by Missie Hills | Jul 4, 2023 | Central America, International Adventures, Local Adventures, North America
After two thrilling days of exploring Puerto Rico’s old town and jungle, we were due for a relaxing break. I had hoped to find a healing presence on the island to help my intense grief from losing my mother earlier in the year. A local Puerto Rican coworker of mine recommended El Conquistador as a family friendly resort full of luxury. It did disappoint.
This was no average beach resort. It was perched on a steep cliffside overlooking the ocean. It had levels of pools and restaurants accessible by panoramic view elevators and funiculars. We stayed at the lowest level right next to the marina. I never have my hopes up for resort food, but everything we tried was delicious. I fell in love with passion fruit mojitos.
The resort had a water park complete with three large thrilling waterslides and a relaxing lazy river. I thought E might fear the water slides, but nope… he fearlessly conquered each one multiple times. He finally convinced me to try to death drop slide, which I instantly regretted the moment my bottom went over the edge. The lazy river was more my speed. Evey was disappointed he couldn’t ride the big slides, but he loved the toddler slide built just for him.
It is odd having an island resort built on a cliff with no beach access, but this resort thought of everything. Each day, a water taxi ferried guests to their private island just off the coast. The water here boasted a perfect turquoise hue, and the gentle waves allowed us to float effortlessly for hours. The food was amazing, and the drinks kept steadily coming. We did have a small storm hit us on the island, but it was short lived and kept us cooled off. We returned to our resort feeling rejuvenated after a blissful day at the beach.
Leaving the island, we carried a sense of relaxation and excitement in our hearts, ready to embrace the forthcoming summer. We are still grieving. We are still hurting. And at the same time, we are allowing ourselves to feel joy and to love our adventures together… sunburns and all.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Jul 4, 2023 | Central America, International Adventures, Local Adventures, North America
Puerto Rico is not a one note island. If you go for only the beaches, you are missing out on a lot of the magic. And after a dark year of losing my mother to a deadly sickness, we needed some magic. So, even though Evey is in a weird age where he is too old to be carried in a hiking backpack and too young to hike much more then a mile, we still reserved one of our weekend days for the Yunque National Park, the only tropical rainforest in our nation.
We left Old San Juan early that morning for a scenic drive eastward, ascending winding roads that led us into the heart of the National Park. We opted for toddler-friendly ways to experience the jungle’s beauty. We stopped at every scenic point we could by car, including the Yokahu observation tower.
The Yunque National Park Visitor Center is a great way to learn about the rainforest. Here, we embarked on a pleasant 1-mile hike and immersed ourselves in informative content tailored to engage young minds. They had an excellent video that showed us the rich history of the park.
We also took a short hike into the jungle to swim in the waterfall. The experience turned slightly nerve-racking as my fearless children dove in without knowing how to swim. A minor hand injury and a surge of caution led me to decide we had our fill of waterfall swimming for the time being. We bribed the boys away with promises of more exploring ahead.
In the foothills of the jungle, we visited the Carabali adventure park. The lunch here was amazing, I really enjoyed the seafood mogonfo. E and I took an hour ride through the jungle on horseback while Jason and Evey enjoyed the park’s cozy bar. Then we all explored the jungle together on a exciting UTV ride winding through the foothills. We stopped at a local hang out spot, one of the many creeks flowing off the jungle mountains. Swimming in this rainwater fed crystal clear creek turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip for everyone.
We were exhausted by the time we made it to our fancy resort, covered head to toe in dirt and grime. The day was so packed with action that it was hard to recognize any other feeling then joy. At the end of the day after a much needed shower and a delicious resort meal, I took a deep breath in and remembered my grief. I pondered on the delicate balance of joy and grief. I let myself feel the bitter-sweetness of both feelings at the same time. And I then I slept… feeling the buzz of the boys’ excitement for the resort days to come.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Jul 4, 2023 | Central America, International Adventures, Local Adventures, North America
There is nothing quite like the summertime seen through the eyes of a child. Fond memories of my childhood summers spent on our homestead in Arkansas still bring a warm smile to my face. Sunbathing on our front porch with my sisters, eating watermelon with my dad at dusk, helping my mom make jam and pickles… those carefree days hold a special place in my heart.
This year has been harsh. The loss of my mom, fondly known as the boys’ mema, cast a heavy veil of grief over our family. The grief has been heavy in our family. I wanted to make this summer extra special for them. And for me.
We kicked it off strong. On the last day of school, we whisked E and Evey away and headed to the airport, destined for the breathtaking beauty of Puerto Rico.
We started our extended weekend exploring Old San Juan, a place teeming with history and charm. At an age where they truly appreciate travel, my boys eagerly embraced the opportunity to explore. Our morning began with fancy waffles, which is becoming somewhat of a tradition for our travels ever since we stumbled across Waffle Monkey in Costa Rica. We loaded up on coffee and carbs and then embarked on our adventure.
