Just the Two of Us

         

For the first time in forever... Craig and I went on a vacation, and we left our sweet baby at home with the grandparents. Oh don't worry, one minute. I can guarantee she had more fun with them than had she been with us. She was loved on and spoiled rotten for over a week, and we are thankful for the help we received to make this trip possible. The trip was a dream come true for me!

So my sweet, loving, thoughtful husband surprised me in December with a trip to Vancouver for the Women's World Cup. I was beyond excited! Well, the more we started talking the bigger the trip became. Go big or go home, right?? We decided to spend a little over a week in Seattle & Vancouver. The trip did not disappoint, and as much as we missed our sweet little one, it was a wonderful vacation. There is no way to include all of the pictures or details of all the events, so I will just highlight our time in both cities.

Seattle...
Pike's Place Market: I would go every day if I was a local.
Sounders Game: Our first MLS game did not disappoint. Fun atmosphere!
Underground Tour: Great history on the Seattle fire & how the city rebuilt. Very neat tour!
Klondike Gold Rush National Park: Smallest national park but very well done
Chihuly Gardens: Hard to put into words the amazing work of these glass sculptures. Beautiful!
Boeing Tour: Impressive!
Ferry to Bainbridge Island: Incredible views of the city & cute shops.
Mariners Game: Craig loved checking another ball park off the list
Spending time with Mary Brook, Graig, & Maggie: Priceless!!

Vancouver...
Amtrak: Perfect way to travel from Seattle to Vancouver with amazing views
Fox Sports live studio: Enjoyed watching live shows & seeing the set
Pre-Match Party: Fun atmosphere! Mia Hamm led "I Believe..." chant
Granville Island Markets: Not exactly what we expected, a little disappointing
Stanley Park: Horse carriage tour provided lots of history & pretty sights
World Cup Game: USA vs Nigeria...Incredible experience
Capilano Suspension Bridge: 450 ft bridge, a little more wobbly than I expected
Grouse Mountain: Beautiful views of Vancouver
Lion King: Opening night, always a great show

Well, that was a very quick recap of an incredible trip. Thank you to Craig for planning a wonderful trip for just the two of us and for continuing to pour out his love to me. Thank you to our amazing parents who kept our little girl and made her week so much fun! Thank you to Mary Brook & Graig for being great hosts and tour guides in Seattle and for taking time out of their busy schedules to spend time with us. We are incredibly blessed!

Beachin

We kicked off the summer the right way with a long weekend trip to the beach over Memorial Day. The weather was perfect, and little Miss M loved her time in the pool and on the beach. She is fearless and would play in the waves all day long. However, she's not as crazy about the sand. She will scoop and dump it as long as she's on a towel, but don't think about putting those bare feet in the sand. We are thankful to have a place to visit as often as we like and look forward to many more wonderful trips.

 Playing in the sand with Daddy

 Little Miss Independent

 The grandkids with Meme & Papa

 Miriam, Gentry, & Carter

She adores Gentry

 Before dinner one night

 Another night out

The whole family

 You can't go to the beach without taking some pictures.

This face captures it all.

Beautiful Day

Without a doubt, one of Craig's favorite times of the year is the first full week in April, and one of his favorite places is Augusta, GA. It's like Christmas morning, but it lasts an entire week. The way he talks about this place is unlike anything else. Well, this year, I finally had the privilege to see Augusta National Golf Course for myself and through his eyes. It was beautiful, especially being there on Monday before the course was trampled on all week. (Sadly, I don't think our pictures will do this place justice, but I hope you enjoy them none the less.)

I don't think I've ever been anywhere that the men's restroom has a longer line than the women's, and I  know that I've never seen men enjoy shopping any more than they do in the Masters gift shop. I've never seen more men carry bags full of merchandise with genuine smiles and excitement on their faces than I did on Monday. Oh, what a sight! It is a tradition unlike any other.

Hole 13 Azalea

From tee to green there are approximately 1,600 azaleas

The property was once called Fruitland Nurseries and imported numerous trees and plants, many of which still remain on the golf course today. My main purpose for the day was to see the golf course. Yes, I wanted to see some golfers, but I didn't want to follow the big names. We started the day on the practice tee and then went to the gift shop. Next, we walked the entire 18 hole course stopping here and there to catch glimpses of some of the greatest golfers. You knew when one of the greats was coming because of the crowds. We also saw the Par 3 course, Magnolia Lane, the front entrance of the club, and most everything else we were allowed to see. 

Thanks to my cousin, Cody and his wife Amanda, we had a free place to stay. They live in Evans, GA, which was only 15 minutes from Augusta National. The crazy thing is if you went to Augusta to see the club or the course you would miss it. They have high hedges all around the perimeter. The entrance on Magnolia Lane is guarded so strictly that they don't let people take pictures. Thanks Cody and Amanda for being our hosts. We had so much fun!

Rory McIlroy

Adam Scott

Ben Crenshaw

Bubba Watson

Brandt Snedeker

 2015 Masters Champion

Jordan Spieth

Just a few pictures of some of the great golfers we saw playing and practicing. I was disappointed that Phil Mickelson was not there on Monday, but other than him we saw most all of the golfers who competed in the tournament. 

It was an exhausting day, but the weather was perfect. The course was beautiful, and the company couldn't be beat. Thanks Masters lottery for the tickets, Cody & Amanda for the housing, and all the grandparents for keeping sweet M so we could share a tradition unlike any other.

When You Wish Upon a Star

Call us crazy. We took Miriam to Disney World...again! Craig's family went for the entire week of Gentry's Spring Break, so we decided we would join them at the end for a few days. Once again, M was a trooper and did great. She is still unsure about the characters.

We arrived on Wednesday night in time to meet the rest of the family at Chef Mickey's for dinner. M loved the characters from a distance, but it was a completely different story when they came to our table. Needless to say, we gave up on pictures this night.

Our first day was spent at Magic Kingdom. M loved riding Dumbo, the Little Mermaid, and It's a Small World. We took a break in the afternoon so she could take a nap at the hotel before our princess character dinner at Epcot. 

We met Belle, Snow White, Aurora, Mulan, and Ariel. M was not as scared of the princesses, but it still took her a little while to warm up to them. 

We spent day 2 at Animal Kingdom. We had an early character breakfast, so we arrived before the park opened. It was nice to walk through the park and past the tree without the crowds. M loved dancing at breakfast, seeing the animals on the safari, and watching the Nemo show. 

On our last day, we started at Magic Kingdom with the welcome show and a few rides. We went to Epcot for a few hours, but M slept most of the time. She did wake up to have her picture made with Mickey, Goofy, & Minnie. We finished our trip with dinner at Be Our Guest and a few more rides at Magic Kingdom. Craig enjoyed late hours on the last night with Charlie while the rest of us slept. 

Thanks Meme & Papa for a wonderful trip.