Friday, February 19, 2010
Great Wolf Lodge
I just learned that Great Wolf Lodge has a location in Kansas City, KS. AND they offer a military discount, Coupon Code: HEROES for a nice savings over their regular rate. Two nights will cost $329.oo for a queen suite with a balcony. Count us in! I've never stayed at a Great Wolf Lodge, but I've been to Splash Lagoon in Erie, PA. It will be must more fun for us with the girls being great swimmers now and a little older. I am getting really excited about our cross country trip which may come sooner than I thought.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Jacksonville here we come!
We are moving to Jacksonville, FL this summer. Sad to leave Colorado, but we are blessed to have had the opportunity to live here and are excited about living near the beach and the travel opportunities that living in Florida will bring. We are close to Disney World and plan to travel to Orlando often. We hope to see a space shuttle launch while we can. Disney cruises depart from Cape Canaveral - woo hoo. Hilton Head and Charleston, SC and Tampa / St. Pete are not far either. Warm weather here we gladly come!
I am getting really excited about the trip across country. I so enjoyed our last trip across country, which I often refer to as a trip of a lifetime. When I found out we were moving, I quickly plotted our trip. Highlights will be:
Kansas City, MO: Hopefully the Crayola Cafe and Store will be open this time. We'll definitely go back to the Hallmark Headquarters Kaleidoscope room and to the children's theatre for a play. Lunch at Fritz is on the menu as well.
St. Louis, MO: the Zoo, Magic House and City Museum are on the schedule. I think St. Louis is one of the best places in the planet for families to visit. I told their mayor I thought so when I met him at a trade show over the summer. Great guy, great city.
Chattanooga, TN: I am most excited about taking the kids to the Tennessee Aquarium, to See Rock City (where I am going to buy one of those bird houses), Ruby Falls, and the incline. I love this city.
Atlanta, GA: World of Coke, American Girl Place, Aquarium. I should work in tourism, seriously.
Then Jacksonville!
I am getting really excited about the trip across country. I so enjoyed our last trip across country, which I often refer to as a trip of a lifetime. When I found out we were moving, I quickly plotted our trip. Highlights will be:
Kansas City, MO: Hopefully the Crayola Cafe and Store will be open this time. We'll definitely go back to the Hallmark Headquarters Kaleidoscope room and to the children's theatre for a play. Lunch at Fritz is on the menu as well.
St. Louis, MO: the Zoo, Magic House and City Museum are on the schedule. I think St. Louis is one of the best places in the planet for families to visit. I told their mayor I thought so when I met him at a trade show over the summer. Great guy, great city.
Chattanooga, TN: I am most excited about taking the kids to the Tennessee Aquarium, to See Rock City (where I am going to buy one of those bird houses), Ruby Falls, and the incline. I love this city.
Atlanta, GA: World of Coke, American Girl Place, Aquarium. I should work in tourism, seriously.
Then Jacksonville!
Travel, fun, and adventure in Colorado Springs
We've been so busy traveling, I've not had time to blog. Since I last blogged, we've been TRAVELING and having fun and lots of adventure. Highlights:
July: Back to Estes Park, CO, in July where we went back to the YMCA retreat center, but spent most of the time at Rocky Mountain national park, hiking, exploring, seeing an Elk parade 6 feet from us.
August: A weekend in Glenwood Springs, CO, where we spent the day in the largest mineral pool in the country (it is about 3 blocks long). We went with our cousins who live here. Glenwood Springs is 5 hours from C/S and a trip I highly recommend.
September: Camping at Family Camping weekend at the Farish Campground on the backside of the US Air Force Academy Mountain. This was a great weekend where we discovered and fell in love with Geocaching. We all went horseback riding, paddleboating, hiking, hit the bounce house, and made smores, pudgy pies (two slices of white bread with pizza toppings and sauce or cherry or apple pie filling grilling between two cast iron rounds. We also enjoyed stories around the camp fire til we needed to evacuate at 9pm Saturday night because I got Acute Mountain sickness with a nasty headache.
