I have lots of loose ends out there this week… Do I talk about the Paul Simon album, our kids’ school transitions coming up, the absolute misery vs beauty of the world, the book I’m reading, my art journey, I mean so many things I’m thinking about.
May is such a busy month. May-cember, am I right? It’s this spirit day, and this letter day and this celebration or the last concert or the last assembly or field day, graduation, clap out, etc etc. It’s amplified by the fact that we have a 5th grader and an 8th grader, so lots of celebration about their upcoming transitions. I thought this year might be easier because I don’t work in a school anymore, and it has been, but May is S O B U S Y.
Our summer is busy too. Our two big boys both have week long summer camps and the biggest one has two week-long summer camps. Of course, this is all happening on weeks we have the kids, so we are really sad. I mean, excited for them but sad for us somewhat because that’s a lot of time away. These are bookended with the oldest taking a trip with his mom and the other three taking a trip with their dad. Kareem is also going to be on a trip at some point. Last year, we had a similar thing but with only one kid. Now it’s everybody! So we are trying to be really intentional about building in meaningful connection time for our family now and throughout the summer.
I’m so ready for summer. We are not traveling this summer (shock! gasp!) so I don’t really know what to do with myself. I am just working on planning next year’s trip- haha! So I am kind of excited about the space that affords us this summer. We are going to do some camping and probably a Saturday night away, but that’s it. S P A C E. B R E A T H. C O N N E C T I O N. That’s what I’m hoping this summer is about.
We arrived at Niagara Falls at night, but we couldn’t resist walking down to the falls. It was quite an experience to hear them but not see them. Once we approached, they falls were lit up with colored lights- it was quite a sight to behold! Jimmy was scared, and I have to say, not being able to see but being able to hear the rushing water leading to the falls and then the crashing waters of the falls was somewhat unsettling.
We started our day the next morning visiting Niagara Falls State Park. We did Cave of Winds which felt like a big accomplishment for all of us! This is a series of wood platforms and steps that bring you up close and personal to the bottom of the falls. I was anxious about this, but it was a magnificent experience. I highly recommend!
We also did the classic Maid of the Mist voyage. Beautiful views of the falls! And it was a fun experience to get up close to the Horseshoe Falls as well on the Canada side. We wouldn’t have had that perspective without this excursion. If I had to choose between the two, personally I would choose Cave of the Winds. A very unique experience!
We headed over to the Canada side. We had several destinations in Canada, but we started by exploring the Canada side of Niagara Falls. Now I have heard many, many people say they prefer the Canada side to the American side, but I did not agree. Now don’t get me wrong- the Canada side was very lovely! They have manicured walkways and a nice visitors center and such.
I did prefer the American state park. Couldn’t really tell you why, guess it came down to vibe. 🙂
The American state park did have a hop on/hop off trolley you could ride. This was very affordable and very helpful as it is a pretty large park with lots to see!
We explored in town as well, which was very cute. Of course there are LOTS of options for food and entertainment for families. We were only there for two nights I believe, and the falls were our main objective so we did not explore as much of the town. You could definitely make this your destination for a vacation though it seems- lots to do!
It was fun to hear the kids talk about it and be in awe of it. It was interesting to me which kids found which things interesting. The youngest among us was a little scared, but once he figured out we wouldn’t be riding down the falls, he was able to let go of his fear and feel the awe of the visit.
Kareem really loves Niagara Falls, and visiting here was really what spurned the planning for the whole trip. He had visited with his parents I believe more than once as a child and then as an adult as well, and it definitely stuck with him! I felt very proud to have brought the kids here- a national treasure!
A month and a half ago, we were feeling pretty worried. Kareem had lost his job due to circumstances of the business that had nothing to do with him, but it felt so terrible because we were just a few weeks from the most wonderful time of the year. I remember feeling like I should be freaking out, but I felt pretty calm. Surely it would take no time to get a job.
Depending on when you talked to me over the past month and a half, I was either feeling very hopeful or during those moments of worry, I was feeling very concerned. I told Kareem, you’re with me now and we’re a miracle. It’s going to be okay. But there were those moments where I was like, oh shoot.
