Meet Me in Montana ~ Day 1 and 2

It had been a long time coming........we finally went back to Montana!  We had been talking about returning for a visit to Montana for 20 years, basically since we got married.  For the last 5 years, we talked about going back for our 20 year anniversary with our girls to show them where we were married.  I also had been really looking forward to a family vacation.  It had been over 2 years since the 4 of us went somewhere (besides visiting family for the holidays) and also I needed a week off work, and I so enjoyed the break.  Our family vacation adventure began pretty early last Saturday morning. It began with a 2 hour delay out of Memphis, which meant we missed our connection to Montana.  It also meant a 5 1/2 hour layover in Minneapolis

We were so glad to finally be on a plane out of Memphis. 

Then the waiting in Minneapolis began.......... 

We grabbed some Chick Fil A and finally boarded our plane for Montana. 

We landed and walked off the stairs of the plane.  It doesn't get dark until 10pm in Montana, so it was still this light at 8pm. 

We headed to our hotel for the night and all slept pretty good.

Sunday plans!!

The girls were so fascinated with Canada and that we were so close.  We definitely have to go to Canada soon.

We went drove around Kalispell and Avery found the local sportsman store while the girls and I found the local Target :).  Even the Target is prettier there!!

This is the courthouse in Kalispell where we got our marriage license 20 years ago.  Still a very charming building!

We then drove into Whitefish, Montana, which is a charming town too.  The street was like something from a Hallmark movie and we began enjoying the Montana temperatures & beautiful scenery.

We went to the local ice cream shop and tried the Huckleberry ice cream.  Huckleberry is the local produce, and I got addicted on this trip to everything/anything Huckleberry.  I thought, I'll just taste a sample of it, but then will get my go-to flavor.  I indulged in the local cuisine and loved the Huckleberry ice cream and never looked back at the other flavors. 

We then went to our Air BNB in another nearby town.  Below is the driveway into the location and this picture was taken from the upstairs deck.  We were in a house at the end of a road, so we were very secluded.

There were horses in the back yard, but we also saw lots of deer and wild turkeys too.  Here are 6 just crossing the across the front yard!

Here is Avery mapping out the area on our rental car.  For the record, I am a huge fan of  vans for a rental car.  They provide so much space for luggage and stretching out when needed.  The one we had in California last fall was great, and this was a great choice too.

Happy Father's Day to this guy!  We both were able to talk to our dads this day too. 

I sat by the fire Avery started while the girls entertained themselves in the outdoors. 

Messy hair, and sweet snuggles while watching the sunset...at 10pm :) 

Much more to come!!!

We Saw Harry Styles in Nashville!!!

Y,all, we saw Harry Styles in Nashville this week! I bought these tickets last September for this concert and it was great.  

I worked for a few hours Tuesday morning, then picked up the girls after VBS and we headed to Nashville.  We had some time to walk downtown and eat dinner before the show.  

Broadway in Nashville, TN 

This is Blake Shelton's restaurant that opened last week. 

View of Nissan Stadium where the Tennessee Titans play football 

My girls and I 

We ate on the rooftop of Hard Rock Cafe and this was our view. 

This is Bridgestone Arena where Harry Styles performed.  Can you see the massive line of people around the building to your right?  Also, it was full of people in front of the stadium.  So many people! 

We finally made it inside! 

This is Brook with a view from our seats. 

Almost concert time! 

Just a girl seeing her favorite performer at her first concert!  We were all excited. 

At one point during the show, Harry came down the aisle to a smaller stage in the back, so he was so much closer to us then.  Screaming was out of control during this part.  Oh, and when he sang a One Direction song (he use to be part of that band), the crowd lost its mind.  Another favorite part was when he mentioned Memphis BBQ.  

It was so much fun to do this with my girls and see Brook at her first concert.  Isabella was just as excited, even though her first concert was Bruno Mars last fall.

All this and we made it back just a little late for VBS Wednesday morning.  I spent the rest of the day doing little things because it had been 4 months since I had a day off, not including weekends.  

Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back to blogging the last week of June.

How We Plan Our Summer Vacations ~ From a Travel Agent

Today we are talking how we plan our summer vacations.  Most people I know love to travel.  I have loved it since I was a child, especially the planning part.  I remember asking for a map when I was 13 and would often write a travel itinerary for our family vacations when I was a teenager and I still do that today!  

As most of you know, I am a travel agent.  I have always booked corporate travel, but I always enjoy my share of leisure travel.  

My suggestion for travel is to decide 9-12 months in advance where you would like to go for vacation.  Depending on where your destination is, I would recommend booking accommodations at least 6 months in advance, or possibly more.  

For accommodations, there are choices of hotels, Air B-n-B, or even campgrounds!

We often stay in hotels, however, will be staying in our first Air B-n-B this summer.  When our girls were younger, we stayed in campgrounds because we had a travel trailer.  Those were some great memories.  

We often drive when we travel, due to airline tickets x 4 get expensive.  However, it would have to be a days drive ideally!  We have been blessed to travel on some mileage tickets when we travel to further destinations.  When booking air travel, I have looked at other websites for price comparisons, but I always like to purchase directly from the airline website.  I guess that is the travel agent in me that knows it is harder to get customer service or help from the airlines if you book through a 3rd party website. 

For financial planning, we have a budget of  travel expenses and my favorite type of vacation is where you can pay for most of it in advance.  I like to book event tickets in advance. For example, we plan on taking a boat ride and a few other activities on our upcoming trip and I have booked and paid for these online.  Obviously, the best trips to pay for in advance are cruises or a trip to Disney, which are two of my favorite trips!

Above, the girls on their most recent cruise and below is Avery and I at one of our cruise ports.

Disneyworld, Florida  ~ 2015

Disneyland, California ~ 2017

I recommend typing out an itinerary schedule to have with confirmation numbers and also addresses to other places to visit.  This helps travel go smoothly, especially if you are going to a big city.  I have done this for New York City, Los Angeles and for our upcoming trip as well.  Even though I have been to New York City over 20 times, I still will write down addresses of sights/stores I want to visit if I don't know exactly where it is.  I like to visit a new sight every time I go to NYC, so it is helpful to have an address.

Brook's 1st trip to NYC and Isabell'as 2nd trip ~ 2013 

My dad and I in our favorite city

Brook on her 2nd trip to NYC ~ 2016 

You don't want to miss the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity!  My mom, Brook and I visited here on my last trip to the city. 

I had so much fun planning this trip last fall to Southern California.  Above, is the girls and I at Santa Monica Pier and below is us with the Hollywood sign in the background.  Having local addresses helped so much for driving in Los Angeles!

Even though I like to have a schedule when traveling, because I do believe having a plan is important, I have learned to add flexibility to the schedule.  It is important to allow free time, mornings to sleep in, or whatever your family needs.  There is always something unexpected as well, whether it be a store, attraction or even traffic!

The most important thing is to have fun whether it is a staycation, quick weekend trip, or week long trip!  Take time to get away with your people when you can and enjoy the journey.  But also, find the joy in planing as well.  It is one of my favorite parts :).