Summer Activities
Kit Carson County Carousel (Burlington, CO)
Kit Carson County Carousel Wooden Token
This is the second time we have visited the Kit Carson Carousel. It sits on the edge of the Kit Carson County fairgrounds in the small town of Burlington, Colorado. The first time we visited the carousel we were driving Interstate 70 from Colorado to Kansas to visit family. We were looking for a good place to stop for a little bit and stretch our legs. It was such a neat place to visit we told other family members about it and the next time we were driving through we stopped to share the experience with them!
The carousel was #6 of the 74 carousels made by Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It was made in 1905 for the Elitch Gardens amusement park and was used until 1927. In 1928 Kit Carson County purchased the carousel for $1,200 (the price included shipping).
The carousel animals are stationary with three animals per row. The original Wurlitzer band organ has been restored and plays music when the carousel is in motion. The carousel is inside a 12 sided framed building on the edge of the fair grounds with a museum and small gift shop beside it. It is the only antique carousel that still has the original paint on both the panels and animals. Most modern carousel go approximately 8 mph, however, the Kit Carson one goes a whopping 12 mph.
The carousel has quite an interesting history. During the Great Depression the carousel spent several years in storage. They local town stored grain inside the building that housed the carousel. At one point 3 of the animals were stolen and later found in another state. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1978 and National Historic Landmark in 1987.
If you are in the area or driving through on I70 we would encourage you to stop and explore this neat carousel. It only costs 25 cents to ride the carousel and $1 to visit the museum.
Riding the Kit Carson County Carousel
Flowers at the Kit Carson Carousel
Going for another ride on the carousel!
All smiles!
Kit Carson Carousel building
Other side of the wooden token!
On the Road Again: Where Were We?
If you guessed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri you are correct! We have actually been in St. Louis 4 times already this month. I have seen the Arch many times driving through St. Louis, but a couple years ago we actually went up in it. It is a great place to visit with some neat history. There is actually a museum in the bottom of the arch.
Did you know?
- Arch is 630 feet tall
- It is made of Steel and Concrete
- Eero Saarinen was the Finnish-American architect who designed the Arch
- From the top of the Arch on a clear day you can see up 30 miles in either direction
- Tram ride takes 4 minutes to go up and 3 minutes to go down
- There are 1,076 steps inside the arch, however, they are only used for maintenance and emergencies
- It was originally called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial now it is the Gateway Arch National Park
- The Memorials to Thomas Jefferson, for his role in opening the West & Dred Scott who sued for his freedom in the Old Courthouse
- Directly across the Mississippi River from the Arch on the Illinois side is the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park where the Gateway Geyser (the tallest water fountain in the U.S.) and the Mississippi River Overlook can be found
If you are going through St. Louis, Missouri and have extra time I encourage you to check it out.
Wild Animal Adventures (Stanton, MO)
The 2 tigers were together in the pen, we got to see them interact, swim, play, and relax.
After the girls got out of Cub Creek camp in Missouri we went visited Wild Animal Adventures. It is outside of St. Louis in Stanton, Missouri. It was a smaller establishment, but the animals were well cared for. We went at busy time and their parking lot was full (they had a trailer blocking part of the parking lot which made it a little inconvenient) but after a few minutes we got a spot.
They have an indoor section with aquariums, touch tanks, birds, reptiles and more. Outside the have both farm and wild animals in different sections. The workers seemed to enjoy being there, interacted well with the animals and were happy to share stories about the animals.
Our girls did two extra interactions, playing with the foxes and the dingos. The dingos also known as “singing dogs” were tired so they were laying down and let the kids pet them. I was hoping to hear them “sing” but they were not into that while we were there. The workers allowed 4 people in at one time with the dingos. For the foxes they gave the kids “treats” aka cat food to feed to the foxes. Our two girls were the only ones other than the worker in the pen with the foxes. The foxes loved munching on the treats and were more energetic. The website lists the extra activities with a price range, however, at least one of the activities was more than their list price. They need to update their website if they are not still charging those rates.
Overall it was a fun stop for our family. The animals were fairly active and the employees were nice. If you are driving through the area it is a nice place to stop especially if you have kids that enjoy animals. We have included a sprinkling of photos from our trip to Wild Animal Adventures.
