Lake Life!

This has been a year of many first for me! This Memorial Day weekend was maybe the first holiday weekend in a long time that I didn’t have plans! I was somewhat worried what we’d doing as it was the Indianapolis 500 weekend also & traffic can be crazy! Long story short we had a a great weekend! Unfortunately I can’t remember Friday but Saturday we took my daughter and nieces to the pool! Went to look at a pool for our own backyard, had lunch at Cheesecake Factory and even stopped over a friends house for a BBQ! 

Sunday we went to Church, and ended the GOAT series which was very fitting since LeBron & the Cavs closed out game 7 with a win over the Boston Celtics!

We had a mini BBQ & slip n slide fun for my daughter & nieces! (Didn’t take any pics)

Monday we ventured out to Lake Monroe and went boating with my brother & his friends and had an awesome time! They had a camper & a speedboat so we cooked out, played beer pong, and swam in the lake.  Of course I’m trying to figure out how we can get a boat in the next few years! 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! 

As always, thanks for traveling along! 

XoXo 

Canyon Vibes

Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon?? Although I’m no longer sticking to my bucket list, it’s been on my list for quite a while! I’ve been to Vegas over 20 times but never had anyone to go to the Grand Canyon with! After my mom passed in January I said I was going to do any and everything I wanted to do even if I had to do it alone! Hell, she packed up & moved to Las Vegas alone & never looked back! I survived Paris alone! I know now there is nothing I can’t do! In 2016 my mom took my daughter & I to the Hoover Dam and we were in awe... it’s amazing the things that man can build. But seeing the Grand Canyon is a different amazing. Amazing like wow, God made this! The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile. It’s beautiful! Absolutely stunning! It literally makes your jaw drop! It’s kind of like the feeling you get when you see your child playing in the yard in 75 degree weather, you know that pure bliss! Yasss!!! Makes you say, “thank you!” 

I decided on the helicopter tour  tour because I was going alone and didn’t want to take an approximately 14 hour hotel to hotel trip bus ride to the Canyon! That would allow me too much time to think & be worrying about all the things I needed to complete while here in Vegas! The shuttle ride was maybe 35 minuets from my hotel. The helicopter ride at 140 mph was maybe 20 minuets to the Canyon & on the way we viewed The Hoover Dam and Lake Meade. 

(reflection of my pants)

Once at the Grand Canyon we landed, walked around, took pictures and had a cute little lunch & champagne toast! 

On the way back everyone was quiet. Sitting in amazement! I’m sure alone with their own personal thoughts! I thought about my mom and all the places she’s been and all the things she had done in her short 59 years of life. I also thought about how I wish my hubby and daughter were there to experience this with me! After a peaceful cry, I began to google things I wanted to do on my next trip! That made me smile!

I don’t know who will read this but, just remember to pray for your friends/family! Although we are smiling and trying to enjoy life on the outside, a lot of us are struggling with something on the inside! 

XoXo 

TraqtTravels

Up next 🇲🇽 

Indy Staycation

Have you ever enjoyed a staycation? This is my first and it’s really for the kid, not me! I have a list of resorts that are perfect staycation options in Phoenix , New Jersey & Palm Springs but Indianapolis doesn’t offer anything like that! My husband once said, “we pay a mortgage we are not paying for a hotel.” Anywho since the mini thought it would be a good idea, we gave it a try! Usually I opt for a Marriott but since I wanted some space between me & the girls, I created a free Hilton Honors Honors account & got a room at the Embassy Suites for $103 regularly $129. The hotel recently underwent a two year renovation & it shows!

For the mommy’s the Embassy Suites offers complimentary appetizers & cocktails from 5:30-7:30pm

The suite was very nice, spacious, clean & the upgrades were up to my daughters standards! Her gal pals and she swam most of the day/evening, ate good, drank plenty, played with their American Girl Dolls, danced until they were tired & then slept the night away! 

In the morning we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast, went swimming again and had a little girl talk. We chatted about how we can try to be better friends, sisters & daughters! 

In life there’s always girl drama but as a mom, friend & school counselor I always try to empower my minis and give them the tools so they can do the same for one another! 

Until next time..,

XoXo 

Bahama Mama

I finally took my first cruise! 3 days on the Carnival Victoy sailingfrom Miami to Nassau, Bahamas! We had initially got a inside cabin on the 10th floor. The day before the cruise someone canceled & we were upgraded for $50 to a balcony suite which so happened to work out in our fave for the entire cruise! 

While in Nassau we toured Atlantis, or should I say gambled at Atlantis! I really wanted get the day pass but for $184 I decided to wait until another trip when I have my daughter with me so she could enjoy their water park and beach area! 

