Hanging out in Colorado before leaving for Florida - 2022/10/15

Wrapping up our time here in Colorado before leaving for Florida. (from Fall 2022)

Fall Foliage Colorado 2022 - 2022/10/01

Getting back into some blogging after a busy time off. When we last left off, we had just returned from California visiting friends. Now we're in Colorado and it's the start of Fall 2022. 

Fall? That means we need to go into the mountains and see the leaves changing colors! Just like we did back in 2019, we're joining up with my brother Patrick, his wife Megan, and their daughter Avery. 

Mom's Quilting Special - Awesome Minecraft and Ultimate Disney Quilts

One of the things my Mom really likes to do is make awesome quilts! When she told us that she wanted to make Ian and Alli a quilt for their birthdays, Theresa said that they would absolutely LOVE a Minecraft quilt! 

2023 Pasadena Chalk Festival - We are back!

The Pasadena Chalk Festival is back on! Instead of being at the Paseo Colorado, the Pasadena Convention Center, just across the street, will be hosting the 30th anniversary of the Chalk Festival! I'll see you there!

A trip out to California for friends and food! Part 2 - 2022/10/11

Wrapping up our time here in California (from October 2022). 

We loved that we were able to visit friends from Ian's school.

A Halloween trip to Disneyland - Pt 3 - 2022/10/10

It's been a long day at Disneyland, but we're not quite through yet. We took our treats from Pooh's Corner and headed back over to DCA to get in a few more rides. T is doing her best to slice that caramel apple with a plastic knife. 

A Halloween trip to Disneyland - Pt 2 - 2022/10/10

Continuing where we left off with our Halloween trip out to California and Disneyland. 

2023 Pasadena Chalk Festival - CANCELLED

I was super bummed to hear the news today that the Pasadena Chalk Festival has been cancelled for 2023. The Paseo is under new ownership and the organizers are having a difficult time negotiating for the ability to hold it. In preparation for it, we had already bought our airline tickets, booked rental cars and hotels, and all that. 

Sad. It's been a tradition to go there on Father's Day weekend since even before the kids were born. And then it was tradition to go together, have them see what their Daddy and Uncle Ruston had worked hard on all weekend and have them help pull up the painters tape to finish everything off. 

I hope the Light Bringer Project can figure something out. I'll certainly miss seeing all my chalk festival friends this year. 

A Halloween trip to Disneyland - Pt 1 - 2022/10/10

Coming back to this after a little time off.
We're back at Disneyland! (from October 2022). 

A trip out to California for friends and food! - 2022/10/04

Well after parking the RV in Colorado, hanging out there, flying to Michigan, then back to Colorado, we're traveling again? This time we're headed out to California! Why? Food and friends! And we're going to do a lot of both!

Taking the train at Denver International Airport to our gate. 

Back to Colorado - 2022/09/20

Leaving Michigan, we're back in Colorado. Early in the morning, Theresa's Aunt was there at the house with plenty of food and snacks for us. 

Michigan - 2022/09/24

Well one of the things the kids wanted to do for their birthday was go to an arcade that wasn't Chuck E. Cheese. Amy and Donald had the perfect place in mind! Rev'd Up Fun! 

Tasting Peeps Lollipop Rings

For our final Peeps inspired treat, I found Peeps Lollipop Rings! 

These ring based lollipops remind me a lot of Ringpops and would work great in an Easter basket. 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! The kids have been really excited for this morning to come. 

Taste Testing Peeps Gummies

Easter is coming so there's lots of new Easter themed candies around! My favorite Easter treat are Cadbury Mini Eggs, but that's followed closely by Peeps. Peeps have decided to expand their lineup this year with a few new treats. Now instead of just marshmallows, they're trying Peeps Gummies too! 

Alli - I loved the Peeps cereal. Ah yes, I remember that one too. 

How will they stack up? Read along and find out! 

Being Peeps related, of course they're Marshmallow Flavored. 

Taste Testing Peeps Cotton Candy

As we get closer and closer to Easter, I've been seeing a lot more Peeps themed snacks around. Not just the classic marshmallow chicks that are at every grocery store, but also some more unique items that I haven't seen before. Well for the Peeps lovers in this family, I know what to do whenever we see something new! We try it of course! 

Let's start off with this Peeps Cotton Candy! 

As I was looking around Dollar Tree, I found these two bags of real cotton candy. Not to be confused with the Marshmallow Peeps flavored like Cotton Candy that we tried before. 

