Going: Milwaukee

Notice how I don't have a "Planning" post for this trip to Milwaukee? Well, that's because there wasn't a lot of planning that went into this trip! It was a short trip, so there wasn't a lot of planning needed - when all was said and done, I was only gone from my house for less than 30 hours - it was a quick, fun trip!

A friend of mine has a cousin who plays in the NBA, so we had talked about going to see a game of his. It just so happened that we were both free on the Saturday after Christmas and he had a home game in Milwaukee, so we decided to set the day aside and see if a trip would work once we both figured out what our Christmas plans looked like.

We talked the Saturday before Christmas and confirmed that we should go. We got a hotel room online and planned to leave the next Saturday around 11. My roommate and her brother also came with. We drove straight to the hotel and checked in, and then met up with some others from their family who were in town for the game. We had dinner and then got tickets for the game. We ended up on the lower level in row H, so we had pretty good seats. It was so fun to be with them to see their cousin play in the NBA! After the game we met up with their cousin and talked to him for just a little bit before he needed to get back to his place with the family that he was hosting. The four of us went to grab a drink and then headed back to the hotel for the night. We slept in, had breakfast, and headed back home.

I really enjoy road trips and I don't mind riding in the car at all, so even though it was a really quick trip, I didn't mind the time in the car. We talked a lot on the way over and on the way back we listened to NFL games on the radio. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn right in downtown Milwaukee, which had a really good rate and a great breakfast. The only bummer of the trip was that I was hoping to see another friend of mine who works for the Bucks, but she was on Christmas vacation. Maybe next time!

Going: Christmas

I'm sure my Christmas plans were similar to many people - multiple stops over many days, full of food, family, and fun! We spent two nights at my parents' apartment in the cities, three nights at my childhood home, and one night at my sister's house in Wisconsin. It was full of activity AND full of relaxing. A very wonderful Christmas, indeed!

I used to think trips like this were difficult to pack for, but now I appreciate that I can re-wear some outfits, or mix-and-match just a few things so that I don't end up over-packing. It's also nice to be packing for a road trip instead of a plane trip so that I could bring along "extras" - like my laundry and my quilting - that I got done during down time.

The last few years we have done a stay-cation in the cities in December. My parents both have December birthdays, so a weekend downtown has been a great way to celebrate. In past years we've stayed at a hotel, but now that my parents have an apartment in the cities, we decided to stay there. We went to the Holidazzle parade, the Melting Pot, had brunch in bed and a lazy Saturday morning, went to a movie, saw Fiddler on the Roof at the Chanhassen, and went to my church on Sunday. After that we headed north for a Christmas Tea at the house of our good friends, and we celebrated Christmas with Mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was a nice relaxing day at my sister's with games, movies, and good food.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, as well!

Throwback Thursday: Latvia, February 2010

Cold, snowy days in Minnesota always remind me of a cold, snowy day I spent in Riga, Latvia. 

It was dreamy. 

Going: Chicago

I'm killing time in the airport on my way back from Chicago. I'm pretty tired, but I had a great trip!

This trip was primarily focused on work (I went to 16 conference sessions!), but I also had some evenings free for fun. Thankfully, my friend Helen had work meetings in Chicago as well, so we were able to spend time together on Saturday and Sunday. 

After my conference on Saturday, Helen and I met up and went to RPM Italian for an early dinner. There were no reservations available online, but we went early enough that we were able to grab a nice table in the bar area before the Saturday evening rush. I would HIGHLY recommend RPM - everything I've ever eaten there has been delicious, the service is great, and it is reasonably priced. 

After RPM we grabbed a bus out to the United Center for the Bulls game. It's too bad Derrick Rose is injured, but we sill had fun at the game. Then we went back to Michigan Ave and got Garret's Popcorn for a late night treat at the hotel. 

Sunday I went to my conference and then met up with Helen and we walked down to Millennium Park to see The Bean and the ice skating with live Christmas music. Chicago at Christmas time is DREAMY and COLD! I'm not really a "lightweight" when it comes to the cold, and neither is Helen (she grew up in Russia), but we were pretty frozen after our time in the park, so we decided to grab Chicago-style pizza at the closest place, which was Giordano's. 

