Disney World 2017

in

I want to start out by saying that I've never been so legitimately sad to come back from a vacation. Yeah, it's always a bummer to come home, but I don't know that I've ever actually been sad to see it end. Not as sad as I was when we got home on Tuesday, anyway. This trip was so necessary, and so much fun and relaxing at the same time! We've had to make so many big decisions in the past nine months, so it was really nice that the only things we had to decide on this trip were what rides to ride next and where to eat. And also which snacks to get. (The answer was all of them). We stayed at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort. This was our first time staying on the Disney property as a married couple (we stayed at Saratoga Springs with my parents before we got married) and it was so nice! In the past, we've fumbled with airport shuttles, and shuttles to and from the park, but Disney just does everything right. They have a shuttle that picks you up and drops you off at the airport, and their park shuttles run about every 20 minutes or so. Our resort is one of the value resorts, and I would say that when comparing it's prices to a non-Disney hotel, it's definitely worth it to pay a little more for the convenience of the shuttles!

We went to Epcot on our first day (which seems to be an accidental tradition for us) and had a blast. We were able to do all the big rides, all the chill rides, and eat our way around World Showcase. We had enchiladas in Mexico, gelato in Italy, a soft pretzel in Germany (that was for you, Jake and Alyssa!), and an eclair in France! Eating all the treats is obviously our favorite part of Epcot, but it was a great first day!

The next day we went to Universal Studios, and basically hung out in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade all day long. We ate an early lunch at the three broomsticks, watched a little show, and drank our weight in Butterbeer. The Hogwarts Express goes between the two parks, so we rode it three times both ways haha. We were a little all over the place! We also rode the new Jimmy Fallon ride, and E.T., but those were the only other things we did. Universal is mostly 3D simulator rides, and I don't do so well with those, so we didn't do quite as many things as we probably could have. We did watch the Animal Actors show, and good news everyone, the real Marley isn't dead! I got to pet another pup that was in the show and for a moment we locked eyes. It was magical. 

Day three was spent at Animal Kingdom! They were open from 8 am to 1 am, so we had already planned for a nap in the middle of the day. It worked out really well, because we were able to get most of the rides done before noon (when it got blisteringly hot). We even got to ride Expedition Everest twice that morning! That night, we watched the new Rivers of Light show, which I very highly recommend! Animal Kingdom used to close before dark, but this show alone makes the extra hours worth it! We also were able to ride both new rides in the new Pandora section. We waited an hour for the river ride, and while it was cool, I don't know that I would wait that long again. The banshee ride however...wowza. We waited two hours for that ride (from ten to midnight, I was dying) and it was so worth it for the first time!! I can't even explain how cool it was, you'll just have to plan a trip and see for yourself!

Hollywood Studios is my second favorite park, so I was really looking forward to our fourth day of vacation! We got there as soon as the park opened, rode Rockin' Roller Coaster, then went straight to Tower of Terror! I always forget how much I love Tower of Terror, it's so good! After breakfast, we went to Star Tours, then tried to walk to the Backlot Tour, only to be disappointed. Everything in that area, the Backlot Tour, Lights Motors Action, and the little city section of the park are all closed!! That's where they are putting the new Star Wars area, but I was so sad!!! And then we discovered that they changed Pizza Planet to Pizzerizzo, and honestly we should have just called it a day then. We were seriously so sad. Brandon had even purchased a Pizza Planet hat, and we had the perfect picture all planned out, only to be disappointed. The rest of the day was fine, despite those few things. We had lunch at the Sci-Fi Diner, had two fastpasses for Toy Story Mania, watched Fantasmic, and got to see most of the Star Wars fireworks. All in all, a good day!!

