DAY 3: Gap of Dunloe and Boat Ride through the Lakes of Killarney

This day is Ireland may have been one of the highlights of our entire trip. While many people visit the major attractions like Killarney, after talking to friends who had visited Ireland, no one had heard of or visited the Gap of Dunloe. I spent some time reading through travel forums on ideas of what to do while abroad and this mysterious Gap of Dunloe kept coming up. One of the comments stood out when he commented that the day he spent in the Gap, hiking through and taking the pony trap with his new bride was still one of his favorite memories 20 years later. I immediately planned the trip, booked the necessary guides and tours, and Adam and I gifted this beautiful day to my in-laws for Christmas. We had the most perfect 65 degree sunny blue bird day for this adventure and we all loved every aspect of the trip. 

Ross Castle

The day went like this

1. Meet at the Old Weir Lodge in downtown Killarney
2. A bus takes you to Ross Castle
3. From Ross Castle, you hop on a 1.5 hour boat ride through the lakes and rivers of Killarney National Park
4. From there, you have lunch at an old hunting lodge, Lord Brandon's Cottage
5. From the cottage, you have the option to hike the 7 miles through the gap (a now paved tiny single lane road), or hire one of the ponymen for a pony trap (horse and carriage ride) down through the gap.
6. The hike or ponytrap ride takes you to Kate Kearney's Cottage. From here, you can grab a coffee or a bite and wait for the bus to take you back to your car at Old Wier Lodge. 
   You can book the tour here

Day 2: Killarney, Ireland (Castlerosse Park Resort and Killarney National Park)

We spent days 2 through 6 in Killarney (Sunday through Thursday, 4 nights) and it was magical. Ireland's beauty is quiet here in the states in the sense that you don't hear much about it, but it is so apparent when you spend time in this country, especially outside its major city. The greenery, the restaurants, the outdoors, the friendly people, the amazing food, we fell in love with Ireland and it started right here in Killarney.

Between the resort we stayed at, the access to the trails and National Park, the city/downtown area itself, and the launching point to Gap of Dunloe, Blarney Castle, Kinsale, and Dingle Peninsula, this corner of Ireland was our favorite. The town itself is dreamy with busy cobblestone streets, live music, quaint shops, a ton of restaurants with outdoor spaces, and everyone out on the sidewalks enjoying a pint. 

Ireland with Kids Day 1: Red Eye, Rock of Cashel, Aherlow and Mallow Castle

International travel has always been important to me. I love to experience a new culture, new food, new scenery, and a different part of the world. You probably won't believe me but I promise I've done the math but more often than not, a trip to Europe is more affordable than a trip I can take within the states. While flights sometimes cost a little more, everything is cheaper once you are there, lodging especially. I knew when we had kids the gift of international travel was something I wanted to share with them and so, every year we try to visit a new country. Whitney has a few stamps on his passport first to Portugal at 15 months (Lisbon and the Algargve), then to Italy and Switzerland at 3 (focused on the Lake Iseo region). This year his newest passport stamp was Ireland and our newest challenge was traveling with both kids at the challenging ages of 2 and 4. Let me start by saying that traveling with kids is not for the faint of heart and it will test you and your marriage in ways you can't imagine. Yet, every time we do, we get through the hard parts, we have an amazing trip watching our kids enjoying life abroad, and do it all over again.

I picked Ireland for my first international trip with both kids for a few reasons: direct flight from our smaller international airport right in Connecticut, affordable with a lot of options to explore the outdoors, and a relatively small country that is easy to see with kids. With that being said, I knew a few things were going to be challenging: the time of the red eye (6pm to midnight - truly couldn't be any worse), the 5 hour time difference, and driving a car on the wrong side of the road and the wrong side of the car. 

Essex Steam Train Half Marathon - 10 Years Later

Essex Steam Train Half Marathon

In March, I ran my first half marathon since having kids, my first half marathon in ten years. 

Ten years ago I was 27 years old, living in Utah and in amazing shape. I was running, hiking, biking, as much as I could and when you live so far from your family, you have a lot of time for the outdoors.  Ten years ago, I ran my fastest half and set my PR, the Salt Lake City half marathon. I was running against my Garmin time of 1:55:36 at 13.15 miles which was a PR for me. AFTER the race, and only after, I logged back into the race website to see it was an entirely downhill course, and my official race time was 1:59:15. It's always best to go with the race timer knowing you add a bit of distance as you wind your way through the course (the course is measured on the shortest route possible running the tangents etc).

Intro to Backcountry Skiing - Tuckerman Ravine to Sherburne Ski Trail with Inclusive Ski Touring

Birthdays feel special to me. So often we celebrate the milestones: 16, 21, 30, 40, 50 and on, but we kind of let the rest of the birthdays go on as ordinary days in between the bigger milestones. I choose to savor and celebrate all the birthdays in between. Throughout my 20s and into my 30s, I embraced my love of winter and snowy birthday month, usually celebrating in the snow. I spent many birthdays on a ski slope, my 30th birthday dog sledding in Canada, 31st birthday snowmobiling in the Adirondacks, so on, and so forth. My birthday ski celebrations were put on pause for a few years thanks to my winter pregnancies, but 2025 and my 37th birthday was the time I crossed something big off my bucket list, while using my birthday to coerce Adam into joining me. Instead of just heading west or north for a ski trip, we were headed to the backcountry to hike up a portion of Mount Washington and ski down the back country on New England's famous Sherburne Ski Trail.