October: Albuquerque, NM for the International Balloon Fiesta. Recommend staying at Kirtland Air Force Base (2BR apt $40/night / 3 nights). Visited the Children's museum and the Albuquerque Zoo where we all got ride camels. Next week: Pittsburgh, PA for Aunt Stephie and Kirk's wedding. Contracting swine flu on the way home wasn't in the plans so we were quarantined for the next 3 weeks. Ugh!
November:
Belated Anniversary trip where my husband surprised me with an overnight trip to a real castle. We were treated like kings and queens at the Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs, which is right next to Garden of the Gods. It is only 15 minutes from our home, but might as well have been a world away. Thanks to our cousins for taking the girls. Highly recommend this place, which can be a travel bargain, depending on what time of year you go. Not to miss: a hike up the Queen's canyon, a tour of the property, a trip to the bookstore onsite, high tea, and look for the big horned sheep grazing on the lawn.
Visited the Santa's Workshop at the North Pole in Cascade, CO. Highly recommend this gem of a place. It is an old fashioned park with little rides on steroids. The girls loved it!
December: SKIING! We stayed a week at Swan Mountain Resort in Dillon, CO in mid-December. We got a beautiful 2 BR condo for $350/week through Armed Forces Vacation Club. An amazing deal for a 4 star timeshare. The girls and I all got private ski lessons at Arapahoe Basin and are ready for the season. I can now ski blues! Thanks Trevor!
More Skiing! We went for another 5 days of skiing with Uncle Bro and the cousins right before Christmas. This time, we went to Keystone, CO where we have season passes through the military ($189 for the parents, kids under 5 free).
January: Visitors! We were blessed to have my mom, brother, and sister visit us this month. We got to show them the best that Colorado Springs has to offer. Must visits: Garden of the Gods for a hike, Focus on the Family Play area, US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Manitou Springs. We took Uncle Chris to Royal Gorge and Bridge. If you are afraid of heights - stay home. Highlights: the incline, suspension bridge, and the tram across the gorge. The guys loved it.
More Skiing at SnoFest 2010. Aunt Julie, Aunt Stephie and Uncle Kirk joined us for SnoFest, the biggest military skiing weekend of the year in Keystone, CO. We arrived Friday and checked in to our condo at the base of the mountain right at Keystone. Highly recommend staying at Keystone. Location is everything when you have lots of skiing and partying to do. One of the greatest moments I will remember forever is going down the green mountain as a family. Both girls held their own going down the mountain and got to go down with their parents, aunts and uncle. JOY! This weekend is so much fun, I am glad we got to go twice while being here. If you go, make sure to go to the organized parties at night. Good times eating a good meal I didn't have to cook after a long day on the slopes and dancing. Aunt Julie won $100 from a drawing (covered 2 of her lift tix). Also enjoyed having the hospitality tent with food and drink between runs. Saturday afternoon featured a cardboard box derby where I saw some of the most detailed cardboard vehicles ever - many with sound. Sunday morning, my 5 year old and Aunt Julie and I got to go tubing - a must do. Two hints - don't let your butt touch the ground, you will so regret it. #2, if you want to be spun going down the mountain, say SLOW spin. Otherwise you will be so sorry. We drove to Breckenridge on the way home to get a soft pretzel from the Salt Mine and monster cookies from Mary's. We also saw snow sculptures in the town that weekend. Took the long way home via 24, which I highly recommend. Scenic, no traffic, which made it the short way home for us.
I am looking forward to staying home in February to recoup from all of our travels. March: Steamboat Springs, hopefully more skiing @ Keystone. May: a week in Yellowstone. June: my Birthday at the Broadmoor.
July: Back to Estes Park, CO, in July where we went back to the YMCA retreat center, but spent most of the time at Rocky Mountain national park, hiking, exploring, seeing an Elk parade 6 feet from us.
August: A weekend in Glenwood Springs, CO, where we spent the day in the largest mineral pool in the country (it is about 3 blocks long). We went with our cousins who live here. Glenwood Springs is 5 hours from C/S and a trip I highly recommend.
