little black journal

It was a three-hour drive from Antelope Canyon to our AirBNB in Sedona, and we boogied, eager to kick back for a bit at our new digs before beginning Part II of our Arizona vacation.

We freshened up and then settled into a beautiful table at Broome and Orchard, reserved courtesy of Shane.

The drinks were tasty, the food was exceptional, and the company couldn’t be beat.  We’d logged so many hours in the car that day, but spirits were high as three days in a new town stretched out in front of us.

We slept like logs on Wednesday and awoke on Thursday ready to carpe diem.  Our explorations started at Indian Gardens Market, where we wolfed down french toast and chilaquiles on their charming patio.

From Indian Gardens, it was a short drive to Slide Rock at Oak Creek Canyon.

This place was like a natural water park, with small pools and rock slides and a lazy river…  It was a bit too chilly to get in the water that day, but Juliette and I did some exploring and rock-hopping.

Shane and Isaac would love this place…we’ll be back.

After Slide Rock, we strolled downtown Sedona, iced chai and iced coffee in hand.  We picked up a little toy for Isaac and Juliette bought an opalite charm at a rock shop.  Good vibes!

We vegged at our condo in the afternoon and then set out for a short hike at Bell Rock before dinner.  The trailhead was just a few minutes from where we were staying and it seemed worth a wander…

Unlike a lot of the forested lake hikes we do in the PNW where the destination is hidden from view until you’re upon it, at this place it was always abundantly clear where we were headed.

Always chatting, us two.

Getting closer…

We made it to this perch and decided it was the perfect place to stop and hydrate.  A gaggle of more adventurous teenage boys scrambled past us and further up the rock, but this sunny seat felt just right for us.

Rather than retrace our steps back to the car, we rounded Bell Rock toward Courthouse Rock to stretch out our finish.

One of those “Is this real life?!” kind of landscapes.  I’ve never been anyplace like it.

We made good time getting back, eager to make our dinner reso.  We stopped for a minute when we spotted a couple of coyotes eyeing us from a distance, but they didn’t bother us and we didn’t bother them.

Beautiful hike.  Highly recommend!

We had dinner at the Mesa Grill, again reaping the benefits of Shane’s good restaurant scouting, and then went back to the condo for a dip in the hot tub before calling it a night.  We had a early trailhead date the next morning!

I spent a long time reading trail reviews, trying to find us a just-hard-enough Friday hike, and settled on Cathedral Rock via Baldwin Trail.  I’d read that the parking lot is often full, so we rallied early, grabbed coffee and muffins from a nearby bakery, and set out from the trailhead at 8am.

Long dusty trails led us into the woods and then near the river, where we stopped for a bit to rest before starting the elevation gain in earnest.

We climbed switchbacks and rock steps, huffing and puffing a bit as the sun rose higher and the day got warmer.

Still, though, she smiled.

A moment to hydrate before the final ascent:

It was a scramble to the top in some places, where we crawled on our hands and knees over sheer, sloping rocks, but WE DID IT.

Well done, Juliette!

We rested in the shade for awhile, reveling in the chance to cool off and catch our breath while taking in the view.

And back to it!

When in doubt, descend on your butt…

Quite the five-miler!  Proud of us for conquering the rock.

We slurped Diet Cokes and wolfed down burritos from a Mexican restaurant across the street from the condo, Facetimed back home to find that brother was goofy as ever, and then lounged poolside for the afternoon.  We’d earned it.

We made a short stop at Chapel of the Holy Cross before dinner, taking in the austere architecture and sunny plaza.

And then pizza and cards at Oak Creek Brewery in Tlaquepaque Village.

The shopping center was beautiful, with gardens and fountains and Spanish-style plazas.  We wandered around and window-shopped for awhile.  I made note of a pottery boutique that was was closed for the day but likely worth a return trip the next morning.

Gosh, what a top day with my top girl.

Saturday was our travel day home, but our afternoon flight left us enough time for breakfast at the Pump House back at Tlaquepaque.

Plus a pop into the pottery shop…

And a creekside sit for reading and Sudoko…

I was eager to get home to our guys, but also reluctant to leave this slice of magic behind.  I fell hard for Sedona, with its dramatic scenery and chill vibes.  I can’t wait to go back.

Now, back to our boys!

It was an easy flight home and we were greeted curbside at the Seattle airport with the biggest of hugs.  Juliette had been such a rockstar travel buddy.  Isaac was healthy and happy.  And SHANE.  Shane had pivoted and swapped his Arizona Spring Break for a staycation with Isaac, complete with trips to the arcade and movie theater and multiple playgrounds.  He administered the middle-of-the-night inhaler treatments and nursed our son back to health.  Total hero, that guy.  It was good to be home.

