7 Ways to Survive Traveling with Family

Our vacation to Williamsburg, Virginia was the third vacation I've taken with Mr. Q and his family.  My first experience traveling with his family was a trip to Oak Island, North Carolina with Mr. Q and his parents, sister, aunt and uncle, cousins, and grandparents when we were dating.  Having grown up an only child and used to vacationing with just my mom and dad, staying in a beach house with a large group of family members took some adjusting on my part!  Traveling with family members is so different than traveling with just your significant others, or even with a group of friends.  It can be so rewarding to share experiences and make memories with family.  Today I wanted to share seven survival strategies I've developed on our family vacations.

1. Be flexible.  Traveling with family means going with the flow - it's not solely your vacation, and you've got more than one person to compromise with.  Sometimes that means you'll eat lunch at a restaurant that isn't necessarily your first choice.  Sometimes it means you won't get to go on your planned kayaking trip because of thunderstorms.  If the restaurant your family member chooses isn't your favorite, there's still probably something on the menu that will be delicious to you (my mother in law is the queen of ordering chicken at seafood restaurants).  Having a sense of humor goes a long way - pouting because you didn't get your way doesn't make you feel any better, AND it makes the rest of the family miserable!  

2. Know your personal vacation style.  I know, I just got done reminding you that it's not all about you, but knowing where your personal comfort zone begins and ends, and whether you're an introvert or an extrovert can be really helpful when traveling with a group.  As an introvert, I need at least a little bit of alone time each day, so I might go down to the gym solo, go for a walk, do some yoga in my room, or read my book on the balcony.  I need that time to recharge and my family understands that I still love hanging out with them - just not 24/7.  It's also okay to pass on activities you know you definitely won't enjoy.

3.  Acknowledge different vacation styles.  I'm an only child, so growing up I pretty much ran the show on family vacations, and my family's trips were pretty packed with activities.  Now that I travel with Mr. Q's family, I've realized that some people value relaxing over sightseeing, especially since unlike me the other members of my family don't get summers off from their jobs!  I've learned that watching television and taking naps are totally valid vacation activities, AND that the world won't end if I go for a swim, check out a cute boutique, or visit a museum by myself while the family gets their nap on.

4. Visit the "touristy" attractions...  Popular places are popular for a reason - they might be a little bit quirky or tacky, but chances are they appeal to a wide range of ages.  It's great to find activities that appeal to everyone in your group, but when that's not possible, let go of your inhibitions and enjoy the Sesame Street themed part of the amusement park with your little cousin, or the Christmas store with your mother-in-law.

5.  But don't forget to get off the beaten path.  Some of the most fun things we did on our trip to Tennessee last year were actually Plan B - things we ended up doing because it poured down rain all week!  Most hotels and resorts have plenty of brochures about local attractions in their lobbies or activity centers, local travel magazines (with discounts!) can be found at the grocery store, and online resources like Yelp make it even easier to find something to do.  Do a little research, find one thing that you know you'll enjoy, and get your family on board.  Or, if you're feeling really adventurous, pick a quirky neighborhood or cute street to explore without expectations.

6.  Divide and conquer.  On our family trips, we spend plenty of time as a big group, but we also spend time in smaller groups.  We might do mother/daughters time and go get pedicures while the guys watch a movie, or let the parents have a date night while the young folks go explore the city.  It's also important to me that Mr. Q and I have at least a little bit of couple time for a date night or daytime excursion.

7.  Do your part.  Mr. Q and I know we are lucky that his parents actually want us to come along on their vacations!  We make sure to chip in on groceries and help with chores.  Whether someone else is footing the majority of the vacation or you're splitting the costs, everyone will appreciate it if you do your dishes, keep your space clean, and don't leave your belongings lying around in communal areas.  Maybe even volunteer to cook breakfast or make lunch for everyone - you'll be the vacation hero!

I hope that these trips will be helpful to those of you who will be traveling with your families this summer.  It is possible to travel with in-laws and not only survive but have an awesome time!  Have you traveled with family members?  Would you consider a family vacation?