We stuffed ourselves silly, but we still made room for wine and dessert at Disotto Enotecca, which is has become my favorite place to end my Chicago evenings. It is a cozy, downstairs wine bar with yummy desserts, great wine, and a great atmosphere. 

I didn't do much on Monday evening since I was exhausted from my time at the conference and the previous evenings' activities. I felt bad "wasting" a night in Chicago, but I also enjoy a lazy night watching TV in a hotel room - since I don't travel much for work anymore, I haven't done that in a long time! 

All in all, it was a terrific trip to Chicago. Still one of my favorite cities, despite the bitter cold!

Throwback Thursday: Hawaii, January 2009

It's not even the end of December and I'm already wishing it was warm and sunny! I needed a throwback to a favorite vacation in Maui! This picture is from the infinity pool at the Marriott resort in Wailea....DREAMY!

Throwback Thursday: Chicago, 2006

Chicago with some of my best good friends in 2006. The three of us haven't all lived in the same place since we graduated from college in 2004, but I love that we've always made it a point to find a place to meet up. I love them, and I love our travel memories! Posting this in anticipation of heading to Chicago in a few days!

Throwback Thursday: Duluth, Fall 2007

Caught a beautiful sunrise on a work trip to Duluth in 2007

Dreaming: Winter Retreats

The first significant snowfall in Mpls has me dreaming of the dreamiest winter retreats. I think my top choice from this list would be Tallinn, Estonia. I heard amazing things about it from my friends who lived in Lithuania. It seems like the quaintest winter place there is. A close second would be Whitefish, especially after my amazing summer visit to Montana this year. Ah! So many dreamy places to visit!

Throwback Thursday: Pennsylvania, Summer 2002

With my crazy cousins in Pennsylvania in 2002. I lived in PA that summer with four of these cousins, and the other three were visiting for the week. I hung out with them all last week at Grandpa's funeral, and I can't believe how GROWN UP they are!

Going: Day Trip to Green Bay

Dad has taken us (his three daughters) to the Vikings/Packers game in the Dome for the last 25 years. It is such a fun tradition. For the last 5 (maybe 6?) years, he's also taken us to the Vikings/Packers game at Lambeau. My parents moved to Green Bay 5 years ago, so we've made a weekend out of it and had a good time seeing some fun games.

This year, my folks have just moved back to the cities, so instead of having a place to stay in Green Bay, we had to make the trip in a day. I was leaning toward not wanting to spend my day in the car to see a pretty bad Vikings team get beat by the Pack, but Dad talked me into it. 

Luckily my sister lives just over the MN/WI border, so we stayed at her house the night before to save us time in the morning. We still got up EARLY and were able to see a very pretty sunrise while on the road.

Then we went to see some of Dad's friends at a tailgate party and we went to the game. You guys. IT. WAS. COLD. We went to the Vikings/Packers playoff game at Lambeau last January in cold weather, so I thought I was pretty prepared with my clothing. But....no. For some reason this time seemed so much colder. The windchill at kickoff was 2 degrees. The real problem was my feet. I did have some small hand warmers that I was able to stuff in my boots, but they only worked for about 30 minutes. I was pretty ready to get to the car and get warm......and then the game went into overtime. And then it ended in a tie! Total letdown. I will admit, a tie is better than losing to the Pack, and the game was much more interesting than I anticipated. So it was at least a little bit worth the cold. Here is my sister demonstrating just how bundled up we were at the game:

And here I am with my other sister in the stands:

I had to pack an annoying amount of stuff for the weekend - I went to my sister's straight from a work event, I had to bring all of my overnight stuff, I brought all of my schoolwork so I could get some stuff done in the car (which I followed through on, thank goodness!), and I brought all of my dress clothes for work in case I decided to crash at my sister's again on Sunday night if I was too tired to finish the drive home (which is what happened). All in all, it was quite a bit of planning for just a day away, but making football memories with my family is always fun. And not losing to the Packers is good, too.

Planning: Chicago

I'll be going to Chicago for work in December and I need to do it on the cheap. Everything I spend on the trip will come out of my budget for the year, and I don't have a lot of budget to go around. 

