North Carolina
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Three Full Days in Outer Banks, North Carolina
We just got back from our beach vacation for the summer. It was so nice to be back in Pine Knoll Shores visiting Drew’s aunt and uncle again. It truly is one of my favorite places and their view from their dock is breathtaking. We have experimented with leaving at different times to tackle the 9 hour road trip, ultimately we decided that leaving first thing in the morning works best for our family. We hit the road right at 7am to miss Atlanta traffic and after making a few rest stops and giving the kids incentive bags; we arrived with smiles on our faces around 4 in the afternoon.…
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Road Trip to Virginia and North Carolina with Little Ones
I just got back from a solo road trip with my 4 and 6 year old boys. While I was super nervous to go on an alone road trip with my boys, I am happy to report it was AMAZING and we made some lasting memories! Here, I will share some of the tips I learned from solo traveling along with some of our adventures to Virginia and North Carolina. Tips for Road Trips with Young Kids: 1. “Incentive Travel Bags” If you follow me on Instagram, then you know my researched hack about preparing bags for kids. I simply placed a small toy, a healthy snack and a treat…
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Romantic Weekend Getaway to Highlands and Old Edwards Inn
Drew and I just got back from a 48 hour trip to beautiful Highlands, North Carolina. Originally, I planned a surprise trip for his 35th birthday to New Orleans. His parents honeymooned there many years ago and he always mentioned that he wanted to visit, so I thought it would be the perfect place. However, our family got covid so we had to reschedule and then the weather was calling for rain and temps in the 30s/40s which was not ideal for traveling to New Orleans—so we pivoted and booked a super last minute trip to Highlands which is about 2.5 hours from Atlanta. They say “everything happens for a…
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Amazing Four Night Family Vacation to The Outerbanks
We had FOUR fun filled days to the Outerbanks with two little kids and a tropical storm! Even with a tropical storm in the forecast, we managed to have an incredible trip to Pine Knoll Shores in the southern Outerbanks and make the most of every day there! We definitely came back feeling refreshed and revived 🙂 Drew’s aunt and uncle have a place in a wonderful community that has access to numerous pools, tennis courts, marinas, and beautiful landscape. Following our 9 hour car trip (the boys did wonderful!!), we biked up to the pool for a couple hours to get out all their energy. Reid and Walker both…
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Celebrating Seven Years of Marriage in Bryson City, North Carolina
Drew and I just got back from a quick getaway to Bryson City, North Carolina to celebrate our 7th anniversary. It was an amazing location to enjoy nature, drink good beer and relax with each other. A 24 hour getaway from our boys, really allows us to reconnect, recharge and be better parents and partners to each other. I cannot recommend dating your spouse enough 🙂 We started our mini vacation off by mountain biking near Deep Creek. Y’all I have never mountain biked before and was pretty intimidated as my husband LOVES to mountain bike and is extremely fast on his bike. I am a more slow and steady…
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Polar Express 2020 and Getaway to the Grove Park Inn
We just got back from a wonderful extra long weekend getaway. We started this holiday season off with a trip to western North Carolina to visit my in-laws, experience holiday magic riding on the Polar Express, see Santa and finished our getaway with a parents’ only trip to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville. It was a great time all the way around and now we are slowly easing back into reality! The boys are at such exciting ages and for Reid, who is 4, Christmas magic is in full swing. It brought tears to my eyes seeing him see Santa from a distance while we were at the Polar…
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Anniversary Trip to the Inn at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina
We just got back from an amazing night stay at the Inn at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. We were very hesitant of staying in a hotel given the state of things right now, but decided since we haven’t had a night away in 8 months it was worth the risk. I will say that I was beyond comfortable at the Inn, they are taking precautions and everyone is very respectful in keeping distance and wearing masks. I highly recommend traveling to Asheville or anywhere in Buncombe county right now as the people and visitors are being very diligent. We got to the Inn around 6 on Thursday…
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Father’s Day Weekend Recap: First Visit to See Family in Waynesville, North Carolina
Seeing family is so good for the soul! It has been since February since we have seen Drew’s family and since December since we have seen mine. While we FaceTime often with family, nothing replaces visiting in person. This past weekend, we had our first trip to see my in-laws for Father’s Day weekend. Both of Drew’s step-siblings and sister along with their significant others were there which made the trip that much more special. My in-laws were very kind to keep the boys for an evening on Thursday night while Drew and I ventured to the Inn at Biltmore for a much needed child-free evening (separate post on our…
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Camping with a Toddler and Baby: Our Trip to Balsam, North Carolina
We just got back from our first camping trip as a family of 4. I was apprehensive about camping with a baby and a toddler, but boy I am so happy we did! Drew grew up camping with his family and Boy Scout troop and finds it important that we raise our boys loving the outdoors. I am more of a “city girl” when it comes to the outdoors, but figure that since camping is so important to my husband I could either “join em” or be left out.For our inaugural camping trip with Walker (we went camping with Reid when he was 15 months old), we went to a…
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Father’s Day Weekend Recap: Visiting Waynesville, North Carolina
We had a great long Father’s Day weekend exploring Waynesville with Drew’s family. We have a tradition of going to the mountains on Father’s Day weekend and again in the fall (usually one trip is tent camping). Since we have a three month old, we stayed in a nice cabin on the top of a mountain that overlooked the valley. It was amazing getting to sit in the hot tub with a glass of wine and enjoy the breathtaking view! On Friday morning, we went on a short 2.5 mile hike with both kids! I wore Walker in the K’tan and Drew had Reid in the Ergo. It was amazing…