Skyzone in Michigan - 2022/09/26

One of the items on Ian's birthday list was a visit to Skyzone. His cousins were more than happy to take the kids. And do I want to come too? Of course I do! 

Make your own Icedream Sundae and Meeting the Easter Cow at Chick-fil-A

Who doesn’t love the Chick-fil-A cow? We love the cow’s outfits including the Santa Cow!

So when our local Chick-fil-A announced that the Easter Cow was coming to visit, and there would be an Icedream sundae bar, we were thrilled at the chance to visit!

Wildcats Football - Going to Indiana to watch Austin play college football - 2023/09/24

Catching up on earlier posts. This is from September. 

Watching Austin play football? Definitely! We're in!

Flying to Michigan and celebrating the kids' birthdays - 2022/09/23

Playing catch-up a bit. This is from September 2022. 

Seems like we just got back to Colorado in the RV, but we're already headed off to Michigan! Pop Pop dropped us off at the airport. 

Visiting the Orlando Cat Cafe - 2023/04/02

Welcome to the Orlando Cat Cafe! Florida's First Cat Cafe and Where The Cool Cats Hang Out! 
Our friend Nicole loves loves loves cats, and every Sunday she volunteers at the Orlando Cat Cafe. The kids have really wanted to go see them, so before we leave Orlando until October, we've definitely got to go check it out!

Tasting Peeps Pepsi, Peepsi, a Marshmallow Flavored Soda

Pepsi flavored to taste like Peeps? You know we're in! My brother sent me a picture in early February of Peeps Pepsi from the internet. Both of us set out to find it. 

We love trying lots of different Peeps. We've done multiple Peeps taste tests, comparing the flavored Peeps to their counterparts, like Original Peeps to homemade sugared marshmallows, Cotton Candy Peeps, Hot Tamales Peeps, Pancakes and Syrup Peeps, Fruit Punch Peeps, Blue Raspberry Peeps, Sour Watermelon Peeps, Party Cake Peeps, and Root Beer Float Peeps. We compared all those flavors in a Peeps Face-off Taste Test challenge. We bought the chocolate dipped Peeps. We tried Peeps cereal back in 2019, and then again in 2021 when they changed the cereal marshmallows. 

I love that the bottles are the bright yellow of the classic JustBorn Peeps. 

Finally riding the Tron Lightcycle Power Run - 2023/03/23

Who wants to ride the new Tron Lightcycle Power Run? We do! We've been waiting for this for a really long time!

Aubrey's Bridal Shower in Michigan - 2023-03-18

 It's been a super busy week as we've been in Michigan for Aubrey's Bridal Shower! The families all came together to make the food and all the decorations! I've posted a few photos here, but there's even more at Aubrey's Wedding Shower. 

Pizza at Home - Colorado Green Chile Pizza plus the Pueblo Chile Festival

Sunday is pizza day! When I went to breakfast with my friend Sadie from high school, I made the comment that I was trying to figure out which pizza I should make to be my "Colorado" inspired pizza. She suggested that green chiles would be a good thing to make and I thought it sounded perfect! Let's do it!

Visiting with Amy and Don in Tampa!

Amy and Donald are in Tampa and we love visiting family! We took the 2 hour drive with traffic from Orlando to see them!

Making Leprechaun Traps at our local Chick-fil-A

St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner on March 17th. It was just a couple weeks ago that Ian had told me he already started planning his leprechaun trap this year, and this year, he's got special bait. More on that later. 

But I was thrilled to see that our local Chick-fil-A is hosting a Leprechaun Trap Building Craft Night! We've come to love our local CFA. This whole year they've been having free give-aways and fun meetup nights!

Hiking the Manitou Incline with Dad - 2022/05/10

Hiking the Manitou Incline with Dad!

Making it to Colorado - 2022/09/14

It's time to hit the road and close out this part of our westward journey. We left Windy's Pig Rescue early the next morning and hit the road. Our travels would take us through Nevada and close enough to the Vegas Strip to see a lot of the hotels. 

Mocha Latte Oreo Taste Test Comparison

Oreo has brought us a new flavor cookie! A Mocha Caramel Latte! I knew I'd have to try this one with the Colorado family because we've got some big coffee lovers here. 

Megan and I headed to a nearby Starbucks to pick up a Mocha Caramel Latte to compare it to. I showed them the picture on the package for comparison. It turned out a little more dark than the picture, but look at that chocolate and caramel drizzle they put on top. Yum! 