The conference hotel was $140/night, but I figured I could find something a little less expensive. I didn't want to walk too far since it will potentially be cold and windy, so I didn't take the absolute cheapest hotel I could find, but I found something within four blocks that was $106/night. I'll save almost $100 after my 3 day stay.

I also considered driving so that I would have flexibility to come and go from the conference when I wanted to. I do get reimbursed for milage, but again, that would come out of my budget. I ran the milage and figured it would be about $230 for milage, and then I would have to add on parking at a downtown hotel for three nights, which could probably run about $40-$50/night. I looked up flights into Midway and found something that worked pretty well with my schedule for $115. I did some online research and figured out I can get a cab from Midway to downtown for $25-$30 if I'm in a hurry, or I can ride the El for $2-$3 and walk the few blocks to my hotel. 

Turns out flying is WAY more affordable than driving! I've driven to Chicago so many times....I'll have to consider flying in the future (unless I'm going with a number of people who are splitting the gas to make it more affordable).

I really, really love Chicago and I'm excited to spend a few days in the city just before Christmas!

Throwback Thursday: Washington DC, Summer 1990(ish)

I know that I *just* posted a throwback to this Washington DC trip a few weeks ago, so I'm breaking my own "rule" of not posting photos from the same trips on my Throwback Thursdays. But my Grandpa passed away one week ago today. We spent the past week celebrating his life and the impact he's had on so many people. Grandpa loved to travel, and I had a chance to travel with him all over the United States. Unfortunately, the only picture I have in my computer of those travels is from Washington DC, so that's why you get a repeat. I'll have to get some more of those pictures in my computer so I can share more of the wonderful memories I made with my Grandpa. I'm thankful he passed on his love of travel to me, along with his love of sports and jokes, and most importantly, his love of the Lord. I miss you, Grandpa!

Dreaming: Surreal Travel Destinations

I love making lists of dream places to travel. I have some lists linked on the right hand side of this blog - 100 places to see, the Seven Wonders of the World, etc.....all things I have "on my list". 

But I think this list of surreal travel destinations is my new favorite! I haven't been to ANY of these places! I *have* been to a bamboo grove in Japan (and one in Hawaii actually), but not the one listed here. And while I was in Bolivia last year and would have loved to make it to the salt flats, it is literally an entire trip within itself, even if you are in the country, so there was no way I could make it. 

A pretty fun list to dream about, yeah?!

Throwback Thursday: North Dakota, February 2007

Rugby, North Dakota - Geographical Center of North America. A quick stop while driving through on a drive for work. On a TERRIBLY windy and snowy day. Of course.

Throwback Thursday: Honduras, November 2007

Medical Missions Trip with my sisters to Honduras. I assisted the dentist and this was our "clinic".

Going: Weekend in Dallas

I just got back from a weekend in Dallas with my family. It was SO much fun! I think one of the things I liked most about this trip was that I didn't plan a single thing - I just showed up! (Hence the lack of a "Planning" blog for Dallas!)

It's not that I don't like to plan trips - I really, really do. But the circumstances of this trip lent itself to being planned more by Mom than by anyone else. Which ended up being great for me since I haven't had much free time since I started school in October...plus I've been planning other trips to Chicago (blog coming), Mazatlan, and London. So this time around it was nice to just show up at the airport. I didn't even buy my ticket! I have very generous parents!

Every fall, my family goes to a Vikings game at a stadium we've never been to. Other than the "never-been-to-that-stadium" requirement, we also try to pick a game that isn't during the Holidays, and we try to pick a place that we think will also be fun to be tourists in on Saturday. The last few years it has worked out to have friends visit us who aren't far from the city we are visiting, and they've also joined us at the game. 

This year we chose Dallas. Mom worked on the plans with our friends who joined us from Oklahoma, and we had a blast. 

We flew in on Friday night and met up at the hotel (maybe I'll write more about the Residence Inn in another post - a GREAT option for traveling with family). Saturday was packed. We toured AT&T Stadium in the morning, which was awesome, and then grabbed a quick bite on the way to the tour at the former Texas Book Depository, where JFK was assassinated. Then we headed to the Fort Worth Stockyards where we took pictures on a steer, ate some steak, and watched an honest-to-goodness rodeo! It was quite an experience - and MUCH more anxiety-inducing than I anticipated. I thought that I might want to find myself a cowboy while I was in Dallas, but after the rodeo, I think I would settle for a cowboy who has no interest in bull riding! After the rodeo, we headed back to the hotel because we were EXHAUSTED after all of our activities - peppered with great conversations and lots of laughing during the car rides. Good thing we got an extra hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings.

