"Excuse me, ma'am. Please stop!" the volunteer shouted to a woman who was oblivious to the fact that she was about to walk into a turtle. "Oh, I am just trying to get over there," the woman responded while pointing in the general direction in front of herself. She almost took another step and the… Continue reading Hi, mama turtle!
I somehow am having a hard time coming to terms that it is already 2023. I can't keep up. I had my 2022 travel year in review blog post started and saved as a draft. It never got finished. I'll just say that last year was all about travel for my family and I. After… Continue reading New year, same me
As I scrolled on my phone to learn more about the aquarium we'd be going to the next day, I stopped at a picture of an Asian small-clawed otter sticking its paw through a small hole in its enclosure. You can feed slash hold hands with otters at this Japanese aquarium?!?! I turned my phone… Continue reading Dreams coming true: making friends with otters
Once we knew we'd be going to Japan -- you know, we secured that travel visa that ended up being moot since Japan "opened up" to foreigners the day after we arrived. -- Bryce and I both started planning the "one thing" we wanted to do while there. His was to go to a soccer… Continue reading Date night with Yokohama FC
I had honestly never heard of Karuizawa before. One of my cousins informed me that a season of Terrace House was filmed there though. It's "in the mountains" and is pretty was all I had heard from family members. They were not wrong! We flew into Japan on a Wednesday afternoon and already the next… Continue reading Karuizawa: a trip within a trip
"Ohhhh no," Bryce said to me as we were mid-flight. "What?" I looked over at him and baby. I see him sniff through his N95 and even behind a mask, I could tell he was making a face -- an unpleasant face. She definitely had a poopy diaper. And, of course it was during the… Continue reading Baby’s first flight
I had grand plans to have blog posts written and published on our April Bend trip by May ... Well, I have one published so far. It's the thought that counts, right? I also had lots more to say about our Oregon Coast trip in December! And, who remembers New Zealand from 2019? I have… Continue reading I don’t know why this keeps happening
"I'm not doing a hike with the word 'misery' in the trail name!" I said to Bryce as I carried our 20-pound baby on my back. We had just crossed the footbridge over the river at Smith Rock State Park and the trail sign in front of us was for Misery Ridge Trail. There were… Continue reading Baby’s first canyon hike
When we received the save-the-date in 2021, we were hopeful we'd be able to attend our friends' March wedding reception. All events would be outdoors. Our baby would (fingers crossed) be vaccinated by then! (I know, I know ... you're eyerolling at how naïve I was!) Before the news broke that more research would be… Continue reading Fun while it lasted
"But will we have time to stop at Tillamook?" I asked Bryce this question numerous times leading up to our departure for our Oregon Coast road trip. We would be driving from our home in Seattle to Florence, Oregon for a week getaway before Christmas. I was adamant that we stop in Tillamook at the… Continue reading Always stop for cheese
otter travel more 