Learning Experience

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I definitely don't look this stylish today. My outfit consists of shorts, a tshirt and a messy bun. Like the above picture though, I am travelling by car. Not that big of a deal except I am doing something I have never done before. I am driving long distance by myself. Needless to say, I am nervous. 

I do not have the greatest history when it comes to driving. I didn't get my license till I was 19. I spent all of my childhood and teenage years living in Europe where the driving age is 18. You need someone to navigate a subway system, I am your girl. Driving buddy? Yeah, no. So when I moved to America for college, I had only been behind the wheel once. That initial experience didn't go well. My husband, then boyfriend, and future mother in-law were the ones who taught me how to drive. Talk about an exercise in communication!

Even after I finally got my license, I was super scared and nervous. The best thing that happened to me was when I had to drive myself, forty-five minutes each way, to college everyday. That was a super valuable experience. Since then though, the extent of my driving has been just around our community with occasional trip closer to Atlanta (but never actually INTO Atlanta. I am not that brave.)

Today, I driving to Virginia for the wedding of one my college roommates. I made up my mind I was going to drive when I knew about it. I probably could have flown for about the same amount of money but I knew this trip would provide me the perfect opportunity to get out my comfort zone. I don't want to be limited by my fear of driving. I don't want to let my nervousness keep me from doing things I want to do. Driving 6 hours by yourself may seem pretty insignificant to some but this is a very big deal to me. It is a learning experience that I have to have. Hopefully, I will make it through in one piece. 

Any other nervous drivers out there? What is the longest journey you've ever taken by yourself?

Daydreaming

Hello from sunny Florida!We are on what I am considering our first family vacation. Just the three of us, hanging out at the beach and relaxing. Well, there has been a little work involved as well. Scott had to leave for a couple of days for meetings and I am working away on a project that is due when we get back. Working on a sunny balcony surrounded by palm trees beats a office desk any day.
 This is just what we needed. We are homebodies and love staying in but we would also consider ourselves travel bugs. Most of our homebody evenings are spent watching and rewatching our favorite episodes of Rick Steve's Europe and any and all of Anthony Bourdain's shows. We are equally comfortable on the go as we are on the couch. So getting away from our usual routine for a bit is just right.
I love coming down here. I love the beach. Scott loves just being able to relax. Every time we come we talk about what it would be like to own a sailboat. Scott is convinced that he wants to try a transatlantic voyage. I'll be fine with just sailing around the harbor. We shall see. Either way, it's fun to be able to chat and daydream. Speaking of dreaming, I got a copy of Retire Inspired for my birthday (No, I didn't turn 45. Guess again.) I have gotten into it yet, but I am really excited about it. One of the main premises of the book is that planning for retirement is not about quitting your job and doing nothing for years, it's about being able to do whatever you want. The tagline is "it's not an age, it's a financial number." You don't have to be 65 and a half. What I think it so empowering about this idea is that it can make that little sailboat daydream a reality. Of course it will require some hard work and financial sacrifice now, but if you that's all it takes to make a dream come true, that's really not that bad.
Maybe the dream will change and we will probably have to take the long way round to get there. Paying for college can get real expensive. I am just happy that we are talking about these things and actually taking steps to get there. As the author of the book says, "A dream without a plan is just a wish."

What are your dreams? Are you taking steps to get there? Do you feel like you're making progress? 

All The Places You'll Go

Part of my budgeting plan right now is preparing for a trip for my sister's high school graduation. She goes to boarding school in Germany, the same one that my brother and I attended. Scott has never visited and I am really looking forward to showing him around. The trip is still two years out but I cannot stop daydreaming about it. We both love to travel and I am exciting to introduce baby to the joys of traveling. We are hoping to make it an extended vacation, so I am researching and reviewing all the different things we could possible do and see. Rick Steves is my go to travel guy. His show on PBS (which we watch on Hulu) will transport you all over Europe. He has great tips for getting the most out of your money while still having a rich travel experience. He can be kind of cheesy and loves a good pun but that is why we love him. His show is great and his website is very informative. 

