chadswifey

[chadswifey]

BIRTHDAY DISNEY!

I promise I will get back to HM #4, which will be Taos, NM, but Disney happened again!

Every year my husband and I try to do a trip around his birthday and around my birthday. After we went in December, Chad asked what I thought I would want to do for my birthday this year. Well! As perfect as our trip went for Christmas, I wanted to go back! Although it was hotter than December, I was hot AND HAPPY! Oh my goodness! Everything went perfect again and we got to do most of what we really wanted to do twice!

I won't tell you that we plan to go back in March with the bestie, our other fam!

When you stay at the resort and buy the lightning lane, get up at 6:50 am Eastern and get those favorite choices! You have to, it is wonderful. We use two phones to book 2 of the 4 or 5 or however many days you go at a time. Totally works, just don't hit purchase at the same time on both phones.

We stayed at All-star movies this time (photo above) and had 5 days at Disney, totally perfect. We had dining reservations each day at each of the parks except of course my full day at Magic Kingdom. We ate at Ohana twice, get up at 6:50, 60 days before you go to reserve this or I promise you will get a crappy reservation if one at all.

We did do animal kingdom this time, we only had 4 days in December and I have to have 2 Magic Kingdom days so it was skipped. AK was fun, we did a lot, but it's just not as appealing to me as the other 3 parks minus Chad got to see Kevin and Expedition Everest was a blast (happiness in pictures below).

We rode Guardians of the Galaxy this time, I don't recommend taking your mother, we're pretty sure her soul left her body at one point!

We took so many more this time, I promise memory maker is absolutely worth it, we won't go without it! So we took a ton of Muppet and Dinosaur photos since they'll both be closed and torn down soon. :(

Chad, again, got front row on Tiana, so we made him sit up front by himself.

Drink lots of water if you go in May, the best advice I have for you is to book your stuff close together and know where you're going or you could have 20k and 30k steps. We've definitely become Disney World pros!

Also, the flower fest they have every year at Epcot is so beautiful (see photo above)!

I just can't get over Disney! We are going to stay at the Polynesian for my bestie's little girl's birthday in March and this girl is pumped! Can't wait!!

[chadswifey]

Memphis HM #3

My goodness, has life been crazy, but I can promise you I've been planning my Disney birthday trip, Roswell in July, and Nova Scotia this fall to try and see the Northern Lights and get 4 more Canadian provinces!

On another note, we're going to discover Memphis, honorable mention #3. This was definitely a home away from home for us! For a few years, Chad and I went here every year for his birthday. Since the death of my brother in law, Bass Pro has been only a one-time thing on the one year anniversary of his death.

THE BASS PRO PYRAMID is a complete must-stay!

There's lots of different things we've done in Memphis, but being the crazy Bass Pro shoppers that we were, the Pyramid was our go to. We would always stop on our way out to the east coast or any time we're in Kentucky or Tennessee.

The rooms are phenomenal (see below) definitely not cheap though, and they have a great restaurant that you can sit and stare at the scenery.

Whether you go out during the day or at night, it is always a view to die for.

Other great things to do are visit Elvis' mansion and the Memphis sign, be aware of the homeless.

Here is my handsome, husband in what was one of his favorite places to be. Gosh, I love him.

[chadswifey]

HM #2! Asheville, NC

Asheville, oh my! Beautiful, beautiful city with so many things to do.

We technically did not stay in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate is considered to be there, but it's a good little drive from actual town. Anywho, this was our first time to North Carolina together in '22, and we stayed at the Durham, NC 21C of course. Then we drove into Asheville, ate at the lovely TGIFriday's, and drove in to see the mansion. Since our stay here, they had the flooding that came from the hurricane and had to rebuild, so things may be a little different.

We stayed at the Inn of the Biltmore Estate (lobby and room above), there's a few different places to stay on this property, but again, I wanted a view and this place was gorgeous!

We spent the night and got up and spent the day touring the mansion (mom pictured below), you need all day, I promise!

You also must take the horse and carriage ride around the property, see the wild turkeys and all the things. It's magical! (views below)

They had an extra when we were there and it included Leonardo De Vinci's work thrown up on the walls, it was freaking neat! They probably don't have this now (see pic below).

