The Outside & In

Last weekend we headed out on a little microadventure to the Kennedy Space Center. Having lived in Florida almost my whole life, I had never been. And if I have, it was so long ago I don’t even remember it. You don’t hear much talk about Kennedy Space Center, so I was not expecting to be blown away. But guess what? We were BLOWN AWAY. The park exceeded our expectations, and we learned a ton about the past, present and future of our nation’s space program. Which is not that hard considering I realized I knew almost nothing. In case you are considering visiting KSC any time soon, I will share my thoughts and highlights.

Entrance to Shuttle Atlantis exhibit

Theme Park or Museum?

It’s important to note that if you are expecting a theme park like Disney World with rides, lines and characters, you will find KSC completely different. Depending on your love of all things DW, this may or may not be a good thing. For us, it was a great thing. I would say depending on your child’s interest in space, perhaps it would be best suited for kids who are at least 6 years old. I would describe KSC less like a theme park and more as a large museum campus, made up of several museums filled with films, exhibits, experiences and hands-on activities. We were there for 8 hours and still didn’t get to everything.

Park Size:

The size of the main park is actually very small. If you stand in the middle of it, you can pretty much see all of the buildings. If I had to venture to guess, I would say it is about 1/2 the size of Legoland. Again, I think this is to its benefit because it is very well-maintained. The bus tour (which is a MUST), leaves from the park and drives you out to all the launchpad sites and out to the Apollo/Saturn V Center which is out in a different location on the property. But the bus is the only way to get there. If you are like me, you might be inclined to skip over a bus tour. Please do not miss the bus tour. If you do, you are missing about 40% of the attraction.

Main hall of Apollo/Saturn V Center

Saturn V rocket – the last remaining rocket from the Apollo mission

Quality of Exhibits:

The exhibits were PHENOMENAL. We have been to some incredible museums, and the exhibits at KSC were some of the best we’ve seen. The thought and detail that went into preparing you before you entered the exhibits at the Atlantis building and the Apollo/Saturn V Center building were genius. I don’t how many of you have been to museums were you just wander around looking at stuff, most of which you don’t know anything about. The planners of these exhibits were ingenious about setting up what you are about to see and giving you context. Part of starting the tours involved watching incredibly well-produced short films that primed you for what you are about to see. At the Apollo/Saturn V Center, they even replicated a launch from inside Mission Control. I feel that made all the difference. To come face to face with the actual shuttle and the actual Saturn V rocket, after having that understanding and context, was very impactful.

Up close and personal with the shuttle Atlantis

What we did:

If you know me, you might be surprised, but I did zero planning or research before we went. Life has been pretty full lately, and there just wasn’t time. Brian bought the tickets online the day before we went. However, when he was on the website, he found THIS itinerary and we just followed that. It was SPOT-ON perfect. If you go, you will not go wrong with this itinerary.

We used the strategy we use at all the theme parks and attractions we go to. We get there as it opens, or a little before. We have found that most parks don’t start getting crowded until the middle of the day. So getting there early gives you a few hours of enjoying the park with few people and lines. In the case of KSC, this was even more true. In comparison to parking at DW, can I tell you what a pleasure it was to just park and walk a few steps to the entrance? Simply blissful.

We got there as the park opened and headed straight to the Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. There were barely any people there yet, so we got to see the movie and experience the shuttle up close with no crowds. Right by the shuttle was a super knowledgeable and kind KSC docent who will answer questions you didn’t even know you had about the shuttle program. He tipped us off (thank you, Terry) to skip the interactive exhibits for now and head downstairs for the Shuttle Launch experience. The attraction starts at 10am, and nobody would be there yet. So that’s what we did. We headed past 3 floors of interesting and interactive exhibits and did the flight simulator. With no line. Again, blissful 🙂 We then headed back up and slowly worked our way back down again letting the kids engage with the exhibit. I would say we spent 2+ hours here! So glad it was the first stop.

At this point, we were all getting hungry, so we ate at the Rocket Garden Cafe, one of 3 restaurants on-site. The kids enjoyed playing at the playground while we ordered lunch. The food was pretty good, which was surprising. Again, theme park food is another reason I stay away from theme parks.

