Silverwood as a Team of Five!

To be honest it’s a little nerve wracking to travel as a team of five by ourselves to an amusement park but we decided we would figure it out! Truth be told we enjoy traveling without an agenda and we totally don’t mind meeting others at destinations but at times it’s nice to figure things out on our own especially when we’re practicing in order to start traveling further. So we loaded up the car and set out to our location in this case Silverwood! And when I say we loaded the car I mean we loaded up the playpen, stroller, blankets for each kiddo for their comfort, their snacks/milk, baby bottle, water bottles, clothing, pain meds just in case and a tablet for each of the older two (just for the car ride). To be honest at times it takes the kids and I a few hours to pack in order to make sure we don’t forget anything but that’s okay I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We decided to stay in Post Falls, Idaho this time around but will definitely stay in Coeur d’ Alene next times around just because they will more than likely have more options when it comes to eating. The hotel: SureStay Plus by Best Western Post Falls we stayed at was decent, it had a pool and a good breakfast so definitely met our needs and best of all it was only about 25 minutes away from Silverwood. Once at Silverwood we made sure to take our water bottles in along with unopened water bottles as well as the baby’s stroller packed with the diaper bag, milk and snacks. We bought our tickets online ahead of time and that saved us some money, so I definitely recommend going online and purchasing your tickets ahead of time even if it’s in the parking lot of Silverwood at https://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/tickets/ . You will have to pay for parking but you can pay in cash or card and it’s about $10 a day which isn’t bad at all.

I would say that with littles ranging from the age of infant to 8 years old the time of amount we spent at the theme park was perfect, we were there from about 11am and headed home about 8:30pm. In our case the car was comfortable enough for them, they were tired after so much fun, had a full belly and had gone potty so they slept the whole way home which in our case was about 4 hours. Now let me tell you about the excitement they had for the day and why we plan on coming back in about 3-4 years once our smallest is old enough to ride a lot more rides.

Our oldest was able to get on the following roller coasters and enjoyed each one of them so much, in some cases so much that he rode them more than once: The Corkscrew and The Stunt Pilot. Our two oldest rode Butterflyer, Carousel, Frog Hopper, Puppy Go Round, Roaring Creek Log Fume, Thunder Canyon and we all ended the evening with The Steam Engine Train. If you have little ones who like their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, they sell some amazing little souvenir lunch boxes for them at the Kidz Kafe and if you love pizza then you will want to make sure to try Caselli’s Pizzeria. And if you want to try some amazing funnel cakes for $5 before 5PM then you will definitely want to stop at the Sugar Shack!

Just in case you’re wondering what the costs were for a one night stay, check out the following:

Silverwood Budget for a Team of Five – 1 night stay
Hotel –	$120
Gas –	$150
Tickets –	$226
Food –	$150
Total –	$646

Well Silverwood you were a blast and we will be back!! Until then this Cowgirl’s gotta go and plan her next family outing.

Kalaloch & Sol Duc Hot Springs – Summer 2022

It’s the summer break and for the first trip as a family of five we headed off to Kalaloch with a couple stops. The trip itself was a total of a little over 8 hours, ahhh that’s a little too long in the car when you have littles with you so we made a couple of stops. We made sure to stop in Silverdale which was about half ways to our destination. We stayed at a nice hotel – the Best Western Plus: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotels-in-silverdale/best-western-plus-silverdale-beach-hotel/propertyCode.48174.html . This hotel was right in the middle of town which is great when you have little ones and might need to stock up on some forgotten items. The hotel had a nice little private beach as well as a good hearty breakfast. If you are looking for a place to stay in Silverdale I highly recommend this hotel – the staff was super nice, the hotel was nice and secure and in great condition.

On the second day we headed off to Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, the cabins are pretty simple but they get the job done. If you are traveling with children I would highly recommend you get one with a full kitchen if it’s available. I saw a blue jay for the first time while we were there, we did a small hike/walk to Sol Duc Falls and also enjoyed the hot springs while we were there. I had never been to any hot springs in my life so that was a good experience and my children really enjoyed themselves. I hear that there are other places where you can experience hot springs around the area without staying at the resort but I’m not exactly sure where that might be. Note to self for the future, there is no phone reception but thank God the resort itself had a land line that we were able to use should the need arise.

