A working vacation...literally

When you have a family, traveling for work is not fun.

This week marks the first time I've traveled for work since Adam and I were married over a year ago which also means that this week is the first time I've left Colton for more than one night.  I tell you what - I miss my boys like crazy and now realize the anxiety that people feel when they have to travel for work.

By anxiety I don't mean that I think my husband can't handle everything on his own because there is no doubt in my mind that he can. I refer to anxiety as a sort of sadness or fear of missing out on what might be happening at home.

However, I giving up the feeling of anxiety and am soaking up these three nights away for home as a mini-vacation.

1.  I'm in a warm, sunny climate. 
It's been 70-80 degrees here in San Antonio! That's compared to 30-40 degrees in Iowa.

2. I get to sleep all night long.
Colton is teething which keeps me from sleeping through the night. 

3. I take my time getting ready for the day.
I can get up at the same time as a I do at home, get in a quick workout and get myself ready for the day and I'm not responsible for anyone else.

4. I get to eat out a great restaurants.
I always try to eat somewhere local to the place I'm at which generally results in some pretty good food.

5. Someone else makes my bed every day.
I love this and am thankful for hotel housekeeping.

6. I'm visiting tourist attractions.
There is no reason I should just go back to my hotel room and sit after my meetings are over. This week I headed to the River Walk in San Antonio - total tourist attraction!

The only reason that it's been easy to consider my work trip as a mini vacation is because of my husband.  He's a wonderful  man that is perfectly capable of taking care of himself and fantastic dad who takes excellent care of Colton which leaves me no reason to worry about things back home.

Vacation Preparation Lists

Tomorrow we leave for vacation!  (Well not exactly, we have to go to a sales meeting at a resort first, but we leave for vacation from there.) I'm so excited to take our road trip out west to Deadwood, SD, Cody, WY, Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, WY and then home through Colorado and Nebraska.  We will be gone for 10 days - yikes!  That's a lot of packing and sight-seeing but I'm up for the challenge.

Since you all know how much I love packing from this post, I thought I would try to make tonight's packing challenge a little easier by finding a "What to Pack" list.  Here is the one I found on Pinterest that I think covers all of the bases pretty well.

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I was also looking for a vacation photo list because I really want to use my new camera to the fullest.  Since I am a photographer in training, I thought this travel photo checklist would be beneficial.  I found this list on Pinterest also.

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I hope you find some use in these lists!  Any other lists that you would recommend?!  Have a great Wednesday afternoon!

Weekend re-cap from our trip to San Francisco

We're back from a weekend trip to San Francisco and a lot of fun was had!  Adam won a trip through the company we (yes we work for the same company) work for -- it's awesome dating an "over-achiever!" 

Here is a re-cap of our trip to the little France (or Paris) of the west... I think that's what they call it!

We arrived on Friday and set sail on a yacht - the California Hornblower - in the San Francisco Bay with the other contest winners. I think there were nearly 200 people in all which included winners and spouses/significant others.

We saw some great sights during the cruise in the bay.  All of my pictures were taken from inside the yacht because it was really chilly outside.  Who knew San Francisco's average daily temperature in the summer is only the mid-60's?!

We cruised past the Giants baseball stadium.

Sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge - this is the only picture I got!  I didn't realize this until I was scanning my pictures when I got home.

Port of San Francisco - nighttime skyline.

Pioneer always gives gifts.  When we got to back to our hotel room a whole box of this chocoalet-y goodness was delivered to our room.  (I didn't know that Ghirardelli chocolate was from San Francisco - where have I been?!)

The second day of our trip we headed north to two vineyards - one in Sonoma Valley, the other in Napa Valley.

(We like to dress alike on vacation... just kidding. Ha!)

The first winery we went to was in Sonoma Valley.  It is a family owned vineyard called Benzinger.  During our tour we found out how much work goes into a bottle of wine.  At Pioneer our committment is "Right Product - Right Acre." These vineyards take this to the extreme by taking into consideration micro-climates, how the sunlight hits the grape vines, the exact depth of their top soil and the types of grapes that are grown.  It's very impressive.

I found this in the gift-shop.  It is pan-rack (not sure if that's the term) to put your hot pans from the stove on.  I can see a DIY project in my future...

