Events
Travel & Vacation: Red Rocks Overlook Trail & Amphitheater
My cousin Renelle and her husband Eric took the girls and I to see the Red Rocks!
While we were in Colorado a few weeks ago we got to go for a hike up the Red Rocks Overlook and check out their Amphitheater! The red rocks were huge, beautiful boulders on the side of the mountain. It would have been neat to see them right after a rain storm, they probably look gorgeous! In the Red Rocks Amphitheater they hold many concerts. The Red Rocks are on over 800 acres of land and at about 6,500 feet above sea level.
The Red Rocks Amphitheater was formed naturally. The way the rocks line up provides an amazing acoustic setting for concerts. There is a museum at the Red Rocks Amphitheater were you can see all the musicians who have performed. The had all kinds of artists and groups including Bon Jovi, The Beatles, Sting, Opera Singers, and many more!
The red rock boulders were huge!
Brina hiking up to the top of the Red Rocks Overlook Trail.
Cool Red Rock boulders lined the hiking trail!
Brina taking a moment to sit down while Karlie thinks about how cool it would be to have one of those big rocks at her house (no I wouldn’t let her take one home on the plane, ha)!
Uncle Eric, Brina, and Karlie hiking up the trail!
Looking at the Red Rocks Amphitheater and parking lot below!
Just as long as they piece on top doesn’t roll my direction….
A view of the Red Rocks Amphitheater from the top of the Red Rocks Overlook Trail! They were getting ready for a concert that evening!
Karlie and Brina enjoying their time exploring the Red Rocks!
What goes up….must come down! Walking back down the trail with Aunt Renelle!
Brina pausing to let me take a quick picture!
A view of the Red Rocks Amphitheater from the top railing. It seats about 10,000 people. I bet it looks amazing at night during a concert!
The girls had to run down all the stairs of the amphitheater! At least they were able to get in a little extra exercise!
Inside the Red Rocks Museum they had a wall listing all the years, dates, and musicians that have performed in the amphitheater. They also had several other cool rooms to go through and explore. It was a pretty neat adventure for the kids. My cousin Renelle had been at a concert there a few years ago and said it was awesome!!!
Travel & Vacation: Picnic and Hike Around Lily Lake
Karlie and Brina hanging out at Lake Lily
We head up to Lake Lily to have a picnic, walk around the Lily Lake Loop, and enjoy the scenery. It was a beautiful day. A little colder than we are used to in South Carolina. We had a wonderful day with family!
Dad trying one of Renelle’s Wasabi Seaweed Strips! Spicy, crispy, and delicious!
Fun at Lake Lily!
Renelle brought these super cool hippo treats. The outside was a crunchy cookie dipped in white chocolate and chips of chocolate. The inside was a creamy chocolate.
Pausing for a picture with Grandma Penny and Aunt Mary Ann on our hike around Lake Lily.
Karlie wanted a picture with these cool fallen tree by the lake!
The Rocky Mountains scenery is beautiful!
Having fun in the Rocky Mountains!
Grandpa Russell by Lake Lily!
Gorgeous mountains around Lake Lily!
Soaking in the scenery around the lake.
Karlie all smiles on the hike around the lake.
Grandpa Russell on a stroll at Lake Lily!
Love spending time with my girls exploring.
Karlie loves being outside!
Travel & Vacation: Colorado Wildlife
Yes, there are bears near Estes Park! We were driving and saw this guy across the river from us.
We went on a road trip through the Rocky Mountains. On our adventures we saw several animals. The girls were thrilled to see so many neat animals that we don’t see everyday in South Carolina. We went up through Estes Park, Colorado and made several stops throughout the day. Thankful for some fun with family.
Caught a quick picture of these critters as we were driving past. Love that they are munching right off the road and hanging out near a patch of beautiful wild sunflowers.
We drove past a field full of goats. The girls were fascinated and excited! They thought it was so cool that someone had so many goats.
The brown speckled goat in the picture is not eating, she is checking out her newly born twin baby goats. We could see glimpses of the baby goats, but I couldn’t get a close picture of the twin baby goats because their was an electric fence and the grass was too high. They were tiny and adorable trying to stand up on their own. The really cool part is that while we were there with our twin girls there was another set of twins watching twin goats being born on National Twin Day. What is the likelihood that would happen, ha!
Brina really wanted to take this little chipmunk home with her. It may look cute….
Ducks swimming around on the lake!
The girls thought the ducks with the blue feathers were super cute!
This little guy can up to say “hi” to me. I think he was hoping for a treat!
Hummingbirds are always fascinating to watch!
This one about landed on my Dad’s finger. So cool seeing their wings fluttering so quickly.