Always a season behind here, but hey!  Spring Break 2026!  But before I get to the roll of pics featuring me and Juliette gallavanting around Arizona, a note on why Shane and Isaac are not featured in said pics…  Isaac came down with a light cough two days before we were all meant to leave, but I largely set it aside and figured it was nothing worth changing plans over.  We’ve seen so many coughs come and go in our house.  And then the day before our flight, I noticed how rapid his breathing was as he napped on the couch.  This was…different.  It seemed worth heading to Urgent Care, just in case we needed to scoop up an antibiotic prescription before our trip.  An hour after walking through the doors of our neighborhood Urgent Care, we were being rushed to the Emergency Room at Seattle Children’s by ambulance.

Honestly, the call for the ambulance may have been overly cautious on the part of the clinic doctor, but still, Isaac’s breathing was labored and he needed more help than they were primed to offer.  Buddy was incredibly brave (braver than me!) through a barrage of breathing treatments and chest x-rays and vitals checks.

It was a long, long night, but he improved with each passing hour, eventually giggling over his ET-like oxygen sensor while using his bed controls to fake-phone his friends.  We were discharged shortly after midnight with a diagnosis of pre-pneumonia.  He was stable, but in no shape to board a plane in several hours.

So…what to do?  Gosh, I wanted this trip.  I felt like I needed this trip.  Work had been running me ragged and I missed hanging with my kids and I was counting on that sun-break.  Shane wanted this trip, too, but more than that, he wanted me to take a break, and so as we pulled into our driveway at nearly 1:00 am, Isaac snoozing in the backseat, he urged me to go. Take Juliette and GO.

So we did.  Early the next morning, with just a couple of tears, we said goodbye to our guys and got on a plane to Phoenix.

Upon landing, first things first.

We settled into our cutie AirBNB in Tempe and then grabbed dinner in Old Town Scottsdale.

The evening was warm, the sky was brilliant, word from home was that Isaac was in good spirits, and Juliette and I were officially on vay-cay.

We caught up over tacos and margaritas (Jarritos for Juliette) and while this wasn’t the vacation we’d pictured, we both agreed we were going to make the most of it.

Making the most of a Mama-Jules trip meant binge-watching This Is Us late into the night and then sleeping in.  It was nearly lunchtime by the time we’d breakfasted and dressed on Monday.  Shane and I had planned this first leg of our Arizona trip as a total lay-low, where we’d enjoy the pool at the house, kick back, and eat in.  Juliette and I carried forth with that plan, but with a little bonus shopping and a nice meal at The Canal Club.

Tuesday was similarly lazy – I finished my book, we worked on our tans and streamed Gilmore Girls on the patio TV.  I took a nap.  It was glorious.

Still though, I was antsy by mid-afternoon, so we put on real clothes and headed into Phoenix for coffee and pizza.

And then we drove over to the Desert Botanical Garden for an evening stroll among the cacti.

This place was beautiful – local flora at its finest.

Late night hangs with my girl back at the house…

But not TOO late, because we were getting an early start on Wednesday!  This was the point in the trip at which “making the most of it just being the two of us” transitioned from vegging to adventuring.  I’ve been wanting to visit the Antelope Slot Canyons for years but figured it wasn’t in the cards for us, given the four-hour drive time from Tempe.  Then again, if it was just me and my best co-pilot…I booked us an 11am tour.  We were doing it.

We made great time on the long drive north and stopped by Horseshoe Canyon on the way to Antelope.  The path from the parking lot was flat and dusty and I wondered if we were in the right place, but then you get a little closer…

…and see this:

Turns out Arizona has a few tricks up her sleeves!

We hopped back in the car for a short drive through more lifeless landscapes…

Followed our guide down another flat, dusty trail…

And then began our descent into a magical underworld of flowing red rocks.

I cannot overstate how surreal this place was, sculpted by the natural forces of wind and water.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

We stuck with our group but had plenty of time throughout to stop to ooh and ahh.

While I’d seen plenty of pictures of the slot canyons (they inspired my architectural thesis project!), Juliette had no context for what to expect, so it was fun to watch her discover it with completely fresh eyes.

Core memory.

Eventually we emerged from below with the sense that we’d just traversed an alternate universe.  Totally worth the trip.  Next stop: Sedona!

Wednesday in Maui dawned with lazy snuggles before a walk to the market for spam musubi and malasadas.

Isaac’s breakfast came with a side of monster truck.  Lucky boy…

We staked out a couple of chairs at our hotel’s beach that morning and checked out a volleyball from the pool desk.  I settled in with my book while the kids played.

We walked back up to the market for lunch and matcha – we traverse this beach path several times a day, every day, but I don’t mind the back and forth in the least.  There’s no better place to travel by foot…

Swing detour…

And always, the quick photo op.

We debated getting in the car and trying someplace new for dinner, but at the end of day, the poolside picnic won.

Our last full day in Maui!  Rise and shine, Isaac.

Thursday found us back at Makena Beach, this time with lilikoi croissants from Momona Bakery (thanks, Shane!).  Deeeeeeeelicious.

Isaac and I hunted for crabs and minnows while the sun fully rose.  Beachcombing is the perfect way to work up a sweat.

And then, into the water!  Both kids loved swimming in the ocean more this year than they ever have in the past.

