Category Archives: Travel and Adventures

Family Vacation 2019: Pisgah Forest, North Carolina

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Last year before baby was born, Sean and I went to Brevard, North Carolina for a weekend of swimming in waterfall pools, mountain views and quaint towns. We absolutely loved Brevard and Pisgah National Forest and knew we wanted to come back soon. When planning our family vacation for 2019, we decided to stay closer to home than usual and spend an entire week back in Brevard. We Airbnb’d a beautiful house right in Pisgah Forest that had sweeping mountain views but was only 10 minutes from downtown Brevard. This trip also, purposefully, coincided with Harrison’s first birthday.  Continue reading →

L.A. Getaway

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Almost two years ago my very dear friend MeShae took an opportunity for relocation to Los Angeles, California with her company. I was sad of course but knew that she would shine out on the west coast. I wanted to visit but had to find the right time with being pregnant and then having an infant. Sean traveled for work almost half of the summer so I had his full support for a long weekend in LA to spend with my friend. It was a fabulous time! Continue reading →

Outer Banks Vacation + Family Time 2019

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Tyler and Kym (my brother and sister-in-law) bought a house on the Outer Banks last fall and we finally got to go out there to visit them and see it! It’s truly the perfect house for them, complete with a saltwater pool and gorgeous lake views, while only being a 5-minute drive to the beach. It was the perfect way to spend a 5-day Memorial Day weekend. Trust me, we did NOT want to leave. We had so much fun! Continue reading →

Springtime Adventures in Orlando, Florida

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I went to Orlando the week before Easter for a conference for work and planned ahead for a long weekend for Sean, Harrison and Daniela to come down. We rented a townhouse off Disney property (so affordable by comparison) that had a beautiful patio with hot tub and lake views, and a big pool, waterslides, etc. on the property. A relaxing Florida weekend in the spring and an opportunity to see our Florida friends and family. Of course, it rained the first night and was too cold to swim the next day (ugh), but the weather was still great for getting out and about. Continue reading →

Chasing Waterfalls and Chihuly Lights in North Carolina

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We’ve been asked occasionally if we are taking a babymoon since we love to travel so much. Earlier this winter, I was really struggling with the expense of a big trip knowing we had a baby on the way. We took a huge trip to Japan less than a month before I got pregnant, too. We decided to do some weekend and driving trips that included Chicago, IL (twice for me); Nashville, TN; Austin, TX for Sean; work travel for both of us; Charlotte/Outer Banks/Savannah weeklong vacation; Plains, GA; Pittsburgh, PA and NE Ohio; and our final trip before baby’s arrival – Brevard, NC and the Chihuly exhibit at Biltmore Estate. I don’t think we did too shabby – got PLENTY of travel in this year.

This weekend trip up to the Land of Waterfalls was truly perfect, though. Lots of the other trips involved family and friends so this really was the closest to “babymoon” that we got – and it was the perfect place to unwind and explore gorgeous scenery on our own. Continue reading →

Maternity Photos in Savannah, Georgia

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It’s been several weeks since our trip to Savannah. I was 24 weeks pregnant and had a nice but small baby bump. My brother is an amateur photographer who usually does (incredible) landscapes and is getting more into portraits. I wanted him to take maternity photos in the stunning Forsyth Park while we were in town together. As some of you know, we also had many of our wedding photos taken in this park back in 2014. 

We had a few props – two sets of baby shoes of mine, a baby book from our friend Sarah, and a small coconut cake that we always order when in town from the bakery that did our wedding cake, Savannah Rum Runners. I also knew hydrangeas were in bloom and since that’s my very favorite flower, I figured it would make a good backdrop. 😉

There are also several “outtakes”/behind-the-scenes photos at the end, so keep scrolling. I’m 32 weeks 5 days now, so bumpie will be here very soon! 🙂 Continue reading →

Baby Shower with OH and PA Family

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Sean and I ended up with family pretty near each other – less than 2 hours drive apart – up north. His mom’s side of the family including aunt and uncle, cousins and their families live north of Butler and have a beautiful farm. My family is in Warren, OH – mom, stepdad, dad, sister, aunt, cousins and family friends. We talked with our moms about having a joint family party/baby shower somewhere between both spots and it was so awesome that they decided to do this for us.  Continue reading →