A Look Back at ALL Our Vacations The Past 30 Years
I loved this old post and the look back at all our family vacations and this one from June of 2020 that looked back at all of our vacations through the years. We've been travelling a lot more and I thought it might be time to update it again.
It's fun to look back through the photos too. I realize that I was not very good at taking pictures those first few years and we are still quite bad at making sure we are both in any picture together but I am getting better with that!
Once I finished writing this post I was humbled by just how lucky and fortunate we have been. I honestly had no idea that we had taken as many wonderful vacation as we had! We truly are blessed to have so many wonderful relaxing times together.
Now onto the trips! (If you have been a reader that long and remember this post just skip to 2020 where I last left off with our 2019 Wyoming/South Dakota trip)
Old Orchard Beach, Maine-- 1994 & 1995
One my very earliest memories is heading to Old Orchard Beach with my husband and his WHOLE ENTIRE family (mother, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). I was still in high school and while I am sure my mom was nervous about me going I have such fond memories of the beach and the beach house. We spent our nights playing at the arcade, playing mini golf, and checking out the amusement park. Days were spent lying in the sand, searching at low tide for sand dollars, and walking out along the pier.
Old Orchard Beach and Kittery/ York, Maine-- 1996
Once we were off in college, we tacked a few extra days onto the end of his family's Old Orchard Beach trip and enjoyed a few nights by ourselves in York, Maine. We enjoyed browsing the shops in Kittery and the beaches in York as well as visiting the York Park Zoo and eating the largest ice cream cone ever right near the light house.
Niagara Falls, New York-- 1998
Hubby had a job to do near Niagara Falls so I re-worked my schedule at the last minute to go with him on a road trip. We only stayed over night but we had a great time eating at the Hard Rock Cafe and walking over to the Canadian side of the falls at night to see them all lit up. We took an elevator down behind the falls on the american side and I had never been that close to the mist and the roaring water.
Las Vegas-- 1999
He was being sent to Las Vegas for a convention through his work and I was invited to tag along. We stayed at the Monte Carlo. The trip landed exactly during my spring break from college so I was thrilled to go. Part of my husbands family was also attending the convention so all the men went to the convention during the day while us women went sight seeing and then we all went out to dinner and to a few really great shows in the evening together. It was a perfect trip!
Old Orchard Beach-- 1999
We planned a fun couples vacation with friends of ours in Old Orchard Beach. It was great showing off our old stomping ground with new friends and even better-- this couple is still great friends of ours to this day!
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire-- 1999
We stayed in Hampton beach and enjoyed the beach and the town tremendously. We also took a side trip up to the Polar Caves.
Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania- 2000
We went to an all inclusive couples resort called Paradise Stream in the Pocono Mountains and that is actually where we got engaged! We had a fabulous weekend biking, hiking, and swimming.
Honeymoon Cruise-- St Maarten, Nassau Bahamas, St. Thomas-- 2001
We cruised the seas on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. We enjoyed snorkeling, a kayak tour of a Mangrove lagoon, and eating so many new foods. We had wonderful weather and calm seas.
Ocean City, Maryland-- 2001
Later in the summer we headed to Ocean City Maryland with a couple that my husband and I have known since grade school. We spent a lot of time at the go- kart track and it is one of the only times in my life that I can ever remember winning a miniature golf game. The only downside to this vacation was the phone call that my husband's grandmother had passed away.
Lake Winepesaukee, Hew Hampshire-- 2002
We stayed in a charming lakeside cabin on Lake Winepesaukee for our first anniversary. We went hiking, toured Castle in the Clouds and went on a lovely dinner cruise around the lake.
York, Maine-- 2004
Ian's first vacation with us and he was not even a year old yet. We spent a long weekend in York, Maine taking in the zoo, walking along the town, and giving him his first taste of ice cream.
Conway, New Hampshire-- 2005
Ian was not even 2 years old yet and I was pregnant with Alec when we decided we might as well try another family vacation. We went to Storyland and stayed at a hotel right on main street in Conway. We also visited Santa's Village. Unfortunately, Ian got sick in the middle of the night and I'll always remember this as the first time he ever had a febrile seizure. Luckily the staff at the Conway emergency room were fantastic and they had a pharmacy right on sight that filled a prescription for us right away.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts-- 2005
My mother in law and her friend rented a summer cottage in Cape Cod for the week and invited us up for a mini vacation. Ian enjoyed his time at the beach and even cooperated so nicely for a seafood dinner out. It was a really nice and fairly rural area so we were able to put him in his stroller and go for long walks. I will never forget sitting in that house watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina and all the damage it left behind.