Linking Up:

Let Your Light Shine Thursdays at I'm Perfectly Human

clicks of note: if you feel like that's what you wanna do...

get your week off to a colorful start...

Isn't it amazing what a truly nice weekend can do for the psyche?  This weekend, Mr. Q and I spent a lot of time together.  On Friday night we went out for Mexican food and visited Astrid and her dad to watch some March Madness.  On Saturday Mr. Q took me out for coffee, we went for a nice drive in the countryside around our town, I went to a work friend's cooking party and then visited my mama, and Mr. Q and I had a movie night. Yesterday, we were super lazy all morning and had another date night with more basketball viewing.  My 'Hoos are in the Sweet Sixteen!  It was all just what I needed before what will probably be a stressful week - we have a meeting with our chaperones for the upcoming field trip, parent conference night, and my students are taking their state standardized writing test.

WATCH.

• What's better than Pharrell's "Happy"?  The Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences choir's "Happy."  If that's not enough, here's a link to the Glee version featuring Gwyneth Paltrow.  I'm linking up with Musical Mondays at My So-Called Chaos.

SWOON.

Cappy Hotchkiss Photography via Snippet and Ink

• This apple orchard wedding from Snippet and Ink is full of farm-fresh ideas.
• Photographers: spot-on ideas for styling paper goods from Camille Styles!
• Pretty, rustic burlap and lace wedding ideas from the designers at The Elli Blog.
• Jet Fete explains what to wear for destination wedding dress codes.

SMILE.

• Apartment Therapy has the scoop on the modern Swiss Cross pattern.
• Emily from has me inspired to add herbs to my flower arrangements.
• Love this take on 28 books you should read from The Millions...
• and this book list based on your childhood favorites, from Buzzfeed.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I featured orange garden-inspired wardrobe ideas, rounded up inspiration for a French lavender wedding, and recapped my February and March in entertainment.
• Two years ago I reflected on the course of this blog, and shared my March blog loves.
• Three years ago we designed our invitations and found our flower girl's dress.

vacation recap: Nashville at last!

When I found out that we were going to Tennessee for vacation, I immediately started campaigning for a day trip to Nashville, especially since the city is only about 120 miles from the resort where we were staying.  My sister-in-law, who is a musician and country fan, was easy to convince, and Mr. Q was happy to come along for the ride to a new city.  Not to get all mushy-gushy on you, but I love discovering new places with my husband by my side.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Before our day trip, I downloaded two Nashville visitor's guides.  They were really helpful in figuring out where the attractions we most wanted to visit were located - it would be easy to spend a whole week in Nashville, but we only had a half day!  We decided to zero in on the SoBro (South of Broadway) neighborhood and Lower Broadway, where most of the country music attractions are.  When we arrived in Nashville last Friday morning, we saw a blue sky for the first time in days and made the regrettable decision to leave our raincoats in the car.  Our first stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The museum's collections include items from classic country songwriters and stars like Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley (gold piano, anyone?)...

And continues through the timeline of country music to today's stars, including Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, and Keith Urban.

Taylor Swift's glittering guitar and Jenny Packham dress, 

Miranda Lambert's "Fastest Girl in Town" costume and pink guitar

The self-guided tour ends with the building's rotunda, which houses the Hall of Fame members' plaques.  We were glad we got there early because when we left there were long lines to get tickets!  The Hall of Fame had a pretty awesome gift shop including some Hatch Show Print t-shirts and items - I am a design nerd when it comes to Hatch, but they didn't have anything I couldn't live without.

For lunch, we visited the Flying Saucer, which was recommended by our waiter back at the resort.  It's a cool, quirky gastropub with a four-page beer menu.  Mr. Q was in craft brew heaven.

