Tortorice's 2012

Erik and I decided this year we are going to commit to 2 trips. One dedicated to the kids and one dedicated to us. Since we never really every go anywhere or do anything besides a trip to Minneapolis here and there, we talk a lot about it but never actually do it. Not this year, we are committing. Something different for us, we normally do everything last minute spur of the moment. But the hard part is we cannot make a decision to save our lives AND when I google different places I have a hard time deciphering what is a good price and what isn't since we never do fly. I do for work but never make the arrangements so I am LOST. So please share where you have gone that you love, what is a good price, and any sites your recommend to check out.

Much needed vacation...

So we took off last Thursday for Blue Fin Bay on the Northshore of Lake Superior. Erik and I trusted Leslie to not go insane watching our boys for three nights while we headed out of town with the Greene's and the Kuehl's. I am so glad we did it! First of all it was absolutely gorgeous; it felt like we were in another state. I never realized how Minnesota had such different stages of elevation and types of natural waterfalls, rivers, and streams.

Please take note of my $30 pink stocking cap and under my pants (I will not be sharing a picture) my $35 dollar long johns. Not to mention my $59 swimsuit I had to get at Pamida because I forgot to pack one. Because even though it looked gorgeous it was a bit chilly. My fancy phone said it was going to be in the 50's-wrong! It was more like in the 30's with a breeze that could cut right through you.

But my fancy phone did take these kick ass pictures-not bad for a camera phone. We stayed with Tawni in Duluth on Thursday night and trekked up to Blue Fin Bay on Friday to meet the Kuehl's (who by the way are expecting-I told you I would announce it on the blog Amy, she is due in October-yay!). Be sure to share your congrats with them via postal mail because they do not use technology to communicate with the world. :)

Friday we ate at a cute little restaurant that sold some serious gourmet chocolate, Erik bought the biggest and yummiest peanut butter cup I have ever seen and ate. We did a brief hike at Gooseberry Falls but this was prior to the long johns and I was cold, but again it was gorgeous. So we decided to head to the resort to check in, along the way I bought the coveted hat and long johns. Amy bought a new pair of hiking shoes because she brought two left shoes-not very comfortable to hike in.

Friday we ended the evening with some stuffed chicken breasts I got at the local market that was super cute and a game of Catch Phrase that was old school and in a game board box, manual but still very fun.

We woke to have breakfast on Saturday, the Kuehl's were responsible for making breakfasts both days but Brad only remembered to bring two eggs to feed us all. Two HUGE ostrich eggs that held enough eggs to equal a dozen per egg. Tasted just like chicken eggs-he made a great frittata with one of them. We brought back the empty shell to Anthony as a souvenir, he has since not stopped asking questions about it.

Saturday we took off to Tempereste and hiked the waterfalls, stream, and woodlands surrounding the area. That is where all of the pictures from above are, did I mention it was absolutely gorgeous? After the hike we headed to a really cute town called Grand Marais for some lunch and to walk around. Had the best turkey and goat cheese sandwich at a little place called The Crooked Spoon.

Headed back to the resort to hot tub and have a great dinner prepared by the Greene's. Watched the movie Taken with Liam Neeson-(this movie will keep you at the edge of your seat, thought it was smart, insightful, and sad to watch if you are a parent). But the ending is great-seriously rent it if you have not seen it.

Headed to bed by 11:30 and woke up to 15-20 pieces of hard earned and I am sure well spent merchandise the guys discovered at the crane machine in the arcade. Packed up and headed home.

The boys had a great time with Leslie, Chad, and Stu. Alex was calling her mommy by the time I got home and both wanted to stay with them another night. I cannot blame them since they swam everyday, went to the circus, and came home with every light up toy imaginable. But was happy to hear Alex say he was,"hoppy (yes hoppy) to be home."

All in all a great weekend for all of us.  Now Erik is taking off to Wyoming for work to go to the Ditch Witch factory for a tour and pick out his new equipment so I am in single parent mode. Not cool since it takes me and hour and a half to drop Alex off and get to work because the Red River has destroyed my normal path. Forunatley Erik's parents were not affected by the flood this year. Keep your fingers crossed that it remains that way!

Disney World or bust....