Moving into this season of hope, joy, love, and peace, we have had to accept some realities of our circumstance. Not just financially, but also being a blended family has raised some challenges, mostly in the scheduling department. Many people cannot relate to this, but imagine how you schedule your holiday plans around your family and your in-law’s family…. Now add in four additional family schedules and blend with some complicated feelings, and well, your annual traditions just might not be happening the way you always do them. That is mostly okay with me, but this year, it has been more difficult for me to accept. I think because of the additional challenges we were facing. I was like, geez is there something that I can control? Answer: nope. Not at this time. 🙂
Now that Christmas is right around the corner, I wanted to pause and reflect. This has so far been my favorite holiday season to date. It has been simplified in a sense, and not because we haven’t had the money. More because of the scheduling aspect. I have been more intentional about how we are spending our time, prioritizing differently, and spending lots of family time. We also did gratitude reflections everyday during November, which is something I did while going through my divorce but haven’t done it with such frequency since. It made all of this into a bit of an It’s a Wonderful Life moment- “Oh look at this wonderful old drafty house, Mary!” That was us everyday.
I heard my six year old girl singing “Count Your Blessings” on her own, to herself last night. It brought a tear to my eye. Here in the midst of our mess, she’s reminding me to count my blessings. This past month, I told Kareem, we are not going to get down and in our feelings about this. We are going to serve others, lose ourselves in the service of others. There were moments when we had opportunities to give time or gifts or of ourselves this past month and either one or both of us thought we couldn’t do it. So we did it anyway. And I will tell you what, it has been such a blessing to us in every way.
We experienced so many tender mercies during this trial. And no, it’s not over yet. But it is amazing how when you’re expecting something to look a certain way or have one specific solution in mind for a problem, you sometimes don’t see the incredible blessings that are getting you closer to that dream or hope or solving that problem that you are working on. Our Christmas season has been made so merry through love and care of our family and friends. Our kids’ dreams are going to come true one way or another, and the season has been simplified through circumstance. We have had get togethers with friends that cost zero dollars, spent movie nights and fire nights and looked at Christmas lights all for free. We got invited to do cool things with friends and family, attended family parties, and have just had a merry old time despite thinking we may not be able to.
I have also been so blessed by hearing from people in my life, both past and present, who share such uplifting things. They remind me of what’s important and what life is all about. It’s all very “It’s a Wonderful Life,” as I eluded to earlier. All in all, I am so grateful for this Christmas season, and I am full of hope and peace for this season of our lives and what’s to come, which is really what it’s all about anyway.
This year really looked a lot different than 2020 in all kinds of ways. It was a bit tougher on our family than 2020, to be honest. As a result, we didn’t do as much hiking as we would have liked to. However, we still did a lot of hiking and went on some really cool adventures. I’ve been featuring many of them on my blog page this week.
After today’s hike, we will total 71 hikes for the entire year. That’s not bad! About half from 2020, but more than 2019. This year’s goals included:
10 new trails- achieved and exceeded!
8 camping trips with hikes- individually, we achieved this, but not as a family.
7 waterfalls- achieved!
3 national parks- achieved and exceeded!
1 Bucket List Hike- not met
Many of the hikes we went on totally would have been bucket list hikes, but we did not get one off my big list due to… well, due to a lot of things. Maybe next year!
Ultimately, we learned a lot this year. We went through quite a bit of transition with me getting a new job and Kareem going through some major transition at his company, and ultimately, searching for a new job.
Both Kareem and I got COVID in February. It was very difficult for me, and the recovery took months. I didn’t get to hike for almost two months. I gained some weight at this time as well, so getting back in shape has been a challenge. This directly affected our hiking plans and goals, of course.
We also took some of our favorite trips we’ve ever taken as a family, as you know if you have followed my blog. We did a lot of local hikes as well. I love when my family and I can act as sort of a hiking ambassador, taking people with us who don’t typically get to hike for whatever reason. We were lucky to have several opportunities like that this year.
Sometimes we didn’t want to hike. We were busy, tired, dysregulated. Bad things were happening around us, and we just wanted to skip it.