Camden, New Jersey-- 2006
We took both of the boys to Camden New Jersey when Alec was still just a baby. We went to the Camden Aquarium, the Philadelphia zoo, checked out a children's museum, and had our first visit to Sesame Place.
Walt Disney world-- 2007
Our first trip to Disney when I was still pregnant with Evan. We tried just a short 4 day trip and while we had fun it was a lot of work; especially when I was feeling a bit under the weather in the mornings. I swore never to take really young children to Disney ever again.
Quebec, Canada-- 2008
Our town had planned a bus trip to Quebec and my husband and I decided to go as a late anniversary gift to ourselves; leaving the boys at home. We had 4 days to explore the city; both new and old and had a wonderful time learning all about the area. You might think travelling with a bus full of people that we might have had a photo taken together... but nope!
Sesame Place, Pennsylvania-- 2008
We headed back to Sesame place in 2008, remembering what a great park it was, even with young kids. My mother in law came with us for the first time and it started a new family tradition of taking "grammy" on all our family vacations.
Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida-- 2009
We left Evan home with my mother- in- law since he was still a baby and my husband refused to go if we had to take him along. Reminding me of my vow not to take young children to Disney again, I ignored that and booked the trip anyway. The boys enjoyed meeting ALL the characters, riding the rides, and swimming in the hotel pool at the Wilderness Lodge.
2009-- My husband was working in Orlando for a few weeks while I was home alone with the kids and we decided that I would fly down myself and meet him in Orlando when his job finished up. We spent 4 glorious days in Disney World alone. It was the best second honeymoon ever! We finally got to see all of the wonderful shows (that the kids would never have sat through), try some of the most amazing restaurants (that were not kid friendly), and go on all the "big kid" rides! For some reason it felt like more a honeymoon than any other trip we had ever taken without the kids. Maybe because I was finally finished with pregnancy, nursing, and babies.
Sesame Place 2010-- With all three boys at a good age to enjoy the park, the characters, the parade and the food we headed back to Sesame place in 2010. My mother in law opted not to join us and wanted us to enjoy our vacation alone.
Hershey Park, Hershey Penn.-- 2010
On our way to Sesame place we stopped and spent a few days at Hershey Park. Evan was getting better with meeting characters and all the boys loved the chocolate tour. We did have problems riding ride with three young kids and only two adults. We ended up taking turns whenever we could.
Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida -- 2010
We met up with our friends at Disney one year; they had girls the same age as our older two boys and we spent a wonderful night at dinner and through the Magic Kingdom with them. Evan was not a fan of meeting characters at all; until we met Snow White and Chip. My mother in law came with us and spent a few afternoons with them at the hotel while they napped and my husband and I went to lunch, lounged around in a hammock, and spent some time riding adult rides the boys couldn't do; it was like a mini honeymoon inside of our family vacation!
Wilmington, North Carolina-- 2011
My parents and sister were living in North Carolina for a few years and we decided to take a long road trip to see them. We had a great time checking out the Cape Fear Serpentarium, the aquarium, the children's museum, and, of course, the beach. We had a fabulous time even though my husband had been diagnosed with Lyme disease and we had to stay out of the sunshine. We spent our days indoors and our evenings on the beach.
Las Vegas, Nevada-- 2011
We wanted to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in a big way so we headed to Vegas and spent many a days sitting poolside at the Mandalay bay pool. We toured the Hoover Dam, checked out the sights on Freemont street and enjoyed a fabulous show each and every night.
Jefferson, New Hampshire- 2011
We went to StoryLand, Santa's Village and 6 Gun City and stopped at the Polar Caves and water country on our way home. We had such a great time this vacation that we decided to add one more day onto the end of our vacation while we were already driving home!
Once I finished writing this post I was humbled by just how lucky and fortunate we have been. I honestly had no idea that we had taken as many wonderful vacation as we had! We truly are blessed to have so many wonderful relaxing times together.