Then another favorite of mine is the Bunker Hill covered bridge that isn't far from this area. As you can see from the kissy kissy below.

So, in other words, this post more so turned out to be more than one North Carolina place. I also got to go by UNC and visit the Tar Heels, where I was at one time going to go to college. It was a fantastic and beautiful campus at Chapel Hill!

Another honorable mention we'll discover in North Carolina will be Kitty Hawk, and I'll give you some tips on "Mayberry" and of course the lighthouses then too! Until next time!

We've spent a lot of time in incredible North Carolina!

[chadswifey]

HONORABLE MENTIONS #1!

Sorry for being gone for a while, life was happening and it's been a rough year for the hubby, but we're back! This city, yea, D.C. is freaking spectacular! Definitely one of my top honorable mentions. Let me tell you, history is a number one fantasy of mine. I dream about it. Seeing THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE will forever be my favorite historical sight, minus the Liberty Bell, we'll get to Philly soon, I promise. No photography allowed with the Declaration, but I can promise you that this girl thought jail time might have been worth it. *Sadness level 10* I promise you it's in the building below.

Pick a cool day and wake up early and walk around the Lincoln Memorial, reflecting pool, and World War II Memorial. So much incredible history.

Do not bring your knives, or you will get to walk back to the car and put them up if you accidentally try to take them into the Smithsonian museums. We didn't have but one day to spend in D.C., so we picked the Museum of Natural history, yes, mostly so my husband could see the dino skeletons. You can spend one day in each Smithsonian Museum, I promise.

There are so many beautiful buildings and architecture, we saw the capitol building and the Washington Monument. Chad quickly had to learn to parallel park Mom's van, but it couldn't have worked out more perfect.

On tips of places to stay, I can't help out on that unless you want to spend a fortune. My dream was to stay at the Ritz there, and we absolutely did! $70 to valet, but totally worth not walking to the parking garage in the middle of downtown D.C. late at night when we wanted snackies.

Yes, I absolutely bought the Declaration of Independence from National Treasure, one of Chad and I's favorite movies. D.C. is phenomenal but again be aware of your surroundings!

[chadswifey]

CRUISING!!!!!!

So... New Year's Eve the best friend calls. Her in-laws weren't able to make a cruise that they were supposed to get on the 2nd in New Orleans. Well.... my husband and I rent a car and head on our way! We stayed New Years' night in Vicksburg, Mississipp, and our first trip to Mexico began! I have never been on a cruise and horribly got sick on a puffin cruise we went on a couple of years ago, so I was scared crapless!

It wasn't horrendous, but it was a completely different experience. I absolutely loved the experience of being with my husband and my best friend for 4 days, but as far as Chad and I loading up and going on a cruise by ourselves, that will probably never happen. Have your passports and boarding passes in your hand and have them ready at all times. Yours, not yours and your husband's, he needs to hold his, oops. Get ready to deal with some rude people, but I kind of get it, they're just trying to hurry, tons of people.

Tip: get the drink packages, pop, bottle water, alcohol, it covers it all, you will want it for yourself, not just your husband... trust me. Food, just about everywhere is free, minus upcharges if you want extra cool stuff, like lobster, filet mignon and such, it's not fantastic, but it's free, who can complain.

The afternoon you hop on, everyone's running around because they can't get to their rooms yet, it won't be this crowded all the time, I promise. Sea days are great, you get to enjoy the open ocean and traveling to your destination. Days on land are good, you have certain times you have to be on and off the ship, DON'T BE LATE, Annie says, or they will leave you. Yikes.

I didn't get too sick, the sea day on the way back to the U.S. let me tell you was rough. I tried to take a shower and wash my hair, I almost died, SEVERAL TIMES. Otherwise, it was okay, I am just a really light sleeper and we were on an interior room floor and it kept me up all night. Annie says it's better up top when you have a balcony floor. I wouldn't put 4 people in a room unless you have to, I promise.