While we were at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort I learned : Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort offers three Mineral Hot Spring soaking pools and one Freshwater Pool. The spring water comes from rain and melting snow, which seeps through cracks in the sedimentary rocks where it mingles with gasses coming from cooling volcanic rocks. I would say that if you’re looking to experience hot springs this is a location that you should definitely check out. They have the options of staying in cabins as well as camping options. The lodge itself has a restaurant with a little bit of something for everyone, they don’t have a huge menu but then again you are able to pack in your own food so it all works out. https://www.olympicnationalparks.com/lodging/sol-duc-hot-springs-resort/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=places&utm_campaign=google_places&utm_source=google&utm_medium=places&utm_campaign=google_places

Our final destination: Kalaloch Lodge: https://www.thekalalochlodge.com/about is a gorgeous place to stay, it is located in the Olympic National Park. The cabins are amazing for families, they are super comfy, clean and they have a fully equipped kitchenette area. All the cabins are great but we did love that ours was really close to the water area. Our children enjoyed playing on the beach as well as going a on a short drive to check out the tide pools. Something to note: The beach is not a warm beach, it’s a little on the cooler side so if you’re looking for something super warm like what you would find in California in the summer this is definitely not that but if the wind isn’t blowing too much the weather can be pretty nice. We had good weather during our trip, we had sun, no rain and not too much wind which made our stay enjoyable and allowed for plenty of times in the outdoors.

We had a good time on our first trip as a family of five and are looking forward to many more trips in the future. My children already let me know we will be back to Kalaloch so I guess I will have to put that in our Organized Chaos planner down the road. In the meantime I’m going to continue staying busy making memories with our littles. Hasta Luego!

Thanksgiving 2019 – Silver Star Mountain in Vernon, BC

This year since our youngest was still little we opted for something a little closer for the Thanksgiving holiday, we got all packed up and took of to Silver Star Mountain which is located about 4 hours and 30 minutes away from us. That is if you’re traveling with grown kiddos and grownups, so needless to say it was about an hour of travel more for us. We have an amazing little boy who has been potty trained since he was two so our trip required potty stops. And of course my sweet baby girl required her breastfeeding sessions. But all in all they are definitely dream worthy traveling children.

So let’s start from the planning, our family is big into Nordic Skiing so we decided to go somewhere we could do just that. Just an FYI my sweet boy has an amazing daddy who also happens to be one of the best coaches around considering he himself has been on those Nordic tracks since he was a baby himself. Me, myself and I, well I married into this love of cross country skiing but I do rather enjoy it myself the super flat slopes that is and the amazing workout it provides. Since my husband has been to Silver Star Mountain many times before we decided we would all go together for Thanksgiving, just the 4 of us.

We booked a little condo on Silver Star Stays – https://silverstarstays.com/ . Let me tell you that is who you want to go through, they have the most amazing staff and great condos, in our case we literally stepped out the door and we’re right on the Nordic track and by a great sledding hill. They made everything so convenient and easy! We will be back and will be using their site again.

When traveling with a toddler and baby packing isn’t always easy but we got it done. All the clothing bags, the special Oso blanket, the diapers, hygiene items, the toys, the sleeping pack away crib, the meds just in case, the Thanksgiving food and of course all our ski gear. The booking part is easy, the packing part is a little stressful at times but I have also learned to make lists and really if we forget something we stop at the store and buy it. And the getting there part is really not as bad once you get all settled into your mode of transportation.

When we left our home we had no snow whatsoever, but what do you know, you drive a few hours and you are able to find plenty of snow to ski in! Our sweet boy loved this trip, he loves Nordic Skiing and definitely takes off after his daddy. Our princess and I relaxed inside most of the time as it was a bit cold for her but we enjoyed the bonding time. And I was able to go venture out once my husband and sweet boy got back. They got a lot of skiing in and we all got a break from reality and quality family time and for that I am thankful.

We did venture into the village and enjoyed that as well, they have so many different little shops. Really something for everyone! So many different cute little shops – https://www.skisilverstar.com/shopping-services/ . And we brought our food in this case since we planned a Thanksgiving meal but they definitely offer many restaurant options – https://www.skisilverstar.com/restaurants/ . Our littles are still a little young to actually enjoy a full sit-down meal but that’s okay God willing, we will be back to try some of those restaurants in the future.

