Orlando, Florida (Disneyworld)

This was the vacation of a lifetime and I don't think I can adequately write about all we did. We took the kids to Orlando this past Febraury for a week at Disneyworld. Yes, we pulled them out of school, but it was well worth it. The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded. I can't even imagine going in the middle of summer! We traded our timeshare week again and stayed in the villas behind the Marriott World Center-what a complex! We purchased a six day pass to Disneyworld, spending 1 day at each of the 4 parks and then letting the girls each pick their favorite for the final 2 days. Note that tickets are cheaper with each extra day you purchase. I think our 6 day pass was $800 for the 4 of us. I think it is easiest to break down our trip by each park, highlighting some of our favorite rides and shows. If you are taking kids with you, don't go without Walt Disney World for Kids by BirnBaum Guides. It is the perfect book to guide you through the park and it is kid friendly and full of space for autographs.

Animal Kingdom- What an amazing park! We spent 2 days here. As soon as you walk in and see the Tree of Life, you know you are in for a treat. The tree stands in the middle of the park and has animal carvings covering the trunk of the tree. It is spectacular! Make sure you get a fast pass for Expedition Everest-our favorite roller coaster in all of Disneyworld and Kilimanjaro Safaris-a amazing safari ride through Africa. Here are the other must sees:

-Finding Nemo The Musical

-It's Tough to be a Bug

- Festival of the Lion King

-Dinosaur

- Camp Minnie-Mickey for character photos

- Eating a turkey leg on Discovery Island

Magic Kingdom- Because we live in California and make frequent trips to Disneyland, we expected this park to be the same as what we have seen. Boy were we wrong! Yes, it had many of the same rides, characters and sites, but it was so much cleaner, more spread out and a very different experience. Cinderella's Castle was so much bigger, too. Take time to walk along Main Street and see the nighttime parade. Here is what we loved:

-Space Mountain - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Haunted Mansion

-Pirates of the Caribbean -Indy Speedway - Mad Tea Party

Hollywood Studios- We weren't expecting to find a lot to do at this park, but we wish we had another day here. There aren't as many rides, but the shows are amazing. There is so much variety, from the Disney-themed Beauty and the Beast show to the Hollywood-themed Stunt Show, Backlot Tour and Indiana Jones Spectacular. We also loved Star Tours, the High School Musical Pep Rally and the night was topped off with the amazing Fantasmic!
Epcot- Definitely the biggest and most diverse park at Disneyworld. We spent 2 days here, but could have spent another 2. The park is divided into two distinct areas, Future World and World Showcase. Future World features science of the land, seas, sky and outer space. We absolutely loved Soarin', Test Track and Ellen's Energy Adventure. Although Mission:Space was a once in a lifetime experience, it made Taylor and me sick for the rest of the day. It is a very intense ride on a rocket ship up to outer space and we had the worst motion sickness. I would recommend the less intense version.

World Showcase is a way to see the countrys of the world all in one place. We ate a German pretzel in Germany, ate Teriyaki Chicken in Japan, tried on sombreros in Mexico and visited with Belle in France. Make sure you ride Maelstrom in Norway, see the movie in Canada and watch the acrobats in China. It is such a spectacular learning experience for the kids. I didn't feel that guilty having the girls out of school! We ended the night with the fireworks show over World Showcase and wrapped up a wonderful trip!