Cozumel was mostly what I thought, beautiful, but the sand at Paradise Beach was AWFUL, it hurts. I've been to all different coastal beaches several times and I hate it, but they have real "legit" palm trees, or what I've always suspected anyway.

7 out of 10, I would go back if Annie takes us. :P

Oh! My favorite part that Chad & I did two of the four nights. Movies on deck! We watched the new Minions movie, Forrest Gump, and another one. It's my favorite to just chill and have a few in the dark, middle of nowhere Gulf of Mexico. LOVE LOVE LOVE traveling!

[chadswifey]

Niagara Falls, NY & Ontario

Our last, but certainly not least, destination in our top 10 comes in 2 forms.

One is the New York side, for when your Mom loses your passport (much less extravagant). Two is the Canadian side for when you go back the next year and had to pay another $150 because your Mother lost your passport. I wasn't too bitter :P.

New York side, not too shabby, you get soaked when you go down to the Falls view. We loved it the first time because we had no other choice.

Get your passport, go to the Canadian side, and stay at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Fallsview! (see view below) You will thank me, I promise. You can get a suite to view the falls, they light up all night, you can open your window and hear them roaring all night long, Magnificent!

There is so much going on downtown, and some much to do within walking distance. We parked in the garage underneath and did or thing. So many gift shops, so little time. Traffic is busy at night, I think we were there on a Saturday though, but it is so great.

The one thing we haven't done, but will do the next time we run by, is go on the boat that takes you down below the falls. Annie, my best friend, story on all of us and how we all met later, loved it. They give you a tour and you get soaked. Totally worth it, I hear. Grab lots of Ontario souvenirs. Like us though, don't worry about paying with your debit and credit card. Your bank just changes over the amounts of your purchases to Canadian money. Love, love, love it here!

Honorable mentions coming up!

[chadswifey]

Kenosha.

This one is hard, but also #9.

We have been here a handful of times, but it will always be close to my heart. I haven't talked about it on here before, but my Daddy passed away in 2019 and he was 100% my best friend. The last time we went here, he was with us and he loved it! (I will definitely do a story on my Daddy and I later, he took us on so many travels growing up.)

Kenosha, absolutely beautiful downtown area, Mom loves it because of the two lighthouses on the pier. We loved it because of Frank's Diner. I'm wondering if my husband and I should've made this a food blog? :P Anyway, Frank's Diner? GET UP EARLY! Garbage plates? To die for! They're only open until like 1:30, breakfast was incredible.

Also, they have a little ice cream place called Scoops, any and every flavor you can imagine.

Our favorite place to stay is the Wyndham Garden Hotel. Get a room with the view of the water, and take a nighttime stroll down the pier. Magnificent! Or at the Stella, they have beautiful rooms, but is more so in the middle of town.

They have a cute Historical society and museum that has all kinds of neat gifts and souvenirs. This city is full of so much history and we love it!

[chadswifey]

FREAKING DISNEY WORLD!

I know, I know, top 10 are supposed to be happening... well top 25 eventually, BUT, DISNEY HAPPENED!

The number one top tip I can give you?

Spend that money and stay at a resort! Bus? Absolutely freaking worth it!

We stayed at the All-star Music resort and let me tell you, it was fabulous! Your husband will thank you. Traffic, bad. Not having to drive yourself in it, the most magical thing there is.

Anyway, on with the show.

We stayed 4 nights and did 4 days in Disney. Bundle those babies, Disney resort and park ticket, $1K a person, easy.

Book those lightning lanes! You must! Otherwise, you're going to stand in line with all these miserable, hot people that we watched. Peter Pan? 80 minute standby line, nah.

Also, you stay at the resort, you get to book your lightning lanes 7 days before the 1st day of your stay! Sooooo much better chance at getting what you want, and we absolutely did. It couldn't have gone better or smoother!

Criticism about Animal Kingdom, dislike Avatar and gosh we've been to so many zoos, not sorry to say we skipped it.

2 whole days at Magic Kingdom though, I was in heaven. The rides we loved we got to ride twice. MAGICAL!

Do the hard day first, I won't tell you that we did 30,000 steps the 1st day at Magic Kingdom, but yea we did. I walked and ran 4-5 times a week for 8 months to get down and ready for this. You must.

