Family Outings
Travel & Vacation: Food & Fun in Hyderabad, India
Loved the dishes and food at Tadka! I snapped this picture as they were putting the items onto the plate, rice and curry went into the middle. Jake and I stopped here after several hours of touring the city (with a lot of walking in 100 plus weather) so it was nice to sit down and relax together. They asked Jake how he was doing and he made the comment that he was glad to be in the “cool” restaurant after seeing the sights in the city. After a few minutes we noticed the restaurant was getting really cold (they had turned the temperature down for us, it was freezing even for us).
The food was amazing and they literally would not stop serving us. Every time our drinks got to the halfway mark they would refill the cup and if our plates had space on them they would scoop some more food onto it. Someone was literally standing a few feet away the entire meal to make sure we had drinks, food, and to help in anyway. We counted seven waiters for this one meal (which was not uncommon).
At the end of each meal they almost always ask you to do a survey. The main waiter picked up the survey with the bill and his face went from serious to a beaming smile. He immediately went over to his manager to show off his glowing survey results. We were thrilled to add some extra sunshine into his day! Below are some more fun food adventures and other fun stuff while we were in Hyderabad:
Thankful for the opportunity to hang out for a few days with my man!
Delicious chicken curry dish at the Tadka restaurant
Huge bowl of water and red rose petals at the entrance of the restaurant!
Doorman at the Ohri’s restaurant
This is one of the pictures hanging up in one of the restaurants that we visited, hilarious! It says “The Good, The Bad, and the Idlis” Does it remind you of something? Maybe “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!”
My handsome man trying to figure out what to order! They have very colorful decor in the restaurants, notice the green chair to the left of Jake.
Tasty treat – two types of rice, naan, and curry
Yummy breakfast
Hot Coffee and juice for breakfast……every morning they brought us coffee. The waiter asked me the first day if I wanted coffee and I said yes since I had been traveling the past two days and needed to stay awake. Every day after that he brought me coffee as soon as he saw me enter the room, excellent service! A couple interesting things about the coffee – the coffee was much stronger than what I make and I never received a full cup (for some reason they deliver half cups of coffee no matter where you go).
Browsing the aisles of Hyper Savers (the local small version of “Walmart”) in Hyderabad. Their food was sold by rs per kilogram. Some of the food in the store I had never seen before.
The girls REALLY wanted us to bring back a suitcase full of coconuts, ha! We told them the you could find coconuts literally everywhere, even on the ground! For one whole coconut it is 15 RS (rupee) which is like us paying about 30 cents (great price for a coconut)!
The soda of choice! At least in Hyderabad the Pepsi products were more popular. The flavor was not the same, but Jake didn’t seem to mind too much.
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!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was busy with Vacation Bible School for the girls, work, looking for a new vehicle and a bunch of fun summer activities. The girls have been doing a great job reading everyday and completed a chunk of their goal. It has been fun being able to enjoy some extra time with them and participate it the fun summer activities. I was able to tackle quite a bit of my list for last week!
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day– I read over 20 library books, a chapter book, and about 20 books from our bookshelves to the girls this past week, they soaking in our reading time together.Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every dayParticipate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the KidsTake the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS– they had a blast!Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)– they blew past 500 hours and getting close to our 1/2 markGo to the library with the kidsGo on a Date Night with Jake
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekStart My Summer Organizational SchedulePay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – been a little more relaxed with this since we haven’t been meeting regularly throughout the summer months
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over on this one
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – on hold until we get the money set aside for the vehicle
- Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – moving forward with it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold until we get the new vehicle
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Get to the 1/2 Goal Mark (1000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
- Go to the library with the kids
- Celebrate July 4th with the Family
- Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
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
Travel & Vacation: Shilparamam Park in Hyderabad, India
Entrance to Shilparamam Park. It was pretty close to where Jake was staying in Hyderabad, India.
Water fountain in the park
Hyderabad’s version of the duck boats! Not sure I would want to go splashing around in the water though.
Not sure about the wiring in the park! This was a pretty common sight in the various places we visited. I am sure Jake’s cousin who is an electrician would have something to say about this one, ha!