The water was extra calm that morning, but Juliette played up the drama of even the smallest approaching waves.  Isaac ate it up.

Tuckered.

From the beach to the pool!

The world is basically his runway.

We made a reservation at one of the hotel restaurants and gussied up just a little for dinner – sometimes it’s nice to eat someplace where shirts and shoes are required.

The kids slurped pasta while Shane and I feasted on fresh fish.  The sun set in the distance, the breeze was warm, I was feeling just a tad blue at the thought of leaving…but more than anything, I was so thankful for those few days in paradise.

Heart rock!

Good night, Maui.

Friday was go-day.  Soak in that morning view, kiddos.

Thankfully, we had time for one last market stroll…

One last spam musubi…

(With a side of acai…)

One last ocean dip…

And one last cannonball.

The wet-haired boy wrapped in a beach towel, worn out and content, is an image I’m freeze-framing in my mind forever.

Juliette made her annual departing wish at the fountain and then we loaded up our bags and said our mahalo’s.

A little tired.  A little sun-kissed.  A lot happy.  Until next year, Maui!

 

Wailea!  We made it!  We couldn’t have been happier to be back at our old stomping grounds, healthy and 100% waterslide-ready.

We ate dinner poolside, because the thought of trading our swimsuits for real clothes felt entirely unappealing.  In this current phase of life, making the most of Maui time means spending as much time as possible in or directly adjacent to water.

On that note, to the beach!

We played a raucous game of tag and splashed in the surf.  I just finished reading a memoir written by a woman who talks about the joy she gets from watching her pack of dogs run unleashed in the wide open desert as they all live into the wildest, most free versions of themselves, and I am definitely not comparing my son to a dog, but I mean…

Run, family, run!

Juliette and Shane worked up a sweat in trying to keep up with Isaac, so they dipped in the ocean for a cooldown.

Buddy and I hung back on the shore.

Gosh, he was amped up.

Can we talk about how this place always rolls out the red carpet for us upon arrival?  This was the best sunset we saw all week.

We watched the last streaks of pink fade to gray from our favorite hot tub, perched above the pools, and then we called it a day.  We’d swam our damn hearts out.

Monday morning started with a stroll through the resort and along the beach path to Island Vintage for coffee and acai.

No one makes a prettier breakfast bowl.

We took our time moseying on back, stopping for some sidewalk air guitar, a few requisite snaps at the Aloha sign, and a quick round of corn hole on the Mariott’s lawn.

And then to the beach, because our daily Wailea ritual goes: breakfast -> beach -> lunch -> pool -> dinner -> beach, and if it ain’t broke, we don’t fix it.  We made the short drive down to Po’olenalena and scored a shady spot with plenty of tree coverage to keep us cool through the morning.  Money.

From one body of water to the next…

We walked up to Island Market for a simple picnic dinner and I wondered for a moment as Isaac asked for a carry if he’d make until sunset.  Buddy was wiped.

Woop!  He’s up!

A top notch treat from Honolulu Cookie Company to cap off a top notch day.

And because the beach always seems to be “on the way” back to the room…

Tuesday dawned with an action figure patio duel.

And a vanilla steamer from the hotel cafe.

The beach du jour was Makena Beach, just a couple of miles south of us.  This is Shane’s seafront of choice, as we’re always able to land a shady spot and there’s a nice mix of rocky zones for exploring and open zones for swimming.

Isaac spent most of the morning digging a giant hole, scooping and tossing and scooping and tossing.

Then jumping!

When this boy puts his mind to something…this crater was large.  I stretched out comfortably at the bottom of it while the kids took turns jumping over me.

Chill, Bud.  You earned it.

We lunched at Maui Brewing and then it was straight to Ululani’s for our most treastured island treat.  Green tea + passion fruit + guava for me, just like every year.  And perfectly sweet + tart + smooth, just like every year.

And then on with the regularly scheduled programming…

We picnicked and sun-setted at Makena Cove and I’m aware of how many times I use the word “favorite” when speaking of Maui, but truly, this tiny little stretch of beach at golden hour is IT.

The kids spun in the sand, arms stretched wide, until they toppled over, dizzy and giggling.  Eventually I joined them and we all landed together in one sandy pile of limbs and laughter.   It was all so unabashedly delightful…I wanted to bottle it up so I could sip from it later.  And maybe I did in fact bring some of that joy back to the mainland; just flipping through these photos now gives me all the warm feels.

Pooped, arms still outstretched…  (Also, Buddy, scoot over!).

Maui recap!  Three months ago we boarded a plane for our favorite island…

That special touchdown kind of feeling – vibes were high.

This year we mixed it up just a tad and booked three nights up in Ka’anapali prior to our requisite stay down in Wailea.  After a quick stop at Costco for the essentials (sparkling water, trail mix, Pocky), we checked into our hotel, quickly traded our travel clothes for swimsuits, then hit the pool, white bellies and all.

And then the beach beckoned.