As we approached Castillo San Felipe del Morro, an enchanting sight greeted our eyes: a dozen colorful kites soaring high in the sky. Our local driver explained the tradition of flying kites in the greenspace. I couldn’t resist. We bought a small kite adorned with a wizard and relaxed in the green grass while the wind did it’s thing. I really enjoy flying kites, and the boys loved helping me.
The castle itself beckoned us with tales of adventure. The boys were captivated by stories of cannons and imagined the thrill of spotting approaching pirates. Their youthful imaginations ran wild within those ancient walls.
We walked the bluestone streets of Old Town all afternoon. We weren’t quite expecting the heat to be as bad as it was, but we managed to stay hydrated. We stopped at a recommended restaurant from a local friend to get our first full meal of Puerto Rican food. By the end of the day, we were exhausted and sun drunk.
The day was long and hot, but our hearts and bellies were full. That night we slept with excitement for what Puerto Rico had in store for us. We had barely scratch the surface.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 22, 2023 | Local Adventures, North America
I grew up in Arkansas. I’m intimately familiar with its beauty. But my little Texan babies are not. So, watching them experience the Arkansas country side first hand fills me with nostalgia and love. With spring just barely in the air, we drove deep into the Ozark mountains to the tiny town of Pyatt, where my sister has a hidden cabin tucked away between three lively creeks. It was a chilly visit, but that didn’t stop the little cousins from wading in the creeks as daddy taught them to skip stones.
It was a short trip, but the memories these cousins will share will be huge. Memories like finding the perfect walking stick that also makes a great make believe wizards staff… searching for arrow heads but finding “funny” shaped rocks instead… and trying to pull apart sticky marshmallow covered gloves by the fire…
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 14, 2023 | Local Adventures, North America
I asked Little E, “Where is the one place anywhere in the world you want to go?” Without missing a beat, he said, “New York City.” From the day he learned in school the reason why the Statue of Liberty was green, he had asked to go see it for himself. So, when a three day weekend presented itself, we boarded the short flight to the city that never sleeps.
On the flight, we had some convincing to a 6 and 3 year old that they would indeed still be required to sleep. But I don’t think they believed us. Because it wasn’t long after we landed that we found ourselves exploring Chinatown at dusk, just in time to see the lanterns glow. Jason and I were eager to try soup dumplings for the first time… they did not disappoint.
The next morning, we packed up for a long day of walking… starting with a near mile and a half walk across the Brooklyn Bridge into DUMBO. Jason and I have both explored NYC on our own many different times, but neither of us had ever been to DUMBO, and we were curious to see what all the fuss was about. The bridge stroll was an experience in itself. The air was full of a once in a lifetime buzz as tourists took their time crossing the East River. In contrast, the air in DUMBO felt less electric and more staged. Everyone was there to get that perfect Instagram shot, which seemed to take away from what this part of the city had to offer. Regardless, we found amazing views of the city, we took a ride on the 100 year old Jane’s Carousel, and we ate ice-cream under the bridge. All in all the walk was worth it.
We could have stayed in DUMBO longer and got more of the true Brooklyn experience, but we had a boat to catch. The moment had come to see the Statue of Liberty up close. We took a river cruise starting on the Hudson, rounding into the East River, and a finale right up to Liberty Island.
It seems like you can’t truly experience NYC without visiting Time Square. The boys were a little young for a show. So, this time, we decided to do a quick walk-through on our way to Central Park. Little E’s eyes were huge as he took in all the lights, street performers, and characters roaming the street. At one point, we were swarmed by Elmos begging us to take a photo for a fee. At the park, we visited the zoo, rode the central park carousal, and of course stopped for ice-cream. Jason also made friends with a local city squirrel.
That evening we met up with friends for oysters and drinks along the riverwalk. We all took an evening stroll to Battery Park where we rode our third carousel, and our favorite carousel, the Sea Glass Carousel.
Our family may have traveled across the world, but nothing has quite kept us on our toes like NYC. We only saw a fraction of what the Big Apple has to offer. And even so, E has decided that he will move here when he grows up. I’m good with that, kid.
Until next time,
by Missie Hills | Mar 9, 2023 | Local Adventures, North America
Little E loves history. It is his favorite school subject. So naturally, he was over the moon to find out that we would be visiting our friends in our nation’s capital over Easter weekend. For us, it was a chance to meet up with our travel buddies, the first time we had been able to do so since 2020. For him, it was seeing all the places he had been reading about first hand in school. He couldn’t wait to see the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Little Evey was more interested in the street food more then anything else, a boy after my own heart.
We were lucky enough to see a few last cherry blossoms this time of year. But also very unlucky, as the view of the Whitehouse was fully blocked off as they prepared for Easter ceremonies, hence the very sad face of Ethan at the gates. He perked up fast though as we explored the city’s amazing free museums, our favorite being the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
My childhood didn’t include magical trips to places I had read about in school books. It didn’t include state of the art museums, precious art galleries, and famous monuments. It didn’t even include sloppy popsicles from park street vendors. So, to be able to provide this experience for my boys means the world to me. I want to soak in every minute as I watch them grow into curious beautiful humans.
Until next time,
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