Florida | Treasure Island | May 2022

Headed south for some beach time and a surprise trip to Disney. I found a cute little motel called The Molloy on Treasure Island, Florida. The motel was hidden between a row of towering vacation stays but even being short The Molloy stands out because somehow once in the premise its a cute little white space with private beach access and a pool. It served our needs perfectly although I will warn parking is limited and I can image would be tricky in peak season.

We also did a day trip to Disney which was really special because none of the kids had been before. We went with Magic kingdom and I totally splurged and hired a Florida photographer to spend the day with us and document. This ended up being a great idea, if you find yourself busy on your phone trying to capture everything, or in my case on my camera, and end up loosing out on actually enjoying the moment OR never ended up in photos yourself. I can’t recommend Brittany The Photographer enough for spending a hot May Day with us at Disney.

Taking on Arizona

Listen, traveling is not for everyone, but we love it. We have been a little intimidated at taking on a “bigger” trip with three kids but decided to take the plunge. We planned a late summer trip out to Arizona. We choose Arizona because one, we knew there were a variety of things to see like the Grand Canyon and Sedona but also because I have family in Phoenix. It is important to me to make those trips and allow my family a far to meet my kids and have memories with them. The actual vacation was amazing and went way easier than we anticipated. The flight there was the only part I now have advice on.. so buckle up if you need it.

We flew to Arizona and my son who was 20 months did not require a seat so we thought, lap child and save the cost. BIG MISTAKE. He def needed his own room. So much so, that we purchased a one way ticket for the ride home, and the flight was so much better. If you are in this situation, two things that I think may make a difference for someone else. 1. Is your child distracted easily with something like a screen? (Knox was not). 2. What time of day are you traveling? Is it nap time? (the flight to Arizona was around nap time and he did not sleep in my lap as I had hoped and instead was cranky because he was tired. On the flight home, it was early morning and he was much happier in general not being his nap time.

Either way, it was a few hours worth the headache for the experiences and memories and I encourage you to take the plunge too.

Michigan Summer

We have been to Michigan now many times but never in the summer. Out friends who have a home in Leland that we stay at usually are there the whole summer but this year, they were having a baby and decided to stay in Ohio. SO we got to go and it was truly a treasured time. Michigan has proven to be eventful and beautiful no matter the time of year but since it stay colder than Ohio this was our first experience getting to swim in the lake and not be freezing. I’ve said t before and I’ll say it a again- Northern Michigan is where its at.

Spring Break 2021- Captiva Island, Florida

We moved back in with my parents at the end of the year last year after selling our home in Columbus. Ryan starts grad school in May and our income with be split in half. Also we have been warned the program he will be attending is very time demandind and I can count on him not being around often to help, so we also moved in hoping for some extra help with the kids. One of the best parts of moving “back home” was the girls started in a pre-school that is five days a week. They are picked up and dropped off by a school bus and its just all of our favorite adjustment since moving from the city. Since we now were following a school schedule, that meant we had a Spring Break to plan for. We decided to head to Captiva Island in Florida. I have been there years ago with my bestie and her family but really didn’t remember much about it other than the famous restaurant, The Bubble Room. The location is also not far from where my dad lives in Florida so we were also able to meet up with him and spend an afternoon together.

Captiva is honestly a dream. Its beautifully nestled on the gulf side of Florida. We booked an apartment/villa on Airbnb and it was by no means the prettiest place on the island but it served its purpose just fine. IT was a one bedroom- (where me and Ryan slept and set up a pack-n-play for Knox) and the living room couch was a pull out sofa (where the kids slept). We were in walking distance to a Starbucks, a public beach access and one of the many community pools. It just so happened we had friends who overlapped our stay by a couple days so we were able to hang out at the pools, do some photos at the beach and eat at the whimsical Bubble Room. It was the first vacation with all the kids that I thought to myself, “man, I could stay another day or two.” Usually we are all ready to get home and back to our normal routines, but this trip will forever be remembered as the one we could have stayed.