'Tis the Season

It's winter. It's cold at home and even colder up at the mountain. This is what we have been doing every weekend for the past few weeks and what I can only hope we will be doing until about April...and then that warm sun can come back to play.

Places to Go

 Ketchum/Stanley, Idaho

Venice, CA

 Kipahulu, Maui, HI

 Point Reyes, CA

NYC, NY

It is vacation day dreaming time.  You see, here in the PNW, this season we are embarking on is called grey-rain-dark-cold season otherwise known as fall.  So this is the time I like to day dream about my favorite places to visit.  I'll keep it within the country.

Basically anywhere between Point Reyes and Venice, CA are go-to sites. LOVE them. The eucalyptus smell, the palm trees, sunshine against clay walls, the OCEAN.  Every time I go to Cali, I feel so healthy and pretty.  It has something to do with that sun I think.

Ketchum and Stanley Idaho are soooo pretty.  The land goes out forever until, bonk, it hits up against these beautiful mountains.  The air is fresh, the rivers are cold and the snow is awesome.

New York City.  The best city really to visit.  I am not sure I could live here but a few days here and there are so fun.  So much life and creative inspiration.

Kipahulu, Maui - HEAVEN on earth. Truly. Walking off the airplane in Hawaii is like wrapping up in your favorite lost blanket...the warmth and humidity are so comforting.  The birds, the fragrance, the guri-guri...magical.  

Vacances

Traveled up to Orcas Island (part of the San Juan Islands in WA) last weekend for a wedding.  The sun was out, the company was fun and the kids behaved themselves (mostly) so it was a grand ol' time.  Nothing quite beats traveling with friends - especially to such a beautiful locale.  Toting an infant and a toddler to a wedding is dicey (lots of chasing after said toddler and bouncing said infant in Ergo) but all in all it was a fabulous time.  After all, I got to dress up and wear makeup!

Ahhhh...the Country

There is something about the country that is so divine - the tranquility, the quiet, the wildlife. But I just don't think I could move so far away from the hustle and bustle of the city...not yet anyway. This is my family's farm in Western Washington where, with two in tow, we have become frequent visitors. I am torn between my love of the city where I can walk to nearly everything I need and still feed off the youthful energy vs the solitude and naturalness of the country. Plus, my kids adore running around in acres and acres of free space, playing with the animals and picking fresh fruit. Luckily, I can shuttle between the two for now whenever I need a break.

Traveling with Children: Flying Vs. Driving

With our first child we traveled quite a bit. Everyone has always said that traveling with children is a hellish experience and I couldn't have disagreed more. It was easy. Our daughter was a natural traveler and it didn't matter whether we flew or drove. If we flew, she was ecstatic to see all the airplanes on the runway and to play with the seat trays. If we were driving, she usually fell asleep for most of the drive and liked exploring a new location whenever we needed to take a break.

But, with TWO kids, this nice and easy traveling time is firmly and positively OVER. Well, at least for now. I am sure hoping it gets easier again as they get older but for now, I am so travel weary that I can't even begin to dream up our next vacation. We attempted to take both kids on a 650 mile road trip to Sun Valley, ID. We made it almost 200 miles before we made the decision to cut our loses and head back home. 200 miles which should have taken us a little over 3 hours took 2 days and almost 10 hours of "drive time" - not a very efficient way of traveling. You see, with two kids with opposite nap schedules, one is always waking up the other mid-nap and before you know it, you have two screaming children.

Perhaps we will attempt a flying trip next...

How about you, what are your traveling experiences with children?