White House Tour
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
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.
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.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
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!
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!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Throwback Thursday: Cleveland, September 2009
Favre's first game as a Viking. AP = 3 TDs and 180 yards.
Fun game, beautiful day, nice stadium.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
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!
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!
Friday, October 11, 2013
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!
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!
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!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
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