Another tip that saved us, book those 4 must-do rides first thing in the morning, then rest at your resort and go back for the evening fireworks. Absolutely must-do especially at Christmas time (forever still trying to figure out if Tinkerbell was a real person).

LL tips:

Book what you want the most first!!!!!

No matter if it's a lame (no offense :P) choice or not, even the magic carpet ride got up to 30 minutes at one point in our travels! As soon as you scan your magic band, pick something else on your app. My biggest thing was to pick something that I knew we had passed on the way that was close, and BAM walked on and headed to another major one that we had booked afterwards. Stacking is your key, and we literally just walked on everything all 4 days, no lie. Sweet perfection.

Plan, plan, plan. Pick what rides you want, and run at rope drop. This was an experience my Mom wasn't ready for, let me tell you. Rope dropped Frozen, couldn't have gone smoother, but Mom was confused as to what it meant. They drop the rope and you run, 10 minutes was all we waited for Frozen at Epcot, the only time we waited, unless you count the 45 minutes we stood in line for santa Stitch, bleh. I had to have Remy's, absolutely had to. My husband... Yeah he knew what was up, and he was prepped and just as stoked as I was. TIP: Get to the park an hour before "opening", all parks open 30 minutes early for resort guests, another freaking amazing perk.

When I was planning this vacation, I will admit I was soooo freaking scared. Just get up, plan and prep where you're going, when your going. Every night, (before we figured out the lay of the land) whatever lightning lanes we scored for that next day, we sat down and saw where the rides themselves were in the park, everything was so easy, I promise, don't freak out. Just make sure you do your homework, especially if it's your first time like ours.

My husband and I are so stoked, and when the baby comes, are thinking of getting yearly passes. Don't drive from Oklahoma to Disney without making several days out of it. ;)

Tips off to the side:

DO THE PARTIES!!!

They cost a ton of extra money, I know, but you have to!

We did Very Merry Mickey's and Jollywood nights! Absolutely freaking fantastic, and the waiting in line isn't horrible at all, you can stay until midnight! If you book a park on party night and don't go, watch carefully because whatever park will close early on you, and they make you leave unfortunately.

I almost forgot one of my other favorite parts! Eat breakfast at OHANA! Get an early morning reservation (60 days ahead of your 1st scheduled day), hope on the bus and take it to Magic Kingdom, and then ride the monorail to the Polynesian. Delicious, all-you-can-eat food (My husband wanted Stitch), but I came for the food and rides!

WE WILL BE BACK SOON!

[chadswifey]

CHEYENNE!

I don't think you can classify this one as #8, especially since I almost moved here several times... This one is extremely important to me and has been my whole life. I almost attended college here and one of my incredible friends and his Dad have been there their whole lives.

LITTLE AMERICA! This is the place to stay and we have stayed here every single time we've been by to visit. Our view from our balcony in the snow below:

There is so much to do, but I do have a dream to go back and take in the craziness that is Frontier days.

Pointers I have....

If you're going November through May you should consider 4 wheel drive (from Jeff) haha.

No, but seriously, we have taken in some bowling at Two-bar, devoured 10 pieces of Perkins' pie, shopping at the huge mall that they have everything you could imagine (particularly Sportsman's Warehouse and Barnes & Noble, just saying ;) ) , walk around Cheyenne Depot plaza, and devoured some incredible sandwiches at The Albany.

You must take time to enjoy this beautiful city and Chad's favorite pronghorn.

[chadswifey]

Gettysburg, PA

#7 is extremely important! This city has so much history and so much to do and is definitely in the top 10. The most important thing for me was to visit the museum and read about everything I could, they also have a fantastic gift shop. They also have a really neat thing called the Gettysburg Diorama (photo 2), be sure and take the time to get tickets and watch the 30 minute light show it has to tell.

Both times we went here, we stayed at the Wyndham. It is a cute, clean little place that we loved so much we stayed there again.

The cemetery is a neat, peaceful place that you can walk around and read the names of all that passed. There are also lots of unmarked graves that are just numbered, there was so much blood they said that the river in Gettysburg ran red.