We laid out our towels on the sand, grabbed poke and chicken strips from a nearby beach cafe, and settled in for a golden hour picnic.

Cheers, Buddy.

I love going to bed our first night in Maui, knowing the long day of travel is behind us and we have several days of sun stretched out before us.  The promise of it all!  But dang it if Shane didn’t wake me up at midnight, asking if I’d packed any Iboprofen, because he felt awful.  Fever and chills and aches all over – Isaac’s cold bug from earlier in the week had found another victim.

SO, on Friday morning while Shane stayed in bed and tried to sleep off his sickness, I took the kids to the beach for a swim.

But first, ACAI.

Napili Bay was gorgeous – soft sand and aqua water and gentle waves.  Our family has a particular allegiance to the beaches at Wailea, but this place was turning out to do juuuuust fine.

Ready, set…

Jump!

We spent the full morning strolling up and down the beach, dipping deeper and deeper as the sun rose higher and higher.

The beach has a way of bringing out the very best in their relationship.  Silly…

And so stinking sweet.

We eventually shook the sand from our towels and headed back to the car.  We made a run into town for cold meds for Shane.  And a black robot for Isaac, because his Spiderman action figure needed someone to duel against.

Post-lunch pool…

And then a drive up to the north shore of the island to check out the Nakalele Blowhole.  It was a rockier trek than I expected to get down to where the water crashed on the rocks, but the kids scampered the terrain like champs.

We sat for awhile on a pair of rocks to watch the spray, but kept our proper distance.

Honestly, this was one of those attractions where the journey to and from was better than the destination.  No complaints!

We all felt like we’d earned a treat after our mini-hike, so I made a hard left when I saw a sign for shave ice.  It was close to dinnertime and I recommended that we be responsible and share rather than overindulge, but…

This thing could have fed a family of six.

Dig in, kids!

Shane was feeling the tiniest bit better that evening and joined us for a walk over the food trucks for dinner, but then it was early to bed for all of us.  We needed to be up early the next morning.

Early as in, rise and shine at 2:30am, kids!  Every year that we go to Maui, we debate making the drive up to Haleakala for sunrise, and every year we decide that we just can’t swing the middle-of-the-night wakeup that it requires.  But since we had an extra day on the island for this trip, and since Shane had snagged a last-minute Saturday morning reservation that granted us access to the mountaintop, we decided this was our year.  Carpe diem.

We ushered the kids from their beds into the car, pajamas and all, and mapped our route.  Isaac slept through most of our two hour drive; we arrived at the top of the mountain by 5am with time to spare.  We put on every bit of warm clothing I’d packed (sweatshirts and the handful of beanies I’d grabbed on our way out the door in Seattle), wrapped ourselves in our hotel blankets, and settled in to wait for the show.  And shortly before 6:00, the sky lightened from black to navy, with the boldest streak of orange right at the horizon.

Unreal.  Totally worth the obscenely early wake-up and the cold-temp shivers.

The kids were such good sports.  Isaac whined a bit about the cold but hung in there with the rest of us. Juliette was supremely validating with her exclamations of, “Wow…wow…WOW” as the sky changed color.

Super troopers.

Now let’s crank up the seat warmers!

We reached the bottom of mountain as the island’s cafes and bakeries were just opening their doors.  We stopped in the charming town of Makawao for coffee and guava-filled malasadas.

While I would have happily napped the afternoon away, the kids had other plans.  Pool time!

And then a trip up to Whaler’s Village for burgers and lemonade.

I was eager to show Shane the turquoise water at Napili Bay, so we hightailed it over the beach for sunset.

So happy to have him back in the land of the living.

Rain showers drove us back to the car before the sun fully set, but Isaac enjoyed watching daylight wane from our patio, all while jamming out to the live band playing 70’s rock covers from the bar below.

On Sunday we packed up our things and said goodbye to Ka’anapali.  We’d had a fun little stint there, minus Shane’s bug, but we were eager to get down to Wailea.

That said, we had several hours until check-in at our next digs, so we took our time heading south, stopping first at Baby Beach for swimming and sand play.

The water here is remains shallow way off-shore.  Isaac kicked around in his floaties and then joined Shane for castle-building while Juliette and I walked out to see just how far the shallows extended.

We moseyed on out and then a turtle swam by, not ten feet in front of us!  Another checkmark on the Maui magic list.

We decided to grab lunch in Paia but then I saw the sign for Leoda’s Pie Shop on the way and figured we shoud probably check it out…reviews raved about their key lime pie and both Juliette and I love a good, tart dessert.

Followed by a Mopsy pizza at Paia Flatbread.  Every time we visit this place I wonder if we should try something new, but that pulled pork pizza is just so good.  The heart wants what it wants…

And then our hearts were set on Wailea.  Next up!

Friday dawned bright, sunny, and full of promise – the city was our oyster and we had places to go and sights to see.

First, though, fuel in the form of green smoothies and bagels.

We spent awhile at the 9/11 Memorial, moved by the power of the very real void left where the twin towers once stood.

