Last week my husband took some PTO so we could go on a mini-vacation. We have always loved to travel and it is a passion I want to pass on to our children. In fact, the last three years for Christmas we have made the focus on going somewhere versus giving our kiddos a bunch of toys. It has been glorious and something they talk about throughout the year(s) versus just the first 24-48 hours after opening presents.

We definitely try to take advantage of the summer months and travel as much as possible since life is just slower with school being out. So, this year we kicked off summer with two trips within the first week. The first was to visit some of our oldest and dearest friends for their kick-off to summer crawfish boil. It was loads of fun and while our plan was to come home Sunday we just couldn’t stand to leave until Monday. Once home, we did a quick wash of things so we could turn around and head to Jellystone National Park in the Hill Country of Texas for a few days.

I wouldn’t say this has been my favorite place to visit but camping is something I remember enjoying as a kid so I wanted to provide my kids with this type of memory as well. And, to be honest, it was more like ‘gl-amping’ because we stayed in a cabin with a bathroom and full kitchen. However, it felt like I was roughing it because I have apparently grown out of my camping stage in life. I made the most of it though and the kids were all smiles throughout the trip. Especially when Daddy would build them a fire to make s’mores!

After our camping trip, we came home for a few days and just enjoyed some down time at home as a family. The week went by at the perfect pace, not to fast and not to slow. We got to enjoy friends, special time as a family away from our home, as well as just some good ol’ never get out of our pj days at home. It really turned out to be a perfect week!