Silver Star Mountain is an amazing location to have family vacations and they have so many different things to do. This Travelin’ Cowgirl definitely recommends it for everyone!

Always busy, always making memories – Family Traveling at its best!

Silverwood Theme Park – Athol, Idaho

The summer of August 2018 we decided we would hit the road and meet up with our close friends – Tia Theresa and Tio Joe over in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in order to take our babies to Silverwood Theme Park. Our child was potty trained so we made sure to carry the potty in the back of the car since we lived close to 4 hours away from our destination and needless to say he did great – no accidents. We have definitely been blessed because our child did great on the drive over and on the drive back so we will definitely be back. The weather was perfect, nice and hot but not too hot. We rented a house through VRBO and the kids had a great time playing together both inside the house and outside in the yard where they were also able to check out the owner’s chickens.

We went to Silverwood on Coug Day – Go Cougs!! Which was great because we were able to get a great deal on the park tickets and had an awesome lunch. We were able to also check out the water park and the babies loved it. Since our kiddos weren’t that big they couldn’t ride some of the rides but that was okay because they enjoyed being in the atmosphere. They did get to ride the train, carousel and helicopter rider and they loved every second of it. If you are looking to have a good time with your family and friends then I highly recommend taking some time to go to Silverwood Theme Park. You will not be disappointed, they have amazing food options, thrilling rides including but not limited to different roller coasters and their amazing Boulder Beach. This cowgirl and her family will definitely be back, maybe we’ll even convince our friends to go back with us!

Thanksgiving 2018 Birthday trip San Diego – Sea World, Old Town, Balboa Park, Sunset Cliffs and Mission Beach

My sweet cowboy, this was probably the best vacation trip for you because you honestly loved it all day in and day out.  We flew out from SeaTac Airport because God knows Mami prefers to fly whenever possible and since we knew that you were already a great traveler we weren’t nervous this time.  This time around we actually ended up being able to park a lot closer and literally just walked across the sky bridge into the airport, while your daddy carried you and I carried your car seat.  Of course we both had our backpacks on and this time you were potty trained!!  And since Mami and Daddy like to make sure you’re happy when you travel so that we’re happy, we made sure to fly out at the crack of dawn which in our case turned out to be around 5am, perfect timing because as soon as we boarded and were in the air we fell back asleep until we arrived in San Diego.  
We arrived in San Diego and then had to take the shuttle to get our rental car, which you loved helping us pick.  So, we settled your car seat in and off we went to check in to our hotel, which we made sure had a swimming pool for you and Daddy to play in.  We did so many things during this trip and it’s probably a good thing we skipped the zoo this time around because we had a lot more places to check out during our short visit.  We walked around through Old Town which of course as a toddler you loved exploring, we made sure to get some yummy candy for you to try out.  We checked out Balboa Park and let me tell you, you fell in love with the little train so Mami and Daddy both took turns riding it with you.
We also went and did some walking at Sunset Cliffs Beach, which honestly made Mami a little nervous because I’m pretty protective of you and pray that God always keeps you safe and out of harm’s way.  You loved it, and I thought it was okay as long as I was holding you or your Daddy was carrying you.  I only recommend this walk if you’re super careful with your toddlers because there are some areas that are scary and can be dangerous.  After each of our adventures we always made sure to get you yummy food to eat and we made sure to go to the grocery store to get you fruit as well since you are not too fond of fast food.  
We visited Mission Beach and like all my past visits to San Diego, it’s still one of my favorite beaches even more so now that I get to watch you play around in the water with your Daddy.  Mission Beach is great in the fact that it’s long, sandy, has many businesses on the beach strip and of course the weather never disappoints at Mission Beach.  Needless to say, we will be back Mission Beach and I hope that you my child always enjoy it just as much as I do, if not more.
Sea World, was the best experience ever – we went on Thanksgiving Day and have decided that when we go back, we will be back on Thanksgiving Day because it’s not overcrowded and the ticket deals for Black Friday are the best!  Let’s not forget that if you pay for the food bracelet you can eat throughout the whole day!  That’s not even the best part, the best part is that on Thanksgiving Day everything switches to Christmas Theme, everything!!  My sweet boy your favorite part of this day was meeting Rudolph, you liked him so much that at the end of the night show you actually cried so much we were really worried at first until we realized you just didn’t want Rudolph to leave and we were able to console you.  You got to meat Santa Claus and all the elves thought you were the cutest little boy they had ever seen with your curly hair.  You ate like a champ, rode rides like no other and had an amazing day without a nap starting from opening of the park to right before the closing of the park.  Needless to say, I’m sorry we had to trick you into leaving and getting you in the car but don’t worry you were asleep before we even pulled out of the parking lot.  Mami (This Cowgirl) and Daddy look forward to many more Thanksgiving trips with you and any of your future siblings.