Luckily, there was always one of us saying that they wanted to do it. Or being an encourager. It’s not because we have our goals, and it’s a to do list and we need to get it done. No! It’s because all of us in our family recognize the value in hiking. It is meditative, it can be challenging and give us a sense of accomplishment, and it is a bonding experience for our family. Kareem and my couples therapy is hiking, haha. And we know that it reduces anxiety and helps us maintain perspective. There’s a reason for the phrase “hike more, worry less.”
I am proud of all we accomplished in our hiking year this year! I can’t wait to plan our goals for the upcoming year this weekend and I will update those next week. We always choose to spend part of Black Friday outside in order to maintain perspective about what’s really important and to remind us that we always have a refuge from the crazy of the world in the outdoors. Please always feel free to join us! Happy Thanksgiving!
Charleston offers lots of historic points of interest- it was hard to narrow it down! I was on the fence about visiting Fort Sumter and/or Patriot’s Point. I was not sure our kids would be interested. But, as always, they surprised me and they LOVED these sites!
You can purchase a combo ticket for these points of interest to save a little money. FYI- you can scan your electronic ticket for Ft Sumter, but you have to go to the window and get a Patriot’s Point voucher to get in there. AND you have to go to the Ft Sumter window, not the Patriot’s Point window. They are side by side, but there could be a line, so know before you go. 🙂
You can only get to Fort Sumter by boat, and as it is a National Park Service site, the only boats allowed are the ferries they run. They run from Patriot’s Point and another site in Charleston as well. We caught the ferry at Patriot’s Point, though we did visit these sites on two separate days. There are certain times of day you can take the ferry, and they are ticketed times. You also will have to take the ferry back that you came on. You have about an hour at the fort to check it out, which is plenty of time.
Fort Sumter is a site of significant American history. It is the site of the battle that began the American Civil War. We had recently visited some historically significant sites of the Civil War, so the kids had some frame of reference for this, which made it better for them I think.
The fort is not a super large site. There are lots of signs and information to take in, and there are some displays of Civil War-era weaponry and supplies. There are many cannons that have been restored there and it is neat to see the original brick. Just outside the fort, there is a (very) short trail where you can see the manmade island and how it was made. There is virtually no shade. Bring water and prepare for the weather.
The kids really enjoyed this each in their own right. Rami liked reading about the history, Nick enjoyed the war strategy, Lucy liked the trail, and Jimmy enjoyed the cannons.
Patriot’s Point is a site with an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, a submarine, and several museums on site. You could definitely spend a full day here. We arrived early and spent about six hours. Your entry ticket includes admission to the aircraft carrier, destroyer, and museums on site. There are a couple of experiences that cost extra if you want to do them. All our kids wanted to do the Navy flight simulator, so we purchased the tickets for that. This visit overall was probably the most expensive experience of our trip, but it was definitely worth it. I think this was one of the kids’ favorite things we did on our trip aside from the beaches.
You can explore the entire aircraft carrier that is anchored in the Charleston harbor. There are many opportunities to see how the Navy lived and worked on this ship. They have a self-guided tour available, and it is very good. It leads you through the ship on a very logical and well-thought out tour. It is no joke navigating that aircraft carrier though. You are using ladders and steep stairs just as the Navy did. I did notice there were elevators available to make things wheelchair accessible, but the entire tour is not accessible.
You can go up to the very top (flight deck?) and the tower up there as well. They have many aircraft throughout the aircraft carrier to see as well. It was really special and cool to go up to where the captain would sit and the navigator room and everything. They also have a space craft on board as it was pulled from the ocean by the crew of this specific aircraft carrier!
The kids loved learning about this so much, they were super psyched to also explore the destroyer! It was much smaller, of course, but had a (very) small theater where you could really hear and see what the people on board would have experienced. Very real, very cool.
We visited the Medal of Honor museum. The kids were very reverent and respectful. Beautiful museum with incredible stories to experience. We also visited the Vietnam Experience, which is outside back on land. The kids learned a lot here, and we also got to see many veterans through our entire visit. Rami and Nick thanked them for their service when they had the opportunity, and this opened several conversations. It was touching to speak with these people.
All in all, Fort Sumter and Patriot’s Point were both very educational and unique experiences that I would recommend. I would not try to do both in one day with small children, but I think an ambitious adult or older kids could probably handle it. 🙂