So we just got back from the land of Mickey Mouse. We had an absolute blast!! It really was the ultimate family vacation, except for one large detail and that is we were missing Alex. He was spoiled for nine solid days by my in-law's. When I say spoiled I mean SPOILED, but we would not have had it any other way. Unfortunately since the weather was 90-100 degrees with almost 100% humidity it is just not ideal for a 6 month old and we really wanted Anthony to enjoy the entire experience. We arrived at home close to midnight and I picked up the little man at 6 am.

Anyways back to Florida. We stayed at a timeshare with my parents and sister. My aunt and uncle were next door to us with their 3 boys and Grandma Dar. There was no real drama and everyone just went with the flow, it was great! Where we stayed was just the right size. There was two pools, one with water slides for the kids (okay maybe for the adults too) and a wading pool with not as much action. It was so humid you could feel it as soon as you stepped off of the plane.

Upon arrival we settled in. Monday we hit Sea World and fell in love with all the amazing animals there. It is spellbinding to watch what these animals are capable of. The trainers that work with them are so dedicated to them, it was really neat to witness this type of relationship. We thought that we were going to get rained out at the Shamu show but they were able to pull it off. The show was titled "Believe" and gave me goosebumps countless times. We thought for sure we were going to get splashed because we were front row and center, unfortunately to Anthony's dismay I think we were the only area that did not get drenched.

Tuesday we met up with Jim Feske at Epcot who was kind enough to help us out with getting us in as his personal guests for the day. We spent the morning at Epcot. The Finding Nemo ride as well as the Evolution of the Earth were so cool. I cannot believe how realistic they can make the figures look. Come lunch time the three of us went and met the rest of the crew at The Magic Kingdom...WOW!!! I have waited 30 years to see Cinderella's Castle and it did not let me down. Anthony was enthralled with everything. He was able to meet Mickey and get his autograph. At the lights parade he was going ballistic when he saw Mickey leading the way, it was hilarious. Space Mountain was crazy! The Haunted Mansion was Anthony's favorite and the Pirates of the Caribbean was a close second. Next time we go I think that we are going to try stay right on the resort again and spend a couple full days just at the Magic Kingdom. Erik bought a shirt that says," I am Grumpy because you are Dopey." Very fitting.

Come Wednesday we relaxed at the resort. Anthony thought he was pretty cool because he was swimming underwater with goggles and no life jacket. Erik and I were proud, he is a good little swimmer. For dinner we hit the Arabian Nights dinner theatre. Everyone loved it, young and old. Come night time the adults went swimming and Grandma Dar stayed in with the boys. I charged down the water slide and was irritated because it felt like I got a sliver in my finger when I went down. Erik went down and was complaining because his feet got shocked. My cousin Brent goes down (he's 20) and is almost in tears because a huge shock zapped him. Erik walks up to the site of where the water pump is going from the battery and sure enough there is a wire loose. We were all literally getting electrocuted. I guess people have always thought of our family as "shocking". He, he, I couldn't resist.

Thursday we were off to MGM or Disney Hollywood Studios. Awesome!! We went to the Indiana Jones Show, Stunt Show, and the Muppet's 3D Show. All were amazing! I have to say the Aerosmith Rollercoaster was by far my favorite ride. Erik and I were the first car on the ride and loved it! We went on the Tower of Terror ride with my sister and cousin Kyle. Kyle was sitting next to me (he's 15) and practically tried to crawl into my seat with me. When we got off the ride he tried to deny it but I still had marks on my arm to prove it. Anthony saw the Power Rangers and Monsters, Inc. family.

Friday we relaxed at the resort and shopped. Saturday pretty much the same. We were tired. Only difference is we ate at a DISGUSTING sea food buffet called Angel's Seafood. Never, ever eat there. Sunday we flew to Minneapolis and it took us an hour to find our car because we are idiots. After finally finding it we cruised over the the Heer's to see little Leila (sorry if I misspelled AJ). OMG she is so cute, you forget how tiny they are when they first arrive. I really wish they lived closer to us :(. From there we left and finally got home at midnight.

It is always super fun to go on vacation and it is always really nice to come home to your own sweet bed. Thanks to the Nobles, my parents, sister, husband, and child for an awesome time!! Thanks to the Kuehl's for your hospitality on Saturday before we left (we had so much fun), and thanks to my BFF for producing some cute babies for my kids to play with.