My other favorite thing was we downloaded an app on our phones and paid for a "tour". This took us all around the town of Gettysburg and told you all the history and took us to all the important places where the battle occurred.

Perkins french silk pie is a must! You must, they have wonderful breakfast and dinner as well!

[chadswifey]

#6

I am a history buff, and it's a really close tie between D.C., Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and Plymouth, but there is one that is a closer second to Boston that I love. Salem, Massachusetts. Our generation needs to learn all about our history so that none of it repeats itself. When you read into what happened at Salem or visit, you learn it was just a whirlwind of lies that spread from one little girl.

Salem has so many neat places to explore and so much to do. My personal favorite is the cemetery and the Salem Witch Museum.

I believe that they recently cleaned all the headstones off and made them all more legible, but we didn't go back to the cemetery the 2nd time in Salem. Also, there is a neat wax museum that you need to check out. At the witch museum, it's probably not suitable for smaller kids, they have a play that goes into pretty explicit detail and it has scary lights and screaming, but as they get older this is definitely knowledge that needs to be taught. Take a stroll through Salem and visit some great little gift shops too. Fantastic people and places! I believe there is a tour that you can do in the city on an app on your phone. We did one similar to it in Gettysburg, but didn't have a whole lot of extra time to check it out in Salem.

[chadswifey]

21C and more!

So as we've finished our top 5, I'm going to take a break for a sec and talk about one of my favorite hotel chains that we've come to adore. Me for the art, and my husband and nephew for the penguins. My husband, mom, and I have been to them all (Until they finish the one in Des Moines which I have on a trip in 2026), but my nephew let me tell you, he grew up with these penguins. I've lost count on how many times I've made reservations at one of the hotels close to us and then had to call and ask them to put penguins in our rooms. Yes, penguins. Adorable, 3' tall looking, 3d printed, penguins, of every color....

21C Museum and hotels are the absolute best place to stay in my opinion. Some of them are a little pricey, but TOTALLY worth it. Each location has a different color penguin, and of course, I have every color!

I even got my gold penguin from finishing my penguin passport back in the day. :)

These hotels are immaculate, the rooms are clean, they usually have art galleries in all of them like on the 1st or 2nd floors, a wonderful restaurant, and amazing staff. 5 stars, you must stop by.

[chadswifey]

#5 Windy town, our first big trip together and our favorite city! The best for last, the favorite anyway!

This one you can just mark down on your list as our favorite city. Together Chad and I have been here 6 times, and it will always have a special place in our hearts.

Our first time to Chicago we were pretty much just friends and a group of us all went, we may have held hands at this point. I knew at the time that I already loved Chad with all the time that we had spent together, but we took it slow and got to know each other. Our favorite memory was going up in the Centennial Wheel, which is the picture above, and seeing the bean for the first time.

There are so many different things we've done in Chicago that I'm not sure where to start with tips and all the other amazing things that we did.

Places we've stayed: The last place we stayed when we went in '23 with Mom is the 21C Hotel. It is a must visit and definitely worth the money (All the 21C hotels are, but we'll do a thing on that later on). If your nervous about all the crazy that is Chicago, one time we stayed in Bolingbrook, IL, just outside Chicago. My love for trip planning came from this trip with Mom in July of '19 and we have traveled all that we have since then, after my Dad passed and after we all lived through Covid.

Best things to do that we did in '18? CENTENNIAL WHEEL and navy pier! You need to walk along the pier and down to the bean, Also, Grant park is fabulous, we went in '19 for the pokemon festival. (See below) Also, there is the 360 Chicago observation deck and part of it the tilt you over part of the building to see the whole city below!

The tip that I cannot stress enough is to be aware of your surroundings. Especially in parking garages and areas that you are not familiar with.

[chadswifey]

The headless horseman! #4

This place itself means a lot to me. My grandma and I growing up watched Scooby doo, which was HER favorite show. I, to this day, watch Scooby Doo frequently, all the movies and spinoffs, this girl has seen them all.

