A Little Getaway

Also known as a babymoon. Never heard of it? Its apparently a "newer" trend. It is one last honeymoon of sorts that a couple takes before they become a family of three. Usually women like to go in the second trimester when they are feeling better but not too big. I was really looking forward to taking a babymoon because I knew we were going to be busy in the fall with work and all the house projects. So when Tim's Aunt and Uncle offered us their downstairs apartment in Ocean City, NJ anytime after labor day- I jumped on it.

Breathe in the salt water air with me. Ahhhh

We decided to just do a long weekend. Just enough time to get away and relax but not too long to fall behind on work and house projects. Unfortunately I didn't take a ton of pictures since we were just trying to get away from it all but we did snap a few to remember the occasion.

Although we had a rainy first day, we still managed to get in some time to walk the boardwalk and go to Brown's donuts. If you are in Ocean City, NJ, you need to get a donut there. I couldn't even take pictures because our hands were covered in delicious, fresh goodness. I justified eating 3 donuts by walking a mile there to get them. That burns it all off, right? :)

The next day the sun came out and we hit the beach to do what I was looking forward to for the whole trip- relaxing on the beach and soaking some sun in (with suntan lotion of course).

 It was amazing. We had a great location not to far from the boardwalk for bathroom and food breaks and we had a great umbrella we borrowed from my parents for my handsome fair skinned husband.

After a perfect day at the beach we decided to try a great seafood place. Although my seafood consumption was limited to certain dishes I still wanted some delicious seafood. We were at the beach after all. We headed to Smitty's Clam Bar. It's a tucked away location off the 9th Street Bridge. Its a BYOB and the wait is long but worth it. We had a 30-45 minute wait but it flew by hanging out by the pier with other patrons as they drank and met up with friends and family.

The food was delicious. We got big cups of clam chowder and while Tim had a seafood medley, I got delicious crab cakes. Totally worth it. Again, I failed at taking pictures.

Saturday was our last day. We had a childbirth class on Sunday that we needed to get back to but when we woke up it was raining. I was so sad because most of the trip was rainy but we decided to make the best of it. We rode bikes in the morning along the boardwalk and then decided that we might as well pack up and head back early. As we were packing, we looked up and the sun broke through the clouds. Needless to say, I was excited and ready to squeeze one last beach day. This is my "take the picture so we can get dressed for the beach" face.

We spent a few hours on the beach and the boardwalk. While we were there we enjoyed a car show on the boardwalk and I got one last ice cream trip in.

Overall, it was a great and affordable little getaway for both of us. Of course we couldn't really stop talking about Little M and reading our baby books but it was nice to just get away from everything else we had going on and enjoy the end of summer.

So has anyone else taken a babymoon? Where did you go?

Annual Camping Trip

I'm so excited! Our annual camping trip to Canada has arrived. That's right. Every year we pack our cars, take our pups and head to Canada to ring in the 4th of July. This trip is something that Tim's father plans every year. He loves it and 6 years ago Tim and I started tagging along. It's in Plevna, Ontario at a remote camping ground called Tooley's Lodge.

The trip consists of canoeing, camping, making smore's, hiking and lots of fishing. Although you could term this "roughing it" it by no means feel like it is.

In fact, waking up every morning and paddling out to a nearby rock is practically "resort like:

I really enjoy fishing at one lake in particular: Graham Lake. Mostly because I get extremely lucky there every time!

We eat fresh fish multiple nights while we are there. Nothing beats fresh bass cooked over an open fire. My mouth is drooling just thinking about it! Of course the humans aren't the only ones who look forward to this trip. Our puppies (never less than 4) always have a blast running without leashes, getting wet every day and exploring the woods.

James loves this trip. He loves getting wet and dirty and just being able to roam free. Its one of the few vacations he goes on with us so he soaks it in for all its worth.

I'm excited to hit the road tonight and enjoy the trip. This year we are bringing an even larger crowd but that just means it is sure to be a good time. I will be sure to tell you all about it as well as some helpful tips for fishing, packing and large road trips with a large restless puppy! Until then, Happy 4th of July!

Flashback Friday: Kauai, HI (the falls hikes)

As the month of March comes to an end, I wanted to end Flashback Fridays with one of the best memories of our marriage. Our honeymoon in Kauai, Hawaii. It was a once in a lifetime trip that we really took the time to plan, save and enjoy. We will call this post a glimpse since there is so many places I want to show you guys in case you ever visit this wonderful place.

So why that island? We choose Kauai for two main reasons.

1. There were not as many families (kids in general) or spring breakers that traveled to that island. Don't get me wrong, I love kids. And we could party with the best of them but we really wanted a quiet, relaxing trip where were weren't surrounded by kid attractions and keg kills. This island was recommended more for honeymoons and adults.

2. We wanted some adventure off the beaten path. Again, I realize that every island in Hawaii offers adventure activities and volcanoes etc. but we picked Kauai because it was known as the garden island. In fact most of the island is an official nature preserve so people are limited to where they can live. We couldn't even visit part of the island without going by helicopter (which we did) or boat. That meant more adventures for us like riding a helicopter, zip lining and horseback riding.

Now when I say off the beaten path, I meant off the beaten path. We hiked some great and challenging paths. The most notable one was the Hanakapi'ai Beach Hike.  The first time we tackled this hike, we just did the first two miles to the beach.

Eventually we tackled the other 2 miles of the hike to see the Hanakapi'ai Falls Hike. It wasn't always easy or safe but it was worth it.

I recommend a few things for anyone who wants to tackle this hike. First, make sure you allot enough time aka sunlight. Tim and I were in good shape when we did this hike but since it was uphill, rocky and other people were going up it, it look us about 45 minutes just to go 1/2 mile.

I also recommend sturdy hiking shoes. There are a lot of rocks, mud and steep hills so proper shoes really helped us. Don't get too attached to the clothes you are wearing either. See that red, muddy clay in the pic above? Well lets just say that it got everywhere.

Also, bring water and snacks if you are going for the long haul. We brought PB&J sandwiches and ate them at the falls. It really was a highlight on the trip.

So that is where I will leave my story for now. I have sooo many pictures and things to share but I will be here all night if I try to fit it in this post. Has anyone tackled a big hike or trail on a vacation? We were really proud and didn't feel a single twinge of guilt when we chowed down that night. :)