British Columbia, Canada

Matt and I spent a fabulous week in British Columbia for our 10th wedding anniversary. This was one of our favorite vacation spots so far. It was such a wonderful mix of culture, adventure, relaxation and natural beauty. I did quite a bit of research before going on this trip and we decided not to rent a car. We walked to most spots in Downtown Vancouver and took a few guided tours along the way. It was a great way to feel connected to the city and experience its very diverse culture. We really felt like we were in a European city!
We spent one morning walking several blocks to Granville Island. It is a waterfront public market with great food, beautiful flowers and quaint shops. We walked across Granville Bridge and enjoyed the scenery of downtown. It was quite a popular family attraction!
One of our guided tour days consisted of a bus tour through Stanley Park and into the Capilano Salmon Fishery and up to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Our kids would have loved this! We walked across this giant suspension bridge would stands hundreds of feet above a river and ended up in these spectacular tree top bridges. It was a lot of fun and unlike anything we had ever done before. After the bridge adventure, the bus took us to Grouse Mountain. We boarded a gondola which took us to the top of the mountain. While on the gondola, we were amazed by the stunning views of downtown and the surrounding areas. Once up top, we watched a lumberjack show, visited a bear enclosure, did a little hiking and ate lunch.
We enjoyed our quick tour of Stanley Park so much, we decided to spend more time there on a different day. We rented mountain bikes and rode around the park, stopping for one of our many gelatos and reading the informative trail markers. While down by the water, we also stopped at the IMAX Theatre to watch a movie and relax.
Our two busiest days, but also most impressive, were our tours to Victoria, BC and Whistler.
We got up early, boarded a bus and headed to the ferry terminal for a day in Victoria. It was quite an experience sitting on the bus as it drove right on to the ferry. Once on board,we were able to exit the bus and head to the upper levels of the boat for lunch, sightseeing, and a few games of cards. After the 2 hour trip, we got back on the bus and drove into Victoria. The most breathtaking spot on the island is the Butchart Gardens. Words and pictures don't do them justice. They are the most well-manicured and beautiful gardens you will ever see! We also enjoyed time at the famous Empress Hotel, Parliament Building and waterfront area of downtown. This was an all day adventure, but worth every minute.
Our final tour was to Whistler by bus. It is a few hours from downtown, but is the most scenic drive I have ever been on! It was so nice having a driver/guide so we could both look around and listen, rather than focus on the road. Once in Whistler, we spent the afternoon taking pictures, having lunch and watching the mountain bikers race down the slopes. It was August, so there was very little skiing. However, we do believe there were a few snowboarders that headed to the glacier for a little summer snow. We vow to come back again in the winter. The village is really cool and the slopes looked amazing.
We were so impressed with the weather, people, cleanliness and tourism that British Columbia had to offer. It was an amazing and very memorable trip!

Sedona, Arizona

We set a day aside for a road trip to Sedona. It is a 2 hour drive from Phoenix, so you need to designate a full day, but it is well worth it! Even the drive to Sedona is breathtaking-so many Prickly Pear and Saguaro Cactus, gorgeous views and wildlife. As soon as you come into Sedona, you know you are there. It is unlike any other place we have ever been. The massive red rock formations are indescribable and absolutely beautiful.

Since we were only there for the day, we wanted to pack as much in to our experience. We were told the best way to see the area was on a 4x4 jeep tour, which we did. We had a native tour guide named Jimmy drive us through the brush and teach us all about the land and the way Native Americans made use of the resources. The kids were so interested and enjoyed the bumpy ride. I do have to say we enjoyed the tour, but would recommend a different jeep tour to others. The Pink Jeep Tour is much more adventure-packed and entertaining based on stories I have heard from other friends. We thought it was just more expensive because of the extensive advertising they do, but I guess you really do get what you pay for.

After our tour, we spent some time walking through the quaint downtown and getting some lunch. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the restaurants. Take time to visit the shops and take in the spectacular views that surround you. Don't forget to stop at the Black Cow Cafe for a scoop of Prickly Pear Cactus ice cream. It was a unique flavor and very refreshing.

Phoenix, Arizona

We traded our timeshare week in Maui for a week at the Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix. The resort was spectacular! The highlight was the lazy river and waterslide at the main pool, but there were also really nice pools right in our timeshare complex. It was also so convenient to have the Desert Ridge shopping center right across the street. There was a movie theater, great shopping and numerous restaurants to choose from for lunch and dinner.

We took the kids over Spring Break so we could see some of the final week of Padres Spring Training. We only made it to one game, but enjoyed watching the Padres play at the Surprise Stadium. It is so nice because there are so many ballparks in the greater Phoenix area. You could go to an afternoon game in one ballpark and head to an evening game in another park. They are all within approx. 20 minutes of each other.