Jake patiently waiting on the bridge for me to catch up!
Peaceful pond full of duck boats looks so pretty.
Cow with its horns painted blue and all decked up pulling a cart with items they plan to sell at the market place
Huge elephant statue you walk under to get to another part of the park.
This was interesting…..in the park they had a section which was a museum that told some of the history of Hyderabad, India and trades found in the area but they did it using all props.
Sankranthi Festival Display – outside props that were part of the museum portion of the park. I loved the bamboo fence, it was really pretty!
The largest patch of green grass I saw in Hyderabad! It was a field for concerts inside the park. Grass was not something you seen a lot of in the part of town where we were located. I bet the cows, goats, and other livestock I seen on the streets going through trash to find something to eat would have loved a chance to nibble on this grass!
Cool waterfall in the park….the smell reminded me of Reedy River at Falls Parks. Beautiful but not ideal swimming or splashing around in water.
Watching a group of people in the park play a party game. It kind of looked similar to “Duck, Duck, Goose” or “Musical Chairs” They were having a lot of fun!
Elephant fountain in the park. The bottom row of fountains are elephants spraying out water through their noses. We were told that elephants were a symbol of “good luck” so you see them often. Although we have been told various stories as to why they are good luck and what type of luck, not sure which is accurate or if there are just several stories that go along with the elephant symbol.
“Living Rock Gallery” inside the park. The rocks have plaques on them explaining their symbolizism and place of honor. I have heard of rock gardens but never a living rock garden so it was something different that I haven’t seen before.
If you pause for even a split second or happen to look in the general direction of someone’s shop they will rush out to greet you and try to get you to look at the items they have for sale. This guy was trying to get us to buy his fabric. They did not hestitate to sale you anything from rugs, to flowers, pottery, clothes, knick knacks, bangles, spices, and much more! Most people were ok when you said “No, thank you” but there were a few who would literally follow you around asking you to look, touch, and buy their items. You could spend an entire day going from shop to shop and having them sell you their goods if you wanted to, thankfully I am not a big shopper and Jake had already purchased a couple items for the kids before I arrived.
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!
Family Outings: Ice Skating
Karlie and Brina ice skating for the first time with Daddy!
There is a local ice skating rink in our town that is open all year. The first time the girls went ice skating was for a friends birthday party and they had a blast! Even though ice skating traditionally is a “winter” sport it is a wonderful way to spend a couple hours cooling off during the heat of the summer too! If you look around you can often find tickets to your local ice skating rink as well. Who knows you may even run into a friend or two (we have) which makes it even more fun!
Here are some pictures from another fun ice skating adventure!
Brina skating backwards?! No just turning around to look at Mommy
Karlie getting around on her own….with a little help from the wall!
Daddy pushing his girls around the ice skating rink
Daddy and Brina skating
Mommy pushing Karlie around the ice rink!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Jake had to travel last week for work so we tagged along with him since the girls were out of school. We spent a fun week in Charleston swimming, playing, exploring, reading, and enjoying some extra time together. We even made it to the beach which was a special treat! Hopefully this week I will have a chance to get back up to speed with my goals and household obligations. The pets were happy to see us come home too. You will notice that some of my goals have shifted to reflect my priorities over the summer, it is more important to me to spend time with my family while the girls are on summer break then to ignore them so I can meet all my other goals. Yes, I will continue moving forward with those goals as well but my highest priority the next couple months will be family since we have more time together.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Connect with each family member at least once a dayEnjoy time doing one fun activity with the girls every day– spent a lot of time at parks, swimming, and spending time together in CharlestonRead at least one book to the girls every dayListen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day– the girls read through a whole bunch of books at parks, in the hotel and in the car, thrilled to see them get even more excited about readingSpend some extra time catching up with family and friendsFinish 1/3 of the Summer Reading ProgramSpend time at the pool playing with the kids
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week– walked with the girls in the parks and went swimming everydaySpend quality time with my kids & Jake– spent time together in CharlestonFinish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst- Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey – started it
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week – the dinner menu was based off of Jake’s schedule and whatever coupons we could find for the Charleston area so not every dinner was planned with us being out of town (
but every lunch was planned) Plan Summer Organizational SchedulePay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – did as much as I could remotely
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – wasn’t able to do this since I was in Charleston
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – didn’t get the email out but prayed for and tried to connect with each girl in our group
