Vacation
Travel & Vacation: Isle of Palms Beach (Charleston, SC)
Isle of Palms Beach
Our family enjoys going to the Isle of Palms Beach while we are in the Charleston, SC area. We don’t always get a chance to go to the beach, but when we do go we typically go to the Isle of Palms. It is a big beach, has public parking, restrooms nearby, a life guard near the entrance, and outside showers to rinse off the sand before heading back to the vehicle. Even with the showers somehow we always manage to bring home some sand with us, but we are getting better.
You can usually find a good spot to set up your tent, umbrella, or place your cooler. There is a lot of good sand for digging sand castles. You can usually find some nice sea shells. Plus there are usually some nice waves to enjoy a refreshing swim in the Atlantic Ocean. It has always been a really clean beach too. We have been to a couple of the other beaches in the area, but since we are usually on the Isle of Palms side of Charleston and we enjoy going there we usually end up at this beach. If you are looking for a good, family friendly beach this is a great place to go.
Scampering quickly out of our way along the sand.
Waves are rolling in nice. Great day to go swimming.
Relaxing at Isle of Palms
Nice beach and pretty beach houses. There are a variety of stores and restaurants to go to while at Isle of Palms.
Waves continue rolling in peacefully as the day ends.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Beautiful Charleston Sunsets (Charleston, SC)
Beautiful sunset
There is something peaceful about sitting on a swing next to the ocean watching the sunset. A light breeze and the sound of the ocean waves hitting the shore. Some of the parks in Charleston have swings or benches you can sit on and watch the sun set in the sky. Our family has enjoyed several of the Charleston sunsets. If you are in Charleston and have the time to relax for a few minutes you may be blessed by a beautiful sunset too.
Watching the sunset over the dock area where they bring the huge cargo barges.
This one was taken from under the big Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Our family decided to take a walk after dinner around the park and were able to catch the sunset.
The sun has set and the moon is out over Charleston. You can see the small sliver of the moon between the Palm Trees against the dark blue sky. This picture was taken at Battery Park.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Major General William Moultrie’s Statue in White Point Garden (Charleston, SC)
Major General William Moultrie Statue in White Point Garden
Our family enjoys going to Charleston, South Carolina. One of the places the girls always love to go is to Battery Park and White Point Garden. They love looking at all the cool cannons and other items at Battery Park. One of the people that they studied in Social Studies was Major General William Moultrie so it was neat seeing this statue in White Point Gardens.
If you enjoy history White Point Gardens and Battery Park is a great place to visit if you are in downtown Charleston. Major General William Moultrie is most well known for fighting off a British attack when they tried to take over Charles Town Harbor during the American Revolution. Moultrie and his men at Fort Sullivan, which was made out of Palmetto logs, held back the British attack. It was one of the first big victories for the United States during the American Revolution. Later they renamed Fort Sullivan to Fort Moultrie.
Later in the American Revolution Moultrie was captured by British soliders. He was released later during a prisoner exchange. Moultrie also served twice as a governor of South Carolina. While Moultrie was governor South Carolina’s state capital was moved from Charleston to it’s present day location of Columbia.
The statue has a 7 foot pedestal and the statue of Moultrie is 8 feet high. It portrays Moultrie in his uniform with his sword in his sheath, holding his hat at his side, and looking out over the Charleston Harbor.
Moultrie Statue
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Homewood Suites & Paddington Movie (Atlanta, GA)
Swimming at the pool
On a recent trip to Atlanta, Georgia we stayed at the Homewood Suites. The girls were begging to go swimming so on the first day we were there we wrapped up early and headed back to the hotel so they could swim. It was in the high 70’s that day, however, they had just filled the pool a couple days before we arrived so the water was freezing cold. Both kids got into the pool, but Brina was done after a few minutes. Karlie stayed in a little longer, although it wasn’t much fun swimming by herself. The entire time we were at the hotel we didn’t see one other person in the pool….I wonder why?!
Since we scrapped our pool time activity we decided to look for some other activities that we could do together that night. We headed back to the room to re-group and figure out what we wanted to do that evening. While the girls got dressed Jake and I made dinner in the hotel room. It was nice having one with a fridge, sink, dishwasher, microwave, and oven so we could eat at the hotel!
Jake found a movie theater nearby where you can get movie tickets for $3 each and they were showing some good kids movies so we decided to check it out. It was only a few miles away inside a open shopping mall and market. We chose to watch the movie Paddington with the girls at the Venture Theater.
It was a cute movie. I seriously cannot remember the last time our family went to the movie theater so this was a special treat for the kids. Usually it is so expensive just to go to the movies so we usually wait until it comes out on video. It was a nice activity for the four of us and only cost $12! The kids enjoyed the movie. Jake and I had a couple good laughs too. Thankful for a fun evening with the family. Sometimes even the best of plans don’t go as expected so it’s always a good idea to have a Plan B.