Newport Beach, Oregon

My family and I, in 3 separate cars made our way to Newport, Oregon last Friday morning for my little sister’s wedding. So we left our parent’s home at 730am and arrived a little after 130pm.  We have a 17 month old that we thank God each and everyday for. Not only is he our perfection but boy is he the best traveler ever. We only stopped once after 4 hours in the car and he was happy go lucky. Granted we made sure to take snacks, bottles and water and his toys.

While in Newport Beach we stayed at the Agate Beach Best Western in Newport, Oregon.  It was a nice hotel and had a path right down to the beach which was awesome for all the little ones.  The one thing that I was suprised about was that it didn’t have a continental breakfast included in the price like other Best Westerns but it did have a restaurant on site which was convenient.  With little ones it just seems to be easier to get something to go most of the time because it does take a while for food to get order, served and then consumed.  This time around I was able to sit down with my family for a little bit while my husband took our little one out to the beach where I joined them as soon as I finished breakfast.

Newport Beach is a great beach for a family’s first trip it’s not super crowded and the sand is super soft for everyone to play in. And I was told by my massage therapist that we needed to go to the aquarium which we did and we didn’t regret it all.  Oregon Coast Aquarium is one of the nation’s top-10 aquariums and has both indoor and outdoor exhibits.  My son’s favorite was the the walkway as we saw all the fish, sharks and starfish. It only took us about 2 hours to walk through the whole aquarium and when you have a baby that’s perfect.  The pricing wasn’t bad either it was about $40 for both my husband and I, and our son is younger so he was free.

Food – we didn’t get to try as many places as we wanted to but if you’re looking for authentic Thai you need you need to check out the Elephant Thai.  The only thing I would change is that I will listen next time when they recommend the mild spicy, but either way the food was great even if I thought it was a little spicier than I thought it was going to be.  Aside from that we did stop at some of the regular places like Subway and Starbucks.  And in case your forget something they do have a super Wal-Mart which is also awesome to grab some food on the go!

Down the main street you will find many cute little shops so take a walk buy some souvenirs or get yourself a cute kite to fly.  In addition to that you can go visit the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse or Yaquina Head Lighthouse which we were able to view from afar but didn’t have time to stop this time around.   If you’re there on the weekend the Saturday Farmer’s Market has something for everyone – the flowers were beautiful, so many jewlelry options, food options and more.   And if you’re looking for a great place to get married where they will take care of everything for you and you just have to show up go to Stone Crest Cellars -http://www.stonecrestbb.com/ – which is right by the beach.

But whatever you may decide to do, do take the time to get your feet wet as you walk by the beach and if you’re a blessed mama such as myself play in the sand building those sand castles because we blink and those years fly by.  Until next time everyone, this cowgirl needs to plan that next trip for her little cowboy.

Ocean Shores w/Family!

I can honestly say this was our little family’s first official trip alongside quite few other members of our family.  Really it was what my siblings and I call our Sibling Trip which of course was great fun. I do have to say that due to road construction our drive over was a little longer than any of us cared for especially those of us with children. But once we got there it was well worth it.  During this trip there were a total of 10 of us so instead of staying at a hotel we rented a vacation rental – Damon Point House.

I do have to say that I love VRBO.com it’s awesome and will always help you find what you need as long as you don’t wait until the last minute and even then you might get lucky. We stayed at the Damon Point House and were within walking distance to the beach and within a 5-10 minute drive into town.  We enjoyed a lot of family time, saw quite a few deer, spent time on the beach, some enjoyed hot tubing and some of group even went on a little Moped tour around town.  And my brother and his family enjoyed the Bj’s family fun center.   The weather wasn’t bad for the most part it was sunny but did rain a little the first night.

