Seven Years Old

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Crosby is seven years old today!

The birthday interview tradition continues!

What is your name? Crosby
How old are you? Seven
What is your favorite thing to do? Spend time with you
What do you want to be when you grow up? A scientist
What is your favorite food? Tacos
Who do you like to spend your time with? You
What do you do really well? Play video games
What makes you laugh? Tickles
What is the best time of day? Recess
What are you afraid of? Nothing!
Who is your best friend? Hudson
What do you like to do with your family? Have tickle fights
What do you love to learn about? Outer space
Where do you like to go? Disney Animal Kingdom
What is your favorite book? Bad Guys (the series)
If you had one wish, what would it be? To be a Storm Trooper. and to fly.
What is your favorite color? Yellow
What is your favorite TV show? Anything on Disney+
What is your favorite animal? Weiner dogs
What is your favorite movie? Toy Story 4
What is your favorite drink? Apple juice
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Tijuana Flats
What is your favorite place to go? Animal Kingdom
What is your favorite song? Every song by Perry Gripp
What is the best part about school? Recess. and art.
What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
What is your favorite snack? Apples
What do you like to take to bed? Nothing
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run around
What is your favorite fruit? Apples
What is your favorite ice cream? Mint
What is your favorite outfit? Pajamas
Where do you live? My home
What is your favorite sport? Baseball

Crosby is now in first grade and he is an awesome reader. For the Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes last year, he scored in the top five kindergartners for the whole grade! He recently discovered the Bad Guys series of books and does not put them down.

He has recently gotten into video games and loves to play Super Mario Odyssey; Minecraft; and Disney Infinity on the Switch and the PS4.

He hasn’t gotten a chance to play baseball since early March, but we are hoping to start a new sport this winter. He’s been doing a lot of swimming and bike riding this year during quarantine.

Here are some highlights from this year!

Christmas break in Sarasota!

New bike for Christmas!

Kicked off the year at Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios.

One of his only baseball games of 2020.

Spring picture day. Such a handsome kindergartner!

Nine weeks of virtual school.
The only highlight was he was able to wear his pjs.

Ended kindergarten with a plastic bag full of school supplies. Such a sad way to end his first year at the elementary school.

Crosby fell in love with Ziggy and Bruno while they were visiting from Colorado this summer. He is a huge dog lover!

He lost his first tooth on June 6!

Lots of pool days during quarantine.

His first sleepover to end the summer.

Complete with video games!

First day of first grade! He did nine days of virtual school – LaunchEd.

He lost his second tooth in his sleep and went to school the next day!

First day of in-person school. That smile says it all — so excited!

He got to meet the pilot!

Riding a horse in Montana!

Looking the part in Montana with his best bud!

Fall picture day! Such a big first grader.

Birthday(s) weekend at Disney with friends!

Happy 7th birthday to our lovable, goofy boy!

19Oct2020

Nine years old!

Posted in Family by Kendra G.

Kenley is nine years old today!

Our birthday interview!

What is your name? Kenley
How old are you? 9
What is your favorite thing to do? Go on the hammock
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
What is your favorite food? Spaghetti with butter and salt
Who do you like to spend your time with? My family
What do you do really well? Soccer
What makes you laugh? Getting tickled
What is the best time of the day? Lunch
What are you afraid of? Deadly wasps and bees
Who are your best friends? Brenna, Ashlyn, Aiden, Kyler
What do you like to do with your family? Go on water slides
What do you like to learn about? History
Where do you like to go? To Disney resorts
What is your favorite book? Junie B. Jones
If you had one wish what would it be? That I could fly
What is your favorite color? Purple
What is your favorite TV show? Jessie and Bunk’d
What is your favorite animal? Giraffe and unicorn
What is your favorite movie? Hamilton
What is your favorite drink? Pink lemonade
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What is your favorite restaurant? Tijuana Flats
What is your favorite song? Satisfied and Helpless and the entire Hamilton soundtrack; and Hey Look Ma I Made It
What is the best part about school? Recess
What is your favorite cereal? Frosted Flakes
What is your favorite snack? Goldfish
What do you like to take to bed? My blanket
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Go on the hammock
What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
What is your favorite ice cream? Strawberry
What is your favorite candy? Skittles
What is your favorite outfit? Tie dyed shirts
Where do you live? Orlando, Florida (says subdivision and street)
What is your favorite sport? Soccer

Kenley started playing on a club soccer team in January. She was one of the youngest on an experienced team so it was a great way to learn the ropes. They had two tournaments and won both before the season started, but only ended up playing on regular season game in March before the season got cancelled. The fall season started up in August. Since the older girls moved up, she’s one of the oldest, so it’s a good learning experience on how to lead the younger girls. They’ve played a few games and we’re hoping to get through the rest of the fall season without any hiccups.

Here are some other highlights of the year:

The infamous hammock she talked about!

First daddy/daughter dance!

Field Day 2020 — the last day at school of second grade!

Virtual school for the last nine weeks of second grade. Zero stars, do not recommend.

New bike for quarantine!

Virtual Smile Mile (which is not as fun as the actual Smile Mile)

School supply pick up to end the year.

Seeing Bruno, Ziggy, and her cousins in Sarasota!

Sleepovers!

First day of third grade! The first nine days were virtual, called LaunchEd.

First day back to face-to-face school! Woohoo!

Montana!

Picture day!

Birthday(s) weekend at Disney!

Happy 9th birthday to our sweet girl!

29Oct2019

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!

7Oct2018

my weekend in photos

Posted in Random by Kendra G.

grammy came to visit this weekend, so we started the birthday celebrations early!

daddy held down soccer saturday!

saturday morning, i headed up to atlanta for kelly’s wedding!

i cannot believe how long it’s been since i’ve seen this girl!

let’s get kelly married!

mr. and mrs. martin!

the venue was absolutely gorgeous!

post-wedding!

selfie with scott!

zeta squad back together again.

i could have sat in the lobby all day. it was so lovely.

sunday afternoon bike ride.

***

it was such a good weekend! how was yours?

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!