We woke up bright and early, packed up the car, the kiddo, and the dog, and headed out. We got to Kennebunkport around noon and our first stop was the beach. We needed to stretch our legs and Zoey needed a good walk. Kennebunkport Beach is a quintessential New England beach surrounded by gorgeous homes and huge jetties.

After our beach frolic, we headed into town to grab some lunch. We ended up at Bennett’s Store and enjoyed all things lobster.

With our bellies full, we explored the downtown, did some window shopping, and just enjoyed the beautiful fall views.

Next, we headed up the coast to Portland, where we were stopping for the night. We stayed at the Tru by Hilton and it was a great place to stop for a quick, one-night trip, but if we were returning to Maine for a longer trip, I would love to rent a home closer to the beach.

My husband often jokes that so many of our trips revolve around food, but when there are so many good things to try, how can it not?! For breakfast we stopped at Biscuits & Company and it did not disappoint. We got some good, strong iced coffee and some biscuit breakfast sandwiches. Sadly, the restaurant has since closed.

Every guide we looked at for Maine said we needed to stop at The Holy Donut for a potato donut, which sounds really weird, but was actually delicious and tasted nothing like potatoes. I got the toasted coconut because that is the best donut flavor ever. The Holy Donut has a bunch of locations throughout Maine, so give them a try!

After our breakfast, we headed out to Cape Elizabeth to visit the Portland Head Light. This historic lighthouse, built in 1791, was like walking into a living postcard! Fort Williams Park surrounds it, offering trails with breathtaking ocean views that are perfect for an Instagram-worthy adventure. 

Next, we headed to downtown Portland to explore and grab some lunch. The city is an eclectic mix of boutiques, galleries, and charming cafes. We strolled along the cobblestone streets, soaking in the atmosphere and popping into shops.

We are an oyster-loving family, so we searched for an oyster bar and stumbled upon The Shop by Island Creek Oysters. Not only was The Shop the cutest, most aesthetic little spot, but the oysters were also incredibly fresh. The local beers were delicious, and the charcuterie was excellent. The charming atmosphere combined with top-notch food and drink made it a highlight of our Portland adventure.

We reminisce about this spot regularly and cannot wait to return sometime soon!

We absolutely loved our quick trip to Maine and can’t wait to visit again! If you’ve been to Maine, let us know your favorite place to visit.

The post 48 Hours in Maine, a Travel Guide appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I prefer the Top of the Rock over the Empire State Building because both building are in Midtown and give you a very similar view, but the lines at the Top of the Rock are much shorter and they sell tickets for an assigned time, which helps with crowd control. The Top of the Rock also gives you a killer view of the Empire State Building.

The Top of the Rock has three levels of observation decks, which give you the perfect 360 view of the whole city. The first two levels are behind glass, but the top level has just a small fence, making for some great pictures. Alex really liked using the binoculars to try to look for our house. Pro Tip: there is a change machine in the gift shop at the top, if you happen to visit without quarters for the binoculars.

The weather was perfect on the day that we visited, with clear skies that let us see for miles. If you’re planning on visiting, I recommend checking the weather and choosing a clear day. On days with low clouds, the whole view could be obstructed.

Days like these make me so grateful for living in New York and being able to give Alex these types of experiences!

Have you ever visited New York City? Did you get to stop at the Top of the Rock?

The post NYC Travel Guide: Top of the Rock appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

WHERE TO STAY

There was a block of rooms reserved by the bride and groom at The Ridgeline Hotel. The Ridgeline is newly renovated and had just opened a few weeks before our stay. Some parts of the hotel were still under construction, but we not bothered by noise or anything during our stay.

The lobby was modern, but rustic and had a great seating area, as well as a station with infused water, coffee and the day’s paper.

We had a room with two double beds, which were very comfy. I loved the simplicity of the color scheme in the room and the accents on the wall. There was also a little seating area, and your standard coffee maker/ice bucket area. I really liked that each room came with yoga mats and a little card with ideas for workouts. If we were staying for longer, I would’ve totally taken advantage of them.

