48 No Interstate

06/06/2024

It’s a girl…again! Baby girl #3 arrived nearly 5 weeks ago, and it simultaneously feels both like it happened yesterday and like she’s been ours forever. She’s had a busy social calendar already: preschool graduation, dance recital, gymnastics classes, a dinner date with mom & dad, a baby shower, and even family outings to the strawberry patch and swimming pool. There have been plenty of hiccups along the way but both big girls are totally in love with their new baby sister and we’re all finding our footing as a family of 5.
🎀 🎀 🎀

07/18/2022

An email spontaneously went out to our subscribers today. I didn’t set it to send and it’s been so long (5 + years…) since I published an article on our site that I don’t have a clue how to figure out what happened, or even how many subscribers we have 🤪. But I enjoyed rereading the articles in the email and reminiscing about what it was like to have time to write them. So I thought I’d share a photo here from our recent travels, for those of you lucky enough to have the algorithm allow us to show up in your feed. 😀 And if you ever subscribed to our newsletter in the past, head over to your inbox for a fun blast from the past!

12/18/2020

We thoroughly enjoyed our time staying put in Fredericksburg. It get great to just slow down without an endless to-do list. We relaxed and enjoyed the property around our Airbnb. I got in a couple early morning runs through the historic downtown under a pink and orange sunrise. I went in to town with the Little Traveler about bought some Christmas gifts. Nick went to a winery and got us a few bottles of our favorite Hill Country wines to enjoy in the spring after the baby arrives. We celebrated my birthday. We finally tried kolaches. We took a couple short drives through of some of the miles and miles of beautiful countryside nearby.

We’re home now but will continue to share bits and pieces of the remainder our trip, but slowly because it’s been busy getting back into the swing of things!

12/11/2020

We were so excited to park ourselves at the Creekside Cottage, just a few miles outside of Fredericksburg, Texas, for four days. This was the longest stop of our trip, and the change of pace (and lack of time in the car) was what we all needed. The peaceful setting and thoughtful hosts made the stop even better!

In other news, we had a call this morning informing us that someone in the Little Traveler’s preschool classroom tested positive for COVID this week, and we’re so grateful that we dodged the test/quarantine bullet as a result of this trip (at least for now).

12/08/2020

The sky really put on a show for us on our second night in the Crescent City. And no, the cathedral isn’t really about to topple over.
Perspective is interesting, whether it’s in a photograph or in real life. For example, when there are hundreds (maybe even thousands?) fewer tourists in a city the size of New Orleans, you can see more of the city. More of its beauty, more of its despair, more of its locals, more of the little things that just blend in with the distraction of more people on the streets.

12/06/2020

Anywhere there’s a dad walking with a child on his shoulders…There’s a mom not far behind with a camera taking 100 pictures...especially when the scenery is as beautiful and unique as New Orleans architecture.

07/09/2020

07/06/2020

Nick had to travel to Phoenix for work last week and encountered this stunning desert sunset. Next time...the toddler and I will make sure to clear our very busy schedules to accompany him. 🌵

06/19/2020

I might have gone down a rabbit hole reading articles to find fun facts to share about today's foreign Friday topic...here are a few that I found interesting!

1- Big Ben and the Liberty bell were both cast at Whitechapel Foundry in London (well, technically the Liberty bell was cast by a company which eventually became Whitechapel)... and both cracked when first rung!
2- The bell is over 7 feet tall and nearly 9 feet in diameter. It weighs over 13 TONS!
3- Known simply as the 'clock tower' for its first 150 years or so, the tower was renamed Elizabeth Tower to honor the Queen's diamond jubilee ('Big Ben' is the nickname for the actual bell).
4- There are 334 steps leading to the tower's belfry, and the tower leans slightly (less than a tenth of a degree).
5- Here's some perspective on how big the clock face really is: its diameter is 23 feet; the hour hand is over 9 feet and the minute hand is 14 feet!

The tower has been under construction and shrouded by scaffolding for several years; the bell hasn't rung in that time, either. The work is scheduled to be completed in 2021, at which time you should once again be able to hear the bell peal.

06/12/2020

Have you ever visited somewhere that felt like it couldn't quite be real? We once spent a few hours in Honfleur, France, and it felt like we'd stepped into a fairytale. The little harbor is overlooked by buildings from the FOURTEEN and FIFTEEN HUNDREDS. That's old, y'all. The streets are cobbled (very picturesque; very bad for running, which I learned quickly). The food was absolutely delicious. On your next trip to France, don't forget about the charming little villages!

06/03/2020

It felt like we'd been transported to another world when we arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Cutting across Washington on state Highway 20 took us through the Skagit valley in the middle of cherry season. We passed pile upon pile of boxes of cherries stacked high on both sides of the road. We stopped for a delicious personal sized cherry pie to finish off our standard road trip lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We stopped for a hike in the North Cascades National Park and were surprised by the stunning view of Diablo lake. On such a beautiful sunny day, it didn't feel like I expected the PNW to feel, but I can't say I was disappointed by that!