Today’s post isn’t about traveling–it’s about staying home. It’s about our family, a family that is missing an important member today, our chocolate lab Indy. And, while I may be crying as I write, it’s not a sad post; it’s a remembrance of the joy this special dog brought to our lives. Continue reading “Independence Day: Remembering Our Dog on Her Gotcha Day”
Zoo Membership: Discovering the Magic
Kids love animals, and a visit to the zoo is fun and educational for both children and adults. Living in northeast Ohio, we are blessed to have several within a two-hour drive, including Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Erie, and Akron. This year, we decided to become members once again. Continue reading “Zoo Membership: Discovering the Magic”
Saint Dennis, Practically Perfect in Every Way, Except…
If you know my husband Dennis, you know that he’s just like Mary Poppins, “practically perfect in very day.” Even right this minute, as I sit here writing this, he’s out mowing, weed whacking, and getting ready to fill the driveway holes with new gravel. He is constantly cleaning something (which makes me, a cleaning slacker, feel guilty). People have asked if I’d consider renting him out–he’s that good. Continue reading “Saint Dennis, Practically Perfect in Every Way, Except…”
Confidence: A Cross-Country Road Trip
When I was young, my mom insisted that we all learn how to swim because she wasn’t a strong swimmer herself. She took us to lessons at the YMCA in the winter and local lakes and swimming pools in the summer. We all learned to love to swim and passed it down to our children. That confidence served us well.
A History of Road Trips
My mother was also never confident about her ability to drive long distances alone. To be honest, she never had to do it. My dad usually did most, if not all, of the driving on every trip we went on. I will always remember the first time Mom drove through Toronto. We were supposed to stop and switch drivers, but didn’t, and she passed with flying colors. It was just us girls and the kids–no men to do the driving for us. Continue reading “Confidence: A Cross-Country Road Trip”
Easter Eggstavaganza: The First Annual Cleland Clan Egg Hunt
As a child, I loved Easter. However, I don’t ever remember going to an Easter egg hunt when I was young. That all changed after Ian was born. My kids were extremely lucky to have their Aunt Chris and Uncle Tom who put on amazing Easter egg hunts each year. The kids always looked forward to lunch at the Russells the Saturday before Easter with their cousins, Mallorie and Darrin, followed by a romp around the backyard scooping up candy-filled plastic eggs that the Easter Bunny (also known as Uncle Tom) had left for them.
Uncle Tom was a master at concealing eggs. In 2004, the kids had to find certain color eggs–Ian had green, Meg had yellow, and Rory had orange. Tom didn’t just drop them on the ground either!
Now that we have our own grandchildren, I decided to start our own Easter tradition. Even though the babies are all under three, when Meghan said she was coming up this weekend, I decided to go for it. As usual, Dennis thinks I’m crazy.
I may have gone a little overboard. We really didn’t need 250 eggs, but the kids had a lot of fun.
It was hard making sure all the candy was appropriate for kids ages 18 months and up. Although, I am perfectly aware that their parents will probably eat most of it.
Next year, Josh will be big enough to join in.
After all the eggs were found, we went inside to see what was inside (even though Ady looked in each of hers as she picked them up).
Grammy Debbie also treated us to a great lunch! Thanks, Mom!
Can’t wait to do it again next year! Happy Easter!
The Last Year
The year that got away from me… Last year I had great intentions. This year I had even better intentions. I was going to write. Write more. Write about things I love. Did it happen? No, not really. I started out okay, but then life got in the way.
Fast forward to February 2018. Nothing like starting your New Year’s Resolution in mid-February. No big deal, right? At least I’m starting. So, here goes.
I booked another trip to Disney. Big deal. WHOA! It is a big deal. I love Disney. And, luckily Dennis does too. Unfortunately, we live north-eastern Ohio, the land of ice and snow, 1092 miles from the main gates of one of my favorite places in the entire world. That’s not the bad part. I could easily live with that. The bad part is that we can only travel over school vacations. That means the busiest time of the year…Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break.
But, Dennis loves me, and this year, we upgraded our tickets to annual passes. Great right? It sure is! However, because of this, I am constantly stalking airline websites looking for unbeatable fares.
I have a trip booked. I made the reservation before our last trip. Coronado Springs Resort for $180 a night–great price–couldn’t resist. Plus, I can always get my deposit back if we don’t go. This trip isn’t a given. If we have to make up snow days (and I’m pretty certain we will since we’ve already missed 6 days, and it’s only February 10), we may not be able to go. Dennis isn’t supposed to take time off between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so Memorial Day weekend at Disney probably won’t happen. Oh, and airfare? It’s been pretty expensive that weekend.
So, I booked our fall adventure. I worry a little about taking all three of my personal days at once, but so far, it’s worked out fine. I booked five nights at Pop Century, our go-to value resort. Aubree, Jeremy, Ady, and Josh are planning on coming too. We’re definitely going, since the tickets are paid for (thank you, annual passes) and I was able to use frequent flyer miles to get us two round trip tickets for a grand total of $22.40! Not on Spirit or Allegiant either–we’re flying American.
Sure there are other places we could go…But, Disney is the most magical place on Earth. It’s where you can be a kid no matter how old you are. And, we’re going back!
Disclaimer: We’d like to go with the other grandkids too, but their parents won’t let them go until they are five or six. I’m sorry, J.R. and Kairi. I’ve tried. Multiple times.