Ocean Shores is a great little family beach town with something for everyone.  There are different little restaurants, moped tours and family fun centers all close to the beach.  We didn’t go out to eat during this trip as we had a house with a BBQ grill and full kitchen at our disposal but maybe next time we will venture out.  This is a great place for couples, friends and family.  My niece and nephew enjoyed Ocean Shores and our rental house so much that they didn’t want to go home  and I for one am delighted our baby enjoyed the beach and look forward to more traveling!  So if you ever find yourself wondering which little beach town you should go to, you won’t be disappointed with Ocean Shores.  Until next time everyone, these cowboy boots still have quite a few miles to go!

 

 

Where the West still lives – Toppenish, WA

Toppenish, WA

Growing up across the bridge I spent some time in Toppenish, WA because it’s Toppenish that had the most when it came to shopping and dining options back in the day.  I also had the honor of representing Toppenish as Toppenish Rodeo Princess back in my younger days.  As I grew older it was also in this town that I worked at my first fast food job, at the local Miller’s Dairy Queen.  Quite a few of my other friends worked there and eventually my siblings, our bosses were awesome they understood our need for sports and high school events – not many get lucky like that at their first job.  In addition to Miller’s Dairy Queen, you will find great Mexican food at the Villasenor’s Restaurant and many other dining options in the small town of Toppenish, WA.

Through out the year there are many different events that take place such as one of my favorite the Toppenish Rodeo, Mural in a Day and the Train Depot also offers many mini-events such as the Train to the North Pole and many others.  Along with that different concerts are held at the Rodeo grounds in the summer, Pow Wow’s also take place at the fair grounds and a fair during the 4th of July weekend.  And if you really want to try your luck, don’t forget to stop by the Legend’s Casino which keeps growing every year and has a pretty good buffet.  So if you are ever in the Lower Yakima Valley make sure to stop by the small town of Toppenish, WA.

 

 

2015 Thanksgiving in Utah!

This Thanksgiving we were able to travel to a new state that I’ve never been too, we went to Utah to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with my our friends.  It was about a little over a 10 hour drive, some of that drive was a little slower due to their being snow and icy conditions in certain parts of our road trip.  We left our home right after work on Wednesday and stopped half-ways at our middle point in Boise, Idaho a little before mid-night as we only stopped at a fast-food restaurant for a quick dinner.  We stayed at the Inn America Boise, which is located by the airport but in reality it wasn’t noisy at all and due to some Orbitz points that we had accumulated our stay was less than $50 and included breakfast.  Even though it was that cheap, we did have a clean and decent room, good breakfast and the staff was great.  Thankfully my husband drove most of that night because I don’t really care to drive in the night and being pregnant I was a little tired, thank God for heated seats those do wonders on one’s back especially when you’re pregnant.

Thanksgiving Day we woke up, had breakfast and checked out of our hotels.  I had made sure to pack some snacks such as chips, fruits and drinks beforehand so that we wouldn’t have to look for a grocery store along the way whenever I got hungry.  With that being said, make sure to pay attention to your gas needle so that when it’s getting closer to empty you don’t realize this after you’ve already passed all of the gas stations like I did.  We unfortunately had a 30 minute detour because I wasn’t paying close enough attention and due to it being Thanksgiving some of the places were closed for the day.  We made it to our friends’ home in Farmington, Utah around mid-afternoon and since we are pretty lucky to have awesome friends they had already taken care of most of our Thanksgiving meal.  We had a great Thanksgiving dinner and watched football, which is always great if you enjoy football which all of us do.

 The day after Thanksgiving we went out to venture around and were able to go to Antelope Island State Park which is located about 41 miles north of Salt Lake City.  The Entrance fee is actually pretty decent and it only costs $10 per vehicle with up to 8 people in the car.   The Antelope Island State Park is a great place to visit even when it’s cold out.  This state park offers many different options for everyone, for those interested there are trails for hiking, mountain biking and even horseback riding.  In addition to all the different trails you are able to stroll along the sandy beaches or even take a dip in the salty waters.