Ready for the movie to start
Karlie is focused
Our kids typically don’t sleep in very late so one morning after breakfast we spent some time playing games until the place we were going to that day opened. During the evenings after dinner if we had time and everyone wasn’t too tired we would play some card games too. It’s always a good idea to bring card games because you never know when you’ll have a few minutes of down time to relax and have fun.
Karlie relaxing on the couch at the hotel.
Brina setting up the game
It didn’t take them long to crash after a fun filled day in Atlanta!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Flashback Friday: Celebrating at My Youngest Brother’s Graduation
My youngest brother Josh and my parents
Today’s Flashback Friday goes back to my brother Josh’s High School graduation in May 2005. It was also the girls first trip to Kansas. It was a lot of fun being able to celebrate with my brother on his special day. A lot has happened in the past ten years, but it is neat to look back on this fun day.
Thankful for a chance to spend a long weekend in Kansas with my family. It was an adventure and exhausting with two little ones in tow, but we had a great time. It’s not every year your little brother graduates from High School.
Josh with Grandma Doris and Grandpa Verlyn!
Josh with Grandma Willa and Grandpa CE
Grandpa Russell and Jake handing the girls for Josh to hold.
My oldest brother Jeremy and his wife Amber (who was pregnant with Brandon at the time) with my youngest brother Josh.
Jake, and I with my two younger brothers Josh and Lee.
Jake, Josh, Karlie, Brina, and I at Josh’s High School Graduation celebration
Congratulations Josh!
As you can see Karlie and Brina were SUPER thrilled to be celebrating with Uncle Josh!
Cousins – Lee, Alecia, Josh, myself, Jordan, and Rachel
Siblings – Lee, Josh, Me, Jeremy
Josh with Uncle Sam and Uncle Paul Uncle Sam recently passed away (about a month ago). Thankful for the memories and times together. Cherish the time you have with your family while you can.
Travel & Vacation: Exploring the Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Atlanta, GA)
We’re having fun at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History!
We had a blast working our way through the various sections at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. They had one section that was very interactive, a lot of science, experiments, brain teasers, heritage, and more. We ended our visit at what I call the “fun zone”. It was like a giant indoor jungle gym with lots of things to do, see, and learn about. They did are really great job with this museum. Our kids really enjoyed it. We made it through the entire museum, we were there when they opened and left as they were closing. It was a full day of fun and learning.
Brina making a huge bubble
Jake made an hour glass shape bubble, neat!
Whoa Dad! That’s so cool! They loved this bubble activity!
Karlie giving it a whirl!
Brina stretching it out a long ways.
Opps that one popped before she got too far
Wow, Karlie!
Awesome bubble Brina!
Brina flipped the bubble ring over her head and she was standing inside the giant bubble
Karlie had to try being inside a bubble. Pretty neat.
Karlie having fun with the bubbles
Brina and Daddy trying out the next activity
Jake helping Brina do this one!
This one was pretty cool because I could stand on the other side and watch her do the whole activity. Karlie trying to figure it out.
Karlie doing the activity while Brina watches.
Brina doing the “Mirrorly A Window” activity
Karlie sitting across the room chatting with Brina – super cool!
Brina talking with Karlie from across the room. Even though it was noisy with others doing various activities and they were across the room from each other they could hear perfectly fine speaking in their normal voices because the acoustics were set up to carry the sound perfectly.
Weather station. Brina watching the tornado
Brina and Karlie checking things out
Brina wanted me to go up with her into the huge tree house so she could show me some of the neat stuff they had. It was really nice play area for the kids.
Brina jumping onto the swinging bridge just as I was about to cross….crazy girl! She makes me laugh. At least her dramatic jump give me a little bit of a warning.
Brina found this book in the tree house library, she thought it was so hilarious she had to show it to me.
As I was talking with Karlie and looking around for a few minutes I went to find Brina. This is where I found her back at the library reading another book. It makes my heart happy when I see my kids reading voluntarily. Love catching Brina enjoying a good book on her own.
Karlie and Brina exploring the ocean section of the play area.
Baby turtle coming over to say “Hi”
Karlie on the look out
Brina and Karlie had a great time at the museum. The time went by quickly, but we squeezed a lot of fun into the day together.
Karlie thought it was so cool she could sit in a dug-out canoe like the Native Americans used to do so many years ago.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Fernbank Museum of Natural History (Atlanta, GA)
We’re ready to explore the Fernbank Museum of Natural History
On one of our recent trips to Atlanta, Georgia we visited the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. We had never been to the Museum, but were looking for fun and educational activities to do with the kids before heading home. Since it appeared to have some great items we decided to give it a try.