Walk the Line shooting script

After lunch, it had begun to rain, but we started walking south anyway.  By the time we got back to Broadway, it was pouring.  It was still cool to walk by the restaurants and bars, like the famous Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, and hear live music coming through every doorway.  Our destination was the brand-new Johnny Cash Museum.  I could probably write an essay about how much I love Johnny Cash - Johnny and June's story of love, devotion, redemption and grace gets me every time.  The small museum contains interactive exhibits (they used iPads really creatively) and artifacts from Johnny's whole life including handwritten song lyrics, letters, and poems.  I think my favorite item was Johnny's personal copy of the shooting script for Walk the Line (under the working title Cash) because if not for that biopic I might not have gotten into Johnny Cash's music and life story.  I got tears in my eyes several times in the museum, seeing Johnny's personality come through in his journal writing following his stroke, his handwritten poem written after June's funeral, and all of the awards he won for his last hit, "Hurt."

The view from the Ryman Auditorium stage

From the Johnny Cash Museum, it was on to the Ryman Auditorium, which is nicknamed the "mother church of country music."  The building started its life as an actual church, built to amplify a preacher's voice with its perfect acoustics, but found fame as the home of the Grand Ole Opry.  Though the Opry has moved on, the Ryman is where most of the artists associated with classic country music got their start.  Johnny and June met backstage!

An unexpected highlight of our Ryman tour was the gallery of signed Hatch Show Print posters that have advertised shows in recent years.  So many of my favorites!

David Gray's inscription sums up how I feel about my trip to Nashville

We LOVED Nashville and hope to visit again someday - hopefully in better weather!

vacation recap: Tennessee resort & the Cumberland Plateau

On the second day of our Tennessee vacation, we headed west to the Cumberland Plateau and the resort where we'd be staying for the rest of the trip.  Fairfield Glade is owned by Wyndham and the parents-in-law were able to use their timeshare points.

This is our little condo.  We had a 2-bedroom unit with a large living room, kitchen, and lots of deck space that would have been lovely if it had been a sunny week.

Here's a shot of the kitchen so you can see how nice the unit was inside - all the comforts of home, including pots, pans, and dishes!

There is a British theme throughout Fairfield Glade, with place names like Robin Hood Park and Kensington Woods, but the Stonehenge Country Club is where the British obsession really becomes evident.  I think golf is probably what draws most people to the resort because there are five different courses and the average resort vacationer seen on our trip was a 50 year old man in a polo shirt and khakis.  Stonehenge has a "sports bar" restaurant inside, where we met a disgruntled hipster waiter who was tired of being around retired people all the time, had put in his two weeks notice, and was moving to Nashville.

We didn't get to take advantage of most of the resort's outdoor activities, like horseback riding and tennis, but we did sneak in a round of mini golf between rain showers.  Mr. Q won, sister in law came in second, and I refused to keep score because most of the time I have to hit the ball more than five times.  That course was tricky!  We also managed to stay dry on an evening walk on the resort's trails on our first night, and visited the community's farmer's market on Wednesday morning.

Mr. Q brought his road bike on our vacation but was only able to get in one good ride because of all the rain.  He snapped this Instagram of Lake Dartmoor, one of the two big lakes on the resort.  We'd made plans as a family to go on a pontoon cruise during our trip, but the thunderstorms didn't cooperate.

Definitely the best picture of me from the trip!

The concierge at the resort recommended that we visit Cumberland Mountain State Park and eat at their restaurant, so we made the trip one rainy night.  The state park is beautiful, especially this dam/bridge built by the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's - the state park was designed as a recreational area for homesteaders in the region.  The restaurant had a great view of the water and a comfort-food buffet - if you don't mind being the youngest person in the room.  Our other rainy-vacation activity was visiting the wineries in the area.  Stonehaus Winery in Crossville had some awesome fruit wines and was probably the highlight of the Cumberland Plateau portion of our trip for me!

Not pictured: lots of time spent inside watching le Tour de France.  Tomorrow: NASHVILLE!

two years ago today...

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life.

my early summer in instagram.

Americana: my cousin's 100-year-old cabin in the country and my

own red, white, and blue rag wreath on the door for Flag Day.

The perfect summer weekend: biking along the Roanoke River and a 

visit to Black Dog Salvage (the folks from the TV show Salvage Dawgs)

with Mr. Q - what do you think of the antique fedora?