Our wild bear! The girls were super excited to see the bear!
Munching on berries and relaxing on the rock.
Travel & Vacation: Rocky Mountains, Glen Haven General Store, & Baldpate Inn
Hanging out in Colorado for a few days!
The girls and I had the opportunity to travel out to Colorado recently to visit family. My parents drove out with us and my cousin graciously let the three of us crash at her house and my parents stayed with my Aunt and Uncle. Thankful for some time to catch up with family and explore the area! We had a blast in Colorado.
We drove up by Estes Park, it was completely changed since our trip in July 2012 due to the massive flooding they had back in September 2013. The river, rocks, and roads were totally different. It was quite sad to see some of the damage as well as many homes and businesses that were destroyed. We stopped at one point to get out and stretch our legs. The girls took an opportunity to check out some cool Colorado rocks near the river. They were still cleaning up the area, repairing the roads, homes, businesses, and bridges.
Showing Aunt Renelle some cool stones they found.
Looking at some stones they discovered with Grandma and Grandpa.
When we stopped at Glen Haven two years ago and there was a strip of stores next to the Glen Haven General Store (now it is the only one left on that side of the road). We ate their delicious and huge homemade cinnamon rolls! Thanks Renelle for sharing!
Renelle showing the Brina a cool goodie she got up for them!
Anyone want to eat a bag of rocks?! How about chocolate rocks? Funky, but yummy!
We made a stop at The Baldpate Inn for some coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. The girls relaxing on the Baldpate Inn’s cool porch swing!
Karlie checking out all the keys! Inside the Baldpate Inn they had a room full of keys hanging on the walls and ceiling from all over the world. They even had a key from Hilter’s house, one from a bank Jesse and Frank James robbed, and many other really neat ones!
We finally found the stash of South Carolina keys. They had so many keys you could look them up by name, location, or a number of other details.
Another favorite spot Karlie found…..they had a library, music, and game room at Baldpate Inn. She was content to sit and read!
Relaxing on the porch at the Baldpate Inn!
Enjoying the beautiful view as we sip our hot coffee and chocolate!
Brina mesmerized by the hummingbirds!
The girls and I shared a cup of hot chocolate at Baldpate Inn, delicious!
If you are near Estes Park the Baldpate Inn is a fun place to stop by for a treat, meal, or you can stay overnight too!
Back at Uncle Rick and Aunt Mary Ann’s sharing stories and laughs!
On the Farm: Sand Pile Creations, Games, Hay Bale Climbing, and More!
Four kids and a pile of sand results in multiple interesting creations including a huge sand jacuzzi!
While staying at Grandpa and Grandma’s house this summer the girl’s cousins came over to spend a couple days with us. The kids had a blast coming up with a lot of fun activities to do together. It is amazing how long a big pile of sand can keep them occupied. All the kids played well together and had a grand time at Grandpa and Grandma’s house!
Grandma played several games with the kids. We have a lively game of Skippo going on this time around.
Oh my….they found a praying mantas in the yard.
Who knows what cool bugs you will find in Kansas!
Karlie, Midnight, and Nathan hanging out on top of the hay bale.
Brandon and Brina trying to the dog to look at the camera, ha!
Fun times at Grandpa and Grandma’s house!
Thankful that the girls had some time to hang out with their cousins!
Brina loves carrying around the dog!
The kids running around the yard for 3 minutes to vent off some extra energy. They were good sports and the dogs joined in on all the running around fun too!
DIY: Magnet Souvenir Board
Souvenir Board for all our Travel Magnets!
Our family loves to travel and explore new places! If we could we would go on more adventures, but time and other priorities take first place for a good chunk of the year. We are thankful for all the neat trips we’ve been able to take and for opportunities to visit with family and friends. A few years ago we decided (the idea stimulated from my cool sister-in-law Becky who already had a fridge full of magnets) to start collecting magnets when we visited a new place. Before that we would random souvenirs such as a picture frame, cup, magnet, or something else.
We wanted to start consistently collecting something that was relatively small, easily transported, not too expensive, and could be found at the majority of places we visited. So we decided on the “magnet” because it was something we could find almost everywhere, they don’t take up that much extra space in our luggage, they are usually a good price, and didn’t cause too much clutter once we got home. As we continued to travel we noticed our fridge began filling up with the neat magnets we had accumulated. It was fun looking at the magnets and reminiscing about the adventures we had on the various trips.