And from there, we strolled to City Hall Park, where we found a sunny bench on which to share a Coke and watch the fountain’s shadows move across the pavement.

And then, the mandatory trek across the Brooklyn Bridge, for city views.

And close-up views of the bridge itself.  What a beauty (the bridge, but also, this kid!).

We made it to Brooklyn just as our feet started to ache, so we called an Uber to pop us over to Williamsburg for shopping and lunch.  I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect of Williamsburg, but…charming coffee shops?  Check.

Boutiques packed with beautiful handmade wares?  Got it.

And the prettiest little sweet shop, stocked with every variety of Swedish gummies?  Score.

I mean…

Unfortunately, the pizza place that I had picked for lunch had a line around the block, so we decided to hop on the subway, hightail it to the Financial District, and pick up some goodies at the market for a picnic lunch on the Ellis Island ferry.  That’s the beauty of New York – you’re never more than a few Subway stops away from a stellar backup plan.

We cruised first to the Statue of Liberty and then to Ellis Island, but with all the miles we’d already walked that day, we decided to stay on the boat rather than disembark with most of the other passengers.  The views from our boat deck bench seat did juuuuuust fine.

Back on land, we hoofed it back to our hotel, stopping here and there to check out a cool building or choose our favorite outfit from a fancy window display.

When our energy waned, we popped in our earbuds and let HAIM carry us the rest of the way back.

I took my cherished afternoon siesta and then rallied in the evening for dinner at Boucherie in West Village.  My Aperol Spritz and goat cheese salad hit the spot.

We wandered back to our hotel, full and happy, stopping to peek at Washington Park, which was bumpin’ at 9pm, but then a rat scampered across the lawn just in front of us and Juliette promptly decided it was time to go.  We picked up a nutella crepe from a small stand on MacDougal and ate while we walked the rest of the way back; any rodent drama was quickly forgotten.

We tucked ourselves in by 10pm and then fired up You’ve Got Mail so we could get an extra dose of NYC from the comfort of our bed.  Falling alseep next to Juliette with a rom-com running in the background is one of my favorite things.

Saturday dawned grayer and rainier than Friday, so we lingered extra-long over our hot chocolate and latte from Fellini.  I loved this coffee shop’s classy, classic vibes.

We took the Subway to the Upper West Side with plans to walk Central Park but found it was even wetter in that neck of the woods, so we ducked into Frame for another round of hot beverages.  This is why we carried our books where ever we went.

An hour later, it was still pretty drizzly, so we traded Central Park for the MOMA.  Again, not too shabby a backup.  I had forgotten just how many master works of art live in this museum.  In the space of a couple of hours, we saw Van Gogh and Picasso and Rothko and Pollock and Giacometti, OH MY.

Plus, Yves Klein, whose signature shade of cobalt blue became my favorite color when I lived in Paris and visited the Pompidou on the regular.

Post-museum, we guzzled cold Cokes and tucked into a very good pepperoni pizza.

By the time we’d eaten lunch and rested a bit back at the room, the rain had died down and we decided to give our Central Park visit one last go.  We took the scenic route from the Subway stop to the park, dilly-dallying on the gorgeous streets of the Upper West Side.

And the park!  It would take several full days to explore this place in its entirety, but we settled for a stroll to the lake.

As we were standing on the Bow Bridge, wondering what exactly made the lake water so green, a man just a few feet away from us got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend.  She said yes and then they were immediately swarmed by a cast of 30 friends and family members that had been hiding nearby.  There was laughter and crying and kissing and Juliette ate it up.  She’s a sucker for romance, this girl.

We exited the park on the east side and set out in search of dinner.  I was meant to be looking for the seafood restaurant I’d pinned, but we stumbled upon a Lauderee and decided macarons would make a good appetizer.

Eventually, though, we landed at Seamore for cocktails/mocktails and fish and chips.

And then…showtime!  We’d found a deal on last-minute tickets for &Juliet and had heard wonderful things about the show from a friend.  To Broadway!

My goodness, what a dose of pop-infused joy that musical is.  We laughed and sang and I found myself whooping like a schoolgirl when Romeo came down from the rafters on a star-studded platform, belting out a Bon Jovi song.  And long live Backstreet Boys!  It was a ridiculaously fun night.

Sunday was depature day, but we had a few hours in the morning to soak up our last bits of city life.  I hadn’t made breakfast plans, but figured we’d settle for a nearby coffee shop.  This is what ‘settling’ looks like in SoHo:

We had decided to check out the immersive Arte Museum, so we walked along the waterfront to the museum’s pier and then made our way through a series of exhibits that put you in the midst of rushing waterfalls and deep, dark oceans and fairy-like butterfly gardens.

It was gray and chilly when we emerged from the museum, so after popping real-quick into Chelsea Market to buy the necklace I’d been thinking about since Thursday, we grabbed a couple of stools at a ramen joint for a piping hot lunch.