Now onto the trips! (If you have been a reader that long and remember this post just skip to 2020 where I last left off with our 2019 Wyoming/South Dakota trip)
Old Orchard Beach, Maine-- 1994 & 1995
One my very earliest memories is heading to Old Orchard Beach with my husband and his WHOLE ENTIRE family (mother, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.). I was still in high school and while I am sure my mom was nervous about me going I have such fond memories of the beach and the beach house. We spent our nights playing at the arcade, playing mini golf, and checking out the amusement park. Days were spent lying in the sand, searching at low tide for sand dollars, and walking out along the pier.
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| Our first trip in 1994 |
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| Boardwalk in 1995 |
Old Orchard Beach and Kittery/ York, Maine-- 1996
Once we were off in college, we tacked a few extra days onto the end of his family's Old Orchard Beach trip and enjoyed a few nights by ourselves in York, Maine. We enjoyed browsing the shops in Kittery and the beaches in York as well as visiting the York Park Zoo and eating the largest ice cream cone ever right near the light house.
Niagara Falls, New York-- 1998
Hubby had a job to do near Niagara Falls so I re-worked my schedule at the last minute to go with him on a road trip. We only stayed over night but we had a great time eating at the Hard Rock Cafe and walking over to the Canadian side of the falls at night to see them all lit up. We took an elevator down behind the falls on the american side and I had never been that close to the mist and the roaring water.
Las Vegas-- 1999
He was being sent to Las Vegas for a convention through his work and I was invited to tag along. We stayed at the Monte Carlo. The trip landed exactly during my spring break from college so I was thrilled to go. Part of my husbands family was also attending the convention so all the men went to the convention during the day while us women went sight seeing and then we all went out to dinner and to a few really great shows in the evening together. It was a perfect trip!
Old Orchard Beach-- 1999
We planned a fun couples vacation with friends of ours in Old Orchard Beach. It was great showing off our old stomping ground with new friends and even better-- this couple is still great friends of ours to this day!
Hampton Beach, New Hampshire-- 1999
We stayed in Hampton beach and enjoyed the beach and the town tremendously. We also took a side trip up to the Polar Caves.
Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania- 2000
We went to an all inclusive couples resort called Paradise Stream in the Pocono Mountains and that is actually where we got engaged! We had a fabulous weekend biking, hiking, and swimming.
Honeymoon Cruise-- St Maarten, Nassau Bahamas, St. Thomas-- 2001
We cruised the seas on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas. We enjoyed snorkeling, a kayak tour of a Mangrove lagoon, and eating so many new foods. We had wonderful weather and calm seas.
Ocean City, Maryland-- 2001
Later in the summer we headed to Ocean City Maryland with a couple that my husband and I have known since grade school. We spent a lot of time at the go- kart track and it is one of the only times in my life that I can ever remember winning a miniature golf game. The only downside to this vacation was the phone call that my husband's grandmother had passed away.
Lake Winepesaukee, Hew Hampshire-- 2002
We stayed in a charming lakeside cabin on Lake Winepesaukee for our first anniversary. We went hiking, toured Castle in the Clouds and went on a lovely dinner cruise around the lake.
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| The view from our room |
York, Maine-- 2004
Ian's first vacation with us and he was not even a year old yet. We spent a long weekend in York, Maine taking in the zoo, walking along the town, and giving him his first taste of ice cream.
Conway, New Hampshire-- 2005
Ian was not even 2 years old yet and I was pregnant with Alec when we decided we might as well try another family vacation. We went to Storyland and stayed at a hotel right on main street in Conway. We also visited Santa's Village. Unfortunately, Ian got sick in the middle of the night and I'll always remember this as the first time he ever had a febrile seizure. Luckily the staff at the Conway emergency room were fantastic and they had a pharmacy right on sight that filled a prescription for us right away.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts-- 2005
My mother in law and her friend rented a summer cottage in Cape Cod for the week and invited us up for a mini vacation. Ian enjoyed his time at the beach and even cooperated so nicely for a seafood dinner out. It was a really nice and fairly rural area so we were able to put him in his stroller and go for long walks. I will never forget sitting in that house watching the coverage of Hurricane Katrina and all the damage it left behind.