I also love watching Anthony Bourdain's shows for a more food-centric travel experience. No Reservations  is great for uncovering the food history of the area. He makes me want to be adventurous and eat everything.  

It is still a long way off but I cannot wait for our European adventure! I will just have to be content looking at pretty pictures and making plans until then. 

Do you like to travel? Where is your next big adventure? 

For more travel related inspiration, check out my pinterest account. I am always pinning lustworthy travel images. 

Traveling With A Baby

Pre-Disney packing with the little guy

While I have traveled quite a bit in my life, this is the first time that I have traveled with a small child that I was responsible for. Let me tell you, it is nerve-wracking! Our trip to Walt Disney World was the second long distance road trip that we have done this summer with our little bundle of joy. The first was a 12 hour drive out to Texas to visit my grandparents. Here are a few things that I learned from both experiences.

1. When in doubt, overpack

We had the luxury of packing our Suburban to the brim both times with baby gear. Usually, I abhor overpacking. I do not like taking a bunch of stuff that I end up not using. With a 2 month-old baby, you never know what you might need. I packed multiple extra outfits, tons of extra burp cloths, and three separate carrying devices (Solly Baby wrap, Ergobaby 360 carrier, and our BabyJogger City Select stroller).

The truth is that babies do not always behave the way you expect them to. Just because he is happy and relaxed today does not mean he will be that way tomorrow. So when you are not in your normal environment, it pays to have all the options available to you. Obviously, if you are flying then there is a limit to how much you can bring. I have yet to fly with him but I will definitely do a flying with baby post when that time comes. 

2. A little extra preparation on the front end equals more relaxation on the back end

Take the time to organize that extra bit. Set up a diaper changing station in the car or maybe pack outfits or similar articles of clothing in plastic resealable bags. I personally like to "setup up shop" when I get to the hotel room. By putting everything in it's own spot and organizing the room a little makes me feel less as I am going through my day. It also helps when it is time to pack up and go home. This trip, I really took advantage of the closet space in our hotel. I used the closets as a place to corral all the dirty laundry. When it was time to pack up, I simply had to open the closet and put all the things on the floor in the suitcase. Keeping all the clothes in one place kept the room from getting too dirty and sped up the packing process. 

3. Set yourself up for success

Make naps and feeding a priority. Do not let the expectations of others dictate your baby's schedule. This is hard for me because I am a people pleaser to the core. I had to come to terms with the fact that trying to fit my baby's schedule into someone else's plans was not going to turn out well for anyone. He was fussy or irritable because his napping and feeding pattern was disrupted by visits when we in Texas. At Disney, I was in charge of much of the planning so I worked to schedule our daily activities around his routine. There were still times, however, that I had to leave the fun to take care of him. You cannot have FOMO  as a parent. There will be many times that what is best for your baby is not what is the most fun for you. The payoff comes when you have a happy, content baby for longer periods of time. By missing out on a little here and there, you will have a overall more enjoyable travel experience.  

4. Be ok with winging it

There will be times that your best planning with fall through. There will not be a good place to nurse. You will forget your pack-n-play in the car after it has been valet parked and you can't get it (yes, I had to create a little bed on the floor for my 8 week-old baby. That same evening, I forgot to get extra diapers. #parentingfail) There is a strength to being able to roll with the punches. The first evening we were at Disney we had dinner reservations for a dinner-musical event. Little baby was screaming before we even got seated. I had a feeling he was hungry. I did not want to leave or make Scott leave but I knew that shoving the paci in the little guy's mouth was only going to work for so long. Thankfully, we were seated in the very back and the lights were fairly dim. I whipped out that nursing cover and tried my hand at my first public feeding session. It was difficult. I did not get to eat right away even though I was famished but the little guy was quieted. What had the makings of a disaster ended up being a pretty pleasant evening. Plus, I gained a whole lot of confidence from solving the problem.

