• Sea to Sky Gondola ride
    Canada,  Summer,  Travel

    Sea to Sky Gondola: Adventures in Squamish

    If you are planning a trip to the Whistler area, the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish is definitely worth checking out. Squamish is located between Vancouver and Whistler. The Sea to Sky base camp is about 2 kilometres south of Squamish, directly on the Sea to Sky Highway/Hwy 99. This fairly new attraction opened up in 2014 and has exceeded projected visitors by 40%. It’s no surprise that this is such a popular destination. With so many different ways to experience Sea to Sky, this was easily one of the highlights from our trip to Whistler. Originally we planned to do the Peak to Peak Gondola in Whistler, but some of our…

  • Lavender Festival In Hood River
    Garden,  Oregon,  Snacks,  Summer,  Travel

    Lavender Daze Festival in Hood River

    I have always wanted to visit a lavender farm in full bloom and this weekend I finally made it happen. The Hood River Lavender Farm is nestled between Mt Hood and Mt Adams in the Hood River Valley, about an hours drive from Portland. One weekend a year, they host Lavender Daze where lavender enthusiasts can wander around the lavender farm, taking in the mountain views and breathing in the heavenly scent of lavender growing all around. Local artisans and craftsmen have booths set up for you to shop if you so desire, or just grab a chair and listen to the live band playing while sipping a glass of…

  • Birthday,  Celebrations,  Summer

    Camping Birthday Party

    Happy Campers As a mom it’s always so much fun to watch your kids’ interest evolve over the years. When planning their birthdays I pay attention to what they are currently obsessed with and then I run with it. This summer while we were out hiking on our National Parks vacation, my youngest mentioned to me that maybe he would like a National Parks themed birthday party. We brainstormed ideas for a while and had fun coming up with ways to incorporate our theme, but once we got back from our trip he decided maybe a camping theme would be better. I was pretty excited for his new suggestion because I think there are so many…

  • Junk refunk vintage maket truck
    Home Decor,  Money Saving Tips,  Summer

    Junk Refunk: Vintage Market

    Junk Refunk: Vintage Market Today there were three amazing vintage junk sales on my calendar that I wanted to explore. Two of them were within 45 minutes of each other, so those are the two we decided on. Our first stop was the Outdoor Vintage Market at Wade Creek House Antiques in Estacada. This was set up like a farmers market combined with other vendors selling antiques and handmade repurposed items. I didn’t end up finding any treasures at this sale, but my friend Anne walked away with a cool rustic mirror framed in barn wood for her bathroom.  These pillows are all the rage over on Instagram and I…

  • road trip essentials
    Desert Southwest,  Great American Road Trip,  Quick Tips,  Summer,  Travel

    Top 10 Things to Bring on a SW Desert Road Trip

    Little Essentials to Make Your Road Trip to the Desert States More Enjoyable Prior to our recent road trip, I tried to be mindful of all the things that might come in handy for my family who would be spending a large amount of time in a very dry environment. I kept watching the forecast to see the temps for the Las Vegas, NV and St George, UT areas and they were both consistently over 100 degrees for days on end. The average temps were around 106 degrees. As a native Oregonian, our summers are very comfortable, usually in the mid 80’s. We typically top out at 100 degrees, but it only…