The llama had some personality.
Gorgeous colors
The kids were not interested in the pretty flowers, but I enjoyed them!
Their 3 legged white fox. He can still move quickly and nibbled up treats from the girls.
This one liked to interact and have conversations with you!
The llama was more interested in you if you had food!
Glad this one was in a cage and behind a window.
Beautiful white tiger!
Wild Animal Adventures
TrackRock Stable (Blairsville, GA)
We specifically picked Trackrock Campground as one of the places to stay so we could go to their stables. Our girls love horses. When we booked our campsite we also booked a 2 hour trail ride. They have about 65 horses on the ranch, 45 are owned by Trackrock and the other 20 are ones that people are boarding at their location.
The horses each had their own individual personalities. The trail was a little tight and steep in some places (bushes would brush up against you) and my horse, Tango, enjoyed bouncing from tree to tree. They had a lot of different trails you could ride on depending on the weather and wildlife in the area. There were bear tracks on one section of the trail and our horses were a little skittish in that area so we took another path.
We had 9 guests and 2 guides on our trail ride. We walked, trotted, and cantered with our horses. The trail went through the woods, meadows, streams and more. It was a hot day, but the majority of the ride was in the shade. At one point it started raining, however, it didn’t last very long so we didn’t get too wet. The horses were well trained yet had a lot of spunk. Thankful for the opportunity to go for our ride at Trackrock Stables. The kids LOVED it!
Karlie riding Chef
Jake on Carlos and Brina on Felipe
Enjoying the trail ride!
Our crew in one of the meadows.
Are we having fun yet!?
Trackrock Stables
TrackRock Campground (Blairsville, GA)
Our family recently had a weekend trip to the TrackRock Campgrounds in Blairsville, Georgia. We left on Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. The campground was very nice and well maintained. We arrived after the office closed but they had our name posted with our campsite on the bulletin board.
There was a mix of retired couples and families as well as RVs and tents at the campgrounds. The campsites had enough space and trees around them to give everyone some privacy. We stayed in campsite #10 which had full hookups (water, electricity and sewer) and as a bonus wild blueberries! They were not quite ripe yet, but there were other berries around the property and a blueberry bucket in the office so they are pretty common.
They have a lake you can fish or swim in, a couple playgrounds, hiking trails, and more. TrackRock has their own stables were you can either board your own horse or go for a ride on one of theirs. They have a variety of horse trails.
Lake with the mountains in the background.
Barn with old farm equipment around it.
My favorite peeps!
Trackrock Campgrounds, Cabins & Stables
Travel & Vacation: Family Vacation…..Way Up NORTH!!!
Picture of the last Alaska Airline plane we got on!
North to ALASKA!!! We took a family vacation to Alaska this summer! We had a blast! We packed a lot in our time in Alaska. We flew Alaska Airlines. The girls did amazing on all the flights. We flew through the night both on the way to Alaska and on the way home too. They went through the airports fine, helped with the luggage, entertained themselves on the plane (and even rested). Thankful for kids who love to travel and explore new places.
Jake and the girls getting on the plane….notice they are entering the back half the plane. First time on this type of plane!
Sleeping Beauty on the plane!
Another one bites the dust….
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was amazing, refreshing, fun, and fantastic! I LOVED spending the extra time with my family. It was great to focus on spending time together and not worrying or concentrating on all the tasks, goals, and items on my “To Do” list. I needed the break from the “normal” so I could focus on enjoying the people I love dearly in my life. The kids are growing up way too quickly and I treasure the time that I have with them. I want to pack in as many awesome memories with the entire family while they are still growing up. This week will be a mix of focusing on my family and gearing up for the regular routine again. I don’t want to switch too quickly as to shock my system, although I do need to get back on track with my tasks and goals. I figure if I gradually ease into it again I will be good to go soon! The shorter list was nice and much easier to tackle (and enjoy), but I cannot do that every week if I want to stay on top of life, schedules, and everything else going on with the family. I am keeping it pretty close to the same as last week, but will be adding on a few items each day. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids – was able to get a good chunk of the book read with the kids
- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids. – had some good laughs reading this one
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids. – learning more everyday
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids. – interesting trivia
Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.Plan one special activity with the familyPlay a Game with the KidsCreate Memories with the FamilySpend Quality time with each family memberDo a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week
Kid Goals
Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grow their skillsAt least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water, wear FitBit, and do yoga (or at least stretch out) each day
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Business Goals
Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Ministry Goals
Quality time with my family
Financial Goals
Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading The Forgotten Filly by Karle Dickerson to the kids.