Both times we have been here, we have discovered so much. I first discovered "Sleepy Hollow" was a real village located in New York our first trip to the east coast, never wanted to go to New York until then. It is a magical little place that is by Tarrytown and let me tell you, when Mom found out it had a lighthouse, we were both crazy about going to the area.

This little town has the sweetest people and some of the best places to stick your feet in the water. Walk down to the lighthouse at the cutest park (I think it was like $10 to park and spend some time).

Downtown they have great gift shops that have the best souvenirs and tours of the town and cemetery as well. At the cemetery is where Washington Irving the author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is buried as well. It was so nostalgic for me, they even have the Headless Horseman bridge. Bella's Boutique is a great little gift shop on main street, along with others downtown.

If you don't have a whole lot of time to kill, at least walk along the trail in the park to the lighthouse and stop at a gift shop or two.

[chadswifey]

Our travels!

Time flies, and going on this last couple of trips, I've realized that you forget little details about past trips you took.

This blog is to backtrack and relive everywhere that my husband and I have traveled to. Our favorites and honorable mentions!

When I met my husband in mid-2017, he had been nowhere but Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. Over the past 7 years we have changed all of that! As of our west coast trip in September '24 to grab 3 more states, I have all 48 missing Alaska and Hawaii; and as of our Disney trip in December '24 Chad has his 48!

This is a journal with tips and tricks that might help you, otherwise I will be joyfully documenting all of our journey for us to enjoy as we get older.

[chadswifey]

Favorite # 3!

Boston, Massachusetts!

This is both one of Chad and I's favorite!

We've been here twice and the absolute best place to stay is where we stayed both times! Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor, 5 freaking stars! Wonderful place to walk by the harbor and have a delicious dinner overlooking the water, and it's just outside the hustle and bustle of Downtown Boston so you don't have too hard of a time getting in & out.

But anything that has food is Chad's favorite 😝😘

We have several different spots that we stumbled upon that ended up being fantastic.

You absolutely must stop and throw "tea" into the harbor at the Tea Party Museum, and get a wonderful history lesson at the Old North Church.

We also stumbled upon an awesome shopping center with live music, gift shops, and any shop that you could think of (Fauneuil Hall Marketplace).

Another great place we found when I was planning our trip was the Mapparium (not my pic below, when we went your weren't allowed to take pictures and now you can). I love everything map or globe and this is a whole beautiful room that is a globe! It is also surrounded by gorgeous buildings that we walked all around to see!

There is so much incredible history in Boston and we love it so much!

We did so much more, but these are definitely our favorite activities!

[chadswifey]

Fav city #2 coming at ya!

My husband and I discussed at lunch that there should be 15 honorable mention blog posts also. So prep yourself.  

The hubby’s absolute favorite! This is a definite Zillow hotspot for us, but it never happens. Also, dying of freezing to death is a scary thought.

Gardiner, Montana. This is the absolute best place to stay right outside Yellowstone. There’s no better part of Yellowstone besides going in the North Entrance, trust me. I’ve had to be there because of my husband. Beautiful, breathtaking, relaxing place though so I don’t mind a bit. Just pretty pricey, but we can always make more money. Memories with my husband and giving him a fantastic life are the only life goals of mine now minus the babes we’re going to have.

Back on track, did I say breathtaking?

Freaking gorgeous!  

Stay at the Absaroka, we’ve stayed here twice for several nights and I promise there isn’t better.

You walk out of the hotel parking lot and across the bridge (right side of the picture). It’s the best views and food you could possibly ask for!

Cowboy’s is the must stop grille to have lunch or dinner, we’ve had lots. The market, the opposite direction instead of over the bridge, is the best place to get any supplies you need. Sandwich stuff and I needed colored pencils once. :P

Just a magical place right outside the North entrance to Yellowstone!

Absolutely make note, that while you may have phone service in Gardiner, as soon as you cross under the Roosevelt arch into Yellowstone it is gone. If you don’t know where you’re going, get your GPS set for places before you head that way for the day!

Also, Grab breakfast and souvenirs down the road at Yellowstone Perk! Breakfast burritos to die for!

Beware of wildlife, do not approach like Chad here. They are living everywhere in Gardiner and they do not care.