Sunday was the Vikings game. We didn't expect to win, so the fact that the game was even close was fun. The stadium had the "windows" and ceiling open, so it was a really fun outdoor/indoor atmosphere. And we had the best stadium nachos we've ever had in our lives. We headed straight from the game to the airport, and I even said hi to some of the football wives who were also on our flight :)

All in all, a WONDERFUL football trip. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite family traditions. 

Here are some fun pictures from the weekend (please excuse the phone-quality photos):

Throwback Thursday: Washington DC, Summer 1990(ish)

White House Tour

Packing: Weekender Bag

I've been looking for a good Weekender Bag for a long time. With all of the weekend trips I take, I can't believe I didn't have one before now. I finally decided I am old enough and I travel enough that it's time to "invest" in a nicer bag - better than backpacks and sports bags!

The problem I had with finding a Weekender Bag I liked was how picky I am about what I was looking for. It needed to be big enough to fit everything I wanted to pack for a long weekend, but small enough to carry onto a plane if I wanted to. I kinda wanted it to have separate "compartments" for dirty clothes or toiletries, and I wanted it to feel very "organized" when I packed things - not to feel like I just threw a bunch of stuff into a catch-all bag. I also wanted it to look nice (preferably leather) and not be too clunky or heavy (again, if I wanted to carry onto a plane). 

I seriously looked for this bag FOREVER. Maybe over a year. Most Weekender Bags I found were just very simple duffel bags. It didn't feel like there were enough pockets to feel organized or have good access to what I had packed. I basically gave up on finding something with enough pockets, and decided I would focus on what seemed to be the best "more pockets" option: a zip pocket on the bottom of the bag. 

I ordered two bags online to be sent to me (after searching online for hours and going to every department store in the cities). They were both under $100 (which was my threshold....even though there were some AMAZING bags for around $400.....). Here they are:

I ended up going with the gray bag because it was a little bigger. It doesn't have a long shoulder strap, but I think I can make one for it. I liked the look of the brown bag better, but I think that the bigger bag and the fact that the gray bag is more washable will be good in the long run.

I used my new bag when I went to KC and I was really pleased with how much stuff it fit. I packed my toiletries in the bottom zipper part and fit everything else, including my boots, in the main compartment.

Throwback Thursday: New York, August 2004

Ground Zero in 2004

Going: Weekend in Kansas City

I went to Kansas City this weekend with two friends to visit my best friend and her family. We had such a relaxing weekend - lots of talking, laughing, eating, playing with the kiddos, beautiful weather, and watching football. Perfection.

Since they moved to Kansas City a little over two years ago, I've made the trip down six times (that I can remember...maybe more?). The trip is so easy to make - just hop on 35 and get there 6-7 hours later. Since I know this is a trip I will continue to be making a lot, one of the things I did early on was make a list on my phone of exits along the way that have the essentials: gas, food (Pizza Ranch, specifically), places to stretch my legs, etc. I learned on one of my first trips to KC that Iowa does not always have another exit just down the road where you can get gas! Especially after you pass Des Moines, it can feel a little bit like No-Man's Land. So my list has come in handy to know if there is another exit coming up with a place to stop, or if I should just get gas while it's there.

Over the years, we've done a lot of exploring in KC and we've definitely seen the sights and eaten lots of the great local food (BBQ!). This trip was more focused around chilling at the house, watching kids soccer (too funny), relaxing with football on TV, and catching up with long lost friends. I loved every second of it!

Leaving is always the worst - especially with a sweet little three-year-old in tears about it. We also didn't love that it was 72 degrees when we left KC and it was in the 30s when we got home! Gross! One nice thing about being back is that I barely have to unpack - I'll be staying with friends across town this coming weekend, going to Dallas the weekend after that, heading to Quilt Retreat the following weekend, and then there will be a trips to Green Bay and home for Thanksgiving......I might never unpack after all! Happy Trails! 

Throwback Thursday: Cleveland, September 2009

Favre's first game as a Viking. AP = 3 TDs and 180 yards.