- Read 7 more Stories from the Bad Pets on the Loose by Alan Zullo book to the kids.
- Go through 7 more Brain Quest Flash Cards with the kids.
- Read through 7 more pages of History Trivia with the kids.
- Reflect on our blessings and prayer time with kids every night.
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Create Memories with the Family
- Spend Quality time with each family member
- Do a new, unique, or different activity with the family this week
Kid Goals
- Spend time Monday –Friday encouraging the kids to find creative ways to learn and grow their skills
- At least 30 minutes of outside play, fresh air, or activity time a day
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water, wear FitBit, and do yoga (or at least stretch out) each day
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Business Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
Ministry Goals
- Quality time with my family
Financial Goals
- Focusing on my Family not the “to do” list
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?
Our fortunes!
Recently we had Chinese food and the following were our fortunes from the meal:
- Jake – “You will be traveling to distant lands for business purposes” (He travels a lot of places for work!)
- Bridgette – “You will travel to many exotic places in the next few years.” (I LOVE to travel. I have already been to many amazing places over the years and I cannot wait to see more of the world. Plus, sometimes I get to travel with Jake when he goes on work trips. Maybe our fortunes were suppose to be together, sounds like more fun for me though! 🙂 Already looking forward to these exotic places we are going to together!)
- Brina – “You have a flair for adding fanciful dimension to any story.” (She is definitely the more fancy of the two kids!)
- Karlie – “You will soon be involved in many gatherings and parties.” (I am curious about what she’s going to be doing!)
It was a fun evening of relaxing with the family, eating Chinese food, and laughing about silly fortunes. We have so much to be thankful for in our lives. We are richly blessed and take many things for granted every day. Let’s treasure the time with have with our friends, families, and those around us. It is not impossible to run into people that you know even if you are across the world. Our lives leave an imprint of each person we interact with whether it is only once or many times! Make each moment count for good!
Be Prepared & Avoid The Oops! Walmart & SheSpeaks #AvoidtheOops
Have you ever been in the middle of hosting an event at your house and realized you are out of napkins? Gone to brush your teeth only to discover you are out of toothpaste? Went to start the laundry only to find out that you are out of laundry soap? All of these are possible scenarios and can be quite frustrating. I speak from experience! It is not cool to run out of essential items when you really need them!
At the time it is not funny when you realize you need something and do not have it on hand. It can be a big inconvenience because you may have to stop what you are doing and go to the store to pick up the missing product. You may need to be creative with your available resources because you cannot pick up the missing item (using cloth napkins while your guests are still visiting or napkins). Whatever the resolution in those crazy times it simply would have been easier to just have the item already at the house!
No one likes that sinking feeling when you reach for something only to realize it’s all gone. Avoid those oops moments by stocking up at Walmart.
One of the best ways to “avoid the oops” and running out of staple items is to keep a stock of essentials from Protector & Gamble. Whether it is an impromptu summer event, gathering, or last minute outing. It is always great to keep the daily or regularly used items on your list and small stockpile (one or two spares). The best way that we have helped to “avoid the oops” in our household is to create and use a system.
First, we try to keep at least 1 extra of the essential items that we use regularly in our house. Whenever, any member uses or opens up the last of an item they automatically add it to our shopping list. It doesn’t matter if I use the last item, my husband or kids, everyone has the freedom to update the list. It helps us keep what we need in stock. Until recently I would pick up any items on our shopping list around town, however, using WalMart’s “avoid the oops” program would save me the time and energy of running errands. Plus, I get the opportunity to order great products and have them delivered directly to our house (extra bonus)!