5. Ask for help
This one is probably the hardest for me to come to terms with. I would consider myself and incredibly independent person. I have always enjoyed doing it myself. Well, this Disney trip would not have been possible if I had to do it on my own. Not only was my husband incredibly supportive and helpful, but my mother in-law went above and beyond to help out with the little guy. She would wait for us while we rode rides and took him back to the hotel early so we could move faster through the parks. She was basically super grandma. All of the planning in the world could not have made a difference without her help. I just had to be ok with asking for it.

The main thing is to do what you think is right for your family. If you do not know what to do, seek wise counsel. There are tons of men and women who are older and wiser out there. If you do not have someone who is an older parent, who you respect, then find someone. Even if it is to just bounce ideas off of, it will be very helpful. While there a few guiding principles that apply across the board, how they play out in each family is very different. Do what you think is best and if that does not work try something else. The goal is not being perfect from the beginning. Rather it is to find out what works for you and your baby. Keep that in mind when you are making travel plans and I am sure things will go more smoothly. 

The Happiest Place On Earth

We are back from Walt Disney World. It was an amazing trip. We took my three sisters, brother and his girlfriend. My mother in-law came to help out with baby. It was a lot of fun. Here are just a few snapshots from the week. 

We will back after this short break...

Well folks, I have returned from the happiest place on earth and I am completely exhausted. Was it a good decision to take 2 month old to Walt Disney World? It was not the worst decision ever. Even so, we had magical time. I am hoping to post some highlights as well as some stuff I learned on the trip soon. Right now, the massive pile of laundry is calling my name.

But first, coffee.

Pack Rat

Flying to Europe over Christmas. Yes, that is a horse.

I love to travel. It is one of my favorite things. I do not care for packing, mainly because I hate getting destination and realizing that I forgot something essential. One time in high school, I was going away to a volleyball tournament. We were going to be gone 5 days. When I opened my toiletry bag, I realized that I had not packed a toothbrush. I panicked.  Sadly, I had to use the finger-toothpaste method because there were no stores near by. Needless to say, I chewed A LOT gum that week. 

Since then I have become a very thorough packer. There are a few things that I do to try and reduce the number of items I forget. First, I make a very detailed list. I list out pretty much everything that I will need. Sometimes I will simply write down vague categories like "toiletries" or "shorts" but I a lot of the time I like to list the items I am envisioning so I do not forget them. For example, if I am thinking of a specific outfit that I want to pack, I will list out the different articles of clothing so I do not forget a piece of it. I also like to be specific about the quantity of each item. There is hardly anything worse than running out of socks, especially if you are traveling during the winter.

While I am in the list-making stage, I like to plan out my outfits. I am not religious about this but I do like to have several outfits already planned in my mind before a trip. This helps eliminate some work while I am traveling because I will already know what I to want where. This also helps me pack smart. I try to take items that can be worn together. I try to mix and match as many articles of clothing as possible. This helps with space and overall efficiency. It also adds for a little variety. I can switch things up when outfit I planned falls flat since most of the pieces go together. 

Once my list is made, I begin to pack. I like to start a few days before my trip. I do not enjoy packing last minute. Usually, I have everything ready and waiting the night before I leave. I pack my last minute items, as I finish using them. For example, after I brush my teeth, I put my toothbrush in my bag. Same goes for my hair brush and make-up. This helps me to not overlook the smaller things in the hurry to get out the door on time. 

Lastly, I have to remind myself to chill out. I am probably going to forget something. It will not be the end of the world. Sometimes you just have to make the most out of an unfortunate situation. What is that quote about the best laid plans?

I am currently getting ready for a road trip to Disney World. I am putting my skills to the test because I am not only packing for myself but also my 2 month old son. Did you know that babies require a whole lot of stuff? His list is longer than mine by far. This is his second road trip We learned a lot after the first one and I am hoping to refine some techniques on this one.  I will put together another post specifically about traveling with a baby after we get back.

Any thoughts on packing? I am the only neurotic one out there?