Ready for the bus tour to the launch pad sites and the Apollo/Saturn V Center

The next stop on the recommended itinerary was the bus tour. You HAVE to get on this bus tour. First of all, they take you out into the NASA property where you are not allowed to go. Second of all, with video screens showing short videos and a super informative bus driver, you learn so much about what you are seeing. Third, you are taken out to the actual launch pads and see them up close. You can see where the Apollo and shuttle missions launched from and how gigantic they are. Context is everything.

But the most important reason you do not want to skip the bus tour is because it drops you off at another incredible exhibit building, the Apollo/Saturn V Center. Here, after watching a fascinating short film about the Space Race and how it correlated with the Cold War, then watch a simulation of a launch from the Launch Control Center, you come out face to face with the last remaining rocket from the Apollo missions. Around the center there are more exhibits all about the Apollo missions. Things like the actual spacesuits, actual pieces of the moon, and shows to help you get a better understanding of what it was like. It was truly amazing and not to be missed.

After the bus tour, we went to the IMAX movie. By the time we got out of the movie, the park was about to close. We shut the place down! Eight hours after we arrived, with no lines and no crowds, it was time to go. We didn’t even get to go to the Journey to Mars or walk around the Rocket Garden. Our brains had reached max capacity with how much we had learned on our visit. Plus, we all agreed it was a reason to come back.

Overall Impression:

Kennedy Space Center was such a happy surprise. A totally worthwhile experience. Made me wonder why no one talks about this hidden gem of an attraction here in Florida. Ben has asked that we go back every year. Everything was clean, modern and well-kept. We’ve found that is not always the case with the non-Disney parks *ahem, Legoland*. Perhaps our experience might have been different if the place was teaming with field trip kids. Thank goodness, it wasn’t. In addition to not having to deal with any lines or crowds, I think part of the reason we all liked it so much was that it is a part of our country’s history that is real and exciting. I cannot recommend Kennedy Space Center enough.

Posted by Ale & filed under Family Time, Travel. This post has 2 comments.

As I mentioned in THIS post, I am experimenting with a new approach to home projects around here. Instead of tackling a huge list of “to do’s” for the entire house, I am experimenting with focusing only on one room at a time. Not a complete makeover, mainly just tackling as many improvements as I can within a limited time and with limited budget. January’s focus was my oldest son’s bedroom.

Up until December, both boys shared this room. They agreed that they wanted to have their own spaces. Since we separated the beds into different rooms, we really didn’t do much else to make it “theirs”. So that was one of the goals for Ben’s room. The other was just to clean up and declutter. It is a small room. One which cannot handle the amount of junk this kid likes to hoard.

First thing we did was paint. The previous wall color was a dark gray, which was not bad at all, but I was excited to go with a navy blue for Ben’s room. We went with Van Deusen Blue and was beyond happy with it. If you are looking for a great navy blue, you won’t be disappointed.

For the art in the room, we kept with what we already had. The banner, the space print and the “Adventure Awaits” wall hanging were already in the room. Santa Claus gave us a head start on the bedding by bringing Ben a new duvet cover and much needed mattress for Christmas. As I detailed in THIS post, he has a tradition of gifting us with home improvement items. I just picked up some flannel bedding and a throw pillow from Target. Speaking of Target, I also replaced the lamp in her with white task lamp which I LOVE.

We also had the carpets cleaned, which made a big difference. Since they are really light, I decided to bring in a little area rug to not only bring in some color, but also to detract from any future stains that always seem to pop up in the middle of the room. The area rug is a lot smaller than you would normally want an area rug to be. However, in this case, the next size up was going to cause a lot of tripping so we are using it more as a “playmat” than an area rug.

A less visible but still very helpful thing we also did in the room was take out all of the clothes from the closet and take out all of the things that no longer fit the boys. We did the same with the dresser. That made a huge difference in lightening up the cluttered feeling.

