4th Grade

 It is so crazy to think that Campbell is already in 4th grade. I can't mention 4th grade without mentioning how much Campbell excelled at 3rd grade. The expectation in 3rd grade is a lot more studying and a lot more independence. It was a tough transition to start with but I'm proud to say that Campbell finished the year not only with all A's but at the top of her class. This was such a strange year in general but I'm proud of Campbell's resilience. She is a true rock star! 

We were so excited that our school decided to have the kids back 5 days a week in person. Campbell has been home since March so after nearly 6 months it was time. She was thrilled to go back and so far is excelling, loves her teacher and 4th grade. We can't wait to see the way God continues to work through her this year. 

And just for giggles look at this precious girl her first day of kindergarten. Time really is such a thief. 

It is such a joy and privilege to be her Mama. 

Disney 2020

 I was not sure that this trip wasn't going to happen this year due to #covid but the more and more I saw pictures of other friends going I knew we just couldn't skip out on our yearly tradition. I cherish this time with my girl and we both look forward to it. Austin and I literally decided on Sunday that we would leave on Tuesday. Campbell had her first days of school Monday and Tuesday and then started full time after Labor Day so I saw this as our last chance to get away before we got back into the swing of things. We had originally talked about doing something as a family but Austin had a couple meetings he couldn't get out of so we made the best of it. I picked Campbell up for school with our bags packed and ready to go. This video is one of my favorites of Campbell, I love her enthusiasm about our trip. 

So we drove down to Palm Coast and stayed Tuesday night. Wednesday we were up bright and early ready to finish our drive to Orlando. We ended up staying at the Contemporary this time and Campbell is a HUGE fan. I asked her if she wanted to stay at the Polynesian on our next trip and she declared she ONLY wants to stay at the Contemporary. 

We were able to get into our room upon our arrival and we were in Hollywood Studios by 10:00. First order of business was Rock n Roller Coaster which is Campbell's favorite ride at Disney. The lines were short and we probably rode it 5 times before we moved onto something else. The crowds were minimal and we were able to ride, and ride, and ride. It was perfect for us. We were able to do Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway which is new and was super cute. It uses magnets so there are no tracks for it. We were also able to do Galaxy of the Edge. On our last trip it had just opened and the wait time was hours so that was our first experience. 

Thursday we were up and ready to hit up Animal Kingdom home of my favorite ride (Everest). We were able to do Flight of Passage with a 15 minute wait time and honestly I think that's the amount of time it took to walk through the line. I don't think we were ever see lines this low again. We rode and rode and rode some more. 

Dining options inside the parks were pretty limited. All of our favorite restaurants were closed. So we ended up hitting up Disney Springs for dinner. With Animal Kingdom closing at 6:00 and no park hopping allowed we decided to try out Frontera Cocina. It was good and we had some great views of the sunset as well as the hot balloon taking off. 

Friday we saved Magic Kingdom for last but not before hitting up Chef Mickey's for breakfast. We always eat at Chef Mickey's but they were only open for breakfast and there were no characters. It was a totally different experience but Campbell insisted we go and who am I to break traditions. 

Not bad with a self timer

It was so nice being able to leave Chef Mickey's and head straight to Magic Kingdom. The security line and temperature check was a breeze. Upon entering I was pleasantly surprised to find a few of our favorite characters waiting for us. First order of business was riding Space Mountain probably ten times before moving on to something else. Interesting enough the longest we waited at Magic Kingdom or any park was for Splash Mountain and that was when it felt like 113 degrees out! 

We were planning on heading back to the hotel to take a little break but ended up getting caught in a downpour. Campbell decided instead of wearing her poncho she welcomed the rain after the heat of the day. This resulted in a new Disney shirt once she realized how cold she was! 

We shut down the park by riding Space Mountain as many times as we could before it closed. I caught one more gorgeous sunrise on our last morning before we headed home. This Disney trip was so different from any other yet I wouldn't have changed a thing. 

The Wild Midwest

2020 what weird weird year it has been. We didn't originally plan on making the trip to the midwest with my parents but I am so thankful we did. I apologize in advance for the number of pictures but I want to remember everything. 

Covid ended up derailing all of our travel plans for this year and continues to impact our travel. We were supposed to leave for our company trip in June only to find out the day before our trip that my passport expired back in February, le sigh 2020 just won't quit. So we ended up also having to reschedule our company trip and our family vacation to Turks & Caicos which is once again closed due to covid. I am hopeful we will be able to travel again soon! 

Mama & Daddy set out on June 12 to make the long trek from Florida to Victor, Idaho. They were gracious enough to take Austin's partner's camper out west for them. What a great adventure for them to experience! 

Campbell and I flew out of Greenville on Sunday June 14. We flew Delta and I've got to say I was impressed with the precautions and cleanliness of the plane. We landed in Salt Lake City and stayed the night in Provo. Austin thought that would be a good stop for us to see the BYU campus. Interesting enough my paternal grandma is actually from Utah and my granddaddy ended up being stationed there hence how they met. Provo was absolutely beautiful, the pictures don't do it justice at all. Of course the campus was near bare because of summer & #covid. We were able to catch a bit of the girls soccer practice which Campbell loved and of course we had to hit up the BYU store to grab some merchandise before we made the trek to Moab. We met my parents in Moab and began the camping life. 

First order of business was kayaking down the Colorado River. The water was COLD! My partner didn't help much with paddling but she sure is cute! She insisted on getting into the water with it being a warm 66 degrees. We had a great time and it was a great experience and I was able to stay in my kayak the entire time most importantly! 

Tuesday we were up and ready to see all the sights Moab has to offer. We visited Moab National Park and visited Dead Horse Park. It was truly breathtaking. My parents had actually been to Utah summer of 2019 and when they knew we were meeting them on the trip Daddy insisted we stop in Moab. I am so glad we took the time to visit Moab. I really hate that Austin didn't make the trip with us but we were anticipating being gone for two weeks before passport gate of 2020. We will definitely go back next time with Austin in tow. 

Wednesday we made the (8 hour) drive to Victor, Idaho which was the final resting place for the camper. The weather was cold and rainy and a nice escape from the South Carolina heat. 

Thursday we visited the much anticipated Yellowstone. This was Campbell's first trip to Yellowstone but definitely won't be our last. I feel like you could spend weeks at Yellowstone and still not see all it has to offer. The last time I was in Yellowstone was roughly 24 years ago and this time I was more enthusiastic about our trip. We got to see Old Faithful erupt and many geysers which were just breathtaking. We stopped in Jackson Hole for dinner and what a cute town. 

Friday we spent the day in Jackson Hole and ended up riding horses. We also drove up to Jackson Hole Mountain resort to ride the gondolas to the top of the mountain. I would love to go back when there is snow on the ground and the resort is open. Saturday we took it easy with the anticipation of our drive back to Salt Lake City while Mama and Daddy visited Grand Teton National Park. 

Sunday we headed back to Salt Lake. We made stops in Idaho Falls for brunch and stopped in Salt Lake. We had anticipated swimming there but Salt Lake was not a lake that Campbell nor I felt comfortable swimming in :-) Monday we were up bright and early heading home to Austin and Marley. Had we known our other trips were to be cancelled we certainly would have stayed longer. 

If you made it this far you deserve a medal because this was lengthy! I hope Campbell always has a love for travel and she realizes the world is so much bigger than South Carolina. We knocked Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming off of Campbell's states she has visited. I love love love these special times with my girl and my parents. Thanks for reading.