We had a lot of fun and already can’t wait to go back next year.
Mamas was tired after though!!!!
Cabin camping
Tag: exploring
Day 4 at California Adventure
California Adventure kind of sucked hahahahaha. There were only a small handful of rides my son was tall enough for and even less for my daughter. So many rides were closed, things didn’t open when the park did. There was just a lot that was disappointing. We did manage to occupy ourselves for the whole day but we were super glad we only went there for 1 day.
And that’s a wrap!!!!
It was long and exhausting but I am so glad we did it. I loved watching their little eyes light up and watching them explore so many new things.
I wish the food was better for the prices they charge. I wish some of the characters were more easily accessible or accessible at all. There were no characters from Encanto which my daughter loves and to see Anna and Elsa you had to wait in a line forever and they were behind doors until you got up there so you couldn’t even wave at them and see them if you didn’t want to wait in line.
I don’t see us going back for a very long time, if ever. It’s just soooooo dang expensive! They really do nickel and dime you…..or should I say like $20 and $50 you.
I was very happy with the time of year we went though. Granted with small kids we didn’t go on some of the most popular rides with the longest waits but with the use of watching the app for wait times and trying to be smart the longest we waited was about 20min for a ride. So, I am incredibly thankful for that because I don’t think they would have tolerated much longer.
All in all I am so glad for the memories but I don’t need to do it again.
Disneyland Day 3
Another long, fun day.
Disneyland Day 2
Star Wars land is freaking cool! Very immersive feeling….but! Only 2 rides and the rest is all shops……seems gimmicky for a whole land….but 100% worth exploring…..if you are there.
Disneyland Day 1
As if I wasn’t crazy enough to sign up for a long race with 2 kids under 3 I then decided that with only 1 day of rest we would spend 4 days at Disneyland.
Don’t know how but we picked a great time to go. During the day, we were almost always able to find a ride that had less than a 20 minute wait. I can tell you anything longer than that and your kids are going to freak out. Even the 20 minutes my daughter would get really fidgety by the end. Snacks are key.
Lincoln City Kite Festival
We took a quick overnight trip to the coast to spend some time with friends and see the kite festival. This was my first time going to the kite festival…….and will probably be my last hahahaha. The kites were cool but I found it pretty lackluster as far as a festival goes.
It will go down as a good memory and I’m glad we did it but it was absolutely not our best executed trip hahaha. We had a fair few tantrums.
We played on the beach until we had access to the AirBnB we were going to share with friends
The house was right on the beach and had a great view
We can’t go anywhere without injuries hahahaha
After an early afternoon of playing on the beach and walking around we played on the rental houses deck and ordered a pizza
Little man slept in a big boy bunk bed!!!
Sleeping was absolutely terrible. The room was facing west so we had the sunset which in Oregon is not until 9:30 with full darkness, not until about 10: 30pm and while he doesn’t sleep in a completely dark room, it’s a pretty dark room so it took him forever to fall asleep. He did not go to sleep until about 10: 15 p.m.
Then the casino about a mile and a half away had fireworks and some drunken neighbors decided to sing along to them, thankfully this did not wake either kid up. Then at 11:45 p.m. drunken people on the beach set off a huge fireworks that lit up the entire room for about 30 minutes which woke the baby up.
The next morning was a slow leisurely morning (I ordered Starbucks through door dash because I could not keep my eyes open). Little man woke us all up at 5:30am We had breakfast with the whole house then played on the very windy beach.
My friend and her family were in the house with us too. The babies played together a bit
Then it was time for us to pack up and head home!
It was an absolutely exhausting trip and I’m still exhausted today even after going to sleep an hour early, but I’m glad we did it. I’m going to try and go to sleep early again tonight
European Cruise: Day 8 Sicily
Sicily, Italy! We are in port from 7am to 7pm today. I have no planned excursion today but most of my travelling companions do so I was just gonna walk around on my own.
I slept in until 8 then got up and went to breakfast then Carra’s grandma and I headed out for a little walk in the town.
We meandered along looking at the pretty buildings.
Got cappuccinos
Wandered around some more
Then stopped for wine and bruscetta before getting back in the boat to relax and read.
We went to an actual sit down dinner that had great food and tiramisu for dessert!!
Then I went with Carra’s grandma to a 50s and 60s music trivia thing then went to a little game show that I was terrible at hahahahaha. I only lasted 8 seconds before I said the word I’m not supposed to.
Then I wandered around for a few minutes then went to bed.
European Cruise: Day 3 Venice!!!
Today is all about exploring and experiencing everything Venice has to offer…..that I can afford, let’s remember I am on a budget.
Last night we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (that is the tourist spot my friends like to hit everywhere) I get it, I like to get the starbucks You Are Here mugs.
Then we went straight home and passed out!!!! My bed was a little hard on my back so I tossed and turned a bit but we all slept for about 10 hours!!
Up at 10am, everyone is showering and getting ready!
Time to explore!
But first breakfast! Espresso and pastry.
Oh man, did you know you aren’t supposed to drink the tap watsr I’m Venice? So we have to keep thinking about buying bottled water.
We travelled around on the vapparetto and saw the outside of islands.
I had pizza in Italy for lunch!!
Then we hopped off the vapparetto and ended up in an almost empty part of Venice which was amazing!!!
Totally happy I got to see this classic Italy scene!
Piazza San Marco!