The last big change in here was the cork wall. Initially Ben had asked if he could have a huge bulletin board to post photos and artwork, etc. And then I thought a whole cork wall would be awesome. I looked it up online, and found a good tutorial for doing it. Brian and I went back and forth for several weeks on whether we should or not since it is not something you can just take down easily when you are tired of it. When it comes down, the drywall is coming down with it (yikes). In the end, we decided to go for it. We are so happy we did. Ben loves it! We just need to add a little quarter round trim to the seam where it meets the ceiling and it will be all done.

Bedroom Updates:

Painted the walls from gray to navy blue
Installed a cork wall
Had carpets cleaned
Cleaned out closet
Cleaned out dresser
Moved laundry basket out of closet and purchased a new hamper
Purchased new bedsheets
Purchased new bed pillow & throw pillow
Purchased new lamp
Purchased new rug

The best part about these simple updates is how happy Ben is with his room. He even has been much better about cleaning his room before leaving for school in the morning. When I commented on how impressed I was with his new habit, he explained that he wants to keep it clean because it looks so much better that way now. Score!

Even though I am happy that we accomplished a bunch, there are still things we didn’t do because we ran out of time and/or money. But that is where the beauty in this new approach lies. We did what we could with the time we had, and now it’s time to move on. Next year, we probably won’t have to do a lot of what was already completed this year, so we can focus on those additional areas. The goal is not perfection, just progress.

We are now halfway through February, so we have moved onto Max’s room next door. I will be back next month to show you what we were able to accomplish in there!

Posted by Ale & filed under Home Decor, Life, Our Home. This post has 10 comments.

This past weekend we took a quick weekend getaway to Savannah with our friends and next door neighbors, Dave & Julie. We were only there for about 40 hours total, but we had the best time. It has been at least 15 years since our last time in Savannah, so it really felt like we were visiting a new place. I will give you a rundown what we did, where we stayed, and most importantly, where we ate.

One of the bedrooms in our lovely Airbnb property.

Where we stayed:

Leading up to our visit, Julie and I were scouting out hotel options, but nothing really grabbed us as the perfect place for us. We were looking to stay in the quiet, historic part of Savannah. Having recently had a great Airbnb experience on our last trip to New York City, we decided to expand from just hotels again. So glad we did, because we stayed in THIS beautifully appointed home right by Forsyth Park in the historic district. We did not use our car the whole time we were there. We either walked, rode bikes, or took an Uber to everywhere we wanted to go. The home was beautiful and so comfortable for the four of us to stay in. It was really nice staying somewhere you can hang out versus everyone going back to their hotel rooms.

If you have not used Airbnb for your travel yet, I highly recommend it. They really have their system down on how to make sure the places are all up to par. If you have never tried Airbnb and you’d like to book a property, use my referral link and you will receive a discount on your first stay.

Historic Forsyth Park in Savannah

Farmer’s market in Forsyth Park

One of many lovely Savannah squares

What we did:

We arrived on Friday early evening. After relaxing at the house for a while, we took an Uber to our dinner reservations at The Grey, a much-buzzed about restaurant that I will give you more detail on later. After that, we went to a bar on Congress Street called the Rail Pub.

Our full day was Saturday, and we really squeezed every drop out of it. We started early by walking to a really good local cafe, the Sentient Bean, followed by a stroll through the Forsyth Park’s Farmer’s Market. Afterwards, we picked up our bikes (which we brought with us from home) and headed out to explore all the historic, mossy squares scattered throughout the downtown. We basically just rode from square to square and would lock up our bikes when we wanted to stop and explore further. Julie had gotten a Savannah guidebook beforehand, and would fill us in on the history of each square. We also stopped at ShopSCAD and ART’s, two really neat outposts of Savannah College of Art and Design. ShopSCAD is a boutique/gallery curated with unique products like jewelry, paintings, wrapping paper, textiles and much more; all of which are created by students and alumni of SCAD. ART’s is a combination smoothie and healthy snack bar with slew of very well-designed SCAD souvenirs. No tacky stuffed animals and t-shirts here.