And that was it, our final taste of New York City…we hustled out of there to grab our bags and get to JFK.  WHAT A TRIP.  I’m coming up short for words to express just how thankful I am for those few days with Juliette – we’ve got such a good thing going right now.  I texted one of our bench-sitting selfies to a group of friends when they wished me a happy birthday and one of the ladies responded with, “JUST LIKE LORELAI AND RORY” and I’ll wrap with that.

The Mama-Jules October getaway lives on…these few days away, just us two, has become an annual tradition now and we’re keeping a running list of dream destinations.  Top of mind for Juliette these past couple of years has been New York City, chic kid that she is, and her wish was very happily my command.  We said adios to our guys, boarded our plane, sat on said plane for an hour before getting off to board a different plane due to mechanical issues, and finally, lifted off, giddy with excitement.

We landed early evening at Newark Airport in New Jersey and made an adventure out of navigating multiple transit systems to get us to SoHo.  Juliette trusted me, mostly, but closely tracked our stops against the on-train Subway map.

After lots of Google mapping and a little bit of reliance on the kindness of strangers, we landed two block from our hotel.  Life skills.

We dropped our bags in our tiny room and then quickly set out in search of food, eager for something hearty after a day of airplane snacks.  Little Italy was a 15-minute walk away and Juliette was in the mood for pasta, so we headed that direction and snagged a sidewalk table at a cute eatery.  Our pesto gnocchi hit the spot.

When in Little Italy, you grab a canolli for the walk home.

Goodnight, New York…

I promised Juliette a sleep-in on Thursday, but by 9am I was jonesing for a latte and some sightseeing.  Rise and shine, Girly!

We grabbed coffee and croissants at Felix Roasting Co and Juliette read her book in the cafe’s small winter garden while I gawked over the velvet banquettes and the embossed napkins.

From Felix, we wandered through West Village, stopping every couple of minutes to admire a brownstone with a particularly charming stoop.

We stopped a lot.

Eventually, we landed at Little Island, a park in the Hudson River constructed on a series of tulip-shaped pillars.  I had seen the architectural splash this place made on social media when it opened a few years ago and was eager to see it in person.  Would it be as cool as Instagram had led me to believe?

It absolutely was.  Lush and verdant, but with these peek-a-boos that reminded you how utlimately this piece of natural respite in the city was entirely man-made.

Juliette and I rested our feet at the park’s amphitheater and cracked open the couple of fortune cookies that had been part of our welcome package at the hotel.  My fortune opened with, “Have the courage to get a little lost…”  Challenge accepted.

I loved this park so much!  Humans can be so wonderfully ambitious and creative.

From Little Island, we walked over to Chelsea Market to do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat.

Juliette’s been on the hunt for a pair of ear muffs and I tried to talk her into these, but they were a bit bolder than she wanted to go.

As were the leapard Uggs.  So fun to browse, though!

And then…the Highline.  I’ve been wanting to walk the Highline for a decade now and GAH!  What a master class in urban intervention and thoughtful detailing.  So many beautiful moments to sit in the sun or peek at the city.

We ended our stroll at Hudson Yards, briefly checked out the Vessel, and then decided to hightail it back to our room to rest for a bit in preparation for our big evening to-do’s.

City kid.

Refreshed after a power nap (for me) and an episode of Gilmore Girls (for Juliette), we set back out late afternoon to make it to our early dinner reservations at Le Rock.  We had a 7pm show to get to, which meant dining at 5:00.  Just my style.

First, though, a quick pop into FAO Schwartz to pick up a little something for Isaac.  Juliette was smitten with this giant husky, but we settled on a much more packable Hotwheels Batman car instead.

We perched for a minute near the ice rink at Rockefeller Center and talked about our favorite scenes in Serendipity and Elf.

And then a birthday toast to me from my best girl.  44 was off to a smashing start – it had been a very very good day.

To the theater!

But before I get to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, let’s dwell on how fun it was just to roam these city sidewalks with Juliette, chatting and laughing like a couple of old pals.

AND the play!  This play was number one on Juliette’s list of NYC to-do’s and it was…perfect.  Funny at just the right moments, dark and scary at others.

There’s a scene at the end of the play where grown-up Harry travels back in time to witness Voldemort killing his parents and Juliette and I gripped each other’s hands through the horror of it all, tears streaming down our faces.  The power of good writing and good acting, but also the power of place and the presence of people.  It was a moment.

And with that, the curtain went down on our first full day in the city.  No notes for improvement.

Thursday was our final full day in Zion and though I could have happily spent several hours stretched out in the grass at Big Bend, the maximizer in me couldn’t resist a further-afield adventure.  To Bryce Canyon we went!

It took a little over an hour to get there, but we were assured from the moment we stepped out of the car that the journey was worth it.  WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!

It was chilly that morning and I felt validated in my insistence that we pack beanies and fleeces in addition to swimsuits.

We pep-talked the kids and set out on the Queen’s Garden trail, fingers crossed that Isaac would again summon his inner hiker.

Lots of pit stops for water and snacks, but I didn’t mind.  There’s no bad place to pause in this park.

