A few weeks ago, my husband and I hopped on a plane and headed to Europe, sans kids, for nine awesome days. I've had several folks ask what we did with all six kids and if we missed them, how we planned for the trip and what led us to our destination. You ask, I answer. Let's start with tip numero uno. #1: Make your marriage a priority. We marked 20 years of marriage in July. As much as I would like to say it just happened, it just didn't. All around me, my friends are entering into separation, divorcing and lamenting the shortcomings of their spouse. In short? They're miserable. Our marriage is not without its flaws, nor has it come easily. After our fifth child was born … [Read more...]
Texans in Europe for 20: Toledo, Spain
Our 20th anniversary trip to Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba and Sevilla, Spain; Fatima, Santarém and Lisbon, Portugal; and Rome, Italy, was flat out amazing. To read all about it, just click on those links. I have been busting to share our adventure in Europe with y'all. It was so fun to live it in real-time over on Instagram, but there was so much more to our trip than all those snaps. I'll be sharing a bit more (and a ton more photos!) here on the blog. But I think it's important to share this before I dive into all things tapas, sangria, old churches and fantastic landscapes: one does not have to travel to Europe to feed a marriage. We saved and planned and it worked out beautifully that … [Read more...]
7 Quick Takes: Where I Recover from Jet Lag
When was the last time I did seven quick takes, like years ago? There's so much to share! To reflect upon! To laugh about! - 1 - You may have heard we went to Europe to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Ha. Pretty sure even the Pope knows I was so excited. Speaking of the Pope {sneak peek}. I promise there's more to come. - 2 - I finally found Scott the perfect gift. Exhibits A, B and C. It was the find of the century. Flytographer connects travelers with local photographers. Not only do they snap great shots, but, in our case, they shared some fantastic insider travel tips and even enjoyed tapas and beer with us. #winning There is definitely more to the story and I promise to … [Read more...]
Whitakers Head West 2016: Part Six (the end!)
You can read all about our journey from Texas to California, and back, in parts one, two, three, four, five and six! Thanks for being troopers y'all. I mean, it's almost October and I'm just now wrapping up our summer vacation. I think we call that LIFE. There are probably close to 400 photos of our day in Arizona, but I'm gonna have to cut my losses and just show you the gems. It's time for me to start packing for Europe. HA! On July 27, we woke up reeeeeally early and had the van loaded and kids eating breakfast before sunrise. It was criminal, but worth it. That morning also marked our "official" 20th wedding annivesary. How about that? It was just us, six kids, a van loaded … [Read more...]
Whitakers Head West 2016: Part Five
You can read all about our journey from Texas to California, and back, in parts one, two, three, four, five and six! Our time at the Tierney household was beyond fabulous. Our kids got along beautifully, we shared way too many ice-cold Dr Peppers (and cocktails) and we found kindred spirits. I loved that the morning we left, we had to pull all our kids away from a rousing game of Clue. Here's the gang, minus sweet Mary Jane who was napping. Kendra, a thousand thank you's for hosting our crew. You are a wonderful hostess and I can't wait to return the favor when y'all journey to Tejas (hint, hint). This day was supposed to be our "easy day." L.O.L. We had a relatively short … [Read more...]