While we were visiting Antelope Island we were able to see free-ranging bison, as we were driving on our way back to my friend’s home.  In addition to that others have seen mule deer, bighorn sheep and antelope among other desert animals, so who knows which animal you might see if you visit the state park.  Our mini-vacation in this case as always was not nearly long enough, especially since I don’t get to see my best friend nearly enough.  Utah is a great state to visit and has something for everyone, so next you are wondering whether it’s worth the drive or flight rest assured and know that it will be time well spent.  So as you can imagine this cowgirl is looking forward to her next trip to Utah, until next time ya’ll.

Cia da Italia – Hello from Italy!

Italy – September 2015

So this year for our big trip we decided on Italy.  We did a mini – getaway after our wedding to Chelan, Washington before all the fires broke out.  So I guess you could say that this trip was a combination of a later honeymoon, early babymoon – since we got to work on that right after our wedding and  thanks to God have been blessed.  Along the way we met up with some of our family in a few areas of Italy.  First of all let me say that I was super happy that the flight was no where near as long as our flight to Thailand which was our last out of country trip.

First we started out in Venice, Italy.  We loved Venice, it was small yet happening!  We flew into Venice and took the water taxi to where our hotel was located. There were quite a few canal bridges once we arrived onto land, so as you can imagine being pregnant and all, I was pretty thankful that Hotel Mignon – our hotel was close to where we were dropped off. Venice was great we were able to walk around everywhere without ever having to worry about any cars or anything of the like since there weren’t any in the area we were staying at.

The options were endless, mind you I couldn’t enjoy as many things as my husband did, due to the pregnancy.  So I did feel a little cheated when it came to all the deli meat, wines and cheeses.

And yes I know that a pregnant person would probably be okay if they didn’t eat too much of anything but I am that paranoid mom who doesn’t want to take any chances with her blessing.  In Venice we were able to enjoy some great food, great shopping and museum’s of course!  Since we didn’t have a lot of time while visiting Venice we were only able to get a 4 museum pass while visiting, so we grabbed a 4-museum San Marco Pass:  http://selectitaly.com/browse/things-to-do/museum/id:152/museums-pass-venice/aff:160 .

Next we made our way to Bonosella to meet up with our family.  We took the train from Venice to Bonosella, it took a little longer than we expected but aside from that it wasn’t too bad.  Once we made it to Bonosella we walked around town with our family and checked out the little shops and Catholic Church.  We did some hiking while we were there, me not as much as everyone else but still I was able to put in some hours.  There were some nice view points, so I was glad that I joined in with the rest of the family.  Along with that we were able to spend some time out in the beach area.

After Bonosella we made our way to Monterroso, we hiked to our next destination.  Again since I get tired a lot faster than everyone especially now in day, I only walked half-way and got on the train once we reached Lovanto and rode the train the rest of the way.  Monterroso was nice, pretty busy and had a beach.  We stayed at Hotel Marina, where my husband and I both agreed they had awesome breakfast.  While we were in Monterrosso, my husband, myself and my younger sister in law Kk went up to the church in town.  I only made it up to the Convent area but they made it all the way up to the cemetary.  While in Monterroso we took a train to Manarola and did some hiking.  It was a nice hike and definitely worth the views.

We made our way to Florence with our family after Monterroso.  My family was able to go to a few museums one of the days we were there unfortunately I caught my husband’s cold so had to rest that day.  That afternoon when they returned though once I was feeling better we were able to visit the Duomo.  The church there is spectacular, lots of great paintings everywhere and stained glass. I was able to light a candle for one of the candle trees and pray for our unborn child.  That night at dinner we were able to speak to one of the locals who was our waiter, we were surprised to find out that the slowest month is November but that the rest of the year is busy.

After saying our goodbyes to the rest of our family in Florence we made our way to our next destination to Rome.  Okay, so I may be bias since I’m Catholic and all but I personally have to say that Rome was my absolute favorite area of Italy.  We were able to check out so many lovely churches, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, Vatican City, the St. Peter’s Basilica, where we climbed up over 500 steps to be at the top of the building and overlook the whole city.  The stairs were so scary at some points to the point where I found myself praying that I wouldn’t fall and hurt our unborn child but I have a lot of faith in God and I do feel that he watched over us as I climbed up and down the narrow steps where there wasn’t anywhere to hold on at times.