God, this trail.  Rocks and tunnels and overlooks and nature-made sculptures around each turn.

More hide and seek…

Mid-way through the final ascent and still smiling.

MADE IT!  What a stunner of a hike – if ever I’ve seen evidence of God’s creativity, this was it.

Payoff at the lodge.

We drove up further up the road after lunch and hit snow flurries as we gained elevation.  A quick pop out of the car for a couple of photos and then we booked it back down the mountain to warmer temps.

We made good time getting back to Springdale and grabbed an easy pizza dinner before calling it a night.

Juliette and I were up bright and early on Friday morning to squeeze in one final hike before checking out of our hotel (see note above RE: my maximizer tendencies…).  I wanted to see the Canyon Overlook trail but knew that Isaac couldn’t be trusted at the trail’s multitude of sheer drop-offs.  Cue my down-for-anything best girl.

I did not take for granted that my oldest child is now of an age where I can tell her to run ahead alone on a craggy path so that I can snap a pic.

She got this.

We made it to the overlook as the sun started peek through the morning’s clouds and spent a few minutes taking in the view.

Legs rested, we turned around started our hustle back to our boys.

Again with the sculpture.  Something new and dramatic around every corner!

Isaac, we missed you, but were so glad you weren’t there!

Nailed it.

We chowed down on chilaquiles and pancakes at Oscar’s Cafe before hitting the road to Vegas for the final leg of our big adventure.  We had booked a room at Mandalay Bay, thinking the kids would enjoy a day of poolside lounging after several days of biking and hiking.  Plus, the lights and the pomp and the circumstance – it would be an interesting contrast to our nature binge.

We parked our car in the hotel garage and walked what felt like a very long way through a casino before getting to the check-in desk.  This was…weird.

I mean, Isaac dug it, thinking we’d stumbled into the world’s largest arcade.

We dumped our bags and threw on our swimsuits, eager to chillax.  We took a couple of loops on the lazy river, but it was surprisingly windy and cool, so we didn’t linger.

Since it looked like a poolside evening wasn’t in the cards, we showered and set out for an evening on the town.  When in Vegas…

Isaac strutted through the casinos like a baller, turning to me every few steps to point to a slot machine and ask, “Is this one for kids?”.  No, Buddy.  It’s always no.

I don’t know…an entirely-indoors Venice?  No real windows to be seen?  I’ll say it again – Vegas is weird!

We hit most of the major hotel lobbies for a Vegas world tour, and then settled into a table at Din Tai Fung for Juliette’s most favorite dinner.

Just a couple more blocks…Juliette loves Ocean’s Eleven and wanted to see the Bellagio fountain, so we hoofed it over there.

(With a detour to peek at the Chandelier Bar and watch a feather-clad lady dance in a giant martini glass…)

CHECK!

We took a cab back to our hotel and Isaac nearly fell asleep in his sister’s lap during the short drive to Mandalay.  He thought Zion was tiring!

Saturday dawned sunny, so we spent a little time in the pool before checking out.

And then we started what felt like an endless several-hour countdown to our evening flight.  What to do in a city with so few parks?  We ended up at an outdoor mall that was hosting a community Easter Egg hunt; Isaac collected a hat full of candy, we lunched at pub, we drove around to find the city’s best iced coffee, we bought tickets to watch The Minecraft Movie.  We were ready to be home.  But we stuck together, ate our lollipops, giggled a bit at Jack Black, marveled at all we’d seen that week.  Lots of reasons to board that plane to Seattle with the biggest of smiles.

Here we go – Zion in the books!

We left Minnesota early Monday morning, but Isaac caught his lost Z’s on the plane.

We landed in Vegas early afternoon, swung through In N Out for a late lunch, and then hit the road to Zion.  The landscape right outside of Vegas is largely flat and brown, but a couple of hours into our drive, things got interesting…

We made it to our hotel in Springdale just in time for an evening swim in the day’s last rays.  I was wowed by the little town’s backdrop, with dramatic peaks in every direction.  I couldn’t wait to do some exploring.

First things first, though.

I love a good hotel bed snuggle.

Tuesday dawned sunny and breezy.  I walked along the river with the kids to the nearby coffee shop while Shane headed further down the road to see about some e-bike rentals.

Rentals secured!

We breezed through the park entrance and it was one stunner of a view after another.

Water stop.  Photo stop.

We hopped off the bikes a few miles in to hike the Emerald Pools Trail.

Higher…

Higher…

And a quick descent.

We found a little ledge beneath the falls to eat our sandwiches and drink our neon Powerades.

Isaac was such a sweet little trooper, scampering around in the heat.  My fanny pack full of gummy bears helped, but still, he gets lots of credit for hanging tough.

The bridge back across the river at the other end of the trail was closed, so we summoned our pioneer spirit, found a shallow spot, and forded it.  Time to give Juliette trooper credit – that water was cold!

Though there were busloads upon busloads of visitors traversing the park, there were moments like these when we felt like we had the whole magical place to ourselves.  Shane is so good at getting us just the right amount of off the beaten path.