Gifts - Mr. Q got me my first real emeralds (birthday earrings) and

my debate club students gifted me this cute stuffed husky pup.

Patio goodness - breaking out the fire bowl to make s'mores and

celebrating our new patio furniture with an al fresco dinner.

Local fun - the Strings and Spirits festival combined bluegrass and

roots music with local breweries and wineries, and it's not really

summer until the first sunset boat ride on Smith Mountain Lake.

Busy - Father's Day brunch at the Homeplace restaurant in Craig

County and crafting Breeze's bridal shower invitations (100% DIY).

I'm ready for summer!  I love short hair for summer and these gladiator

sandals are my new obsession - the cork footbeds make them so comfy!

What activities, experiences, or places make it really start to feel like summer to you?

what happens at the Color Run?

I've been trying to get more active lately and one way that I stay motivated is by signing up for 5Ks!  Since I know that even walking a 5K will result in pain when I'm out of shape, I get movin' when I know one is coming up.  While walking and running are not Mr. Q's favorite form of exercise (the bicycle is his passion), he has supported me by signing up with me for every 5K I've done so far!  Two weeks ago I participated in my favorite 5K yet - the Color Run!  What other event can get my husband to show up in a pink tutu?  What other event sells amazing fanny packs?  What other event turns its participants into human tie-dye?  The Color Run is where it's at!

I loved the Color Run for several reasons.  First, it's very low-pressure.  Unlike the last 5K I did, which used electronic chips in the participants' numbers to track who was winning, this 5K was not really about winning at all.  There were so many Color Runners that it was actually impossible for everyone to start at once - instead, groups of participants gather at the starting line in shifts beginning at 9 A.M.  Second, I liked that the color stations were spread out on the course so that there was always something to look forward to - that kept me from tiring out like I did in some of the other 5Ks I've done.  Finally, I love supporting great causes that are close to my heart and a portion of the Roanoke Color Run proceeds went to help the American Cancer Society and the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center.

Our team captain, our good friend Becky, came down from DC to participate - this was not her first Color Run and she convinced us all to join in the fun when she heard it was coming to Roanoke.  We lucked out with perfect weather on race day - lots of sunshine, but very little humidity.

Mr. Q and one of his bicycle club friends dressed to match - it was definitely an "I'll wear it if he will" thing!  They got a LOT of attention and compliments on their neon tutus.  There were a lot of Color Runners in costumes - everything from angel and fairy wings to cowboy hats to a wedding dress and veil.

The fun started even before we got to the race.  At packet pick-up we all received t-shirts, headbands, wristbands and race numbers, temporary tattoos and a color pack (I got purple).  We also got instructions to save our color packs for the end of the 5K.  As the starting line, there were guys on scaffolds with water guns full of colored water ready to give us our first shot of color (bright pink and blue) and even one guy with a bucket who seemed to be choosing his targets very deliberately.  There were also water gun snipers perched on top of every bridge we went under on the course and at the water station!  They were also throwing prizes into the crowd - one of my friends got a Stuff Cuff!

As you go through the 5K, there are color zones along the way where Color Run volunteers do their best to coat participants with colored powder in condiment bottles (it's dyed cornstarch).  Here's a map of the Roanoke course.  Each color zone also features really fun music - lots of 80's songs and dance music.  We learned after the first station that it's best to run through or you inhale a lot of color!  Some participants wear bandanas over their noses and mouths - it makes them look like bandits but it is a great idea, especially for those with allergies or respiratory problems.  Here's a picture of my team after going through all of the color stations.

The Runicorn is the rainbow-colored unicorn mascot of The Color Run.  Like us, he started the day clean.

After completing the 5K, participants gather at the stage for the color throw!  The announcer counts down and then everyone opens their color pouch - everyone gets covered and it's such an amazing, fun moment!  The afterparty is a lot of fun - a lot of Color Runners stay for all of the color throws and end up a very deep shade of purple.  My friends and I did two color throws and got covered in purple and teal.

Post color throw (photobombed by Becky's husband Matt)

So much fun!  I hope the Color Run can come back to Roanoke next summer because I would sign up again in a heartbeat.