Camden, New Jersey-- 2006
We took both of the boys to Camden New Jersey when Alec was still just a baby. We went to the Camden Aquarium, the Philadelphia zoo, checked out a children's museum, and had our first visit to Sesame Place.
Walt Disney world-- 2007
Our first trip to Disney when I was still pregnant with Evan. We tried just a short 4 day trip and while we had fun it was a lot of work; especially when I was feeling a bit under the weather in the mornings. I swore never to take really young children to Disney ever again.
Quebec, Canada-- 2008
Our town had planned a bus trip to Quebec and my husband and I decided to go as a late anniversary gift to ourselves; leaving the boys at home. We had 4 days to explore the city; both new and old and had a wonderful time learning all about the area. You might think travelling with a bus full of people that we might have had a photo taken together... but nope!
Sesame Place, Pennsylvania-- 2008
We headed back to Sesame place in 2008, remembering what a great park it was, even with young kids. My mother in law came with us for the first time and it started a new family tradition of taking "grammy" on all our family vacations.
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| Evan, Ian and myself meeting the Count (Alec was terrified of the characters 2008) |
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| Alec's look of panic at the character breakfast |
Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida-- 2009
We left Evan home with my mother- in- law since he was still a baby and my husband refused to go if we had to take him along. Reminding me of my vow not to take young children to Disney again, I ignored that and booked the trip anyway. The boys enjoyed meeting ALL the characters, riding the rides, and swimming in the hotel pool at the Wilderness Lodge.
2009-- My husband was working in Orlando for a few weeks while I was home alone with the kids and we decided that I would fly down myself and meet him in Orlando when his job finished up. We spent 4 glorious days in Disney World alone. It was the best second honeymoon ever! We finally got to see all of the wonderful shows (that the kids would never have sat through), try some of the most amazing restaurants (that were not kid friendly), and go on all the "big kid" rides! For some reason it felt like more a honeymoon than any other trip we had ever taken without the kids. Maybe because I was finally finished with pregnancy, nursing, and babies.
Sesame Place 2010-- With all three boys at a good age to enjoy the park, the characters, the parade and the food we headed back to Sesame place in 2010. My mother in law opted not to join us and wanted us to enjoy our vacation alone.
On our way to Sesame place we stopped and spent a few days at Hershey Park. Evan was getting better with meeting characters and all the boys loved the chocolate tour. We did have problems riding ride with three young kids and only two adults. We ended up taking turns whenever we could.
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| Sorry it's a bit blurry; kids do not like to stand still for photos! |
Walt Disney World, Orlando Florida -- 2010
We met up with our friends at Disney one year; they had girls the same age as our older two boys and we spent a wonderful night at dinner and through the Magic Kingdom with them. Evan was not a fan of meeting characters at all; until we met Snow White and Chip. My mother in law came with us and spent a few afternoons with them at the hotel while they napped and my husband and I went to lunch, lounged around in a hammock, and spent some time riding adult rides the boys couldn't do; it was like a mini honeymoon inside of our family vacation!
Wilmington, North Carolina-- 2011
My parents and sister were living in North Carolina for a few years and we decided to take a long road trip to see them. We had a great time checking out the Cape Fear Serpentarium, the aquarium, the children's museum, and, of course, the beach. We had a fabulous time even though my husband had been diagnosed with Lyme disease and we had to stay out of the sunshine. We spent our days indoors and our evenings on the beach.
Las Vegas, Nevada-- 2011
We wanted to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in a big way so we headed to Vegas and spent many a days sitting poolside at the Mandalay bay pool. We toured the Hoover Dam, checked out the sights on Freemont street and enjoyed a fabulous show each and every night.
Jefferson, New Hampshire- 2011
We went to StoryLand, Santa's Village and 6 Gun City and stopped at the Polar Caves and water country on our way home. We had such a great time this vacation that we decided to add one more day onto the end of our vacation while we were already driving home!
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| Storyland; Alec didn't like water rides so I sat off with him while my mother in law and my husband rode with the other two boys |
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| 6 Gun city was a huge hit with the boys. They loved chasing the robbers around and putting them in jail. |
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| All the boys hiked the whole park and panned for gold and gems! |
Walt Disney World-- 2012
We had another fabulous family vacation in Walt Disney World. It was the last time we visited Disney in the spring.