Pineapple Mountain Dew, Maui Burst, Tropical Sunrise, and Baja Flash Taste Test Comparison

I love Mountain Dew! And I love Pineapple! Mountain Dew has made not one, not two, but three different versions of it that I could get a hold of! 

The Mountain Dew Maui Burst is an exclusive flavor to Dollar Tree so I'm glad we were able to find it! 

Tropical Sunrise Mountain Dew is an energy drink with Pineapple and other natural flavors. 

Then there's the Baja Flash Mountain Dew, which is Pineapple and Coconut flavored Dew. We tried it back in 2021 with the family and my brother happened to still have a few cans around. We're also trying a fresh pineapple to go along with all these sodas to compare it to the real thing!

A Left Twix versus Right Twix taste test comparison - We decide for ourselves which is truly best!

Everyone knows that there's two different Twix bars and one is completely superior to the other. Every time I eat a Twix, it has to be a Left Twix. The Right Twix is obviously inferior. 

Well after hearing me tout that again and again, the kids were ready to make me prove it. It's time for the Left Twix versus Right Twix blind taste test. 

Which one will win? Left Twix, like I suspect, or Right Twix. Let's find out. 

Pizza at Home - Nevada - Las Vegas Buffet inspired Pizza

Welcome to Nevada! But what should we do for a pizza? I've loved doing pizzas themed to the state we're visiting, but what food is Vegas famous for? It was Theresa that came up with the great idea of doing a pizza themed to the classic Vegas buffet! Perfect! Let's get started!

Starburst Duos Gelatin Taste Test Comparison

Today we get to try a new Starburst experience! Not just one flavor of Starburst gelatin but two in one! It's Starburst Duos! 

We last got a look at Starburst Duos chewy candies when Starburst made gelatin back in 2020. Starburst made 4 fruit flavors, Strawberry, Lemon, and Cherry, but instead of making their classic Orange, they opted for Blue Raspberry! The only Blue Raspberry Starburst I could find was part of their new Starburst Duos!

Windy's Ranch and Rescue - Pig Sanctuary - Nevada - 2023/09/12

It's been a long summer, traveling all up and down the West side of the United States. Today we're going to a place that's really fun! It's Windy's Ranch and Rescue!

Look at that map of all the different places we've spent the night in the RV. It's filling up, but there's a hole right in the middle. We'd best take care of that one now while we're over here. 

Theresa found a Harvest Host site in Nevada and we were excited to book it! It's a Pig Sanctuary! Alli adores pigs. They are one of her favorite animals. She's going to love this. 

Ooh, but there's a problem. There's an iron gate across the front that's got a maximum height of 12 feet. That's unfortunate because we're 12' 9" or so. But, the website also said later in the summer the gate would be raised. Theresa was in contact with the owner and sure enough, a few weeks before we arrived, the gate was raised! 

Let's go! 

Spike's (and Ian's) Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshakes

Both Ian and Alli are voracious readers. Some of their favorites, similar to when I was a kid, are the newspaper comics. Ian has been working through Charles Schultz's Peanuts and came across a recipe he wanted to try out. Spike's Chocolate and Peanut Butter Milkshakes! Let's make it happen Ian! 

Exploring Antelope Canyon in the Navajo Nation - 2022/09/10

Today we're going on a fun adventure that's been on the list for a long time! It's one of those places you see in pictures and are amazed by the beauty. It's the Antelope Canyon in Arizona! Theresa booked this one months in advance to get the date and time slot she wanted. This is a long one with lots of pictures, so buckle up and get ready! 

Saturday Morning Cereals - Chocolate Caramel Cap'n Crunch taste test comparison

Another type of Cap'n Crunch cereal? Today we're going to be trying Chocolate Caramel Crunch! So far we've already tasted Regular Cap'n Crunch, Christmas Crunch, Crunch Berries and Oops All Berries, Peanut Butter Crunch, Chocolatey Berry Crunch, Sprinkled Donut Crunch, and Cotton Candy Crunch. How will the Chocolate Caramel Crunch rate? Let's find out!

And because I felt like it, I decided to make my own personal version of Chocolate Caramel Crunch to compare. 

Happy Valentines Day! Handing out treats at Disney World! Giving out 300 bags of candy to Disney Cast Members!

Today we're doing something fun! We love our holidays and love making people smile. A few years ago we were flying on Halloween and decided to dress up and hand out candy to everyone we saw! Then last year during Halloween, we made 375 bags of candy and handed them all out to cast members at Disney World! 

It's Valentine's Day and that seems like a good enough excuse to go do it again!