I had been to the Freeport before but never Nassau! Nassau is definitely a tourist area! Once you get off the ship there are many local vendors selling conch shells, hand cut t-shirts, wicker purses & such! I’ve been to a few islands so I didn’t buy any souvenirs to clutter my spare dresser this trip! While in Nassau we lucked up on a free day trip to a private island (Balmoral Island) and swam with the dolphins, ate lunch and had plenty of Bahama Mama’s! 

Back on the boat there’s also plenty to do! Comedy show, movies on the deck, Bingo, swimming pools, casino, night club & so much more! Sunday we were at sea all day so I layed out during the day to soak up as much sun as possible! In the evening we attended our formal dinner  & night club! 

 I In all I had a good time, I’m not convinced that cruises are my thing!  I like to be free! Walking, roaming,  experiencing different things & sight seeing different areas! On the cruise I felt somewhat trapped! The Carnival Victory unfortunately was not my favorite either.  This was my first cruise & I should have done more research on the actual boat. I later found out that it is an older ship with maybe less amenities! There are no signs anywhere! They make multiple announcements about meeting in the middle of the day to hear important instructions that they could have emailed, announced or even shown a video of on the big screen. There are no drink stations, you have to walk all the way to the dining area for a beverage and or even just ice. Another concern would be that on the day we were at sea all day they were cleaning the pool & water slide! As multiple kids waited impatiently, I asked why they didn’t do that when most people were off the boat in the Bahamas and they said they do it for the next group of people which will be boarding tomorrow! Seems unfair! Other than my long list of concerns (which I didn’t list them all)! I had a good time! I will give it one more chance! 

Next up Vegas...

XoXo

Road tripping

Someone asked me if road trips count as travel! Uhm...for me they do! Travel is travel to me! I enjoy it all! The furthest I’ve driven is to the Florida state line which is exactly 12 hours from my home and I only did it just to say I did it! But, I was proud of myself & I’m sure you can guess who was in the back seat cheering me on (my mommy)!! This weekend was a short ride but still sweet.  My mini has yet another cheer competition and we traveled to Rosemont, IL which is only 2.5 hours from Indy. It’s a suburb of Chicago. Prior to any road trip I try to make sure all our devices are charged, snacks & coloring books are packed and new music is loaded. Usually, my daughter & I sleep the entire way while hubby drives, but surprisingly we were awoke the entire way there this trip! Chicago seems to always be a good time as there is a lot to see & do! Cheer was over by noon each day but surprisingly we didn't venture down into Chicago. The traffic was busy as usual so we just went to the outlets and back to the hotel to relax, eat and swim.  Since it’s so close to home we’ve already done obvious things like the Navy Pier, Sears Tower observation deck, The Aquarium etc. so I wasn't that bummed about not doing much this trip and actually it was nice to relax. In all, as usual it was a good trip and we will definitely be back!

Comfortable riding clothes are a must!

Snacks & doodling items

Everyone brings their neck pillows! Even the driver!

My favorite memory of Chicago. Circa 2011. ⤵️

Willis/Sears Tower Observation Deck

XoXo 

Traqt Travels Tuesday Tips

Live, love, educate, travel... those are my favorite things to do! I am a wife and mother of one little girl who also has caught the travel bug. My mom and dad both loved to travel, internationally, cruises and to visit friends domestic. I got my first passport when I was three years old and we moved from Fairfield, California overseas to England. I currently work as a school counselor at a public high school. Clearly I am not rich with money but definitely rich with family, friends and the things that God has blessed me with. One thing that I must do in regards to traveling is plan ahead. I am a saver and a planner. Some of my favorite sites to use when planning travel are Southwest, Marriott, Google Flights, Skiplagged and WhereFor. Southwest and Marriott are self explanatory. Google Flights allows you to search "Everywhere" without putting in a specific destination. For instance most times I am just wanting to go anywhere so I will search US or Caribbean or Mexico to see where I can go cheapest. WhereFor, allows you to put in dates and a budget and it will tell you where you can go for that price on those specific dates. I then, still look for my own hotel options and play around with flights to make sure I am getting the best deal possible. Skiplagged, I use if I have a specific destination and dates and i'm just trying to triple check that I have researched all my options. What are your favorite travel sites and tips?


1. Plan ahead
2. Be spontaneous if you find a deal
3. Double and triple check
4. Be certain... as most airlines have change fees (hence why Southwest is my fav)

Below, Paris pictures b/c I’m currently watching prices for summer travel back to Paris! 

The Journey Begins

As you may or may not know, I’ve had this blog for about 7 years now & never really doing much with it. Well, my mom just passed & clearly she’s instilled the love of travel in me! I plan to recreate this blog & make it into a travel /lifestyle bog! I have already booked a couple of trips & I'm ready to be present & enjoy my “breaks” this 2018 year! Here’s a few pics from last years travels to Aruba, NOLA, Jamaica, LA, San Diego, Cayman Islands & more!
Thanks for traveling with me...
XoXo