Suzie goes to Chicago!

I was lucky enough to sneak in a trip to Chicago to see most of my college friends. We had been communicating in March and hoped to get a trip on the calendar and somehow, it worked. We stayed in the West Loop neighborhood and all arrived by noon on Friday morning. We met at the hotel for a quick bite to eat before going out for a Lake Michigan boat ride with captain Jill. The clouds parted for just long enough. What a treat to experience the city from that perspective. We made our way back to the hotel for conversation and a glass of wine while we dressed for dinner. 

We shopped Saturday morning until we were rained out (literally stuck in the basement of Anthropology during a tornado warning). Becky and I raced back to the hotel in the absolute pouring rain. We dried off and warmed up and made our way to the Spanish Baths called Aire, what an incredible experience. We bathed in 9 different pools including hot stones, cold plunges, and the most incredible atmosphere, we used their facilities and showered and went to happy hour on Michigan Avenue before a glass of wine and visit at Bloomies,. We wandered and shopped and had the best time and then went for a late dinner followed by a rooftop glass of wine. 

Chicago is so fun to do with our very own local who knows all of the hotspots and makes all of our reservations. Cheers to Jill.

I retuned early on Sunday morning with the fullest heart. I just love each of those girls so much and am grateful we all prioritize each other enough to make time and space to get together. Until next time. xoxxox

Captain Jill and her city. 

Lake Michigan 

Rainy Satruday 

Sparkling Rose at Bloomingdales. 

My beautiful friends. 

Mainstream.Adventures: Newton Hills State Park

We embarked on a much closer, easier camping excursion. It was slick to be able to arrive at or destination in less than an hour and to have an entire weekend to explore. We fund a nearby lake after setting up and the water was so low, that the beach was a mud beach, we need rain!! Once the kids got past the sliminess of it all, they loved floating and exploring. We had dinner and a campfire and called it a night. 

We had a full day on Saturday. We went for a family bike ride through the hills of Newton Hill, it was an amazing ride going downhill, uphill…not so much. After so many threats and bribes to please keep moving forward, we finally made our way back to the campsite just in time for Kyle and Amy (+ family)  to arrive. We had a great time with them, we had a full on campfire lunch followed by park fun and s'mores. As they left, my sister Liz and Matt showed up for an afternoon visit. We went back to the beach as promised and had a surprise rainfall which returned us to the campground sooner than expected. My parents came for dinner and the Reillys joined us for a late evening campfire and smores. It was really fun be able to show everyone our camper and for them to get a taste of camping. 

The highlight was on Father's Day morning when Piper finally took the plunge and readily rode off on her own without training wheels! Whoop! On that note, we are lucky to have the best guy around as the leader of our pack. Thanks for constantly dreaming up amazing ideas and adventures for our family, we are the luckiest. 

Three floaters, not a care in the world. 

Candy Cones 

Campfire, the best part of the day. 

Girl talk.

The Munces and the Schocks. 

Happy Father's Day to the BEST dad around. 

The highlight, all three up without training wheels! 

Camps camps and more camps

After much anticipation, June has arrived. Our favorite camps all take place in June which is great because it leaves the rest of summer open for travel and spontaneous fun. We did Golf Camp, Augie Rec Camp (gym camp), a Wash Pav camp, Spanish Camp, and Leif Ericson/Little Vikes. The kids had an absolute blast and eagerly anticipated camp each day. I spent my free time running errands and getting my summer hours in at work :). 

Golf camp. 

Rec Camp with Rhys. 

An after camp swim with Stella. 

Leif Ericson/Little Vikes

Munstream.Advenutes Smoky Mountain Adventure part 2

We had a nice and easy 3-4 hour drive on Monday and arrived at Land Between the Lakes, KY/TN. This is one the of most beautiful places located on the boarder of KY and TN, the land is serene and every campsite is stellar. After a complicated parking spot, we meandered around and spotted dear and other wildlife, we decided to find the beach for the kids which turned out to be the best decision. There was a break in the rain and the water at the beach was absolutely still and warm and the kids were in heaven. Dave and I enjoyed a few minutes of relaxation while the kids swam and played. After a solid hour, we hustled back as the rain resumed.  We had an airstream dinner, microwave mac and cheese for the kids, and sausages in the microwave for us, a change of gears, but it was easy and it worked. It rained hard that evening, and we all slept like rocks. 

We hit the road again the next mooning and made our way all the way to  Johnson's Shut Ins in Missouri where we met Stacy and her kids. We had a great evening by the fire, the kids played and biked and explored, we had the whole works on the campfire for dinner, it was fun to really do it up right with the Winters kids with us.  This was a big highlight for us, we had planned this rendezvous for months. Some of the boys slept in the tent while most of the girls stayed in the camper, it rained, but it didn't stop the fun. We went to the Shut In's the following day and had fun exploring and meandering on the rocks, we came back for lunch and then packed up before visiting Elephant Rocks State Park. The kids climbed and explored and moved nonstop. We made it to the Dunn's bunkhouse for dinner, we followed the winding roads, and braved the gravel bridges and dips and tight curves, I'm certain there were a few occasions when Dave and I collectively held our breath, but in the end, we arrived safely.  