Orlando, Florida-- 2012
We started a new tradition the year we began homeschooling boys and started vacationing in the fall. In September we decided to try a Florida vacation and not just a Disney vacation. We stayed in the Nickelodeon hotel and went to Sea World, Medieval Times dinner show, Legoland, and tubing down a natural springs. We got to eat dinner with the Ninja Turtles and my parents drove down from North Carolina to spend a bit of time with us as well. It was wonderful having so many grandparents on vacation with us!
Walt Disney World-- 2013
The next year found us back at Walt Disney World. It was a whole new experience visiting in September than visiting in February or March. The boys were finally big enough to ride everything and no one needed any naps at all anymore. We actually saw street performers at EPCOT, watched the boys participate in a Jedi Academy show, and tried out one of the water parks for the very first time.
Nashville, Tennessee-- 2014
My husband had to go to Tennessee for a last minute job. Airfare was expensive and he asked if we were serious that we'd drive with him. We packed up some bags and canceled some plans to head off last minute for a 4 day trip to Nashville. His company paid for our gas and hotel (since they'd be paying that for him anyway!) and we had a very fun, if short, family vacation. We toured the Opryland hotel, checked out the adventure science center, went to see the Athena Parthenon, and enjoyed an afternoon at the water park. On the way home we discovered an armory museum on the side of the road so we decided to stop and check that out too!
Orlando, Florida-- 2014
Taking a break from Disney but still enjoying the warm Florida weather we took a trip to Universal Orlando, Legoland, kayaking down a natural springs, and over to the shore to see the Camden Aquarium (home of Winter from Dolphin Tale). My boys could not wait to explore the Harry Potter world! My mother in law elected to stay home; feeling like the boys no longer needed her on vacation... so of course they spent the whole week fighting over who had to ride alone and wishing Grammy had come with us.
Great Wolf Lodge, Massachusetts-- 2015
We had received gift cards from my in-laws for Christmas and since no one could agree on any sort of family vacation we decided to just plan an overnight trip to Great Wolf Lodge, take a few fun day trips and call it a family vacation. We had a fun time and were so thankful that the trip didn't cost us a dime!
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-- 2016
We decided it was time to find someplace new for a fun family vacation. I had fond memories of Myrtle beach from when I was a kid and and after looking around on the computer at the various places to stay and things to do the whole family finally agreed on a vacation. We drove to South Carolina (with my mother in law) and had a wonderful stay at the Dunes Village resort. We enjoyed the beach, the water park (in our hotel), and spent a lot of time at Broadway at the Beach. We went miniature golfing, go kart racing, checked out the aquarium and a pirate themed dinner show.
Charleston, South Carolina- July 2017
In 2017 my husband and I were both turning 40 and we decided rather than have a big party we'd go away for a nice long weekend. We flew to Charleston and while it was unbearably hot (really what where we thinking going there at the end of July?) we had a great time together. We stayed at an amazing hotel in Patriot's Point and lazed around by the pool. We walked on a few beaches at Isle of Palms, checked out the aquarium and straw market in Charleston. It was fabulous!
Tampa Bay, Florida-- October 2017
We flew into Tampa and drove out to Indian Rock's beach where we rented a house for a week. We explored Busch Gardens, the Lowery Park zoo, the Florida Aquarium, went kayaking down a river and saw a manatee, checked out the beach (with warm water)!!, toured a few art museums, Ian and my husband went fishing in the Tampa bay and we saw dolphins frolicking everywhere.
Burlington, Vermont-- May 2018
Linking up with:
We had another fabulous family vacation in Walt Disney World. It was the last time we visited Disney in the spring.
Orlando, Florida-- 2012
We started a new tradition the year we began homeschooling boys and started vacationing in the fall. In September we decided to try a Florida vacation and not just a Disney vacation. We stayed in the Nickelodeon hotel and went to Sea World, Medieval Times dinner show, Legoland, and tubing down a natural springs. We got to eat dinner with the Ninja Turtles and my parents drove down from North Carolina to spend a bit of time with us as well. It was wonderful having so many grandparents on vacation with us!