The girls were very excited to check out this museum. They have a variety of activities and events that you can do as well. If you get hungry during your visit there is a cafe where you can grab a bite to eat. We had packed our sandwiches before leaving the hotel so when we got hungry we headed out to the van for a picnic lunch then went back inside to finish exploring the museum. We had a lot of fun and spent a lot more time going through it than we initially planned. The kids probably could have stayed longer, but they were closing for the day and we had to get back home.
For more information, directions, and other details about the museum you can visit their visit at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. If you happen to be in Atlanta and it’s a rainy day this would be a great place to take your family. Plus you might see and learn some new stuff along the way too.
They had this massive dinosaur in the lobby of the museum. Pretty neat!
Hey who let the turkey inside!?
Checking out the different regions of the area.
Brina and Karlie having fun.
Cute fox, made you want to pet it!
Oh dear Brina, there’s a deer behind you!
That’s one big dinosaur footprint. Brina was impressed.
Brina checking out the dinosaur. Not sure I would want it running at me though.
Jake and the girls checking out the different dinosaurs.
Always something interesting to read and learn about
Brina looks small next to this one
Relaxing and having fun
Looks like a cute kid on the tail of that dinosaur. Silly Brina!
Hammerhead shark
Our crew at the museum
Sweet Karlie loving her time at the museum (if you look closely there is a racoon right behind her too).
That’s some strange looking dinosaurs.
They had a section on “Poison” and a presentation that we went to while we were there. It was very interesting!
Our family learning about different types of poisons and how they are used
Jake and Brina checking it out
Daddy reminding Karlie of the saying….What was it again “Red and yellow kill a fellow….”
This was a really neat book / display. As you turned the pages different items would show up and it was interactive too. Pretty fascinating! Brina especially liked the information on goats!
Brina, Karlie, and Jake playing a game to see if they can figure out what poison the dog ate and save it! They all 3 won! Must have learned something today!
The Astronomy Picture of the Day was on Saturn. Karlie’s favorite planet.
Went to an animal show and demonstration (love their huge frog on the wall, neat and colorful).
Brina always wants to interact and learn more about any living creature.
Karlie saying “Hi”
We finished a level. Where are we off to now Brina?!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Fernback Science Center (Atlanta, GA)
Karlie excited to be standing by the Apollo 6
We had the opportunity to spend some time in Atlanta, Georgia recently. Actually we have had 2 recent trips to Georgia in the past couple of months! Georgia is not too far away from where we live so it was nice to get away as a family for a little bit and hang out for a few days together.
On this particular trip to Atlanta we visited the Fernbank Science Center for the first time. It is part of the same association as the Roper Mountain Science Center. It was already free admission, but since we are part of the association we were able to get free tickets to the IMAX shows throughout the day (we could go to as many as we wanted). We were only there for a couple hours so we just went to one of the shows. It is smaller than our local Science Center, but the kids still enjoyed learning and exploring the different items they had on display. The Apollo 6 was Karlie’s favorite while the animals were Brina’s favorite.
The Fernback Science Center is located at 156 Heaton Park Drive, Atlanta, GA 30307. Phone number is 678-874-7102. They also have an observatory open some nights and a library where you can relax and read some books (which the kids enjoyed). For current events, programs, and shows please visit the Fernbank Science Center website.
Karlie trying to get the light bulb to glow.
Jake and Karlie checking out the Apollo 6
Apollo 6 Command Module
If you look under the capsule you will see a series of holes. The holes were drilled to investigate how the heat shield held up after this capsule re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
Apollo 6 was the last unmanned Apollo mission and was launched on April 4, 1968. The purpose of the mission was to test, for a second time, the Saturn V rocket. At the time of the launch (one second past 7 a.m. EST) all five engines operated normally, then a series of sharp vibrations shook the rocket. Minutes later two of the five rocket engines shut down. For the next 80 seconds the Saturn V behaved like a drunk driver lurching back and forth, as NASA flight controllers decided whether to abort the mission or not.
After two earth orbits it was time to re-light a smaller rocket. CS-IVB, to stimulate injecting the rocket into a path toward the moon, but this rocket failed. Using a series of smaller rockets on the Service Module NASA scientists completed most of the planned maneuvers. The spacecraft was returned safely to Earth.
A monkey on the inside!
Brina working on her balancing and building skills
Her buildings with stood the Earthquake
Karlie and Daddy working together to build a giant carbon nanotube.
It was almost as tall as she was!
Pretty bird
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Federal Reserve Bank, Atlanta Monetary Museum, & Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner (Atlanta, GA)
On the steps of Atlanta’s Federal Reserve bank & Monetary Museum (white building on the right side of the picture)
We had a lot of fun exploring Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank and Monetary Museum on one of our recent trips to Atlanta, Georgia. The kids didn’t believe us at first when we told them that we were going to a bank to learn about money. Although the more we talked about it the more interested they became.
