Show & Tell Tuesday: Tavelogues

I'm linking up with Andrea today for Show & Tell Tuesday, and we're chatting about our Travelogues! 

Our family LOVES to travel! We make it a priority to take a vacation, even a small one, several times a year! I didn't grow up traveling a ton, but when I met DJ and knew that we would be living away from the state I grew up in, and away from family, we knew that travel would be important to us. Especially if we wanted to see our family. 

We loved exploring new places from when we started dating, and right in to the beginning of our marriage. And, with DJ's job as a college football video coordinator, traveling is just part of the job, so it's a good thing  he loves it! 

Over the years, DJ and I have tried to take a few solo trips together. One of the first trips we took was a cruise, when Gretchen was about a year and a half old! That time together helped us reconnect, and we love being able to sneak in a weekend away. (or even just a day) And, I'll be the first to admit that's it's been way too long since we've had a getaway! And sadly, we couldn't find time to squeeze it in to our summer plans this year. 

A few years ago, we left the kids at my mom's and headed to New Orleans together.

And then we were able to sneak off to Denver for a quick weekend getaway. 

And every Fall, we're able to sneak one weekend away for our football wives trip. Although, I don't get to see him much because he's working! 

And, thanks to his job, we've been able to take lots of trips around Christmas to bowl games....

Our first bowl game was to Mobile, when we were at the GMAC bowl. Gretchen was almost a year old, and we just packed her up and went. This was before I started blogging! 

We've also been to Fort Worth for the Armed Forces bowl, and then to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl. 

We even spent Christmas at Shreveport at the Independence Bowl

And this past year, we spent a few days before Christmas at the Miami Beach Bowl. 

These bowl games have allowed for some fun family vacations! 

When Gretchen was just a few months old, DJ and I headed to St. Louis for a week, and my parents met us there. It turns out that St. Louis is one of my favorite cities! 

And each November, we take a girls only Branson trip the weekend of Thanksgiving. 

Branson was our vacation spot when I was growing up, and we've continued the tradition with the girls, because it makes for a quick getaway! The girls look forward to our annual Thanksgiving trip every year. 

Last year, we went several times since we had season passes to Silver Dollar City. 

Because most of our family lives in Arkansas, we head there often throughout the year! 

We love spending time at the lake while we are in Arkansas! 

We spend our evenings around the campfire, and then our days in the water. 

And two years ago, we headed to Indiana and Chicago to visit family. 

On our way, we stopped and visited President Lincoln's museum.

And we celebrated the 4th at a huge family reunion. 

We visited a dairy farm. 

And then we headed to Chicago to take in the American Girl doll store and a Cubs game! 

In fact, we tried to make it to a Cubs game every year when we lived in Indiana. 

Last summer, we took a long weekend and headed to Dallas! We visited George Bush's presidential library, went to a Frisco Roughriders game, visited the grassy knoll where President Kennedy was shot, took in the Lego Store, and American Girl store. 

And, our BIG family vacations have been all about Disney World! 

When Gretchen was in 1st grade, Megan was 3, and Adalyn was 1 1/2, we took a week and went to Disney! 

We had the best time, despite a broken leg at the beginning of our trip. 

And then this Spring Break, we headed out on a Disney cruise! 

We loved exploring the Bahamas, Castaway Cay, and having time on the ship! 

Despite two girls coming down with a tummy bug! 

So, this summer we have even more travel plans!!!

I'm heading to Salt Lake City for a week alone! DJ and the girls are planning some lake time while I'm away, and then we'll all be heading back to Florida for a weekend at Disney with extended family, and then some time in Tampa. After that, we'll be heading to Arkansas for more time at the lake, and then time with my family! 

Here's the thing about traveling with your family. 1) It does not have to be a huge vacation to make memories. We absolutely love taking small trips, or day trips, and just getting away and exploring! 2) We've planned on taking larger vacations every other year. It's just what works for our family, because we take many small trips throughout the year. We plan to rent an RV and travel to national parks for our next big trip! 3) The years we take big vacations, our girls have smaller birthday parties. This allows us to save extra money. 4) We are much more relaxed while we're on a trip. Traveling allows us to connect and enjoy each other. 5) It doesn't matter where you go, you'll always make wonderful memories!