Weekender's Guide - Winter in the Berkshires

There's something about a mountain town in the winter. Cozy restaurants, Adirondack chairs around a fire pit at a lodge, family-friendly ski mountains, a classic diner, and decorated Main Streets. Vermont, New York, Maine, and New Hampshire offer some of these quintessential and oh-so-nostalgic mountain towns. They do, however, come with a longer travel time and higher cost.

A solution for the coastal Connecticuters who want a more budget-friendly option that is also a little closer to home? The Berkshires. The Berkshires are a section of Western Massachusetts where the Vermont-based Green Mountains spill into the Bay State.

The largest municipalities associated with the Berkshires cultural region include Pittsfield, North Adams, Great Barrington, Williamstown, Stockbridge, Lee, and Lenox. The highlands of Massachusetts don't boast towering jagged peaks but instead, host smaller peaks ranging from about 700 to 1,200 feet. The area is home to a few different ski resorts, Butternut, Berkshire East and Jiminy Peak being the most well-known. The mountain towns on a small scale which generally means easy access, less crowded, and more affordable options.

Couples trip, girls weekend, solo exploring, a long day trip, or a weekend away with the family. If you want to explore mountain towns in the winter, the Berkshires are a great option.

Puppy Adoption Party - Piper's 2nd birthday

Piper turned two today. Our little baby girl is growing up quickly and we are trying to soak up every minute and celebrate. We decided to celebrate her second birthday at home with two of her friends from daycare and their siblings, whose parents happen to be my good friends. 

We let Ashey plan the theme of a Puppy Party. There were dog houses the kids could decorate with stickers and markers, stuffed animal dogs the kid's could "adopt". The kids could also pick coats and collars for their dogs, and Ashley had adoption certificates printed. 

I decorated a puppy themed funfetti cake and made a balloon arch. It was the perfect little party with close friends, pizza, and cake.  

Chugga Chugga TWO TWO! Whitney's Second Birthday

It's 2024 and I am wrapping up a post on Piper's Second Birthday. Looking back, I found this half finished post on Whitney's Second Birthday and figured a side by side celebration of Two was in order. For the kid's first few birthdays, we found fun theme and celebrated at the house with family and friends. For Whitney's second birthday, we celebrated his love of trains with a Chugga Chugga Two Two train themed birthday party. 

We ordered pizza, had a homemade cake, and the perfect primary colored train theme. It was simple and perfect a cozy Saturday with family at the house and our train loving two year old. 

Lake George Winter Carnival, New York

Winter birthdays in New England mean you have to get a bit creative. You have to travel south for warmer weather, or travel north and embrace the cold. I usually do the later, involving the winter weather in my birthday plans. Last year I turned 36 and to celebrate, we headed north to Lake George, New York. Lake George has their famous winter carnival all through the month of February. My birthday landed on the weekend so we loaded the kids in the car and headed to the famous lake in the Adirondacks. 

Holiday lights downtown Lake George during the Winter Carnival

If you haven't heard of the winter carnival, it's a celebration of winter with the lake front stage and center. The Lake George Winter Carnival started in 1961 and has run ever since. There are a series of events hosted on the lake (or in alternate locations if it has been a warm year). The carnival runs every weekend (Friday to Sunday), typically through the month of February. This year, the carnival runs from January 31st through March 2nd. There is a schedule set for every weekend with a variety of activities. Most events happen in the area of Shepard Park, and if you head to the winter carnival (check the calendar first to see what events are on what days), you can expect to find free s'mores, an ATV poker run, motorcycle and ATV ice racing, dog talent shows, outhouse races, glacier golf tournaments, a chili cook-off, a parade, a polar plunge, karaoke, cocoa, fireworks, and so much more. Some events are free, and some events require advanced registration and purchased tickets. You can see the schedule here and buy tickets for the various events.

Here is an example schedule (starting this weekend)

A Year in Review - 2024

My Year in Review is truly my favorite post to write and usually one I have fired up on KW by New Years Eve.  You can read the last ten years here:
(2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014)

It's January 3rd and I'm just starting to write this post which paints the picture of how insane the year has been. Raising two toddlers (now almost 2 and almost 4) is not for the faint of heart. Throw in running my own company, and all the day to day basics of family life and trying to meet my personal needs and and I feel unhinged. Chaos aside, I hope I never let life get too busy to keep up with this blog. I hope to always have this creative outlet and diary of sorts to share with my kids one day. So let's get started wrapping up 2024. 

2024 was beautiful and hard. We had some amazing weekends away, an international trip to Italy, a successful year with my company, and a new dog we welcomed to the family. We watched our kids grow a year older, watching their bond build as they turn 2 and 4 in just a few weeks. We started to slowly find a groove in parenting young kids, even if it often felt like two steps forward one step back. It was the first year both kids were in daycare (Piper starting for the first time in August) and running my business became just a tiny bit easier. For all the beauty and growth 2024 had to offer, it also came with crushing losses and heartache as we said goodbye to both of our dogs within 1 month of each other. We did our best to navigate our overwhelming grief alongside our three year old who had to learn the tough lesson of death and loss. 

We've found a way forward through our sadness, eased by our new rescue dog Otto who distracts us and loves our kids endlessly. It was a year of highs and lows, highlighted month by month below.