Disney Dream {May 2019}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

In April, we decided to take advantage of a last minute deal on a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream in departing in May. It had been just over two years since we last sailed on the Disney Dream. You can read about that experience here and here.

Since we knew what to expect, we did a couple things differently this time around. We booked the earliest boarding time possible which was awesome, but we did wait a little bit longer in the terminal this time.

As soon as we arrived on the ship, we headed to eat lunch and explore.

Our room was a bit smaller than last time and it really made is realize how spoiled we were last time. Overall, it wasn’t bad. The kids had bunk beds and there was a divider between the king bed and bunk beds so we could at least watch TV after they went to bed.

The kids were excited to get checked into kids camp and we were excited for drinks after dinner on the first night!

This time around, I booked the Frozen experience and the Princess gathering for the kids to meet all the princesses while we were on the ship. It was such an easy process with very minimal wait times since we booked it in advance. I highly recommend it!

Our first day was a port stop at Nassau. We didn’t get off the ship so it was a great pool day! As an added bonus, Kenley lost a tooth while standing in line for water slide! Greg and I also did the mixology class again where we got to make a variety of drinks and learned about mixing them.

We came fully prepared for Pirate Night again this time. We even brought back our light up cups that we purchased two years ago.

Between dinner and the fireworks show, the kids went to kids camp to do some fun pirate activities while Greg and I went to the PINK champagne bar for a drink. It’s one of my favorite spots on the ship!

The next morning, we docked at Castaway Cay! This island does not disappoint. With exception of a short rainstorm, the weather was gorgeous. The kids tried out kids camp on the island for the first time and really enjoyed it. It worked out that they were in camp while it was raining so we didn’t have to entertain them under an umbrella.

Crosby even took a nap, which should have been a warning about what was to come…

After Castaway Cay, we ate at Animator’s Palace for our last night. It’s still our favorite restaurant! Since we were docking the next morning, we planned for the kids to go to school, so we didn’t stay up too late on our last night on the ship.

Unfortunately, Crosby woke up sick on Monday morning, so he walked off the ship carrying the bucket we use for sand toys and didn’t get to go to school. I felt so bad for the poor guy.

We had such a great time, but the 3 night cruise is so short! We felt like it was such a big difference from the 4 night cruise we did over spring break. We didn’t see any of the shows in the evenings which was something I wish we would have done. I felt like our time was fully booked and there was still more we could have done! The extra day at sea does allow for a lot more activities and more relaxation during the cruise. I would love to check out the other DCL ships and possibly leave from a different port the next time. However, I don’t think we’ll ever beat the convenience of Port Canaveral. We were home and Kenley was at school by 8:30am on Monday morning!

We’re already looking forward to sailing again!

15Aug2019

nashville {june 2019}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

I headed up to Nashville at the end of June for a long overdue reunion with my girlfriends from Zeta. This was the first time in a very long time that we’ve gotten together for no reason other than to be together. No one was getting married or having a baby, but we did have a birthday to celebrate!

We had a leisurely lunch on Friday as friends started to get into town, then we headed to Nash Collection for hats so we could obviously fit in for the weekend. Someone even asked if I was a local because of my hat!

We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening at the hotel pool with yummy drinks in hand catching up with each other before heading out for dinner way later than intended.

Saturday, we celebrated Mandy’s birthday! We started with brunch at Saint Anejo in the Gulch before we moved on to shopping.

Uncommon James (Kristin Cavallari’s store) and Draper James (Reese Witherspoon’s store) were on the top of my list to visit while in Nashville. I loved both of them, though there were no celebrity sightings.

After shopping, we headed back to get on our pedaling bike bar. We drove our bike up and down Broadway and around the city for an hour. It was hot and hilly, but so much fun!

After a dip in the pool and a much needed shower, we got all fancied up for a night on the town. Our first stop was rooftop drinks before heading to dinner.

After an insane dinner at Kayne Prime, we headed out to Broadway for some country music and dancing!

We had such a fun night!

We all parted ways on Sunday, but before getting on the plane, I had to try a local beer.

We had such a fun weekend. The seven of us traveled from six different states to be there. It was so good to be reunited.

I’m already ready for my next trip to Nashville. The city is so much fun!

24Jul2019

Indiana {March 2019}

Posted in Family, Travel by Kendra G.

To kick off spring break, we headed up to Indiana for a long weekend. The weekend was full of family, friends, and celebrations before heading back home.

We were so thankful to see so many family members in such a short time, most of which made the trip to visit us.

On Saint Patrick’s Day, we ran the Shamrock Beer Run 5k in downtown Indy. It was our first beer run and probably our coldest run to date. It was freezing! Thankfully the beer stops helped us warm up. Downtown Indianapolis was absolutely beautiful on the brisk day.