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4– actually stayed under with us being out of town, just brought items from home for some of our lunches, dinner, and snacks (breakfast was included with the hotel)- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold as we save for another family car
- Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – working on it
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold while until we get another car
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
- Take the girls to Vacation Bible School – VBS
- Get to the 1/4 Goal Mark (500 Hours) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading Hours)
- Go to the library with the kids
- Go on a Date Night with Jake
Personal Goals
- Exercise – at least 5 days this week
- Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Start My Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
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
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
The girls are officially out of school and on summer break now we have two 2nd graders in our household! I am super excited to spend some extra time with the kiddos and have a lot of fun activities planned. This week didn’t go quite as planned….Jake got in an accident so I am a little behind on some of the goals and had to rearrange other ones but thankfully he is okay and healing well.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
Final Prep for Summer BreakRead at least one book to the girls every dayListen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every daySpend some extra time catching up with family and friendsConfirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – didn’t get this one done
Update my goals- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst – time was spent in other areas this past week
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the weekSpend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group – didn’t get the email out this week
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – went over budget again
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – still saving up
- Save money for upcoming trips – put on hold with the accident this past week
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily put on hold with the accident
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
- Enjoy time doing one fun activity with the girls every day
- Read at least one book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
- Finish 1/3 of the Summer Reading Program
- Spend time at the pool playing with the kids
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Spend quality time with my kids & Jake
- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
- Finish reading More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Plan Summer Organizational Schedule
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
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
Travel & Vacation: Charleston Trip
Had to stop on one of the road trips because someone was getting car sick…..Daddy taking her for a walk to get some fresh air. Poor kiddo!
She hasn’t gotten car sick for quite awhile, but on one of our trips recently she started getting queasy. Stopping for a little bit of fresh air for a few minutes seemed to do the trick.
Found a cool tree house on Daniel’s Island, great place to play and have a picnic!
Karlie having fun
Hanging out at the turtle park
Pool time! Karlie holding her breath under the water!
Brina hanging out under water
Is it me or does the road seem to end in the sky? Actually this is one of our favorite bridges near Daniel’s Island.
Looking at the beautiful sunset from the bridge
Karlie enjoying her blue rock candy treat
Brina with a bright pink tongue
Brina having fun
Karlie splashing around
Brina swimming under water
Giving us game directions
Karlie lining up her knee board
Karlie spinning and having fun
Brina’s ready to spin
Brina having fun in the pool
Brina going for the diving stick
Karlie sitting at the edge of the pool chatting away
Having fun in the pool
Brina flying through the air
Playing with Daddy in the pool
Silly Karlie
Brina shark is after me
Karlie has a knack for losing teeth when we are traveling….once in an airport on a trip and this one at the hotel in Charleston (after eating an apple)
Brina zooming down the slide
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!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
The girls were wrapping up their last full week of school so we had a lot of extra activities now we just need to get through the next few days and it will be summer break! It was hard to get everything done last week with all the year end activities therefore I am hoping to catch up this week. We have a lot of really great activities planned for this summer. It will be fun to travel a little and catch up with some family and friends too.
Last week’s goals:
Family Goals
Connect with each family member at least once a day- Prep for Summer Break – I got their summer reading wall put up now need to finalize all the other little details
- Read at least one book to the girls every day – didn’t get a chance on Monday night it was packed full with KOH, 1 John Ministry – Homeless Dinner, Girls 1st Grade Program and Swimming Lessons
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day – we missed Monday night but otherwise did well
Attend the Girls First Grade ProgramSpend some extra time catching up with family and friendsSwimming Lessons for the Kids- Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion – schedules confirmed just need to get flights arranged
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – getting closer
- Update my goals – didn’t get to it this past week
- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst – I keep leaving the book in random places so getting behind
Finish The Hunger Games by Susan Collins (recommended by several friends)– while the book captivated my attention I have a lot of mixed feelings about the book…..