Walt Disney World-- 2013
The next year found us back at Walt Disney World. It was a whole new experience visiting in September than visiting in February or March. The boys were finally big enough to ride everything and no one needed any naps at all anymore. We actually saw street performers at EPCOT, watched the boys participate in a Jedi Academy show, and tried out one of the water parks for the very first time.
Nashville, Tennessee-- 2014
My husband had to go to Tennessee for a last minute job. Airfare was expensive and he asked if we were serious that we'd drive with him. We packed up some bags and canceled some plans to head off last minute for a 4 day trip to Nashville. His company paid for our gas and hotel (since they'd be paying that for him anyway!) and we had a very fun, if short, family vacation. We toured the Opryland hotel, checked out the adventure science center, went to see the Athena Parthenon, and enjoyed an afternoon at the water park. On the way home we discovered an armory museum on the side of the road so we decided to stop and check that out too!
Orlando, Florida-- 2014
Taking a break from Disney but still enjoying the warm Florida weather we took a trip to Universal Orlando, Legoland, kayaking down a natural springs, and over to the shore to see the Camden Aquarium (home of Winter from Dolphin Tale). My boys could not wait to explore the Harry Potter world! My mother in law elected to stay home; feeling like the boys no longer needed her on vacation... so of course they spent the whole week fighting over who had to ride alone and wishing Grammy had come with us.
Great Wolf Lodge, Massachusetts-- 2015
We had received gift cards from my in-laws for Christmas and since no one could agree on any sort of family vacation we decided to just plan an overnight trip to Great Wolf Lodge, take a few fun day trips and call it a family vacation. We had a fun time and were so thankful that the trip didn't cost us a dime!
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-- 2016
We decided it was time to find someplace new for a fun family vacation. I had fond memories of Myrtle beach from when I was a kid and and after looking around on the computer at the various places to stay and things to do the whole family finally agreed on a vacation. We drove to South Carolina (with my mother in law) and had a wonderful stay at the Dunes Village resort. We enjoyed the beach, the water park (in our hotel), and spent a lot of time at Broadway at the Beach. We went miniature golfing, go kart racing, checked out the aquarium and a pirate themed dinner show.
Charleston, South Carolina- July 2017
In 2017 my husband and I were both turning 40 and we decided rather than have a big party we'd go away for a nice long weekend. We flew to Charleston and while it was unbearably hot (really what where we thinking going there at the end of July?) we had a great time together. We stayed at an amazing hotel in Patriot's Point and lazed around by the pool. We walked on a few beaches at Isle of Palms, checked out the aquarium and straw market in Charleston. It was fabulous!
Tampa Bay, Florida-- October 2017
We flew into Tampa and drove out to Indian Rock's beach where we rented a house for a week. We explored Busch Gardens, the Lowery Park zoo, the Florida Aquarium, went kayaking down a river and saw a manatee, checked out the beach (with warm water)!!, toured a few art museums, Ian and my husband went fishing in the Tampa bay and we saw dolphins frolicking everywhere.
Burlington, Vermont-- May 2018
My husband and I just went away just overnight and while we had both been to Vermont before neither of us had stayed in this area. It sounded like a beautiful spot to visit but it rained the whole 2 days and made it hard to enjoy things like bike riding on the trails or hiking. We instead went on a dinner train and explored the shops in the rain.
Hershey, Pennsylvania-- June 2018
We took a short 4 day trip to Hershey park. We wanted to go again with the boys since they were older and could ride all the rides. We had perfect weather and a wonderful time! We explored our first limestone cave, ZooAmerica, a car museum, and of course the chocolate world.
Niagara Falls, New York-- September 2018
We spent a week exploring both sides of Niagara falls with lots of hiking, sight seeing, a zoo trip, an aquarium stop, even some wet behind the falls and maid of the mist tours.
Lincoln, New Hampshire--May 2019
My husband and I took a quick little 3 day trip to Lincoln, New Hampshire. We had beautiful weather and did lots and lots of hiking! We played mini golf, went out for lots of delicious dinners and even rode to the top of Cannon mountain.
