Aren’t we so lucky to have social media to look back for embarrassing photos of these beloved moments???? Here is my oldest brother’s fave memory of me – seeing as how we didn’t really like each other until our adult years, this tracks.
I loved the Christmas we spent in Chicago. From a Rock Band filled morning (without having to watch younger siblings get spoiled) to Christmas dinner at Murphy’s Bleachers bc I didn’t realize the stores would be closed.
Your move holy man.
Also a freezing Seahawks game at Lambeau Field where you talked our seat neighbors into buying you drinks to celebrate Seattle’s only TD while I was in the bathroom. It was fun to spend a holiday together without all the usual obligations to distract us.
Not pictured – BJ shoving me in a huge snowdrift on our walk home from the after-party where we schooled some Packer fans in beer pong. A subtle reminder that we BARELY like each other in our adult years…..
Traveling to Canada has been tricky the past couple of years, but it’s not anymore and if you haven’t been to Whistler…it is such a fun destination in the summer! With so many restaurants and activities to choose from, I thought I would highlight a few in case you find your way up north and want some recommendations!
Where to stay – there are a LOT of hotels and rental options right in Whistler Village and I recommend choosing something in the village so you’re super close to the all of the action! 9 years ago, we stayed at the Aava hotel and loved that option as well. This time around, we went the AirB&B route and LOVED our condo. To save some money, these have full kitchens so shopping and cooking on your own would be great for a family getaway. Our host was amazing and responsive and the place was so cutely decorated and had everything we needed (with it raining so much, we did spend more time than I thought we would in the condo). Ours had a cute pool and hot tub as well which was perfect to come home to each night after a lot of walking (and eating/drinking).
Must-do activity – riding the gondola up Whistler or Blackcomb is a must must activity and is breathtakingly beautiful. It does cost a good chunk of money, but you can spend the whole day/night up there to get your money’s worth. Once you’re up top, there are many sites to see, trails to hike/explore and restaurants to eat at! On top of Whistler in particular, there is the Umbrella bar with a 360 degree view and a great buffet dinner on Friday-Sunday. Watching the mountain bikers head down is also part of the fun!
Where to eat – ummmm…..EVERYWHERE! Seriously there are so many amazing places to eat and since the weather wasn’t great, I’m pretty sure we hit more stops than we originally planned. Here were some of my favorites:
1. Purebread – Okay you know I love my carbs but being in line each morning at 8am when this place opens and the wave of aroma hits you was MAGICAL. There is everything here from sweet to savory and I recommend ordering your own sampler platter and try bits of what you want (and then snag a box of goodies for the ride home as well on your way out).
2. La Cantina Taco Bar – Just good tacos. And guac. And vibes.
3. Dubb Linn Gate Irish Pub – This was the one place we actually remembered from our previous trip 9 years ago and wanted to return. And it did not disappoint….delicious Irish comfort food (the shephard’s pie…..wow) and all the different beers and whiskeys you could imagine.
4. Cow’s Ice Cream – This came recommended to us and I hadn’t heard of it before but the line was always out the door and it was a great treat to snag and walk around the village with.
5. Raven’s Room – This bar was tucked inside a hotel and was hard to find but the drinks were amazing as well as the decor. We didn’t end up eating here but watched others’ food come out and it looked amazing!
Honorable mentions: Earl’s, Hunter Gather, Sachi Sushi (must order the shrimp gyoza made in house), Araxia (super pricey, not worth it IMO but good), Stonesedge (yummy eggs Benedict), The Green Mustache
Although the summer wasn’t fully what we expected – with the Pandemic, most places and activities were shut down (including volleyball for the first time ever – how strange to truly have the summer off!).
But camping was still on the agenda (for us and everyone else in the nation it seems as well based on how busy all campgrounds were!). So in August, we set off for Yellowstone with a bunch of fun stops along the way. Because of the year we had endured so far, all 4 members of Team Hoelzle Brown were ready for some quality time together both in the car, in the trailer and exploring new places.
10 days in our home away from home!
We created some intentions early and our mantra for the trip was “KNOW BETTER, GROW BETTER”. We used this trip for some study materials in the car, interesting journal prompts, and a chance for us to restore and grow our relationships in a better direction (a few of them took some major hits early in the year).
Here are a few highlights –
Stopping to explore any place we wanted!
Pool time every where we could find it!
Roadside stops and breaths.
We set a goal of 100 miles walked/hiked and completed it on the last day!
Such beautiful scenery!
I was that mean Mom that made our kiddos do some learning in the car – we used these workbooks intentionally to fill in our some gaps of learning including some math and a whole lot of “real life” knowledge (that even I needed to grow better in as well).
We had friends and family along our road trip route that we couldn’t pass up the chance to see and catch up with. Here are a few of our fave meet ups!
We love the Englers!
My bestie from college!
Dennison crew.
Cousin Shelby!
Floating adventure.
A few places that we definitely want to return to on a future road trip include: – Fairmont Resort in Montana (hot spring pools, water slide, RV park, and some pool side drinks for the parents) – WSU (yearly pilgrimage perhaps?) – Missoula – hike the M (or was it W?) and loved the KOA there!
Meeting the bears.
Ferdinands!
One of my favorite stops!
Anniversary date at the Coug.
By the time we made it home, we already started planning next year’s adventure – I am so very grateful we have our trailer this summer (and beyond for this Fall and Winter while we’re still shut down from sports and other activities) to still create such special memories.
And I say first, because we have already started planning our next trip back!!
Day (night)1 highlights – Gibbon Falls date night (since the kiddos were both asleep), Artists Paintpots loop (loved this one!), grizzly and bison sightings and Firehole loop. Excited for a full day in the park tomorrow!
Day 2 Yellowstone adventures – Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic and all sorts of other beautiful scenery (including Scott gazing at elk more romantically than he looks at me).
Day 3 Yellowstone highlights – Norris Geyser Basin, south rim trail of Grand Canyon of YS, mammoth springs and a quick stop to play in the river while Kenz and her sore back rested after a LONG but beautiful day.
Here are a few other highlights from my over-instagramming during these couple of days….
Plan for next trip – more hikes!
The wait was worth it for this!
Hehe….
We can’t wait to go back once WonderGIRL’s back is in better shape – and if you’re reading this and planning a trip….my BIG recommendation would be to download the GYPSY app. It acts as a tour guide in the car with some Yellowstone information but also gives you some travel tips along the way – both myself and the kiddos loved this part and it works at all national parks!
We also loved exploring the town of West Yellowstone as well and did a little shopping, eating, hanging out at Lake Hepgen throughout our time here. What a wonderful pitstop on this epic road trip adventure and hopefully we’ll get back here as soon as we can!
I am in awe of his passion and love for this country and their people. I love that this little country (and the Haitian babes) brought us together and paved an amazing path of compassion and service for our future relationship. Here is a picture from 2011 on our second trip together (also known as my most favorite picture of us EVER)…. Unfortunately, my beloved anxious traveler is having a few doubts about leaving us (but mostly the kiddos) for his trip with an amazing charity called One Spirit Medical Missions. We would love your prayers and calming thoughts for him as he travels for the next day and impacts the children and people of Haiti in huge ways through medical outreach for the next 10 days. I am so proud of his work and even more excited that our wonders get to observe firsthand what it looks like to have a servant’s heart and sacrifice comforts, money and leisurely time with us for a greater purpose that he has been called to.
Please also pray for WonderGIRL and WonderBOY to have faith that Daddy will come back home safe and sound and for their own anxious hearts to be filled with the same love and admiration that I do thinking about his outpouring of love and passion for Haiti.