Magic Kingdom is both mine and Brandon's favorite park, and we saved it for last. Like the other days, we got there as soon as the park opened, and surprisingly it was not very crowded. We didn't get to ride Pirates in Disneyland, so that was our first stop on this trip. We rode Pirates, Peter Pan, and Small World all within the first hour of the park opening, and did the Jungle Cruise shortly after. That park is seriously such a classic! I could go on forever telling you about every ride we did, but I won't. We rode rides and had some snacks, then had lunch at Be Our Guest (also highly recommend, for any meal, just make sure you go inside!). We felt like we had done most of the rides, so we went back to the hotel for a nap, and I just kept Brandon awake the whole time. I was exhausted, but my excitement for being at the park was stronger than my fatigue! We went back, had a snack at Gaston's Tavern, rode more rides, had hot dogs at Casey's Corner, then wandered around to find a spot to watch the special 4th of July fireworks (even though it was the 3rd). While we were walking, a girl snagged Brandon and told him she had some space, and was just looking for normal people to share it with, so we ended up with seats in the very front row closest to the castle!! The light show was great, and the fireworks were so good! It was really hard to leave at the end of the night, and I'm already wanting to plan another trip! 

Even though we've been so many times, I feel like we learned a few new things on this trip. I'll post those a little later, since this one was so long. If anyone wants to book a trip to Disney, we're in!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Disney World Summer Packing List

in

 

I know what you're thinking. Didn't they just go in January? Don't those people go to Disney enough? To answer your questions: yes, and no. Definitely no to the second one. We go a lot, but did you see the article about the guy who has gone every day for like the last 2,000 days? That would be the life. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but Brandon and I have done Disney enough times that we have the packing part down. We haven't done Disney in the summer for a few years now, and I was really excited to be able to pack summer clothes! It's supposed to be 86-88 degrees the whole time we are there, so it will be perfect. There are so many different ways to do Disney, and packing will ultimately come down to your preferences. We prefer to kind of go all out, as you can see in the pictures below, but it doesn't have to be that way! Here is a rough list to get you started.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • Matching shirts. Okay, not really a requirement, but mostly they are just really fun. We bought two new shirts for this trip, and have a couple other sets. Sadly, I couldn't find links for the I'll Be Your Mickey / I'll Be Your Minnie shirts on Disney's site. If they are posted again, I'll add the links below!
  • Light-weight shirts. Orlando gets hot, especially when you are walking around in the sun all day, so dress appropriately! You don't want to be miserable in the Happiest Place on Earth!
  • Shorts. My personal preference is one for every two days we are there. It's hot, and I don't want to be re-wearing sweaty shorts too much! I usually wear pants on the plane, that way I have a pair just in case I need them, but for the most part, you'll want shorts!
  • Sunscreen!! Especially for your little ones.
  • Comfy shoes. A lot of people prefer to take a good pair of tennis shoes, I prefer to take my vans (honesty they are more worn in than my athletic shoes haha) Whatever works for you!
  • Sandals. Whether they are for the park or pool, take a pair of sandals. My feet get tired of being enclosed all the time, and I'd rather be barefoot anyway, so sandals are a nice break from my sneakers. 
  • Swimsuit! For all those midday breaks you might need.
  • Appropriate head attire. Take a hat if you'd like, or pick up a seat of ears when you get to the park!
  • Backpack or cinchy bag. We always carry water with us, and occasionally bring jackets, just in case. There are lockers for rent if you don't want to carry everything.
  • Ponchos (or an umbrella). We prefer ponchos, just because they are a little bit easier to navigate the crowds with. We bought Mickey ponchos in the park a few years ago, but you can always pick up a pack for cheap at your local grocery store!
  • A water bottle. We generally buy a cold Dasani at the start of every day, and refill it as we go, but you can always bring your own bottle to save on that cost. With the heat and how much walking you'll do, be sure to stay hydrated!
  • Camera (the one on your phone will work!) You'll want to capture all the memories and magic, so be prepared with a camera!

What are some of your Disney must-haves? You can shop our goodies below. Happy packing!

 

Just a little behind the scenes of what it's like trying to take pictures in our house. Laying on clothes is his favorite thing.