 

I totally fell in love with these lights that were in the tasting room.  Aren't they awesome?!  They were actually selling the metal baskets, but it was $70 and I wasn't sure if they would ship it to me. 

I can't remember this vineyards name (oops!) it's in Napa Valley and was designed to look like a French Chateau. It's beautiful! This vineyard's specialty is sparkling wine.  Did you know that Brut wine was actually named as a insult to the English because they didn't like the French's taste in wine.  The French called the English Bruts.  I think I laughed out loud when they told us that.

One acre of land with grapes growing on it is worth an upwards of $100,000/acre.  That is about $90,000 more than one acre of farmland goes for here in Iowa.  Crazy!

The last full day of our trip took us on a city tour and to Alcatraz Island.

We took an audio tour of the cell house at Alcatraz.  It was extremely interesting.  They had approximately 1,500 prisoners in their 30-year time period and only 14 escape attempts.  I don't think that a prison on an island is a bad idea...

Here is a view of the San Francisco skyline from Alcatraz.

After Alcatraz we went for dinner in Ghirardelli Square.  On the walk back from the hotel, we stopped to get a "family portrait" (as Adam calls it) drawn by a street artist.  It actually turned out pretty good.  Now I need to find a place to put it!

Does it look like us?! :)

We finished off our trip with our company renting out a famous club from an early era of American history called Bimbo's.  We all got dressed up, had a fantastic dinner, and listened to an awesome live band.

I really like this picture of Adam and I - it's not often that we are both dressed up! :)

There is our trip in a nutshell! I would definitely recommend San Francisco - there is plenty to do there!

I hope he wins again next hear (hint, hint!) Thanks for taking interest in what we are up to!

What To Pack For A Warm Weather Getaway

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We are getting ready to go on a 6-day vacation to Mexico!!! We can't wait to spend our days on the beach and by the pool drinking fruity drinks (and maybe a couple of Corona's)!

There is a down side to this vacation - I hate packing.  Absolutely hate it.  It causes me stress just to think about it...

Luckily, I found this list for what to pack for a weekend getaway to somewhere warm in Lauren Conrad's book titled "Style." I modified the list to accomodate a week-long trip. Here is my version of the warm weather getaway packing list!

Packing List: Warm Weather Getaway

2 bathing suits

1 cover-up

1 pair of cheap sandals (to wear to the pool or beach)

1-2 sundresses

1 set of "beach bum" clothes (comfy shorts + t-shirt)

1 pair of jeans (I prefer straight leg jeans because you can roll them up to capris)

3 pairs of shorts

4-5 cute tops (t-shirts + tank tops)

1 jean jean jacket (they go with anything)

1 party dress

1 pair of going-out shoes

1 pair of "nice" sandals

2-3 necklaces (pick your favorites)

2-3 pairs of earrings (pick your favorites)

1 hat (cap or big hat)

1 beach bag

wristlet (don't leave home without one)

pajamas

undergarments

1 pair of sunglasses

make-up (your favorite look + waterproof mascara)

bathroom essentials

camera

ipod

book/magazine (any suggestions?!)

What did I miss?  Anything that is a "must have" for your warm weather vacations? 

My Favorite Travel Accessory

My week started off with travel for work to Columbus, Ohio!  While I was sitting on the airplane, thinking about some upcoming blog posts, it came to mind that I should share my favorite travel accessory idea with you - an extra large scarf! I have them in a few colors and they have proven to come in handy often.  I don't leave home without one!

My favorite travel accessory!
(6' x 2' rayon scarf)

Not only do they look cute as an actual scraf to wear casually or paired with a nice jacket, but they work good as a blanket on the airplane or as a shawl to use during meetings at conference centers.  These are much easier to carry around than a jacket because you can wear it around your neck or put it in your bag!

Here is the other great thing about a scarf like this - you can use it to decorate!  In our spare bedroom, I am using one as a throw on the end of the bed or you tuck one over the back of a chair to change the look of a room!

The scarves I get are made of rayon fabric and measure about 6' long x 2' wide and can be found in pretty much any department store.  I've had the best luck finding them rather inexpensive at JC Penny, Herbergers and Younkers.

If you have other ideas for scarves, please leave a comment!  And let us know what your favorite travel accessory is - I am always looking for new ideas!