The bathroom was also updated with a new vanity and a nice big mirror. The tub/shower had a little timer in it with a challenge to shower in less than 7 minutes to preserve water. There was also a shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispenser in the shower, which is great if you forget to bring your necessities. 

The hotel also had a lot of cool amenities. The indoor pool was huge, and the flooring surrounding the pool was not tile, but like a grippy rubbery type floor which makes it safer for all the kids running around even though they’re not supposed it. [cough cough Alex] There was also a bunch of cool floats to use. Alex was a big fan of the whale. The hotel also had a game room off the pool area that had a pool table, cool bean bags for sitting and video game systems.

Estes Park, CO Travel Guide
Click To Tweet

WHAT TO DO

If you’ve ever heard of Estes Park, CO, you know that it is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We had very little time for exploring between the rehearsal and the wedding itself, but we woke up early before the wedding to hit up the park. The park was absolutely breathtaking. We didn’t have much time, so we drove the road all the way through the park and back, stopping at the overlooks and information centers. Even though it was the middle of June, there was still tons of snow on the ground and our choice of attire for the trip wasn’t the best. Like at all National Parks and Monuments, we were able to pick up a Junior Ranger Activity book for Alex to complete while we were at the park and he got his badge and took his Junior Ranger oath before we left the park. If you visit the park with kids, I highly recommend getting the book. They are completely FREE and come in different difficulty levels for different age groups. It’s a fun way to get your child involved and interested in the park, nature and conservation.

We also stopped at Rike-A-Kart for the boys to go go-karting. 

The best part of the whole trip was the wedding! The ceremony and reception were held at the Historic Crags Lodge and everything was absolutely gorgeous. I mean check out this view from the ceremony site, could it be any more perfect? Alex kicked butt at his ring bearer duties and looked quite handsome in the process.

It was such a fun weekend with some of my favorite people. I love every chance we get to explore a new place, try new foods, and see new things. Estes Park, we will definitely be back!

The post Three Days In Estes Park, CO appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The resort is an beautiful all inclusive, with lush landscaping and a beach that provided some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever experienced in my life.

The hotel has four different pools, including one with a swim up bar. We found a spot in one of the quieter pools and stuck to it. We actually met a bunch of interesting people from all around the world and enjoyed swapping travel stories with each other. Even though it wasn’t the pool with the swim up bar, there were waiters who came around taking drink orders non-stop. Shout out to Victor for the Dirty Monkeys! 

The Riu Palace Guanacaste has  4 sit down restaurants, a buffet and a 24 hour snack bar/room service. The food was pretty good as all-inclusive resorts go. We were able to visit all 4 of the sit-down restaurants – Italian, Steakhouse, Japanese and Fusion. I was a huge fan of the sushi at the lunch buffet and the tropical fruit. I love me some lychee.

There were also BBQ grills set up poolside every afternoon for lunch. There were different themes each day for food and drinks. I was a big fan of the fresh coconut water [especially when you add a little rum].

The beach itself is not what you imagine when you think tropical vacation. If you are looking for white sand beaches, this is not the place for you. The sand in most of the Guanacaste region has a lot of volcanic rock, which gives it a darker almost muddy color. The beach was also rocky along the edges, with a huge rock wall if you make the trek all the way down the beach from the resort. While this is a deal breaker for some, I enjoyed the beach and exploring the rocks.

Overall, the Riu Palace Guanacaste was an amazing place to stay. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a place to stay during their adventures in Costa Rica.

The post Costa Rica: Riu Palace Guanacaste appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The weekend started in Pennsylvania. It was Tommy’s dad’s birthday weekend, so we decided to take him out for a hike on the Delaware Water Gap. We followed the Red Dot Trail, which was supposed to be the easiest, but it was still a bit tough with a bunch of rocky portions that were pretty difficult to climb, especially with Alex. We made it to the top, and the views were amazing!

We all agreed that we have to take the hike up there once the leaves start to change colors. I can only imagine how gorgeous it will look then.

We woke up bright and early Monday morning to head out to the beach in Point Pleasant, NJ. It was the perfect relaxing day at the beach followed with some evening boardwalk fun. Alex loved the arcade and won himself a cool giraffe in a dart throwing game.