September: Camping at Family Camping weekend at the Farish Campground on the backside of the US Air Force Academy Mountain. This was a great weekend where we discovered and fell in love with Geocaching. We all went horseback riding, paddleboating, hiking, hit the bounce house, and made smores, pudgy pies (two slices of white bread with pizza toppings and sauce or cherry or apple pie filling grilling between two cast iron rounds. We also enjoyed stories around the camp fire til we needed to evacuate at 9pm Saturday night because I got Acute Mountain sickness with a nasty headache.
October: Albuquerque, NM for the International Balloon Fiesta. Recommend staying at Kirtland Air Force Base (2BR apt $40/night / 3 nights). Visited the Children's museum and the Albuquerque Zoo where we all got ride camels. Next week: Pittsburgh, PA for Aunt Stephie and Kirk's wedding. Contracting swine flu on the way home wasn't in the plans so we were quarantined for the next 3 weeks. Ugh!
November:
Belated Anniversary trip where my husband surprised me with an overnight trip to a real castle. We were treated like kings and queens at the Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs, which is right next to Garden of the Gods. It is only 15 minutes from our home, but might as well have been a world away. Thanks to our cousins for taking the girls. Highly recommend this place, which can be a travel bargain, depending on what time of year you go. Not to miss: a hike up the Queen's canyon, a tour of the property, a trip to the bookstore onsite, high tea, and look for the big horned sheep grazing on the lawn.
Visited the Santa's Workshop at the North Pole in Cascade, CO. Highly recommend this gem of a place. It is an old fashioned park with little rides on steroids. The girls loved it!
December: SKIING! We stayed a week at Swan Mountain Resort in Dillon, CO in mid-December. We got a beautiful 2 BR condo for $350/week through Armed Forces Vacation Club. An amazing deal for a 4 star timeshare. The girls and I all got private ski lessons at Arapahoe Basin and are ready for the season. I can now ski blues! Thanks Trevor!
More Skiing! We went for another 5 days of skiing with Uncle Bro and the cousins right before Christmas. This time, we went to Keystone, CO where we have season passes through the military ($189 for the parents, kids under 5 free).
January: Visitors! We were blessed to have my mom, brother, and sister visit us this month. We got to show them the best that Colorado Springs has to offer. Must visits: Garden of the Gods for a hike, Focus on the Family Play area, US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Manitou Springs. We took Uncle Chris to Royal Gorge and Bridge. If you are afraid of heights - stay home. Highlights: the incline, suspension bridge, and the tram across the gorge. The guys loved it.
More Skiing at SnoFest 2010. Aunt Julie, Aunt Stephie and Uncle Kirk joined us for SnoFest, the biggest military skiing weekend of the year in Keystone, CO. We arrived Friday and checked in to our condo at the base of the mountain right at Keystone. Highly recommend staying at Keystone. Location is everything when you have lots of skiing and partying to do. One of the greatest moments I will remember forever is going down the green mountain as a family. Both girls held their own going down the mountain and got to go down with their parents, aunts and uncle. JOY! This weekend is so much fun, I am glad we got to go twice while being here. If you go, make sure to go to the organized parties at night. Good times eating a good meal I didn't have to cook after a long day on the slopes and dancing. Aunt Julie won $100 from a drawing (covered 2 of her lift tix). Also enjoyed having the hospitality tent with food and drink between runs. Saturday afternoon featured a cardboard box derby where I saw some of the most detailed cardboard vehicles ever - many with sound. Sunday morning, my 5 year old and Aunt Julie and I got to go tubing - a must do. Two hints - don't let your butt touch the ground, you will so regret it. #2, if you want to be spun going down the mountain, say SLOW spin. Otherwise you will be so sorry. We drove to Breckenridge on the way home to get a soft pretzel from the Salt Mine and monster cookies from Mary's. We also saw snow sculptures in the town that weekend. Took the long way home via 24, which I highly recommend. Scenic, no traffic, which made it the short way home for us.
I am looking forward to staying home in February to recoup from all of our travels. March: Steamboat Springs, hopefully more skiing @ Keystone. May: a week in Yellowstone. June: my Birthday at the Broadmoor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)