Amos and I got to experience Hawaii for the very first time this year; back in April/May. We were invited by a close couple who have a timeshare on the island of O'ahu. I was not aware, but Hawaii is comprised of several islands. We visited O'ahu, "The Heart of Hawaii," and the third largest Hawaiian island. We had great weather, the beaches were breathtaking, we saw a lot of the island, and even had a few great meals to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary and our friend's birthday. Below I will share where we ate, stayed, and a basic itinerary; along with some of the photos I took!
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Mardi Gras in New Orleans 2024
This year our family attended Mardi Gras in New Orleans for the first time and it did not disappoint. I was a little skeptical at first because as an adult you only hear about the wild and crazy Mardi Gras experience. Our experience was far from that; very family friendly and enjoyable. We did have the royal treatment in that we went with close family friends who are from New Orleans and go every year so they know the ropes really well. That being said we stayed in Uptown a few blocks to all the parades we went to listed below. This was key because we had little children with us so having a bathroom within walking distance was so nice. Our friends also have family/friends still in the area so we were able to experience some of the festivities kid free and other unique events; like a block party with a brass band and a disco denim contest.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Round Top & Their Amazing Antiques Shows
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Saturday, May 13, 2023
Fredericksburg, Texas Trip 2023: The New Napa Valley
Amos and I decided to take a semi impromptu weekend getaway to Fredericksburg, Texas. I say semi because even though it was relatively last minute trip we did book stuff in advantage that made it easier during our trip to experience more in a short period. Another planning tool that Amos and I started (and I highly recommended) is we made a sharable list in the Notes app on our iphones where we listed wineries we wanted to visits, restaurants we wanted to try, and other areas to visit and we added a check mark on places we had confirmed reservations. Our list got pretty long (at least for the wineries) and we couldn't fit it all in our three day weekend, but we saw our top priorities, know what we want to revisit, and all the places we still need to see.
Amos and I have been to Fredericksburg a few times now, but it has been years and boy has it changed. We stayed again at one of the cabins at the back of Messina Hof and love it. The first time we stayed there you felt like you were in the middle of no where with nothing around you, now you are surrounded by new and upcoming wineries. On the subject of the number of wineries in Fredericksburg it is crazy now. Texas Monthly recently came out with an article saying its the new Napa Valley and we heard from other wineries that Fredericksburg is the second most visited wine destination in the country behind Napa. The main road that takes you into town now is just littered with wineries with new beautiful buildings, sprawling vineyards, and unique attractions that almost give you the feeling you aren't in Texas. We had so much fun and know that we want to make this a yearly trip and can't wait to try some new wineries and go back to some of our favorites.
Girls Trip to North Carolina 2022
Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Home Updates...It's Been A While
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Exploring Marfa Texas
Thursday, January 6, 2022
Mexico City Trip 2021
I love to take time off the last week of the year to give myself a break and a fresh start to the new year. I am crazy busy with work at the beginning of the year so it is nice to have that small break before it all starts back up. We have taken trips during this time on several occasions and always have a blast so when we saw a deal we couldn't pass it up to Mexico City my husband and I booked it right away. Other than purchasing the hotel and plane tickets I can take no other credit for the excursions or restaurant reservations, my husband planned all of it and did an amazing job. I will do a small breakdown of our travel itinerary; we arrived on a Monday and left on a Saturday so had six days (really five when you exclude travel times) to explore the city. We did a lot of tourist things, but I am glad we did them and would recommend these tours and excursions especially if it is your first time visiting. #ashleyryantravels
Saturday, October 23, 2021
Girls Trip to Salem/Boston 2021
One of my closest friends, someone I have known since early childhood, and I have a common love for the fall season; something we don't really have in Texas. So it came as no surprise when she called me up a few months ago to discuss a potential trip to Massachusetts in peak season, October. I said yes immediately and we quickly started to plan our five day weekend getaway. This was my third time visiting Boston and second time to see Salem; however, each time were in off seasons in January where it was very cold and not everything was open.
We decided to stay in Marblehead at The Hotel Marblehead really close to Salem and under an hour drive from Boston. We both did some reading and prep-work before hand on what to expect during one of the busiest times in Boston/Salem. Items included car rentals, limited parking, expected delays getting in and out of Salem during peak times, and reservations. We saw a lot and got to do to almost everything on our to-do lists. I'll share some of the attractions we saw during our trip and some tips on planning and potential issues to avoid.
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Maine Trip 2021 - Exploring Maine
We spent several days exploring surrounding areas and doing very "Maine" things. We went to East Quoddy Lighthouse, which sits at the furthest eastern point in the United Stated. We went to a local bay area to get some fresh lobsters for dinner. Visited a cute town called Lubec, which is right below the Canadian border, and yes we happened to find another brewery haha. Hopefully next year we can cross the bridge over to Canada, I have never been. Our trip was so good and I can't wait to go back. See my other two post here and here.