The bunkhouse was a treat, a hot meal was waiting, beds for each of us to spread out, patio conversations, a day at the river where the kids explored, swam, snacked, skipped rocks, floated and were simply kids. How fortunate we are to have this agenda...this life! Our kids get along with the Winters kids so well, everyone truly loves one another and they make it so easy. The Dunn's are so welcoming and are absolutely the hosts with the most love and servant hearts. We were all sad to say goodbye, but are excited for another visit with them later this summer. 

We had debated how to spend our last evening as it was more of a stay over rather than an intentional spot to be. After some deliberation, we landed up on Pony Express in Missouri, it wasn't what I had in mind.  The campground was full, the restaurant was so so, and we met these kids, Blue River and August, who the kids played with for a while, they showed them the zip line and their stray bunny, Wags. But it was hot and I was ready to be home, so we called it an early night and watched a movie in the airstream, which is a great option when the mood calls for it. We were all set for an early departure when the jack malfunctioned, causing some panic, owners manual reviews, and a youtube search and finally, were  home by 5pm. We did it! 

We had a great adventure, only a few hiccups, but we learned as we went and managed to work well as a family team. The kids absolutely love the camping adventure, maybe not the daily hikes that sometimes get too long, but they hang in there, its amazing what an impromptu camp song/chant can do for one's mood. We have more on the calendar, but for now, its time to unload and settle in for Summer. The Airstream is a perfect fit for our family. 

Feel free to follow along on instagram at munstream.advenutre :). 

Mom, can you have this girl saying 
'I love my parents.' 
Soggy Airstream drawings. 

Our gorgeous set up at Land Between the Lakes. 

Cheers to another awesome day. 

Johnson's Shut Ins State Park, Missouri 

The setup. 

Packing up the Munsters crew. 

Elephant Rocks State Park

The float. 

BFFs x6

River day aka dream day. 

Munstream.Adventures Smoky Mountain Adventure Part 1

We set off on our Maiden Voyage with the Airstream on Wednesday, May 26th at 7:55am (note the time as we were 5 minutes ahead of schedule, no small feat). Locked and loaded, first things first, we activated Wifi in the truck, which turned into a lifesaver move. We headed south and only required one roadside stop before lunch at a rest area and a fill up, and then off to Muscatine, Iowa where we set up show and explored Wildcat Den State Park and all of its caves. We ventured home and picked up bugels, icees, doughnuts, and finally found the firewood we were looking for at a roadside and had to phone a friend(?). We saw an incredible sunset over the Mississippi River and had dinner camp side, the kids rode bikes with new friends and we hit the road the following morning. 

After another full day of driving, we landed in Muncie, Indiana at a KOA. The set up was actually pretty good, but we had an agenda which ended up curbing good plans and our final plan turned sour. After a good meal, we had a family melt down and a lost (but eventually found) backpack and a lost wallet (which was never found). Driving through towns at all speeds late into the night, bedtime was after 1am. The morning brought another failed search attempt before we decided to just get on the road to Tennessee, which took twice as long as we had hoped. We had a late but safe arrival. 

We took a day off of driving on Saturday, stayed at Norris Dam State Park, what an incredible spot to spend 4 days. The scenery is top notch, we hiked and biked (against the rules) all day, it was great to stay out of the car. Sunday brought us to Gatlinburg for a chairlift tour and then lunch with the Zepedas. What a treat. We wandered into The Smoky Mountains just as the clouds cleared, it was more incredible than I could have ever imagine. We toured, hiked, and hit the road just in time to hit a traffic jam. We ended up getting roadside pizza at 8:30pm and finally back to the camper around 9:30, we were all so exhausted. But what an incredible day. 

Sunday was Sully's 9th birthday and what a day it was! He chose mini golf, the candy shop, and bumper boats at Pigeon Forge and the kids all had so much fun, the sun was out and spirits were high. We followed that up with a picnic in the Smoky Mountains and then a waterfall hike where we spotted 3 black bears. What a treat. I can't think of a better birthday. We came home early for a laundromat stop and then dinner at a floating restaurant on Lake Norris, then a failed campfire cookie, and finally, he got to sleep in Dave's spot that night, all in all, a great day.  

To be continued...

All ready to go! 

A lunch stop near Des Moines, IA. 

Wildcat Den State Park

The coolest caves. 

take 245

A lovely sunset. 

Unwinding at our campsite in Muncie, IN. 

Smoke (clouds) in the Smoky Mountain terrain. 

Friday morning hike in Norris Dam State Park, TN.

I couldn't get enough of the greenery everywhere. 

Learning to bike ride along Songbird Trail. 

See mom, this is where it says 'no biking allowed!'

Norris Dam 

Gatlinburg, TN

Foreshadowing

More foreshadowing...

Exploring with the Zepedas. 

Reunited after 6 years, always a pleasure, Piper loved Tyler ;). 

Greta and Daddy at Clingman's Dome. 

The visrticle hike to Clingman's Dome. 

Bumper Boats, hilariously fun. 

Sweet message we found on our hike. 

Mama bear. 

Laurel Falls Hike. 

The freedom of exploring. 

An amazing photo op.

All done! 

Reality

Look who's 9! 

A perfect birthday party, with all of the stufty 
friends in the audience.