After square-hopping all morning, we ended up down by the riverfront. This is where a majority of the hotels in Savannah are located, and frankly all the touristy shops and restaurants too. Not bad, just not what we are into. We walked down the cobbled River Street for a little bit, but knew we wanted to shop and eat elsewhere, so we didn’t stay too long.

The Paris Market on Broughton Street

The Paris Market

The shopSCAD boutique, filled with student and alumni pieces

After River Street, we rode back to Broughton Street, where the shopping and food options were more appealing to us. We ate lunch at The Flying Monk Noodle Bar (more details below), and then split up. The guys found a bar to hang out at, while the girls shopped. The shops were a mix of chains (like J Crew and Anthropologie) but mixed with plenty of local stores as well. We enjoyed stopping at Savannah Bee Company, but fell head over heels with The Paris Market. If you go to Savannah, you must stop here. It is a one-of-a-kind boutique and Parisian cafe. I think we spent over an hour in there.

After shopping, we met back up with Brian and Dave, got an ice cream at Leopold’s (more details below), and then rode our bikes back to the house. We stopped at shopSCAD and ART’s again to pick up some things we regretted not getting the first time around 🙂 That night, we took an Uber to a place called The Florence. We were pooped after a long day of riding!

The next morning we walked back over to breakfast by the park, and strolled through the park one last time before heading home.

The Flying Monk Noodle Bar

ART’s cafe – one of SCAD students’ great eating options.

Where we ate:

We had some pretty darn good food during our brief stay in Savannah. We did not want to waste one single meal, so we pretty much researched every option and asked every local person their recommendations. Once we heard something pop up more than twice, we knew we had to go. Here’s a rundown of the places we ate. I would highly recommend ALL of them. We did not have one bad, or even mediocre, meal.

The Grey – Brian spotted this one on Food and Wine’s lists of Best Restaurants of 2015 list and we quickly got reservations. The restaurant is in a building that used to be a Greyhound bus station. It has been exquisitely brought back to life and the modern Southern fare they serve is just as exquisite as the restored building. We were entertained seated at a table that looked directly into the kitchen where the executive chef was shucking oysters. Favorite item ordered: Sizzling Smoky Pig with fried egg, hot buns and red pepper jelly.

The Sentient Bean – A great little vegan-friendly hippy coffee shop and breakfast joint. It was walking distance from where we stayed, so we chose to eat breakfast here twice.

The Paris Market Cafe – Not a full meal, but Julie and I both enjoyed a nice pistachio macaron here.

Flying Monk Noodle Bar – This was probably my favorite restaurant stop. The Airbnb we stayed at had this menu in their welcome binder. Once we got another recommendation for it, we decided we should give it a try. So glad we did. They had all kinds of Asian dishes, many of which highlighted the noodles made in-house. I feel like we ordered most of the menu and left there uncomfortably full because we could not stop eating. Favorite item ordered: Bangkok curry noodle.

Leopold’s Ice Cream – Leopold’s was mentioned over and over again as a must-visit. There was a line outside of the place, which almost deterred us from trying it. But we decided to give it a go anyways. Luckily, the line moved quickly and we did not miss out because this ice cream was pretty incredible. Some of the best ice cream I have eaten (although THIS place is still #1 in my book). The flavors really shone through. Favorite item ordered: I am obviously biased, but I would say my Honey Almond Cream was the best. Shhh…don’t ask the others or they would choose theirs.

The Florence – After a long day of biking, walking and eating, we almost ran out of gas that second night. None of us were that hungry, so it was hard to decide what we were in the mood for. The Florence had gotten a lot of great buzz, so we decided to try it out. It describes itself as: A neighborhood restaurant that highlights local and regional ingredients using Italian technique and background. We sat upstairs where there was a few dining tables and a nice bar. The atmosphere was super relaxed and refined, and the food seemed relaxed too. Not too fussy. But done perfectly. Highly recommend! Favorite item ordered: Cider Glazed Pork Ribs

Overall, it felt like the perfect weekend. We felt like having the bikes was such a good move. So much easier than getting in and out of a car. It felt like we really were a part of the city. In case you can’t bring your bikes, we did see a few bike rental places too. If you are looking for a perfect weekend getaway city, consider Savannah. We certainly will be coming back!