Cape Cod & Nantucket-- July 2019
My husband knew I really wanted to see Nantucket and he made that happen for my birthday. The boys didn't want to go so we went just the two of us and made it a weekend trip. We arrived on Cape, stayed overnight in Hyannis were we took the ferry over to Nantucket for the day. Our trip was right in the middle of a heat wave but we didn't let that stop us from exploring. We toured the whaling museum and had a few really delicious meals out as well as getting in a bit of a shipping too.
Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, & Iowa-- September 2019
We planned a trip to Mount Rushmore that turned into a whole see the mid-west area trip! We flew into Denver, drove through Wyoming, stayed a few nights in Rapid City, South Dakota and continued on through the other end of the state and into Nebraska and Iowa. We crammed a lot into our 7 day trip and had a great time hiking, exploring lots of new parks (Mt. Rushmore & Custer state park being our two favorites), checked out some hot springs, saw mammoth fossils, toured a gold mine, visited the reptile gardens, went kayaking, walked through the zoo & Aquarium, and saw the badlands.
Freeport/Kittery/York Maine-- July 2020 My husband and I snuck away for just 2 days; he had to work up there anyway and it was a great little getaway around my birthday
Whitefield New Hampshire-- June 2021 (anniversary weekend trip) Just my husband and I again... we did lots of hiking!
Scarborough Maine-- July 2021-- Weekend birthday trip just my husband and I
Carolina Beach-- August 2021- the whole family drove down to visit my sister and her family in North Carolina
Loon Mountain-- October 2021 I took my husband away for a short little weekend trip for his birthday; the fall hiking was wonderful and oh so colorful.
Loon Mountain-- June 2022 Another quick little weekend getaway just the two of us for our anniversary. We find it so much cheaper vacationing just the two of us; especially when we can drive and only need to pay for a hotel stay.
Smoky Mountains-- July 2022- We rented a large house and the 6 of us (my mother in law included) stayed for a week while my sister and her boys joined us for a few nights.
Disney/ Universal-- August 2022 We had tickets and passes from 2020 that we needed to use up; Ian decided to stay home though since he had started working full time and felt like he had been to Disney enough times.
Edgecomb, Maine (midcoast)-- October 2022-- I took my husband away for a weekend for his birthday.
Acadia Maine-- June 2023-- Just my husband and I again for a long holiday weekend/anniversary trip.
Shenandoah National Park trip-- June 2023-- Another family vacation without Ian (he was working full time and working on getting his CDL-- commercial driver's license-- at the time)
Kennebunkport, Maine-- July 2023-- A fun little weekend away for my birthday just my husband and I.
Wilmington, NC (Just Evan and I with my mom to visit family)-- October 2023
Western Caribbean Cruise-- January 2024 Just my husband and I went away for a week aboard the Celebrity Apex
Acadia, Maine-- June 2024 My husband and I snuck away for a few days between Alec's graduation party and senior events and his actual graduation for some hiking and rest.
Little Compton, Rhode Island-- July 2024; Just an overnight trip with the younger two boys. We rented a house down the road from our friends who rent the same house each year for their vacation.
Coming soon... Hawaii-- December 2024!! We'll be spending 10 days exploring 2 islands-- Maui and the Big Island if you have any suggestions of where/what to eat and things to do!
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What an amazing look back- love all of your trips to New Hampshire ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's such a nice, quick, easy getaway!
DeleteHawaii sounds amazing and that is on my bucket list. My parents went there for a solo vacation before they had kids. For someone from the midwest, seeing your trips from the northeast really inspire me. And, yes, you have had some amazing trips!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you!
DeleteWhat amazing trips! My family and I need to visit the East coast. Love all your pics!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.kathrineeldridge.com
The East coast is fabulous.
DeleteLoved seeing all of the pictures from your fabulous trips!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWhen I look back at vacation photos I'm amazed at how the quality of photos has changed! We hope to visit Hawaii at some point too. Maybe 2025.
ReplyDeleteSo very true! It's amazing how far photos have some in such a short time... even more so when I factor in the ones from MY childhood.
DeleteI love this, so many great memories!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteNow I need to visit New Hampshire.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
It's a beautiful state!
DeleteSo many wonderful trips. We've done multiple Disney World trips and some beach trips, etc. Some day I'd love to visit the New England States and do a little more out west. Thanks for sharing all you photos and trips.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteBeautiful family memories here. It must have been a lovely experience compiling your photos together for this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you; it was a lot of fun to pull together.