 
 
 

LUXEMBOURG!!

in

Our day in Luxembourg was my absolute favorite day of the entire trip. When we were trying to decide where to go for this vacation, Brandon suggested Luxembourg, because it is close to Belgium, and one more country we could add to the list of places we've been. I'm so glad we decided to do it!

The train ride from Brussels to Luxembourg was only three hours, and again, the ride was beautiful, so it wasn't bad at all. When we got there, we walked from the train station to the car rental place, and picked up our little car. It fit all our luggage perfectly, thankfully. We left the city and headed immediately for the countryside, winding around and around little neighborhoods and going through tunnels. I will never be able to explain this well enough, but it was like all of a sudden, we were somewhere completely different. We entered the valley of seven chateaus, and it was just perfect. Rolling green hills, houses scatted on the hillside, and these little yellow flowers (called rapeseed) everywhere. I know I'll be hunted down for this, but I really don't love being so close to mountains, and I think that's why I enjoyed the drive through Luxembourg so much. There were hills that we drove over, but everything outside the little towns was so flat and wonderful. I love being able to see for miles. And it doesn't help when everything is green and flowery and literally perfect.

Our first stop was in the little town of Vianden. We drove up a narrow (and I mean really narrow) cobblestone street and parked up closer to the castle before walking back down to find some lunch. Everything I had read said that most people spoke Luxembourgish or English, but everyone we talked to was French! It was especially surprising to me, because we were like, twenty minutes away from the border of Germany. But anyway, we stopped at this little cafe for lunch, and the lady that worked there was so cute and French. Brandon loved the hat she was wearing, he said "it's not even a costume, it's just what she wears to work!" It was hard not to order one of every dessert; we really like our French pastries!

The Vianden Castle was really neat. It has been restored, so we were able to walk through it and see what it used to be like in its glory days. Mostly it is just so big. And every detail was ornate and beautiful. We were in one room that still had some of its original coloring, and even though it had faded a bit, it is still very bold and bright! From one of the castle windows, we could see where Victor Hugo lived, so that was pretty cool too. We had planned to ride the chairlift all the way up the mountain, but it didn't open for three days, so we hopped back in the car and left for the next castle.

The whole time we were walking through Vianden, to lunch, to the castle, and all around the grounds, Brandon kept singing "little town, it's a quiet village" from Beauty and the Beast. Every time I almost had it out of my head, he would start singing it again, and I kept getting so mad at him! But then when we were walking to the car, Candis said "does this remind anyone else of Beauty and the Beast?" Brandon acted really sad and said "no" with a giant pout on his face. But all the way from Vianden to Bourscheid, we listened to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, and it might have been my favorite part of the whole vacation haha. 

We drove through Germany on our way to Bourscheid, which was uneventful but still really exciting. Literally, we drove in, and then the road took us right back out. But I got a picture of the welcome sign (at least I think that's what it says), so it counts!

The Bourscheid Castle was different from the Vianden Castle in that it was all completely in ruins. There are only a few walls still standing, but most everything has crumbled. We had an audioguide though (led by Victor Hugo, kind of) that walked us through the ruins and explained what used to be there. So it was a different experience than the first castle, but we enjoyed it! Let me tell you though, the view from the castle....so good. You're going to see a lot of pictures of just hills and towns, and they are mostly from Bourscheid castle.

We left that castle and drove through more country to the Larochette Castle. We weren't able to tour it, but it was on our way back to Luxembourg, so we stopped for a quick picture. Can you imagine just casually living below a castle? Every day you would walk out of your house, and that's what you'd get to see. I'd live in one of the little towns just because they are so quaint and perfect, but living by a castle would be a pretty big bonus! 

