Our family Sunday Funday tradition continued with a day at Shedd Aquarium on Sunday. It was a wet and foggy day that called for yet another indoor activity, so we booked last-minute tickets to the Shedd for a lively day. One of my goals as a parent is to teach Victoria to love and respect animals and nature, so while I have mixed feelings about aquatic shows, I wanted her to see the ... Read more
Birthday at the Field Museum Chicago | Free-Admission Days
A perk of living in Chicago is that many of the museums are free on certain dates/months. Luckily for us, the Field Museum is offering free general admission to Illinois residents during the month of February. I awoke on my birthday thinking it'd be nice to spend the day wandering around the museum. As I've said before, you would have to spend days, even weeks, at the Field Museum to see and ... Read more
Travel Wish List | 5 Places to Go
** This post contains affiliate links. Canva I was inspired by the New York Times' 52 places to go in 2017 article to share five places I have on my travel bucket list. Some are half a world away and some are right next door, as you will see below. What's on your travel list? Five places to consider: 1. Thailand is at the top of my list. If I could go anywhere in the world right this ... Read more
The Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida
When I researched things to do in the Florida Keys, I came across the Turtle Hospital, a facility that rescues, rehabilitates and releases sea turtles. I was thrilled about the chance to see my favorite animal up close, so I made reservations for a tour of the hospital in Marathon, Florida, during our stay on Islamorada in the Keys. (Islamorada is about an hour and forty minutes from Key West, in ... Read more
Visiting Clearwater Marine Aquarium With a Toddler
** This post contains affiliate links. Victoria and I spent a windy day in Clearwater at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which is known for being a filming location for the movie "Dolphin Tale." You'll learn much about the movie and Winter, the dolphin who played herself in it, when you visit. We arrived at Clearwater Marine Aquarium about 10:30 a.m., just after it opened. A nearby church ... Read more
Phoenix Hike: White Tank Mountains
When you have time in Phoenix, you'd be crazy to not spend some of it hiking. One beautiful area to consider visiting is the White Tank Mountains Regional Park. It's about a 35-minute drive from central Phoenix in Waddell, but it's worth the trek. It's an expansive park with opportunities for horseback riding, hiking, picnics, mountain biking and exploring. Last time I visited the park was when I ... Read more
A Phoenix Hike
Dreamy Draw Recreation AreaThe No. 1 activity I had planned during our weekend in Phoenix was a hike, even if it wasn't too challenging or long. I longed for the Phoenix sunshine, especially as we made our way to the Chicago airport with a real feel in the negative digits. I didn't pack any jackets or sweaters for Phoenix, which was wishful thinking considering it does get chilly in the mornings ... Read more
Camping in Michigan | Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness
Graham and I love to camp. We camped together at Fossil Creek in Arizona for the first time after just a few weeks of dating and we've been doing it ever since. When we lived in Phoenix we would often camp once a month or so, but we had yet to camp in the Midwest since moving to Chicago in March 2015. We finally got a chance to remedy that when Graham had three consecutive days off work for the ... Read more
Brookfield Zoo
Graham and I have wanted to go camping for months now, but our schedules haven't allowed it. The next best thing we can do is explore a place we haven't been to yet in the Chicago area. Last weekend we took a mini road trip to Brookfield Zoo to check out their grounds. That may sound weird, but Graham works in the turf industry and he's fascinated by anything to do with gardening, outdoors, ... Read more
Tortuga Lodge, Tortuguero, Costa Rica
Our first stop in Costa Rica after flying into San Jose was Tortuga Lodge in Tortuguero. It's a village on the Caribbean side of the country that is known for the turtles who nest and hatch on its beaches. The village is only accessible by boat or plane. Our options were to rent a car, drive to a nearby village and take a boat, or we could take a 30-minute $90 flight (for both of us) to ... Read more