Matt went to Arizona State University in Tempe for his 1st year of college so he was eager to show us around the campus. What a huge campus! We loved touring Sundevil Stadium and were moved by the Pat Tillman memorial that stands inside.

Although it was a little hot, we spent an afternoon at Rawhide Western Town in Chandler (about 20 minutes from our hotel). It was the girls 1st time seeing a town from the 1880's. They loved riding in the Stagecoach, panning for gold, visiting the local jail and watching the western-themed stunt show. We were also impressed by Downtown Scottsdale and the wide variety of activities Phoenix has to offer. I think March-April was the perfect time to go. It was certainly warm enough to swim and enjoy the outdoors, but not as hot as their unbearable summers can be. We look forward to another Spring Break in Phoenix.

Newport Beach, California & surrounding areas

We surprised the kids with a fun-filled trip to Newport Beach. Through our timeshare, we were able to secure 4 days and 3 nights at the Newport Coast Marriott Villas for $99. If you have been to this resort, you know what a good deal this was. We stayed in a beautiful 2 BD/2 BA villa with ocean views and a gorgeous pool and activity center. The kids loved it. Newport had a lot to offer. We spent quite a bit of time at Fashion Island Mall and we loved our day spent at Balboa Island. It is a wonderful beach community with shopping, restaurants, amusement park, bike and boat rentals and a gorgeous pier. The kids thought it was so fun to put our car on a ferry boat and head across the water!I think the other big highlight was waking up and surprising the girls with a day at Disneyland. It was a priceless reaction! We stayed all day and into the night to watch the holiday parade. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, the park is beautifully decorated for the holidays.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

One of the most relaxing vacations we have ever had. Rehoboth is such a great summer getaway. We flew back east to visit Matt's Mom and her husband Rick at the beach house in Rehoboth. Our best days were spent loading up the pickup truck and heading to Dewey Beach. The beach is the best entertainment any of us could ask for. It is a great family beach and we met so many families that have been coming here year after year. It was almost like everyone knew each other.

After a day in the sun, the girls loved heading to Funland Amusement Park. It is a spectacular boardwalk full of rides, games and food. Rick's Dad worked at Funland so he provided the kids with plenty of tokens to go on the rides!

We also enjoyed riding our bikes into downtown and browsing in the local shops or taking a break for an ice cream treat. It was my first time on an east coast beach, so it was a real treat.

The highlight was our clamming adventure aboard Rick's boat. He let the girls drive and took us to a great sandbar where we could get out, walk along the sand and use a rake to find clams. The kids filled a whole bucket! Then we headed back to the house to make some fresh Clams Casino. Delicious!

Cincinnati, Ohio

We have been to Cincinnati several times to visit my girlfriend and her husband. Wendy and I have known each other since high school and she moved there after we finished college. She met her husband David in Cincinnati and has been there ever since. So sad! However, we have found so much to do on our many trips to visit. Over the years, we have been to a Reds baseball game, gone on several hikes and eaten at many different restaurants. We have braved the cold winters, but really enjoy going in the late summer/early fall.

When the kids were younger, our favorite spot was the Cincinnati Children's Musuem. It is full of water activities, hands on exhibits and lots of areas for imaginary play. It was a great destination on a cold winter day. When the weather is nicer, we like to head to Newport on the Levee. It is just across the Ohio River on the Kentucky side and it is a waterfront shopping area with a movie theater, aquarium and several shops and restaurants. They even had a street fair along the river the afternoon we were there.

I think one of my greatest memories from Cincinnati was our trip to Miss Annabelle's Tea Parlor in Loveland, Ohio. Wendy booked a great lunch there for just us girls. The parlor's walls are covered with hats and boas for you to choose from and the menu was very elegant. We had finger sandwiches, fruit, pastries and a wonderful variety of cold and hot teas. The girls felt like princesses!