After driving back to Luxembourg and checking in at the hotel, we dropped the car off and then went on a hunt for dinner. The area of town we ended up in was right by the royal palace, and was super pretty. It was a Thursday, but there were suits everywhere, so I guess that's the after-work hangout for literally everyone in Luxembourg. We had Mexican food for dinner, then went to tour the Bock Casemates. The casemates are tunnels that were built for underground defense beneath the Bock Castle. After the Bock fortifications were flattened, they dug out the casemates, and they are now tunnels that overlook the lower part of Luxembourg. During World War II, the casemates were used as a bomb shelter and held 35,000 people! It was really strange to be underground, but not. Like, some areas were completely dark except for the installed lighting, and some were lined with windows that looked out. It was weird, but way cool!

After the casemates, we wandered around Luxembourg a bit more, then went back to the hotel for dessert. We couldn't find an open dessert place anywhere near where we were that wasn't sit-down, so hats off again to Brussels for making sweets so accessible!

But guess what! That's basically the end of our trip. We took the train back to Amsterdam the next morning and got to our hotel around 2:00 that afternoon. Rather than staying in the city again, we stayed out by the airport. We were all so worn out that afternoon that we just laid around until about 8:00, then found dinner, and went back to the hotel to go to bed. 

It was a fun trip, and I definitely would recommend Amsterdam, Brussels, and Luxembourg to anyone! I was pretty ready to come home by the end of it, but three days later I was at the dentist, and he was telling me all these other places in France and Belgium that we need to visit, and it brought that travel bug right back! 

 
 

Brussels!

in

I think Brandon was most excited for our day in Brussels, he talked about Belgian waffles and chocolate nonstop before our trip! We woke up bright and early (dark and early, really) on day five to catch the bullet train to Brussels. The bullet train saved us an hour, but honestly the countryside was so pretty that I wouldn't have minded the extra hour. We got there around nine, which was great, because the town was still quiet and nobody was out. We stayed at the B-Aparthotel, which was different, because there was no front desk to check in at! It was a self serve check in, and luckily there was another group of English speakers that got there when we did, otherwise we would have had no idea what to do. Long story short, the email with the check-in instructions went to my old email that I don't check. Anyway! The housekeeping staff came down and put our luggage in a closet for it, and we were off to see the city!

The first thing we did, and the thing I was most excited about (besides waffles), was Coudenberg Palace. Coudenberg sits across from, and slightly under, the new palace. Coudenberg Palace was built in the 12th century, but caught on fire in 1731, after which they started constructing the new castle. It was neat to walk through the ruins, underground, and see the grandeur of the old palace. It was so cool! From there, we stopped for a waffle, then made our way to the Museum of Music. This museum was way cool, and very different from any museum I'd ever been to. Not only did we get to walk around and look at various types of old instruments, but we got to hear them being played as well! Just through our little audio device, but still! It was neat, and we spent a lot of time there.

From there we walked to Grand Place, which is essentially a giant town square, and it really is grand! Everything was ornately decorated, with lots of gold, and it was just really pretty. We walked through there to a chocolate house, where we got to learn how a chocolatier makes chocolates. And then (the best part) we got to sample some! We tried white, milk, 50% and 70% dark chocolate, and we also tried cocoa mass, which is actually just super gross haha. But it was all so good. Then we went for frites (fries) and all shared a waffle. SO. YUMMY.

After food, we took a bus out to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. It is the fourteenth largest church in the world, and is so big. I loved Sacre Couer in Paris (more than Notre Dame, don't hate me), so basilicas are my new favorite thing to see on vacations. We walked around there quickly, then headed back to the center of Brussels. We made it in time to quickly walk through the city museum, and though this museum had everything in English, we were to short on time to read everything. And because we didn't get to read anything, I didn't actually know the significance of the next thing we saw, so I had to google it. 

Mannekin Pis is a must see when you are in Brussels. It represents the rebellious spirit of Brussels, and has been there since 1618. I did learn that they have had to replace it many times, and that it has been stolen before too. It was surrounded by people when we got there, I'm not joking. There were so many people that we kind of just dove in for a picture, then hurried down the street for another waffle. 