We ended the day celebrating Grandma Sue’s 80th birthday! We had a lovely dinner with family to celebrate our special lady.

We also got to visit with several old friends and meet new little friends while we were there! Again, we were so thankful that everyone made room for us during their busy weekends.

One major highlight of the long weekend was the snow! Yes…in March…during spring break…the kids saw snow for the first time! They loved playing outside as the big snowflakes fell to the ground. It didn’t last long, but it was memorable.

We made one more quick stop to visit the birthday girl before heading to the airport.

We had a great, long weekend which was action packed. Needless to say, it took a bit for all of us to recover.

10Jun2019

BDR Savannah {February 2019}

Posted in Running, Travel by Kendra G.

In February, Greg and I headed to Savannah, Georgia with several other couples to run the Best Damn Race 5k and half marathon. It was our first time in Savannah and the inaugural Best Damn Race in the city!

After packet pick up and checking into the hotel, we headed out for an Italian dinner with the group.

The next morning, we headed over to Forsyth Park for the start of the race.

Our group was a mix of 5k runners and half marathon runners. The half marathon started before the 5k, but they obviously finished well before we did, so they set up shop to cheer for all of us as we rounded the last corner and headed to the finish line.

It was great to see their smiling faces as I rounded that corner. Overall, my race was pretty good. There were definitely some picturesque portions of the race, and some that weren’t so, but I don’t have many complaints. I felt pretty good for most of the race and ran a 2:25.09. Considering where I currently am with running, I was pleased with that time.

Greg had an awesome 5k race and got to ring the PR bell! He wanted to run it under 30 minutes and came in at 29:56!

In the afternoon, we headed out on the Savannah Slow Ride bike tour.

We had so much fun spending the weekend with our friends. We’re already ready for BDR Savannah 2020!

17Jan2019

Christmas in Chicago {2018}

Posted in Family, Travel by Kendra G.

We started our Christmas break with a lovely Christmas service at church on Friday night.

Saturday morning came early and we hopped on a plane to head to Chicago!

Michael and Rachel showed us around the city while the kids headed back to the house to bake cookies and see Arie.

We stopped at Macy’s to get warm and check out the Christmas tree and beautiful decorations.

Afterwards, we hopped on over to the Christkindlmarket which was packed the moment it opened. I got a cute mug full of warm goodness, then we headed out.

Our next stops included Garrett Popcorn, Ballast Point to taste some beers, and Au Cheval for the best burger in the entire city.

Finally, we met up with the kids at Forge Brewery!

The next two days, we had a wonderful visit with family.

We were hopeful for more snow, but she was thrilled to at least see this much.

Christmas morning was full of coffee and opening presents before we packed our bags to hit the road.

Our first stop was in Lafayette for a short, but sweet, visit with the cousins.

After one more stop in Indy, we were on the road. 14 hours later, we arrived in warm Orlando to continue our Christmas break!

We had such a wonderful time in Chicago and we already can’t wait to plan our next visit. To say that Michael and Rachel were amazing hosts would be an understatement. We had such a very, merry Christmas!

18Sep2018

Dahlonega, Georgia {September 2018}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

Over Labor Day weekend, I headed up to the Georgia mountains for Kelly’s bachelorette party! I hopped on a flight on Friday which got me to Atlanta, then we drove up to the mountains late Friday afternoon. As soon as I got out of my sweet rental car, I snapped a picture. The view was amazing! The house was enormous and just perfect for the occasion.

On Friday night, we spent the night in celebrating the future Mrs. Martin.

On Saturday morning, a few of us went out for a walk…down the mountain and then back up. I just could not get over the gorgeous views!

In the afternoon, we set off on our winery tour. I had so much fun with these ladies! We’re already looking forward to our reunion at the wedding next month.

Our first stop was Yonah Mountain Vineyards, which ended up being my second favorite stop of the day. The views were great and the inside was gorgeous. The wine was also delicious!

Our second stop was Kaya Vineyard and Winery. Based on the wine, this was my least favorite, but it had the best shopping. The gift shop was full of adorable rustic goodness.

Our last stop was Montaluce Winery and Estates which was my favorite. The entire property was stunning. The wine was delicious and our dinner was fabulous. I had fancy chicken and waffles because I was in the south and I had to.

We had such a great day celebrating our sweet friend Kelly!

I spent Sunday by the pool with the girls and my Kindle before it was time to head back down to reality to catch my evening flight.

It was such a lovely weekend away. Did I mention how beautiful it was there? This is an area that I would love to go back to so I can try the other wineries in the area.

