I'm losing steam, but also trying hard not to. Here's the scoop!
Don't worry, I'm not giving up, I'm just tired. Who isn't? Here's what I'm doing in the meantime...
I know that my job is a rare exception where I can happily fill my days with work and I don’t regret it, but right now I’m for sure using it as an escape. I’m trying to have fun with the fam when I’m not working and trying to fully disassociate with the rest of the world. I’m in this moment where I feel like my conversations and written communications about our government are at a wall and that my steam has run out. It’s hard to not let that happen.
So I’m working on the things that I love and hanging out with family and friends as much as possible. I’m still tuning into the news and watching for opportunities to take action or donate or boycott, but it feels like a lull at the moment where people are numb and blocking it all out, both mentally and literally blocking it on their social media. I’m working on keeping hope and finding new ways to have an impact where I can.
Thank you to everyone who’s sent me emails and recommended newsletters and such to keep me both informed and encouraged. It’s important for me to get input from people, otherwise I just get stuck in my own head which can be lovely and can be a problem. Anyways, I appreciate all y’all.
What’s new on the blogs
It’s been wonderful to be home and really dig into my photos and notes from our trip to Hawaii this month. Between Kilauea absolutely going off for us and all the cool experiences we got to enjoy with local guides, doing the work that goes along with a big trip like this has felt refreshing and brought me a lot of joy.
The other piece that’s been great this week is finally publishing articles about NYC as we prep to visit again next month. I’ve gotten to share a lot about enjoying Broadway shows with kids, including tips for topics you may need to discuss with them regarding different shows. I’ve tried to put a thoughtful side onto the fun we have together in New York. So here’s what’s new, starting with 2TravelDads.com:
Best Kona Coast Tours (not just a list of everything we’ve done, but being choosy about what’s worth the time and money)
SIX on Broadway - this became our new favorite show this year
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - if it’s on your NYC bucket list, check this article out!
Little Shop of Horrors in NYC - OMG, this was such a great surprise of a show, but there are some things to know if you’re not familiar with the whole story.
Wicked on Broadway - such a poignant show to see as the US government censures people and tries to erase whole communities. So much to unpack.
And on MyAlohaTrip.com I’ve got all kinds of Maui and Big Island articles freshly published! Here’s everything so far from our 11 days of intense Hawaiian fun:
Umauma Experience - Ziplines and Waterfall Swimming, Big Island
Akaka Falls State Park - highest waterfall on the Big Island you can drive to
Historic Dinner Cruise from Kona - this was a surprising experience and was actually so much more than a sunset sail
Luaus - Island Breeze and Hawai’iloa, Kona Coast of the Big Island
Kohala Waterfalls Hiking - this is an overlooked part of the Big Island and a really fun experience
Kona Super Raft Safari - my favorite snorkeling / daytime trip on the water
Stay tuned because I’m still working through more of our Hawaii itinerary and will be publishing some helpful stuff about CAMPING in Hawaii, so watch for that soon!
Traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska THIS WEEK!
I’m so excited for this week’s adventure to Alaska… in the winter!!! It’ll be my family’s first time in AK in the winter and I am so curious to see what they think of it. We’re heading up to Fairbanks (up in the Interior) and it’s going to be a week full of ice and snow and fun. We’ll be staying at a few different places, including Borealis Basecamp (so stoked!) and we’ve got activities ranging from ice fishing to Northern Lights viewing. Because we’ll be in AK I won’t be sending a newsletter next week. We’ll be a bit busy.
One of the highlights of our trip to Fairbanks is actually going to be part of the journey home. We’ll be on the Alaska Railroad Aurora Route from Fairbanks to Anchorage to end our AK trip. It’ll be the kids’ (and Chris’s) first time of the Alaska Railroad and I know they’ll love it!
Using Trusted House Sitters for the First Time
When you travel a lot and have pets, it’s both sad and stressful to leave them for any amount of time. We used to have some great friends that lived nearby and were amazing house-sitters for use (but not they’re off traveling the world… whatevs), so for our Alaska trip we needed to find somebody with good references that could be very present with our little guys. We’re using Trusted House Sitters for the first time and so far I’m excited to see how it goes.
If you want to try Trusted Housesitters, here’s a link for a discount!
We were able to connect with a couple who loves cats and has great referrals, and we even got to talk with them about each of our cats’ personalities. They’ll be here with our boys while we’re gone for nine days, and I’m confident we’ll come home to a clean house and kitties that have been well loved. And I hope our house sitters enjoy being here. I think our neighborhood and our home are special, so hopefully they’ll agree.
Taylor Family Update
We just ended basketball season, which was our first organized sport in our family, and it was great. We did it through the YMCA so it was way more low key than doing select sports, but it still had some intense moments. Elliott was such a champ and learned some great skills, had amazing physical activity, and he loved hanging out with his team so much. We finished off the season with a win, but in non-competitive 10 year old basketballs, the winning and losing legit doesn’t matter because they are actually just having fun. I cherish THIS frame of mind for sports, because we live in the South and I can see inklings of what the future could hold.
In other news, we built a catio! That’s right, it’s an enclosed patio for the cats. I was very anti-catio until the last few weeks, and now I love it. While I was in Hawaii, Chris taught Rocky how to go outside with a leash and harness, and it completely changed him into a 100% snuggler. So I built a catio connected to Bijoux’s old cat door, and now all three cats can easily and safely go outside when they want. They all love it and I love being in the pool and chatting with them as they sit in the sun.
Life Thoughts
Y’all, boycott things. Money talks and while filing impeachment papers and a few select politician being loud is great, the masses of the public hold power in boycotting. Right now it’s an Amazon boycott along with Target, Walmart and others, and then we’ll be on another Meta/Facebook/Insta boycott. There have been a few going on, but here’s a list if you feel like you need to be super specific. Yes, it’s tough to drop Amazon and the like, but it’s doable.
I’m working on finding more actionable things we can do, but let’s roll with this for now.
Thank you all for following along and being supportive. I love getting to write and send my newsletter and share on socials. You’re all awesome and I hope we all have better and better days as we move forward!