The highlight of the trip, and the last thing we did that day, was Atomium. Atomium was built for the Brussels World's Fair in 1958, but it was easily the biggest hit of the whole day. I don't think any of us were prepared for how big it is. We wandered around there in awe for a little bit (well, the guys were mostly in awe, Candis and I were just laughing at them) before heading back to town for dinner. And after dinner we got another waffle. That's four, for those of you keeping track. We turned in early-ish to get a good nights sleep for our last big day of vacation, which ended up being one of the best!

 
 

Amsterdam: day 4.

in

Let's get back to this trip, shall we? Our last day in Amsterdam was busy. We didn't have any specific plans for the day, but there were still a ton of things we hadn't done that we could get into for free with our citypass. First we went to the Nemo Science museum. It was basically your typical science museum, but it was way cool! There were a few um...European sections that we didn't wander into, and that was pretty strange, but besides that, it was one of the better science museums I've been to! 

After the science museum, we went to the Holocaust Museum. The Holocaust Museum was still in production (they just started building it last year) but it was still really powerful. The building we were in used to be a holding place for children that were taken from their parents and going to be sent to concentration camps. The museum had items from these children, along with their stories. We learned though, that the people who worked in that building started passing children over the wall in the courtyard to the people on the other side (I don't remember exactly what was on the other side) to give them a safe place to rest or play for a bit. Eventually, the people on the other side started taking the children and delivering them to safe places. I admire them so much for their bravery and willingness to risk their lives.

Side note: if you want to read two really great, recent books about The Holocaust, I highly recommend The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Both are about the Holocaust in France, but learning about the Holocaust in Amsterdam reminded me how much I loved both books.

We walked through the Jewish Quarter and made our way to the Botanical Garden. We looked at the plants and flowers, and went into the little butterfly house. The sun had come out while we were there, so we mostly spent a lot of time sitting on benches and being warm for a change haha. After the garden, we went to tour the Van Loon house, an old canal house that belonged to Willem van Loon, co-founder of the Dutch East India Company. I doubt that all canal houses were as grand as this one, but it was fun to see how the wealthy lived. But mostly there were a lot of secrets doors that we could see in the walls, but we weren't allowed through them, and I really want to know what secrets the house has!!

That evening, we quickly made our way through the Amsterdam city museum. Luckily, there were videos, and our audioguides played in English, because all the plaques and infographics were in Dutch. So because of that, and the fact that we had to cruise through the museum so quickly, I honestly don't remember much about the history of Amsterdam. The things I remember the most are the things I learned at the windmill! Sorry! After the museum, we wandered a little ways into Vondelpark, which is essentially the Central Park of Amsterdam. It was hard to walk in the park, and anywhere in Amsterdam really, because of all the bikes. I think it's awesome that so many people bike through the city, and it's nice that the town is small enough that anywhere you need to go is just a short bike ride away, but the bikes definitely have the right of way there. Rather than dodging bikes, we found a bench  and sat down to people watch and enjoy the views of Vondelpark.

We left the park to find dinner, and ended up at an Italian Place (the Very Italian Place, to be exact) close to our hotel. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but for pretty much every single meal in Amsterdam, we had to allow at least an hour to eat. This meal took probably close to two hours, because they didn't take our order for a really long time! I know that, in Europe, they like to really take their time and enjoy their meals, but as tourists, it was hard because we had places to go and things to see! Probably my least favorite part of the trip, which sounds petty, but who has time to relax on vacation??

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Amsterdam: day 3.

in

Day three in Amsterdam was a very informative one! We let ourselves sleep in a little, then had breakfast at this cute little cafe. Our plan after that was to go to the Van Gogh Museum, but we had to wait in line for over an hour before. We waited, and it was probably worth it just to say we've seen some of his more famous pieces. After the museum, we took the train out to Sloten, a little town that sits on the very edge of Amsterdam. There, we got to tour a working windmill! This was probably my favorite part of Amsterdam, because we learned basically why Amsterdam is the way that it is.