Click here for more travel trip reports.

Posted by Ale & filed under Travel. This post has no comments yet.

A new year has me looking forward to new reads, so I recently decided to compile my 2016 reading list to share with you. For me, part of the fun of reading and learning is the anticipation and excitement of getting a new book in my hands. I get most of my book ideas from listening to podcasts, whether the guests be the authors of the books, or titles that a guest may have mentioned. Usually, if I hear about a book from more than one source, my curiosity is piqued and it goes on my list. Just like my tastes in podcasts, the books cover a wide range of interests: creativity, habits, business marketing, innovative education, wellness and self-development. My criteria are not stringent, but it’s a light mix of the subject, how I heard about it, what books Amazon links it to, and honestly, the cover design. Superficial, I know.

The Creative Habit / Creating Innovators / Small Giants / SPARK / The Obstacle is the Way / The Gift of Failure / Mindset / Rising Strong / Brave Enough / Show Your Work! / Playing Big

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp – Creativity & habits? Yep, that is definitely up my alley. Stumbled upon this one as a recommendation from Amazon. I really enjoy exploring the titles that Amazon recommends for me. I can get caught in that rabbit hole for hours. With 4.5 stars and over 230 reviews, I can tell this one won’t disappoint.

Creating Innovators by Tony Wagner – After reading and loving THIS book about creativity in education, I have a craving to learn more about this topic. I have such a curiosity with how our current educational model needs to adapt our changing world. I love hearing/reading about new approaches that address these changes so hopefully this read with scratch that itch.

Small Giants by Bo Burlingham – I’ve always been interested in behind the scenes stories about successful businesses and specifically ones who dare to do things differently. So I think this book should be a fun and reassuring read about defining your own version of success.

SPARK by John Ratey and Eric Hagerman – This read hits on my interest and passion for wellness. I’ve heard it mentioned for a while, but I am interested in learning more about the details of what the findings show. Plus, if I can find a cure for my terrible memory, then this will be a lifesaver.

The Obstacle is they Way by Ryan Holiday – This has been on my short list for a while. I was introduced to Ryan Holiday when he was a guest on The Tim Ferriss Show. His experience in marketing plus his perspective on life was so smart and straight-forward to listen to, that I then searched for any other podcast that featured him as a guest so I could listen to that too. Can’t wait to dive into this one!

The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey – Besides the eye-catching cover art, this book appeals to me because the idea of allowing kids to fail and not overprotecting them resonates with me. It seems to be something that we’re doing that comes from a loving place, yet will be a hindrance later on. I feel like this will be a very good follow up to THIS book which I recently reviewed and enjoyed.

Mindset by Carol Dweck – I am actually almost done reading this one. After hearing all the buzz for quite a while, I figured it was time to see it was all about. Maybe for some the concept of fixed and growth mindsets are common sense, but I feel like it really opened up a completely new paradigm for myself and one to share with my kids.

Rising Strong by Brene Brown – Probably the most hyped book on the list, it is also the one I am most anxious to start reading. It’s actually already here, waiting for me to finish Mindset. Similar to Ryan Holiday, Brene Brown is another one where I can just search her name in my podcast app, and know that any episode she is featured in will be an A+. I loved Daring Greatly, and I know her newest book will not disappoint.

Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed – So I know very little about this one, but I am putting it on my list because I really enjoyed Chery’s interview on The James Altucher Show podcast. Her name may ring a bell because she is the author of the best-seller and movie, Wild. From what I understand of this book, it is composed of little snippets and excerpts from her previous writing.

Playing Big by Tara Mohr – This is a very recent addition to my list. One that I actually just added in the past week. Tara has recently been a guest on two of the podcasts I listen to on a weekly basis – The Lively Show and Being Boss. I probably would have never chosen the book because of the headshot on the cover (not a big fan). However, the interviews and the perspective she shared in each made me curious. So now we know how effective marketing via podcasts is. Very.

Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon – This is a title I have heard over and over again on creative entrepeneur podcasts and recommended by creatives I admire. Like many people, I often hesitate to share my work and ideas. Mostly because of what people may think. Stuff I make up in my own head, really. I need every bit of encouragement and practical advice to overcoming this fear and hesitation, and I have a feeling this book might help in this arena.

And there you have it. My 2016 reading list. Though they are not set in stone, these are the titles that have been on my radar for a while now and I am excited about to dig into. Have you read any of them? Which books are on your list for the coming year?

Posted by Ale & filed under Books, Learning. This post has one comment.

After we take down the Christmas decorations every year, I get so overwhelmed thinking of all the home projects that need to be done. Some of these things are simple, and others more involved. At this point, I typically write a long list of all the things we need to do around the house, and resolve to get them done in the coming year. I have proof of this on my phone, where I write these lists down. The sad part of this story is that every year, I end up having very little to show for it though. Am I the only one with this problem? Probably.

What ends up happening is that my motivation starts strong, doing a couple of things right out of the gate. And then somehow, at the end of the year, I am looking around, and most of the projects remain uncompleted. We still have no table surfaces in the living room, the kitchen rugs still need to be replaced, the hole in my office ceiling still has wires coming out of it (just to name a few of the many lingering items). I blame it on attention-deficit, combined with an overload of ideas followed by lack of action. Not this year though…home projects, watch out! I have a new plan for 2016.

home projects like refreshing living room

Our living room before the decorations came down. One of many rooms that needs a little attention.

Of all the things I have learned recently, the lessons learned in THIS book have really taught me to rely on strategies versus willpower when trying to do something differently than before.

My new strategy involves breaking up our home projects by space. Each month will be assigned a room. At the beginning of the month, I will create a list of what needs to be done or purchased for that space. It’s important to have a plan. I can ONLY work on that room for that month. After that I have to move on. No going back. That will help create urgency and will null the idea that I can get to it later. Will I do it all? I’m guessing sometimes I will, and other times I won’t. What happens when I don’t? Nothing, other than time is up and now I can’t come back to it. This will also help address budget. It will help spread the expenses, and force me to be realistic to what can actually be done in one month instead of being stuck in my fantasies of what I could do. That brings me to my next strategy: accountability. How to make sure this plan works.

This blog will serve as my accountability. At the beginning of each month I will quickly share the room we are going to work on, with a list of things we would like to accomplish. At the end of the month, I will report back here with photos of the space. I also know myself well enough that this will be a major motivation for getting my act in gear.

Without further ado, below is the list of areas of focus for our home projects and refreshes in the coming year. I am starting with the boys’ rooms because Santa gave us a little head start in there getting the boys new bedspreads. He’s so thoughtful 🙂 Some may involve painting, some will just be fixing broken things and some may just involve replacing worn out pieces. It may not be a full-blown makeover, but I will be happy to just make each space “better than before”.

2016 Home Projects – Room-by-Room

January – Ben’s room

February – Max’s room

March – Living room

April – Exterior improvements

May – Kitchen / Dining

June – Laundry pass-through

July – Bathrooms

August – Master Bedroom

September – Master Closet

I am going to be realistic and not go any further than September…for now. We will see how it goes and then assess. I have already started my January focus – Ben’s room – and will do a short post soon to outline the to-do list in there.

I’m fairly certain I am not the first person to attempt being organized at home projects, but for me it is ground-breaking. If it works. Yikes. Don’t laugh at me if it doesn’t.

Posted by Ale & filed under Home Decor. This post has 2 comments.

Visit to Kennedy Space Center

Theme Park or Museum?

Park Size:

Quality of Exhibits:

What we did:

Overall Impression:

January Home Project: Ben’s Bedroom

Bedroom Updates:

Savannah Weekend Getaway

Where we stayed:

What we did:

Where we ate:

My 2016 Reading List

A New Approach to Home Projects

2016 Home Projects – Room-by-Room

Welcome!

Search

Popular Posts:

Categories

Latest Pins

Instagram