Walk the Jasper Skywalk in Alberta, Canada

This past weekend my fantastically thoughtful husband gifted me a trip to Jasper, Alberta for my birthday / Mother's Day. It was a very exciting present indeed, seeing that I hadn't been to Jasper since I was a child, and Joey has NEVER been to the Jasper area in his life.

It was also great timing because the newly created Jasper Skywalk (officially termed the Glacier Skywalk) had just opened, and I was itching to go visit it, despite my love/hate relationship with heights.

Exploring the Monteverde Cloud Forest & Selvatura Adventure Park

For years I have wanted to visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest region in central Costa Rica. The first two times my husband and I traveled to Costa Rica, we explored the western coastal areas of the Guanacaste province, and then had an amazing trip to the Arenal volcano and the town of La Fortuna. Last November, however, my new little family of three was finally able to rent a car and drive up the crazy mountainside to the cloud forest for an unforgettable experience.

Dog Sledding in the Canadian Rockies

For my husband's 35th birthday, I was out of gift ideas. We are planning for baby #2 (already - who knew we were so fertile!) and so have been downsizing and minimizing like crazy to make room for a second nursery. Peanut is only 13 months, so the two babes will be 18 months apart, and that means lots of baby items, toys, and messes. My office has now completely disappeared, and my husband's office now doubles as a spare room. Boxes of books, trinkets, clothes, and much more have been carted out our front door to various destinations, just as long as they are not in our house.

What to Expect on a Road Trip Around Costa Rica

Driving in a foreign country can often make travelers a little nervous. There are unspoken rules to the road, local expectations, and unknown laws that drivers need to become aware of before getting behind the wheel, and that can be intimidating. Of course, you can always just wing it and get in the car and drive (what we usually do, to be honest), but it can be helpful to read tips and tricks about foreign driving from other travelers to help guide you. (Or learn from local drivers, like we did on our road trip through Iceland.)

Bucket List Item: Introducing Baby to Costa Rica

Last month, my family ventured to Costa Rica for our first international family vacation. Flying was surprisingly easy, as I discussed in my last post (which was about a month ago - I have been very neglectful of this poor little blog!).  The rest of the trip was just as stress-free, for the most part. We LOVED introducing our beloved Costa Rica to our 10-month-old babe, Avy!