{10 Trip} Celebrating TEN ~ Arizona!

So, we wanted to plan a special one-on-one trip with our littles when they turned 10, and with our oldest turning the magic number later this month + our favorite Tigers heading to the CFP National Championship in Arizona, we thought that the perfect little getaway surprise!

When I think of B, I think of Clemson, football, hiking (really nature and anything outside), and presidents, so here we go!

 

From getting up close and personal with all of the important trophies...

  

to getting autographs from some of his favorite players of the past...

we had a wonderful time...

even if our favorite team didn't come out on top.

We also made time to get in a little presidential history, of course, by visiting the Roald Amundsen Pullman Car at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale...

  

Built in 1928, and now listed on the National Historic Register, the Roald Amundsen is best known for being used by every president from Herbert Hoover through Dwight Eisenhower.  In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt and Canadian Prime Minister W. L. McKenzie King signed the agreement that provided for the joint defense of North America, now known as NORAD...

 

Before catching our flight home, we got in a little exercise, too, with an afternoon climb to the top of Camelback Mountain... 

All in all, a great little getaway with our most favorite 10 year old!

{Weekend Adventure} Driving on the Beach

While we had a pretty uneventful drive home, we did make a lunch stop in Daytona Beach...

because you really haven't lived until you've driven ON the beach in your car!  My memories of doing this as a child were way more exciting, but it was a fun adventure, nonetheless...

{Weekend Adventure} Key West, FL

Anyone who knows us at all knows that it isn't a true adventure unless we tie in something presidential or at the very least, educational...  Ha!

So, while already down in Miami, we decided to go on down to Key West.  We hadn't been there since a wedding back in 2007.

Our first stop was a tour at the Harry S. Truman Little White House...

before grabbing the must-do photo op at the Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A. to commemorate the girls' first trip to Key West... 

See my thoughts on extreme points here, along with the ones that we have visited so far...

Lubec, Maine
Angle Inlet, Minnesota
Rugby, North Dakota
Belle Fourche, South Dakota

But, I digress...

We enjoyed dinner at Blue Heaven...

especially the Key Lime Pie...

before starting out on the trek home!

{Weekend Adventure} Go Tigers!

We got up early and headed over to Sun Life Stadium armed with sweet good luck signs...

  

for a day of FUN!

We loved the fan area at the College Football Playoff and enjoyed hearing Phillip Phillips sing...

I schooled the girls on how to snag drumsticks from the band ~ raisin' 'em right, I tell ya!

  

Another GREAT win made it a definitely fabulous start to 2016!

#CUinAZ

{Weekend Adventure} Down to Florida...

Wow!  What an exciting season!!!

Clemson seasons like this don't come along every year, so we just HAD to book it to South Florida to support our beloved Tigers in the College Football Playoff Semifinal!

We were welcomed to Miami with fun billboard signs like this...

Oh, how we love our #4 Deshaun Watson! 

After a little drive through tour of the University of Miami campus, we grabbed lunch at Whisk, which was just plain YUM!

After lunch, we met up with Grams, Pops, and the rest of our crew of 10, and checked into our hotel...

After getting settled, it was about time to eat again, and we ventured downtown to Fork & Balls...

before heading back to the hotel to rest up for the BIG day tomorrow!

Go Tigers!!!

{Girls Trip} - Christmas 2015 - Nutcracker Ballet at The Fox

I've planned on starting a yearly Nutcracker tradition with my girls for years, but have always wanted to wait until M was at least in kindergarten to begin. Since L is now in 1st grade and M is now in 5K, I decided that this would be the year!

Having grown up in Georgia, I have fond memories of seeing a few shows at the historic Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta, the most memorable being The King and I with Yul Brynner headlining it.

The 5 of us got up early, drove down to Atlanta and grabbed lunch at Publik Draft House before Hubby and B headed out to a movie...

 

The magic of The Fox just can't be replicated, and I'm so thankful to be able to share it with my sweet girls!

After the show, we met back up with the boys to share another childhood memory with all 3 - riding the Pink Pig!

It was a special day all around, and I can't wait to do it again next year!