Summer Trips

Last summer was pretty busy for us! We went on three trips, which is a little out of the norm for us. We both like to be home, and while we do enjoy traveling to and exploring new places, we are also content to stay home and watch a good movie or play a board game.

In May, Keegan's grandma celebrated her 80th birthday with a party hosted by his Uncle and Aunt. We try to be sure to get in a visit with his family each year because they don't live in our immediate area, with most living out of state. From the start of our relationship, his entire family has welcomed me with open arms, and I've always felt like they truly are my family as well. I grew up surrounded by my extended family so maintaining these connections are very important to me.

While it was a short weekend trip, we were able to squeeze in a lot of fun gatherings. We were able to enjoy a Mother's Day brunch with Keegan's grandma, and squeeze in a lunch with our friends from college!

Our busiest month by far was July! We had planned a stay at a lake house with my parents the prior year, and then last minute decided to visit my sister and her kids in the same month.

We brought my parents' boat with us to the lake house and were able to cruise around and explore! Our favorite boating activity is to float in the center of the lake and have a charcuterie board style snack in our "snackle box."

My dad was able to spend a lot of time fishing - one of his preferred pastimes that he looks forward to sharing with a grandchild. Usually, my dad has terrible luck on vacation when it comes to catching fish, but he was able to catch a bunch during this trip, effectively ending his bad luck streak. Keegan was not as lucky, but he was content hanging out by the water and enjoying the company. 

My mom and I spent time reading during our trip. Floating in the boat off the dock was a great way to spend the afternoon while Keegan and dad fished. 

We spent the rest of our time taking trips into town to eat delicious food, definitely didn't miss out on an opportunity to get ice cream, and explored an old chapel that sits up above the lake. During our time by the lake we often talked about what this kind of trip would look like once we have a child. My parents cannot wait to welcome a new grandchild to be able to share these experiences with. My dad is already planning on teaching them to drive the boat and how to fish. My mom talks about crafts they can do together and other fun activities to try. 

Less than a week later, we traveled to my sister's house to spend time with her and her kids. My oldest niece was pregnant at the time so we were able to spoil her a bit and spend time feeling baby kicks!

We visited a botanical garden and an aquarium while we were. The gardens were absolutely beautiful and had many diffrent areas with different species of flowers and trees. They also had a model train setup in one garden that my dad was particularly excited about. My parents had brought my nieces and nephew to this garden when they first moved to the areas so it was fun to bring them back as adults many years later.

The aquarium was my favorite activity! We were able to pet stingrays and see so many adorable sea creatures. Of course, I couldn't leave without getting a souvenir from the gift shop. Every place we visit, we try to find an ornament for our Christmas tree. It's a tradition we started many years ago and now we have many memories hanging on our tree. I always write the date on the bottom of it so that when we hang them up, we know exactly what trip it was from.

Throughout all of our fun outings, we always talked about how much more fun it would be to bring our baby on these adventures. My niece had her baby in November, so now our baby will have a built in cousin-friend during these trips! I can't wait to watch them grow together.

For the last eight years, there has always been a theme of "I can't wait to bring our kid on trips like these!" Keegan and I often talk about the experiences we want to give our child so that they can see all of the amazing things our world has to offer. Most of our friends are having, or have had, kids and so our child will have built-in friends in our "village" of people who care for us. The amount of love that our people have to share with our child is immeasurable and I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship grow with our baby someday.