In order to go into Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank and Monetary Museum all adults must present a valid ID such as a driver’s license or passport. You cannot carry any electronics, phones, cameras, purses, or other devices into the museum. They do have lockers next to the restrooms to put your items into if you need them. We just put my id in Jake’s wallet and that is the only thing we brought into the museum so he could carry everything we needed. The admission and self guided tour is completely free. The only thing we had to pay for was parking since it is near downtown Atlanta and there was not any free parking available at the time (it was just a couple of dollars for parking so it wasn’t too bad).
It would have been really neat to be able to get some pictures of the museum and some of the items we saw while there, but no photography is allowed. The employees were really nice and helpful. The kids learned some cool history about money.
Probably the kids favorite part was the robots toting the containers of money back and forth between the various rooms. It was fascinating to watch them carry the bins full or partially filled with money from one place to another. In some of the bins there may have been a million dollar or more in cash! Did you know that they shred about 10 million dollars of cash every day? These are bills that have been crumpled, destroyed, or otherwise deemed as unusable. You could see people physically counting the bundles of money as they came in as well which was interesting to watch.
The kids had a little “quiz” or worksheet they filled out as we explored. It was a neat learning activity and the kids loved it. At the end we picked up a bag of shredded money to take home (which the kids thought was awesome)!
We did get some pictures on the outside of the Federal Reserve Bank though to help us remember our adventure that windy day in Atlanta. You can locate the Atlanta’s Federal Reserve Bank and Monetary Museum at 1000 Peachtree Street, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30309. If you are already at the Federal Reserve Bank you should check out the rock spinner is directly across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank.
Across the street from the Federal Reserve Bank was the Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner (pictures below) which fascinated the kids as well. As we were waiting for the stoplight to turn so we could walk across the street I happened to read the description on the rock spinner and mentioned for the kids to come over to see if they could move the huge boulder. They of course thought it was so cool they could spin such a massive rock!
Large Federal Reserve Building in Atlanta
Where’s Waldo…I mean Karlie, Brina, and I outside the building? If you look for the specks in front of the statue that looks like spots of “Red, White, and Blue” that’s us!
Our family visiting the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta
Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner! Once the girls starting spinning the rock other kids stopped to try it out too!
Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner – is a kinetic sculpture that helps you understand about the transformation of one’s relationship to mass. This particular boulder weighs 22,000 pounds and would normally be considered immovable, however, with a little art and engineering this huge boulder becomes something fun to move and play with (both for kids and adults). There is a plague next to it saying “Take it for a spin!” YES, you can spin it, stop it from moving, and switch directions, but no climbing is allowed on the boulder (for obvious reasons).
Making is move…
Brina and Karlie trying to see how fast they can get it to move
Who knew that a spinning boulder could provide so much entertainment!? If you are already in the area it is something neat to check out – Zachary Coffin’s Rock Spinner The kids thought it was neat!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. 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!
Travel & Vacation: Cute Panda Bears and Wildlife Show at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA)
Panda Bear content to relax and eat bamboo
The panda bears were one of the girls favorite animals to visit at the Atlanta Zoo. I think the big fascination was watching the twin panda cubs. It was a little harder to get a picture of both of them at the same time, but the kids loved watching them eat and play. The Wildlife Show on birds was pretty neat too. Of course the girls went up after the show to ask more questions about the birds. The zoo worker was really great with the kids and patient in answering all the questions. On the way out the girls wanted a picture with the gorilla. It was a great day at the zoo.
You can read more about our adventure at the Atlanta Zoo on my Travel & Vacation: Visiting the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), Travel & Vacation: Lions, Tigers, Seals, Reptiles, Bears, and more at the Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA), and Travel & Vacation: Orangutan Easter Egg Hunt at Atlanta Zoo (Atlanta, GA) blog posts.
Looking pretty cute!
Look out, showing some teeth this time. Watch out! They may look cute and adorable, but I think it would not be a good idea to pet them with teeth that size.
Someone found an Easter pinata
Loving the bamboo
Peeling the bamboo stick apart, eating some pieces, and putting the other pieces on his belly for later.
Crunchy, but delicious
Good stuff
Panada’s look so cute
Checking things out around the pen
Heading towards some more goodies
Twin panda’s in their cage. One sleeping on the log and the other one eating some bamboo
Relaxing and chewing on some bamboo
Bird Show in the Wildlife Theater at the Atlanta Zoo
Getting all their questions answered
Brina giving Willie B a hug
Karlie and Brina enjoyed the Atlanta Zoo
Karlie all smiles