Fun game, beautiful day, nice stadium.

Going: Day Trip to Brainerd

Took a VERY quick trip to Brainerd today to close up the cabin. It's always my least favorite day of the year - taking the boat out of the water is just depressing! Thinking about the long winter to come is even more depressing!

We were barely at the cabin for three hours today - not even long enough to consider it a "trip". But we did stop at a family restaurant on the way home. I find that I so often just want to get to the cabin that I never make any stops at the places that look interesting on the way there. On my way home, I'm just in too much of a hurry to make any stops. So it was nice to take some time to try a place that was new to us, and the food was pretty good, too. It reminded me of the family restaurant in my hometown, so that felt very nostalgic.

Oh! And the colors in the trees on the drive were amazing! The colors were just a little past peak at the cabin, but the drive up was really pretty. Go for a drive this week if you can while the colors sneak toward the cities!

It's On My List: Intro

A quick search for travel blogs on the internet brings up all kinds of people who are traveling the world for a year, living in a foreign country, documenting their month-long travels to here-and-there.....oh how I wish I were those people! What I wouldn't give to pack a bag and return after a year of sightseeing and lesson-learning. I would like nothing more than to be employed as  a full-time traveler....

BUT then I'm reminded of my mortgage. And my inability to sell my home (hello, upside-down mortgage....anyone else?!). And also the realistic part of my heart that has deep roots exactly where I am and how I really would mourn actually leaving this place for such a long time. 

So I do the next best thing. I dream of the next trip. I take people up on their offers to travel. I weasel my way into trips with my friends and family. I visit far-away friends. And I pinch pennies in the meantime to make it all possible.

This blog is a new adventure for me in documenting my travels. I have just enough experience traveling to have some advice, but also little enough experience to know I have so much more to learn.

And the title "It's On My List" seemed appropriate. I'm obsessed with making lists in my everyday life, but even more so when it comes to travel. I have a list of places I've been, a list of places I'd like to go, a list of upcoming trips, a list of what to pack, a list of what to do when I've arrived....the lists go on and on and on....

So I hope you'll join me as I explore my lists and discover adventures along the way!

Planning: Mazatlan

I've never been to Mexico for a vacation; kinda hard for me to believe! I have been on two missions trips to Mexico (which were great experiences), but I feel like everyone I know has been to Mexico on vacation - and now it's my turn!

For about the last year, my friends and I had talked about doing a girls getaway next spring. Next May just happens to be 10 years since we graduated from college (ummm, wha?!), so that seemed like as good a reason as any to ditch the snow and celebrate.

We started talking more seriously about it for the last few months, but you know how a lot of times you just talk and talk and then you never end up doing those fun plans with your friends?? Well. We decided to NOT let that happen and now we finally have some solid plans in place! 

Because my parents are being very generous and allowing us to use their timeshare to save some major cash, I was kinda in charge of finding the place. And it was INTIMIDATING! Maybe it's because I've never been a vacationer in Mexico so I didn't really have any experience to draw off of, or maybe it's because I didn't want to disappoint anyone with the place that I chose, but MAN, it took quite a bit of time to find a place that seemed like it would work. 

Some of the "work" was done for me - there would probably be 8 of us and we wanted some kind of kitchenette, so that ruled out quite a few places right away. I think ideally we would have liked to be in Cabo or in Puerto Vallarta, but there were no openings for the times we wanted to go. So Mazatlan it is! 

There were a few options of places in Mazatlan, so I spent hours reading reviews, checking out the pictures, finding the resorts on a map, making sure we'd be on the beach, etc, etc, etc. I'm crossing my fingers that the place we booked will be great!

I finally decided to forget about the pressure of finding the perfect place. The point of the trip is to be together and to be in the sun, so I know whatever the accommodations end up being like, we'll make the most of it. 7 of us already have our tickets booked, so I'm really happy this is actually happening!

What are your "research" strategies when you travel to a new place? Do you always travel to places that are recommended to you? Have you been to Mazatlan? What should we plan to do....other than read books on the beach? 

Now we just wait until January! I'm excited!! Viva la Mexico!

Throwback Thursday: Rome, January 2004

School trip to Italy and Greece.