On Tuesday, we once again got up bright and early and drove out to Riverhead, LI to meet with a potential wedding photographer. We were done with out appointment by noon and drove out to the North Fork for some relaxation. We started at Raphael Winery. We got three wines each to taste and enjoyed them on the back patio while taking in views of the vineyards.

We headed out farther east and stopped in Jamesport for some lunch and to ride the carousel.

There were many gorgeous yachts docked in Jamesport, but one in particular caught my eye – Lady Sylvia. Tommy and Alex joked that they planned the whole day out so that they could give me the yacht as my early birthday present. I wish!

After lunch, we headed out even farther east and settled in at the beach at Orient Point for another relaxing afternoon. The beach here was amazing. The water was so clean that you could see the rocks and shells all over the sea floor. The beach also had a great children’s area that Alex had a lot of fun on.

We all agreed that even though it was over a two hour drive to get there, the beach is totally worth the trip and we will be coming back.

Our three whirlwind days were the perfect way to end off the summer. I still can’t believe I have to go back to work on Monday! This summer really flew by and I hope the weather stays on the warm side for a while longer, so we can enjoy the afternoons.

What’s your favorite quick getaway spot?

The post Three Days, Three States, One Quick Vacation appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

Our first night at the resort, we went to the seafood restaurant, Marina.

I had the Tuna steak

with herbed polenta and vegetables.

Tommy went for the seafood stuffed salmon and we both practically licked our plates clean. After this dinner, we knew we were in for some good eating over the week.

On our second night we went to the Mexican restaurant. When we sat down, we asked the waiter for drink recommendations. He asked us is we liked spicy and when we said that we did, he brought us fire margaritas. They were made with hot sauce and had a really nice kick to them.

It went perfect with the guacamole and warm tortilla chips.

For our entrees, I got the fajita, which I failed to photograph and Tommy got seared tuna with risotto.

Our third dinner was a sunset dinner on the beach following our engagement. Tommy got to pick out our whole meal, and all the food was amazing. We started with champagne and three different types of bread with an oil and vinegar dipping sauce. How amazing was our view?!

Next was a spinach salad with brie cheese.

After that was lobster ravioli.

And as is we weren’t already stuffed, our entree was lobster stuffed chicken. This was so so good and since we so stuffed, our waiter was kind enough to pack it up for us to take back to our room because we just couldn’t eat anymore.

For dessert we had cannoli crepes.

On our last day we went to the Mediterranean/Asian fusion restaurant. They had a delicious antipasto/sushi buffet to start and we both got the tuna sashimi.

The food was great, but this wasn’t half bad either.

Can’t wait until our next vacation!

What was the best thing you are this week?

Check out some other great WIAWs over at Peas and Crayons.

The post WIAW: Vacation Eats appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

we got ENGAGED!

It was a total surprise and I almost ruined it (as usual), but we are so happy. Tommy was also sneaky and got the resort photographer to sneak up on us on the beach and catch everything.

After I said YES! the photographer took some fun pictures of us around the resort.

I plan on sharing some of our wedding planning adventure on the blog, but I don’t think we will be doing much in the area until later this summer. For now, I have to work on remembering to call Tommy my fiance!

The post We’re Engaged! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

First up is one of my favorite things in life, quinoa and eggs. We brought leftover Southwestern Quinoa Salad with us and I enjoyed it topped with some dippy eggs.

Huge fruit salad. So good, so sweet, so refreshing.

Goat cheese and fresh tomato sandwiches -something I never tried before and was really surprised by. The flavors worked great together and made for a very satisfying lunch.

Dinner at the Front Street Brewery. We went for a brewery tour and got to taste some of their amazing beers and we stuck around for dinner. I had the Blackened Salmon with red rice and seasonal veggies.

For our last dinner on vacation, we headed to the Riverwalk in Willmington. After strolling back and forth, we chose The George. We started our dinner with the shrimp and crab nachos. They were amazing!

For my entree I chose the crab stuffed salmon with herb risotto and spinach. I was obviously in a very crabby mood that day and I practically licked my plate clean.

Tommy had the bacon crusted scallops, which were also amazing. I had to sneak a bite, but when don’t I?

