people were asking to take pictures with someone. We walked a little closer and he goes, "That's Frank Gore!" Being a life-long fan, Meezy had no problem recognizing a former 49ers player. That was a fun sighting! After getting settled in and eating, I headed over to the nearby outlet mall to look for some souvenirs for the kids. Can't come home empty-handed!

The next morning, we met up with our friends, Tory and Sam, who live in the Phoenix area. They had tickets to the game as well, so we grabbed brunch and then headed to the stadium. Our seats were fantastic! They were lower level on the 49ers side and we were surrounded by a bunch of other 49ers fans. Sam wore her Cardinals shirt though, so we had a friendly rivalry going. 

The game ended up being pretty exciting, even though the 49ers lost. It's always fun to watch a game in person and feel the excitement around you. It was also cool to visit a stadium we hadn't been to before. After the game we had dinner and drinks with our friends and told stories and laughed for a couple hours. That was our last night in AZ and it was a good way to end the trip!

Colorado Vacation 2021

 We were supposed to be in Europe on a huge family trip this June, but due to the restrictions still in place because of COVID, we cancelled that trip and instead chose something closer to home. We booked a flight into Denver and rented a car to drive to our ultimate destination, Breckenridge. Our flight departed super early on a Saturday morning, or should I say it was supposed to depart super early. We ended up sitting on the plane for about 3.5 hours while they waited for a fueler to arrive to "balance the fuel". It was such a beatdown. Thank goodness our kids are old enough to be entertained by Ipads, so they weren't bothered by the delay. The adults on the other hand were going mad (myself included). We were going to take the kids to a museum before starting our drive to Breckenridge, but the delay took that activity off the schedule. When we got to Denver, we took a shuttle to the rental car area and OMG the line was crazy. 

Thank goodness there were lots of employees on hand, so it didn't take a ridiculously long time. But, after we got our car, we realized we forgot to bring a booster seat for Jude. DOH! That meant our first stop was to Walmart to buy one. After that, we ate at a good vegan restaurant, Watercourse Foods, and then headed to Breckenridge. The house we rented was pretty sweet. My sister and her kids joined us on the trip, so we wanted a place large enough for all of us and that included access to a pool and hot tub. The balcony and views were a bonus.

Within short walking distance of our house was a wooded area with a nice stream. We did some hiking and took pictures and paid tribute to our friend Brandon who passed away last year. It was so nice to get outside and exercise and not be miserable from the usual high temperature and humidity of Dallas! The altitude definitely made us winded more quickly though. 

Our scheduled activity for the second day in Breckenridge was a visit to the Country Boy Mine. We set up a treasure hunt and gold panning session. The treasure hunt was pretty cool. It worked well for the ages of kids we had in our group (6-12) and even had some things the parents could help with. The gold panning was a hit and the kids loved the challenge of trying to find gold. There was also a tall slide there, which is always going to be a crowd favorite. 

Our house was within walking distance to restaurants, shops, and other places to explore, so we took every chance we got to see what the city offered. We also made a couple trips to the pool, of course.

Our main activity for the third day of the trip was a visit to Epic Discovery. We were all looking forward to this! It started with a gondola ride to the adventure park, followed by unlimited mini golf, alpine slide, goldrunner coaster, and the kids zone activities (bungee trampoline, ropes course, zipline). Unfortunately a few of the other activities had not been placed back in service yet, and those were the ones the adults would have enjoyed. Whomp, whomp. So, we didn't get much for the cost of our tickets, but the kids had a great time. 

It was time to head home on the fourth day, but our flight wasn't until later in the day, so we stopped at a cool playground and then took the kids to Boondocks, which has an arcade and some other fun attractions. Dutch loved the ropes course and impressed us with his bravery on the zip line and spinning barrel. 

The weather was gorgeous while we were there and I loved how much time we were able to spend comfortably outdoors. I'd definitely make another visit to Colorado in the future and recommend Breckenridge for families.