Enjoyed a glass of wine in the afternoon and people watched
Then we took a walking tour
Saw some amazing things
Then it was Gondola time!
And of course, pasta!!!!!!
And now it’s back to sleep cause we are leaving at 5am to catch a train to Verona!
Goodnight!
Stitch Fix for Europe!!!
Good morning!!!
Europe is coming up quick and after asking my roommate about her packing situation and realizing we have 2 formal dinners on the cruise I thought I might need a little more style to add to my wardrobe for the trip. So I my clothes will be have stylish have workout clothes hahaha. I ordered a stichfix and for the first time gave them a dollar amount that I needed to stay with and they totally listened! She was actually $1 under my budget! I was impressed. But I won’t be keeping the whole box unfortunately. I wish they gave you like 10 things instead of 5. But here is what was in the box:
This necklace is actually on point for my style but so much so that I have at least 2 necklaces that are pretty similar hahaha.
This doesn’t wow me or unwow me. I have been starting to lose weight so in another 10lbs it will look totally cute but I have a few things in this style already.
LOVE this shirt, it is cute and comfy and has Polka Dots which are totally my jam. It is adorable and conservative so I can wear it to the more strict dress code places in Europe like Vatican City. and it is loose a breezy so I shouldn’t be dying on a hot day. This is definitely a keeper.
This dress is the style I love, its empire waist-like and its a dark green color which I love, it would be great in fall with leggings and boots and I like the neckline design, it makes it cute but still classy because it doesn’t really show cleavage. But again I have a dress pretty similar to this so I unfortunately don’t need to spend the extra money on something similar.
The fifth piece is this kimono cover thing. I don’t hate it but I don’t love it. I can see how it would be cute with jeans and a tank top in the fall and the colors are great but I am not 100% sold on it. And if my first thought isn’t “omg I have to have it” then it goes back.
That leaves me with the polka dot shirt. Maybe I will check out target and some discount websites.
Have you tried Stitchfix yet?
Here is my referral code if you have not.
https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/7169629?sod=w&som=c
Ariana’s travel tips
- plan, plan, plan- I know some people like to fly by the seat of their pants and that is great but in some cases you need to plan. If you are not on a budget then you might have a little more room to play with this but if you are on a budget, as I always am, planning is your best friend. Also if you only have a limited amount of time planning ahead can save you hours of wasted time standing in line.
- research- Groupon is international if you didn’t know. For most places if you do a little research you can find inexpensive skip the line passes, semi-guided tours, activities and so much more at reduced costs and it definitely saves you on those hours in line.
- planning and research also help you squeeze in as much as possible in a short time period. For example we are packing Venice into a day and a half then on our last day in Venice which would have been a 3/4 day anyways we are instead taking the train and spending a few hours each in Verona, Florence and Pisa before laying our heads down in our AirBnB accommodations in Rome.
- Think outside the box when it comes to lodging- you don’t have to stay in a nice hotel to feel luxurious when traveling. If you once again research you can find nice places for a lot less expensive. I have stayed in some seriously nice hostels and and used AirBnB several times when I have travelled. If you are traveling with friends AirBnB is a great choice. We have accommodations in the heart of Venice, Rome and Barcelona through AirBnB that are less than $150/night, whole apartment in each place, split the cost between everyone and you are looking at $20-30/night for each person in a nice place. and having and entire apartment means you have a kitchen so you can hit the market and make a few meals to save some money. You are still eating locally!!!
- Do a few things that aren’t overrun by tourists- on my first morning in Venice after some coffee and a pastry I plan on walking the opposite direction of the crowds and will continue to do this. That is how I will explore Venice, going the opposite direction of the crowds (obviously do a little research on places you should avoid and use common sense, if you turn down a street and it feels sketchy, backtrack quickly).
- Safety!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!- Be safe, research the places you are going, know the areas to avoid, know the laws and customs. Pay attention to the dress code. If something or someone doesn’t feel right get out of that situation and place ASAP. Think before you act. If you are alone, don’t get so drunk that you are impaired. That movie TAKEN with Liam Neeson is a fun thriller but it is also real, people are kidnapped and murdered every day, enjoy your vacation but be smart and be aware.
- common sense should see you through-if you wouldn’t do it at home don’t do it abroad. Again take 10 minutes and learn about the place that your are going, I would sunbath topless in Ibiza, I would cover all tattoos and most skin in the middle east, different place different experience.
- Check in. Give someone at least a vague itinerary of where you will be and when you will be there and when you will be home so someone will know if you don’t arrive. Try and check in at least ever 72 hours (I tend to check in at least once every 24 hours) you can find a free or very cheap internet café almost anywhere. And most cell phones have international coverage if you check. It will cost me $.55 every day to send 1 text message to my mom and get one back from her both acknowledging we know I am alive. $.55/day is not much to ensure piece of mind.
- Be a dork. Take selfies and make stupid faces and journal and take videos. Who cares what the people around you think, in 5, 10, 15 years you are going to be so glad you can look back on those memories.
- Be respectful. It may not be your culture, religion or favorite food but it is theirs. You wouldn’t want someone to bad mouth your way of life so don’t do that to anyone else. You don’t have to believe in it or even accept it but don’t be mean about it. Step to the side, quietly leave the church, discreetly bow out of the ceremony, say thank you and try the tiniest bite you can manage.
- lastly HAVE FUN!!!!! You may never be back, you may never experience something like this again so drink it all in. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way and truly live this experience.
Trailing the blonde 