We had such an awesome hotel – Hotel Solis, it was in such a great walking location to everything, the staff was awesome, our room was great and the breakfast was good.  Really we had nothing to complain about whatsoever at this hotel.  I have to say I loved the feeling of walking around the streets of Rome, there were so many Catholic Priests – which I refer to as Father’s and Nuns everywhere.  It felt so comforting, again I do have to say I’m Catholic and the older I get, those are the little things that make me the happiest.

And last but definitely not least about our stay in Rome -was that actually the best part about going to Italy was that we were able to catch the end of a service at the Sistine Chapel where the Father welcomed people from the audience up to do confession or ask for a blessing.  So of course, I had to go up and ask for one of the greatest in a lifetime opportunities and ask the Father to bless our unborn child.  And really at the end of the day it doesn’t get better than that for me, I can’t imagine our child having anything more precious in this world then being able to say – My mom was in Sistine Chapel and was able to have me blessed before I even came into this world.  You see being Catholic and being married Catholic, I can only pray that one day our child will learn the meaning of being Catholic and will hold as many fond memories as I have of growing up Catholic.  The older I get the more I understand the meaning of my Religion and am proud to be Catholic, I’m not saying I’m the best at it but I’m a lot better than I used to be.

After Rome, we made our way to Amalfi Coast – First we took a train to Naples, from there we took a smaller train to Sorrento and after reading our guidebook we learned we could take a bus to the Amalfi Coast.  Which let me tell you was the worst part of the trip for me.  Because no where in the guidebook did it say anything about the bus ride being all on narrow curvy roads.  If you have a strong stomach than you will probably be fine with this ride and it’s less than 3 Euros from Sorrento. I do have to say my husband has a pretty strong stomach and there were times where he himself admitted to not feeling so great.  But I for one will never take that hideous bus ride again, I get motion sickness pretty easily.  And even though I had taken my motion sickness medication it didn’t help at all and I was completely sick for most of the bus ride and had to take the rest of the day easy in order to feel better.

Something to remember is that I was pregnant on this trip but then again this was the only time that I have been really sick during my pregnancy.  We decided to take the Ferry back to Sorrento which was about 17 Euros but honestly I would have paid 50 Euros if it meant not going back on that bus.  In the evening once I started to feel better we were able to walk around the town, which has many different dining options and cute little options.  Along with that we were able to walk out on the pier and also spend some time in the beach.  The sunset sure is gorgeous and the way the buildings are built on the hill side is amazing especially when it starts to get dark and all the lights start coming on.

Our hotel was decent and not too far from the bus stop.  In the Amalfi Coast my favorite thing to do was to relax, especially by the beach but along with that there is some hiking available and musicals on certain nights of the week.  After the Amalfi Coast we made our way back to our last stop before flying out, we made it to Naples.  Naples was a little different from the rest of the places and if I had to do it all over again I may have started our trip out in Naples instead of having left towards the end of the trip.

Naples was a little on the rough side, which of course I expected it to be since according to crime rate it is said that Naples has higher crime rate compared to it’s surrounding areas.  With that being said Naples does have great pizza and our hotel was cute, we stayed at Le Stanze del Vicere which was great.  Another reason to visit Naples is to go to Pompeii which is an archaeological site that has excavated ruins which you can walk around but make sure to not miss the bus/shuttle back into town because you may be waiting for a while.

All in all I would say that Italy was an amazing trip and I would definitely recommend it to others.  The churches are amazing, the food is amazing, the leaning tower of Pisa is great, the people are amazing and the list goes on and on.  While we were here the weather was nice it was in the 70s and 80s.  It was humid the whole time we were here, since I do better in the humid weather instead of dry this wasn’t a problem for me at all but for others it might be.  But then again this was in September so I’m sure that the weather isn’t like this all year round so you will want to make sure to plan your trip accordingly to your wants and needs.

And as you will hear from others while you are in Italy beware of pick pockets and watch your belongings.  Also, maybe traveling when not pregnant would be best for those who enjoy all meats, cheese and alcoholic drinks. If you have a weak stomach like me make sure to take the ferry instead of the bus to and from the Amalfi Coast.  When it comes to the language there are quite a few people who speak English and some that even understand Spanish which was great for us.  Well that about wraps this post up for this trip, it was great to share as usual until next trip y’all.  Have fun and enjoy life because that it something this cowgirl intends on doing for the rest of her life!!