DeleteWhat fun!! I even remember some of these trips, like the one you took with your husband for your birthday. And I remember that ice cream cone!! Just delicious. Love the pictures of your young family in Orlando when your hubs was working there. You guys are wonderful parents and have afforded your boys such adventures.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you!
DeleteSuch a lovely compilation of family memories!
ReplyDeleteIt must have been a joy to gather these photos for the post.
I really enjoyed looking through all the beautiful pictures.
Have a great weekend!
Thank you!
DeleteHi, Joanne. You mentioned your first images were not the best quality. BUT you have them to look back on. You took that shot! So, they are still wonderful images! And yes, your photography definitely improved over time. It's getting used to taking pictures and having fun this is the beginning step for every photographer out there.
ReplyDeleteSomething else, phone cameras have improved vastly over the years, especially recently. If it were not for raw, I would stick with just my iPhone. Note: my iPhone can shoot in raw. I just haven't taken the time to shoot in that format and then take into photoshop to edit. That will be my next step. Besides, if I do shot in RAW, I would want to remove from my iPhone for storage reasons. Those files are much larger than jpg's.
You and your family have traveled! I am lucky if I can get my husband to take a weekend trip. I can count on one hand he has been on vacation. On the other hand, I have traveled with me and the kids. That was fun. This is one of the reasons my empty nest syndrome was so bad. My little people were no longer at my disposal for get aways :)
Thank you for sharing your vacations! I enjoyed reading.
Take care and best wishes.
Aw, thanks! I do think cameras have changed dramatically over time. I had some old point and shoot cameras I used to tuck into my pocket for our Disney trips.
DeleteMy husband doesn't love to travel but I typically just plan the vacation and THEN tell him about it. LOL. Luckily he's happy enough to go along but would never think to actually suggest we take one himself.
Wow, what an amazing post! Such a great way to scrapbook all of your memories digitally. I'm sure the boys will appreciate being able to look back at this! Since I didn't start blogging until 2015 we took many, many vacations prior to that, and I still want to go back and recap those at some point for my own memories. I just haven't taken the time to do it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Most of those photos up until 2012 were photos of photos from before we began homeschooling/I began blogging.
DeleteWhat a great post. This would be a fun one to make.
ReplyDeleteIt is!
DeleteOh wow! What a fab post, I love all the photos! You have had some amazing trips to some great places.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteA fun post, Joanne. We tend to take lots of photos of holidays or events and then don't look at them. This is a great way to reflect on all the fun times you've had. I've selected your post as one of my favourites to be featured in next week's #weekendtrafficjamreboot post. Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThis is incredible! It was fun to read through all of the vacations you have been on throughout the years. It would be tough for me to remember them all, and it hasn't been as long for us!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks!
DeleteBeautiful family memories, Joanne. It’s a great idea to look back and compile a post of your vacations. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWhat a fabulous post Joanne, seeing your family grow up over the years! You've certainly had a great lot of adventures. Thanks for joining in with us for Tell Us About.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks!
DeleteWow! You really have been on some fantastic trips! Funnily enough I have just finished making a photo book of all the holidays we went on with my youngest son. It is nice to look back on the good times. #MMBC
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! It really is fun to look back.
DeleteWhat a wonderful project to go through all your vacation pics and display the highlights on your blog. We have the same photo in from of the St. Marteen sign in St Maarten. We also have the photo of our grandkids feeding the dolphins in Orlando. Such beautiful memories and I'm sure a joy for you to look at.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThis is such a lovely post, so many wonderful captures of lovely memories. You have been to some fabulous places. Thanks for sharing your journey.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteA lot of our family memories are hooked in vacations because pre digital cameras, it was often when the most (or only) photos of us all together were taken. I think in part that's why they stand out in our memories over a lot of other times. Lovely trip down memory lane for you! #TellUsAboput
ReplyDeleteVery true!
DeleteLove how you are in so many photos with your family! I'm always the one taking the photos, but I need to get in more of them. What a great recap of your vacations!
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! My mother in law often came on our trips and she got pretty good at making sure we had a family photo each time (and then usually a passer by would offer to take one with her in it too!).
Delete