Save Time and Money:
Who doesn’t want to have a little extra time at the end of the day or extra money left in the budget at the end of the month! Some weeks it takes everything you have to balance schedules and all the activities (school, work, family, extra curricular, and more). If you could have something already in place that would allow you to quickly and easily order quality staple products online for a reasonable price and have them delivered to your home it may reduce some of the unnecessary stress in your already busy schedule. Most shoppers don’t realize they have the option of shopping for the same great household essentials at Walmart’s everyday low prices on Walmart. And by doing so, they’ll also save time so they can enjoy more of that summer sunshine.
Share Your “Oops” Moment:
Have you ever had an “oops” moment? Please share! We are all human and have had those moments at various times throughout our lives. We can laugh or cry together about them!
I was thrilled to hear that SheSpeaks teamed up with Walmart to showcase their “Avoid the Oops” program. Practical products are awesome! I love it when my house is stocked with the basic necessities and the house looks as well as smells fresh! Thank you Walmart and SheSpeaks for helping me tackle my shopping list and clean my house! It is always great to find products that are useful and easy to get.
AMAZING Household, Cleaning, and Health & Beauty Items from Walmart that we Received:
- 2 – Pampers Baby Fresh Baby Wipe Tubs (72 count each)
- 6 – Bounty Basic Big Roll Paper Towels (95 sheets per roll)
- 9 – Charmin Basic Toilet Paper Bulk Rolls (319 sheets per roll)
- 1 Box – Gain Powder Laundry Detergent Original
- 1 Pack – Gillette Simply Venus Disposable Razors (4 count)
- 3 – Crest Cavity Protection Toothpaste 6.4 oz each
- 10 – Ivory Original Soap Bars
- 2 – Mr. Clean Magic Kitchen Scrubbers
- 4 – Puffs Ultra Soft Strong Non-Lotion Boxes of Facial Tissues (56 sheets per box)
- 4 – Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original
- 2 – Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Extra Power House Cleaning Pads
- 1 – Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Original Scent
- 1 – Mr. Clean Hawaiian Aloha Multi-Purpose Liquid Cleaner (40 fl oz)
- Sample goodies to try too!!!!
I received ALL these products shipped directly to my house for under $60! They were super easy to order online at Walmart and arrived quickly. It was a big time savings for our family! Head on over and try out avoid the oops today so you will be stocked up on your products for tomorrow!
You can shop in all of the following categories: Kitchen, Laundry, Cleaning, Health & Beauty, Baby, Bathroom and More!!!
Additional Information Can be Found About This AWESOME Program at:
As a member of the SheSpeaks Blogger Society, I was given samples of these products and program to write an informed review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. A special thanks to SheSpeaks and Walmart for providing the products to review.
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a wonderful week packed with adventures and memories with family and friends. We were able to spend time with people we hadn’t seen in quite awhile and meet some sweet little ones (new nieces and nephews that we are meeting for the first time). The girls have had a blast meeting the sweet babies, playing with family and friends, spending time with cute animals, and making memories with a lot of people in our lives. Thankful for an opportunity to travel and catch up with family from a variety of different areas.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend a day with my cousin Renelle and her family. We even were able to go to Estates Park, a hike, and visit to Bear Lake. It was great spending time with family and in the Rocky Mountains!
Tuesday – Thankful for a chance to explore the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. The girls especially loved the Robotic Revolution exhibit! We spent a few hours there prior to going to the airport.
Wednesday – Thankful for safety as we flew back on South Carolina. Our flight was delayed, but we made it home with about 2 hours to spare before heading into work. Grateful for our friends who took really great care of our house and pets while we were away!
Thursday – Thankful for the girls help in getting the suitcases unpacked from our trip and for a full nights sleep back in our own beds!
Friday – Thankful that the kids had a chance to hang out with their friends from church at a pool party.
Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s cousin and his family, Luke and Kristen! Always great catching up and the kids played well together!
Sunday – Thankful for a chance to celebrate Father’s Day with Jake. We spent actual Father’s Day with extended family and waited until we were back home to celebrate with Jake. It was fun hanging out together and having fun. Thankful for Jake and everything he does for our family!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day