Quick story: when our plane landed in Amsterdam, Brandon looked at his phone, and it said we were sitting below sea level. We were really confused, but we figured the phone probably was too. 

Back at the windmill, we learned that Amsterdam really does sit below sea level! In fact, many parts of it, including the airport, used to be lakes. They built windmills to pump the water out of the lake so they could use the land. The canals were built to gradually transfer water from the city back out to the sea. From where we stood on the windmill, we could see that the canal itself below us (not its water level) was lower than the canal across the bridge. So each of the canals pump water out and up and up and up until it makes its way back to the sea. Pretty cool, huh? The lady at the windmill mentioned multiple times that the windmills are there to "keep their feet dry." If you ever find yourself in the Netherlands, I highly recommend touring a working windmill!

We stopped for a snack on our way back to the city, and I had a Dutch croquette! It was basically just a deep fried roll of chicken in breadcrumbs, but it was really good. That afternoon, we went to the Tulip Museum, and learned that tulips aren't actually native to Amsterdam. They originated in Turkey, and were later brought to Holland. It was a full day of learning! After the tulip museum, we took a canal cruise! It was neat to see Amsterdam from a different perspective, but I far prefer to look at Amsterdam alongside the canals, not in them. But we did learn that a lot of people have houseboats, and that they live in the canals, which I thought was interesting. We also saw a giant parking garage for bikes. It was three levels, and just full of bikes. So full that we couldn't even tell what the structure was until we were right next to it; it was just a giant glimmering...thing haha.

My favorite part of that day was touring the windmill, because we just learned so much about the history of Amsterdam. Even though it's kind of weird that they chose to build a city in a place full of water, the windmills and canals sure make it beautiful!

 
 

Amsterdam: day 2.

in

Day 2 in Amsterdam, and our first full day, was one that we all were really looking forward to! We let ourselves sleep in that morning, since we were still so jet-lagged from the night before, then headed back toward Central Station to find some breakfast. We ate at this cute little pancake place, and ordered Dutch pancakes, which are essentially just crepes, but a little thicker, and not quite as delicious (in my personal opinion). Mine was covered in chocolate though, so I was happy. We ordered Dutch pancakes, because of course we kind of had to, but I saw someone order American pancakes with chocolate on them, and I still dream about them. They just looked so fluffy and delicious, and I really wish we would have gone back for them haha.

But anyway, that's not what this post is about. After breakfast, we went and picked up our rental car! We got lucky and were upgraded to a car with gps, which was nice for me because I didn't have to navigate us the whole way to our destinations. Brandon drove us out through the countryside toward the tulip fields, but traffic was backed up seriously so bad, so we turned and went to the windmills first instead. I was really excited when I saw pictures of these windmills. In all the pictures I saw, there were like, three or four windmills, so you can imagine my surprise when we got there and saw all of them. It was so nice that day, so we spent quite a bit of time walking out to the windmills. There was a path that stretched pretty far, so we were able to see them up close, and get different views. It was perfect. I think they look so fake in the pictures!

After the windmills, we made our way back to the Keukenhof tulip gardens. We were there probably a week or two too soon, but most everything was in bloom inside the gardens, and it was beautiful! Just endless displays of different types of flowers (but mostly tulips), and so many colors!! Like the canals, I just kept wanting to take so many pictures! After we left the gardens, we stopped by the fields on our way out. I hadn't done my research properly, and was sad to find out that Keukenhof fields was not the place where we could rent bikes and ride them through the fields. But we stood there and took lots of pictures, so I was still pretty happy!

I have to put a quick plug in for Brandon here: he navigated the streets of Amsterdam like nobody's business. I mean, it helped that he had a big gps screen right in front of him, and that they drive on the same side of the road as we do here, but he still did a great job. And I'm grateful that he actually wanted to drive on this trip, because it helped us do and see a lot more things!