No vacation is a vacation without some treats. We stopped at Majik Beans coffee shop for some lattes. So rich and delicious.

When researching Carolina Beach, the number one rated place was Britt’s Doughnuts. They are the #2 rated doughnut in the United States and we could not pass up the opportunity to try them. They are so busy that the doughnuts are cooked fresh to order and so soft and airy that they practically melt in your mouth.

What’s the best thing you ate this week? What’s the best thing you ever ate on vacation?

The post WIAW: Carolina Beach Vacation Eats appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The 10 hour trip flew by and before we knew it we were in Carolina Beach and enjoying the view from our ocean front condo.

We headed down to the beach to enjoy the water, which was ridiculously warm, and splashed around in the waves while the sun set over the town. We were so excited to get out on the beach the next morning, to explore the town, and get some good eats. Little did we know that at 3:30AM our vacation plans would be turned on their heads and the next three days of vacation would be spent eating saltines.

In the middle of the night Munchkin crawled into bed with us and started throwing up. We thought it was just him, but we had all caught a bug from Tommy’s niece, which made for a miserable couple of days.  The little guy was luckily fine by about noon, and back to his happy self, but Tommy and I felt so weak, that all we could do was lay around and rest. The oceanfront balcony which we were so excited about just the day before made me so angry because we were stuck inside, instead of enjoying the sun and sand, like all the people below us.

Thankfully, we felt well enough the next day to make it out to the beach. Munchkin loved the water and sand, and could probably live in the surf if we would let him. I also fell in love with boogie boarding. I could spend hours out on the boogie board bobbing around the the waves.

Overall, we had a great time in Carolina Beach and I highly recommend the Atlantic Towers as a place to stay. I wish that we had gotten more time to enjoy the area because there were a lot of things we wanted to do, that we didn’t get to. Hopefully, our next vacation will be illness free!

Are you a planner when it comes to vacations? Have you ever gone on vacation and gotten sick?

The post Vacationing at Carolina Beach appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

On Saturday, we headed down to Easton, PA to visit the Crayola Experience. It was only a 30 minutes rides from Tommy’s parents in the Poconos and a great way to spend a Saturday.

As soon as we pulled up to the building, Alex was super excited. I mean, how could you not be seeing a box of crayons falling off a building.

After paying for our tickets ($15.99) we headed upstairs to watch the live crayon making show. The show was very cute and had a Crayola worker interacting with two virtual crayons on the screen. He also had scaled down machines that showed how they actually make crayons and at the end of the show we all got a brand new red crayon.

After the show, we went over to the make your own crayon name station. Alex decided to name his a bunch of random letters, but he had a great time picking out the little picture that went along side the text. We also made our own marker and got a bunch of Crayola model magic to take home. There was also a toddler section that Alex enjoyed. It didn’t really have anything to do with crayons, but the kids had a blast running around and shooting the balls inside the machine.

The log flume was also a favorite. We actually went through the course twice because the little guy enjoyed it so much. On our last time through, there was some sort of malfunction and all the water started draining out and no one knew where it was going. There was also a light studio, where you could draw with special markers on a light board, a huge crayon themed jungle gym, lots of coloring and craft stations and a drip design station where you melt crayons into a cool design.

Overall, we had a great time. The Crayola Experience is definitely geared toward younger kids, but is also a great day trip that won’t break the bank. With your ticket, you get a bunch of tokens that can be used at different stations to make crayons, markers, etc. I loved how everything there was Crayola themed, down to the benches in front of the place.

Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch. There are a bunch of places within walking distance and most of them have outdoor seating, which was great given the gorgeous weather on Saturday. After lunch, we decided to walk down to the river, just a few blocks away and we stumbled upon a great little playground on the water. The playground sad a seesaw, which I haven’t seen since I was a kid. Maybe it’s a New York thing but the last time I was on a seesaw was before they renovated the local park, a good 20 years ago. Alex had a blast and didn’t want to get off of it when it was time to go.

Our trip to the Crayola Experience was a success!

Have you ever been to the Crayola Experience? Are there seesaws at playgrounds in your area?

The post A Trip to the Crayola Experience appeared first on Frolic Through Life.