Adventure is Out There!

We started our first full day in California heading to California Adventure.  My family has always been a group of early risers when it comes to Disney.  There is a distinct advantage to being at the parks when they first open.  The park was mostly deserted and it gave us the chance to explore without the sea of crowds. I was so thankful the park was still decorated for the holidays!  It's gorgeous, right?? My mom and stepfather aren't big on heights so I chose to ride the ferris wheel alone.  I knew that I couldn't miss the chance to view the entire park from so high up.  There was no line and I was able to ride in a car alone; the view was amazing and I'm glad I got to ride this iconic ride! We LOVE Toy Story Mania!  We always ride it multiple times in a row in Orlando; we typically grab a fast pass and then hop in line; by the time we get out, it's usually time for our fast pass and we are able to get rig...

Here's the list:  My family and I went to California for the week of New Year's!  We have been planning this trip for over a year, and it was a once in a lifetime experience.  Now that I'm sitting down to write this post, I realize that there's too much to tell and show for one post.  I'll be splitting the trip up into several installments, so please bear with me! Here's a little background: My little sister, Dana, attends the University of Massachusetts out in Amherst and has been a member of the marching band for the past two years.  Every 3 years or so, the Marching Band does a big event.  Three years ago they marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; this year they were going to march in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, CA on New Year's Day! My family and I knew immediately that we had to go with them, to witness such an amazing feat.  We started planning our trip in fall of 2016, when my sister was just a freshman.  It was an ...

Bobby and I had been seeing ads on television for Southwick Zoo in Mendon, MA for months.  In the video, the zoo claims to be "the largest zoo in New England" and Bobby insisted we had to check it out.  I had been to the zoo many, many moons ago when I was in middle school; as a girl scout volunteer helping clean and maintain the zoo, I was unimpressed by the small, rustic zoo.  I didn't have very high expectations but Bobby and I love animals, so I figured we could give it a fair chance. The zoo was offering a buy-one, get-one ticket deal this particular Sunday, which I strategically planned for us to attend.  It was a great deal for us, and I can imagine it would be fiscally exceptional for a large family.  I highly recommend you check out your local zoos' websites for similar deals, or see if your local library has tickets for free!  We arrived prior to the zoo opening; we prefer to get up early and grab breakfast on our way to our adventure. ...

Friday June 23rd: I got to scoot out of work early and I raced home, knowing we had to hit the road as quickly as possible.  I had already called and ordered our dinner; my mom had run out and grabbed it as I commuted home.  Bobby met us at my house and we jumped into my mom's Rav-4. The ride down was uneventful: little traffic and only some spotted showers.  I slept for almost half the ride (as I always seem to do on long car rides).  Bobby was content in the back seat with his mangas and Goldfish crackers. The drive to my grandma's house typically takes us about five hours and it took us a little less than that this time.  We dropped my mom off, said hello to my grandma, made a pit stop, and then Bobby and I headed for my aunt and uncle's house which is about twenty minutes further south. My little ten year old cousin Ryann had waited up for us. Saturday: My cousin had somehow gotten it in her head that she and I were going to make chocolate chip pan...

Growing up, I lived in a small town halfway between Boston and Cape Cod... which meant we were not technically Bostonians and did not have the accent, but we also were not "Cape people" who are either tourists or extremely well-off.  People from the Cape always told me I should say I'm from Boston, and the true Bostonians who forgot their "R's" vice versa.   My family usually spends a week renting a house on Martha's Vineyard, so I don't typically think of myself as a tourist when I head to the Cape.  Like Boston, even though both are essentially my backyard, it's fun to brave the summer tourist traffic every once in a while and see what kinds of things Cape Cod has to offer.  This particular weekend my aunt and uncle from Albany, NY were in town visiting and my family decided to drive down and join them. Our first stop was a small crafts fair in Hyannis.  Narrow streets and lots of people mean that you usually have to park a few blocks ...