A couple months ago our fridge died. After several weeks of research we finally decided on a new fridge and got it installed. The problem was I didn’t really want the magnets back on the fridge for several reasons – the magnets tend to scratch the fridge (which wasn’t a big deal for our really old fridge), the magnets tend to get bumped or fall off (causing them to break), and the fridge was starting to get a cluttered look. So after a few weeks of deliberation my husband made this amazing magnetic souvenir board for me.
I LOVE the magnetic souvenir board my husband made for our family! We got the picture frame at Hobby Lobby when it was on clearance, he picked up a sheet of steel at our local Lowe’s store, and it assembled in no time at all! Now it is hanging in our dining room with our travel souvenir magnets.
Magnet Souvenir Board Directions:
- Picture Frame 24 x 36 (or whatever size you want)
- Sheet of Steel 24 x 36
- Souvenir Magnets
We picked out a picture frame that specifically fit our sheet of steel so we didn’t have to do any cutting or trimming on the steel. Please be wear gloves and be careful when handling the steel as it has sharp edges. If there is any glass in your picture frame remove it (hint – it is usually less expensive to purchase the frame without glass plus you don’t have to figure out what to do with the extra sheet of glass once it’s removed). Place the sheet of steel into the picture frame. The metal will be a little heavier and when you add the magnets the frame can get pretty heavy so depending on your frame you may want to add a hook that will be able to hold the weight evenly. Add your magnets! Hang it up and ENJOY!
Every magnet tells a story and holds precious memories for our family.
You can make one for your family as well. This can be a reasonably priced project especially if you use coupons or shop a sale, it’s easy to put together, and looks great. You can get whatever frame will look the best for your home decor! Feel free to share a picture of your Magnet Souvenir Board with us! Happy traveling!
First Day of School Notes & Teacher Gifts
First day of School Notes!How is that time again – the first day of school?! The summer break went by way too fast! Thankful for the fun adventures we had while they were out for the summer. Not sure how it is possible that they are now in 4th grade. Ready or not it’s here and we are looking forward to another great year of learning.
Brina’s lollipop note!
Karlie’s lollipop note!
Happy First Day of 4th Grade Brina!
Happy First Day of 4th Grade Karlie!
Note are on their bar stools and their special breakfast plates were laid out!
All four teacher gifts are packed and ready to go! Complete with items requested by the teachers!
Happy First Day of 4th Grade!
It’s hard to believe it is that time of year again! School started this week. Somehow my babies are growing up quickly and now are in 4th grade. Praying that they have an amazing year, packed full of fun, and learning. Thankful for these two sweethearts and looking forward to another big year.
Ready for the first day of 4th Grade!
Greenville: Bouncing Around at Pump It Up
Fun group of kids!
To celebrate the last week of Summer Break we joined friends at the Pump It Up in Greenville, SC. The kids had a blast bouncing around, climbing the rock wall, building items, and more. The kids played and were able to burn off some of that extra energy while the Moms had a few minutes to chat. Thankful for a time to get together with friends.
Karlie pausing to give us a smile as she plays at Pump It Up!
We found Brina perched on this bouncy castle!
Greenville: Splashing Around at Otter Creek Waterpark
Brina and Karlie going down the blue slide together on a double tube!
Our end of Summer Break activity was going to the Otter Creek Waterpark! None of us had ever been to this Greenville Waterpark so we decided it should be the one we try out to celebrate the end of summer. It was actually one of the closer ones to us since we were coming from Easley. The girls had a BLAST swimming around. We arrived shortly after they opened and didn’t leave until late in the afternoon. We splashed around in the water and went down the slides many times! It was a lot of fun hanging out at the waterpark with the girls!
Brina having a grand time at the waterpark!
Hanging out with the girls at the Otter Creek Waterpark! Great way to wrap up summer vacation!
Brina doing flips under water!
Going down the huge orange slide together. They went down all the slides many times!
Karlie’s coming!
Carrying up the double tube. It was quite the teamwork to get the big tube up the stairs without bumping into too many people!
Splashing around!
Brina all smiles!
Karlie loving the water slides!
Come on Mom, stand right over here…… Hmmm….this looks like a trick?! BRINA!
Yikes! There’s something coming at me under the water!
Brina enjoying our fun day at Otter Creek!
Karlie doing flips under water!
Brina arriving at the bottom of the green slide!
Karlie at the top of the white slide! She LOVED it! I did all the slides many times, but the white slide once was enough for me. WOW, it was so fast and my heart was in my throat as I flew down it. Not to mention with that much speed once you hit the water you had received a nice swimsuit wedgy, ha! Karlie on the other hand did the white slide many times!
Karlie flying down the slide again! It doesn’t look as steep in this picture, but trust me it was plenty steep! I thought I was going to fly right off of it I was going so fast! Fun times with the kids!