That night we found a cute little Italian restaurant for dinner, and it was probably the best Italian food I've ever had. Actually, tied for first with the Italian we had in Paris. But still, so good. Then we wandered through the fair that was situated right in the middle of Dam Square, and found some stroopwafels for dessert!

 
 
 
 

Amsterdam: day 1.

in

There's a chance I could fit a majority of our trip into one post, but to save you a little, I've decided to break it up. So here we go!

A few months ago, Brandon and I decided that we needed to go on a vacation. We had just been to Disneyland, but we wanted to go somewhere new over my spring break, and for some reason, Amsterdam stuck out in my head as the place to go. Fast forward a little while, and we were on our way!

The Thursday before we left, we got a text that our flight had been delayed, and then Friday morning, Brandon got an email that one of our hotels had closed, and would not be refunding us due their cancellation policy. Shout out to Citi Card for disputing the charge and refunding us anyway! I thought for sure that these were signs of how the whole trip was going to be, but besides those two things, it actually went off without a hitch. Anyway! After a l o n g plane ride, we got to Amsterdam at about 11:00 am. We dropped our luggage off at the hotel, then headed to the Jordaan (pronounced Yordaan) area to see the canals and find some lunch! You guys, I could not get enough of the canals. Every time we walked over one, I stopped to take a picture. I realized after about five pictures that they all basically looked the same. But I still don't care!! They are so pretty!!

After lunch, we headed back to our hotel to take a short nap. Brandon and I woke up before James and Candis, so we wandered through Oosterpark for a bit. Everything was so green, and the trees were already in bloom!  Once we met up with the other two, we made our way to the Anne Frank House. We hadn't purchased tickets in advance, so we had to wait in a huge line. They told us is would be an hour and a half wait, and the house closed in about two hours, so we were really hopeful that the line would move quickly and we would make it in. And we did! I'm so glad we were able to tour the house, because it really put into perspective just how little we actually know about life during the Holocaust. Sure, we can read about it, and we can visit museums and watch movies, but being in the small space where the families were confined, walking on the creaky floor that they had to silently move over...I can't even begin to imagine what their lives must have been like. The house didn't have any furniture in it, and the whole time I just kept thinking, how could they fit a bed in here? How could these parents sleep in the kitchen when there's barely any room for a table? It's so crazy. And humbling.

We finished there at ten, then walked around to find food. Fun fact about Amsterdam: every restaurant not in tourist central closes their kitchen down way early. I don't remember exactly what time, but it was before we go to each of them.  We wandered the streets near the Anne Frank House, in and out of restaurants, then did the same with restaurants by our hotel, only to be disappointed that most places were only serving drinks. So on our very first night in the mystical, magical land of Amsterdam, we had McDonalds for dinner. But Big Mac is the same in every language, so really, maybe it could have been worse.

 
 

Airplanes on airplanes.

in , ,

Before we went to Disneyland in January, I knew that certain aspects of the trip were going to be a little difficult/sad. We announced our pregnancy to my family at Disneyland last year in March, and the one thing I remember most prominently is standing teary eyed on a corner near city hall as we shared our wonderful news. That corner was the one thing I knew I really wanted to avoid. 

In the days leading up to our trip, Brandon told me that he bought me a gift, and that it should be at our house before we left. We checked the mail right before we left, and it wasn't there. He was so sad, because he had double checked with the seller that it would be here on time, and it still wasn't. He ended up telling me what it was, and even though I didn't have it, I still thought about it all weekend, and it was just as special. 

The gift wasn't just for Disneyland, even though it is Disney themed. We have taken it with us when we've driven somewhere for a weekend, and it's with us now (yes, as you are reading this) as we sit on the airplane heading somewhere exciting.

This little pin is one of the many ways we get to take Carter with us on trips, even though he isn't here. It's perfect, since we go to Disney for vacation so often, but I love that we have it to take with us everywhere else. We didn't know that an airplane themed nursery would be so perfect, but I love knowing that wherever we go, he's up there in his little plane, following us around the world.