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house – had a couple days I let it go with all the activities going on this past week
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk – I ended the week with a stack of papers that need my attention
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchEmail the updated praises, prayer requests, and schedule to our Community GroupFeed & Serve Homeless – 1 John Ministry
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – so close but went over by $1.76
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – getting closer
- Put aside cash for upcoming trips – on hold momentarily
- Save money for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – working on it
My goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Connect with each family member at least once a day
- Final Prep for Summer Break
- Read at least one book to the girls every day
- Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
- Spend some extra time catching up with family and friends
- Confirm the Schedule / Flights for upcoming Family Reunion
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Update my goals
- Finish reading Am I Messing Up My Kids by Lysa TerKeurst
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up & cleaning the house
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
- Email the updated schedule to our Community Group
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
- Save money for upcoming trips
- Put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes
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
Travel & Vacation: Trip to the Pirate Park & Charleston Creamery
Stopping to refuel…..so thankful the girls both travel so well!
We have been on some long trips with our kids (over 40 hours of drive time) which makes us very thankful that they both love to travel. They get excited when we tell them they will get to “sleep” in the van. The girls love it when the road trip is more than 5 hours because that means Daddy will put in the DVD player for them to watch movies while we drive. They stay entertained when we we take the 2 or 4 hour trips as well with books, games, music, and more. It is always an adventure no matter where we go and the girls love exploring different areas as well as going back to our favorite parks or places we have visited in the past. The pictures in this post are from our winter trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Love seeing their smiles, watching them play, and thankful that they had a chance to relax for a few days.
Karlie relaxing on the bench and blowing some bubbles.
Brina checking out the pirate treasure chest full of sand at the “Pirate” Park on Daniel’s Island.
Karlie (she is wearing the black shirt in the middle of the ship) is checking out the big sunken pirate ship
Brina climbing the lighthouse at the pirate’s park
Look out…..here comes Karlie!
Look out BELOW!!! I can hear Brina giggling as she comes zipping down the slide.
Getting ice cream from their favorite ice cream store – Charleston Creamery! In this picture Karlie is choosing her 1st topping. After they select their ice cream flavors and toppings a robot puts it together for them. The girls LOVE it!
The robot is getting ready to make the ice cream.
Mesmerized by the robot making the ice cream!
Ta….Da……the ice cream treat is now ready to eat! Thanks Robot! 🙂 The robot only serves soft serve ice cream but you can get one of their many homemade flavors in a cup, cone, or shake!
Charleston Creamery has a place for the kids to sit and play with toys while you enjoy your treat too. It’s a great family owned ice cream store. It is one of the girls favorite places to visit while in the Charleston area. For more information about their store, location, upcoming events, specials, or their newest flavor of ice cream you can find them on Facebook!
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: Hanging Out on Daniel’s Island
One of our favorite places to visit….Daniel’s Island (near Charleston)!
Happy Brina Bee, she loves our trips to Daniel’s Island!
As I was going back over some of our pictures from the last several months I realized I didn’t share with you our winter trip to Daniel’s Island. The beautiful part about going to Daniel’s Island in the winter time is the weather is awesome. Majority of the time you don’t even need a jacket. The only thing the girls were disappointed about our winter visit is that the pool was closed (but that was only for a split moment)!
Karlie thrilled to be back in Daniel’s Island at the “turtle” park
Brina and Karlie hanging out in the white boat at the park
Oh boy……Karlie caught something and is bringing it over to show me, love the silly smile on her face as she brings the surprise!
Some serious discussions going on about how to take care of their big turtles
Brina and Karlie put together mini pizzas for our lunch together
Delicious Pizza! I snapped a picture before she wiped the pizza sauce off her face, but she’s all smiles after lunch!
Caught Brina doing twirls around the room after eating lunch….I think she’s ready for our next adventure!
Karlie loves spotting all the USA Flags. She insisted that I take a picture of the one flying over the tennis stadium.
Brina and Karlie standing in front of the “astronaut” in TGI Friday’s!
Brina played so hard today on Daniel’s Island she crashed instantly
Karlie is asleep with a smile on her face after a fun day
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!