20Jul2018

Pass-A-Grille Beach {2018}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

Greg and I celebrated our ten year anniversary on July 5th. We packed up the car and headed to the west coast for a few days away. Our first stop in Tampa was the Oxford Exchange. We had a great brunch in the most adorable place.

After brunch, we headed to a few breweries before getting to the beach. Our first stop was Cigar City, home of Greg’s favorite beer, Jai Alai. Our next stop was Green Bench Brewing Company. It was a super cute place, but not our favorite beers.

We made it to Pass-A-Grille Beach just as our room was ready. We had a great view and headed right out, across the street, to the beach for the afternoon.

Our anniversary dinner was at The Mill. We had the best charcuterie board and a great dinner! Afterwards, we headed to 3 Daughters Brewery for another drink. I wish we lived closer to that place because it was awesome and the kids would love playing there!

On Friday morning, we went for a run around Pass-A-Grille. We saw the whole town in a short amount of time. Afterwards, it was time for drinks and brunch before heading to the beach. It was a cloudy day, but we both got fried!

We walked to dinner at Grace on Friday night, then sat on our deck to watch the sunset. We headed back out later for ice cream before calling it a night.

We woke up to a rainbow on Saturday morning and headed home. We had a great few days away and definitely caught up on the sleep we have apparently been missing!

Cheers to 10 years!

13Mar2018

Indiana {March 2018}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

On Saturday morning, I watched the sun rise from an airplane on the way to Indianapolis. I landed around 8:30am and immediately got the day started!

My oldest friend is having a baby and I got to celebrate with her! It was so good to see Lisa, her family, and some friends from high school and IU.

After the shower, we headed back to my parents’ house to celebrate my grandma’s birthday! She didn’t know that I would be in town, so it was a fun surprise!

Michael brought some of his favorite beers and conducted a beer tasting class for us! We ended the night playing the horse racing game with some friends.

After losing an hour of sleep, we headed to Cafe Patachou for brunch, complete with pomegranate prosecco!

After brunch, we headed to Topgolf for an afternoon of golfing. We had so much fun!

We ended the day visiting with Celeste and Meghann! It was so good to see them and catch up!

I hopped on the 5:30am flight on Monday morning and headed back to Orlando. It was weird traveling alone, but it was nice to be able to bounce around the city for two days and see so many people, both friends and family! I am so happy to have been able to celebrate baby Richards and my grandma’s birthday.

Until next time, Indy! Thanks for the great weekend!

23Jan2018

UCF vs. Auburn {Peach Bowl}

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

We kicked off the new year with a quick trip to Atlanta to watch the UCF Knights take on the Auburn Tigers in the 2018 Chic-Fil-A Peach Bowl. It turned out to be a long day, but oh so worth it as the Knights got a huge win and finished the season as the only undefeated team in college football.

Our flight was full of Knights fans heading up to Atlanta. It made for such a fun experience as soon as we arrived at the airport.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium was a short MARTA ride from the airport so we arrived at the stadium with plenty of time before kick-off at 12:30pm. Thankfully, we didn’t have to spend too much time outside since it was 19 degrees, but we did get to see a couple snow flurries. The stadium was unbelievable. It was incredibly nice and everything was reasonably priced.

Our seats were amazing. The game was crazy, intense, and so much fun. The UCF fans were insanely loud and the Auburn fans headed home early.

We all had our obligatory Chic-Fil-A sandwich and cheered on the Knights to victory. The end of the game celebrations were so much fun. After the game, we headed back to the airport to wait out our long delay and watch the other football games happening on New Year’s Day. We finally boarded our flight at 11:45pm and our heads hit the pillow about 2am. It was such a great experience and the long day was completely worth it to see a Knights win with great friends. A huge thanks to my parents for watching the kids while we snuck away for the day.

Go Knights!

21Nov2017

Maggi & Greg’s Wedding // October 2017

Posted in Travel by Kendra G.

After arriving in Mexico on Friday, we woke up to wedding day on Saturday! I had breakfast with Greg and the kids before the wedding day activities.

I spent the day with the bride and bridesmaids getting pampered, drinking champagne, and taking pictures. Everything was absolutely perfect and we had such a good time.

After we got all beautiful, we headed downstairs to hop in the golf cart to be transported to the site of the wedding.

We all got some last minute touch ups before it was time to walk down the aisle.

We walked down the aisle directly onto the beach. You couldn’t ask for a better backdrop for a wedding ceremony.

During cocktail hour, we headed out for pictures on the beach with the amazing photographers from Parasol Photo.Graphics.

The reception was on the terrace that overlooked the site of the ceremony, the beach, and the ocean. We spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking, dancing, and celebrating the happy couple.

It was an honor to stand up with Maggi while she married Greg. It was an absolutely perfect day during a perfect weekend. We are so happy to officially welcome Greg to our crazy family!