Onward!

We stopped at the overlook at Big Bend and I made a mental note: must come back here.

We zoomed all the way to the end of the road and then turned back, satisfied that we had fully maximized our bike rentals.  This was such a good way to see the park – most of the road is closed to cars, so we shared a lane only with other bikes and the occasional park bus.

Cold drink pitstop at the lodge…

And then the final stretch.

Just. Couldn’t. Make it.

Afternoon pool time.

And then watermelon margaritas to round out a spectacular day.  Five stars, all of it.

On Wednesday we used the shuttle bus to make our way into the park.  We hopped off at the Temple of Sinawava and set out on the Riverside Walk, thinking we’d do our hiking early while the kids were still feeling carbo-loaded from their pancake breakfast.

The trail ended at The Narrows, which is an adventure I’m putting on my bucket list for another day when we don’t have a toddler in tow.

Another quiet, crowd-free place to pause.  Just a boy, his mama, and a river.

We played a lot of hide and seek on the walk back.  “Run up to that tree and hide, Isaac!  I’ll come find you!”  Whatever it takes…

We got back on the bus and then disembarked at Big Bend, again in search of a place to call our own.

Found it!

We ate our lunch and roamed a bit.

The kids got real cute.

Shane scampered across a fallen tree while Isaac shouted at him to pleeeeeeease come back.

He made it back across, assuring the kids it was easy-peasy, and then a branch broke and he fell knee-deep in the water.  Whoopsie Daisy.

BIG BEND.  One of the best log lunches I’ve ever had.

We vegged for awhile back at the hotel and then grabbed dinner at a burger joint in town.  It was so nice to walk everywhere – restaurants and cafes and pottery shops lined up just-so.

And ice cream?  What more could one want?  I can’t even imagine.

The final installment!  Wednesday was our last full day in Maui.  Shane and Juliette took off early that morning for a zipline adventure while Isaac and I lived our best lives back in Wailea.  He hit the swings while I drank my coffee…

This courtyard has the best morning light.

Isaac doesn’t know the rules of chess, but he did enjoy lining the knights up face-to-face for a smooch.

Lawn laps…

And then we hit the pool.

Isaac had been admiring another kid’s Spider Man rash guard all week and we finally broke the ice that day and made some proper intros.  They played together for much of the morning while I sat by the edge of the pool and read my book.

Fly, Buddy, FLY!

Snack break…

And back at it.  Spider Man brought a full kitchen set to the pool!

Look who’s back!  Shane and Juliette had a grand adventure – I’m glad they got some one-on-one time.

But it felt good to be the four of us again.

We knew the waterslides wouldn’t be open before we had to pack up and leave the next morning, so this was our last chance.  We did the full circuit several times over after lunch.

We had our route down pat; we knew which slides Isaac could brave alone, which ones he needed a partner on so that he wasn’t dunked in the rapids.  We knew to swim quickly past the dragon statue, which Isaac said was a monster, and knew where the lazy river split with a particularly fast current that would pull you left if you didn’t veer right soon enough.

Every time we paddled through this misty canyon, Isaac would exclaim, “It’s so SOGGY (foggy) in here!  I can’t seeeeee!”

Isaac feels so big in so many ways these days, but his hands look so tiny here as they grip my shoulders.  That’s a comfort…

Finally, (most of us) got our pool fix and felt ready to head back to the room for a bit.  We took our usual route through the hotel lobby, past the granite statue of a reclining nude where Isaac would stop every time, point, and yell, “EWW!  BUTTS!”.  Bonafide art critic, that kid…

Shane and I snuck away for a quick cocktail at the Four Seasons bar next door while the kids watched a movie in the room.  It was a treat.

Golden hour drew us back down to the beach for reading and splashing and tossing the frisbee around.

Shane went for a swim…

I snapped photos…

And then I held Isaac for a bit, as he was tired and grumpy and needed a little love.  Don’t let these hundreds of photos of his cheesy grins fool you – he did in fact still throw some fits in Maui, he still annoyed his sister sometimes and acted very three.

But dang if it’s not easier to sweep all that stuff under the rug when you’re in paradise.  The attitude reset cycle felt shorter here…

There he is…

This evening was one of those evenings when Isaac really drove Juliette crazy, irrationally screaming at her for accidentally stepping on whatever project he was building in the sand, but like I said, it was hard for her to stay mad.

Isaac was so happy in Juliette’s arms that I decided to go for a quick dip with Shane – I’d gone all week without a proper ocean swim, but I couldn’t leave the island without at least a short bob session among the waves.

One last look, Buddy!

As we passed the uppermost pool on our way back to our room, the kids asked if they could hop back in, just real quick.  I said, go for it.  When on vay-cay…

Tuckered and tucked.

Thursday.  Go day.  Hard day.  But still, we were able to squeeze in a couple hours of beach time…

These sand toys that another family gifted us on their final day in Maui got some good use.

One last hand-hold while Shane and Juliette swam…

And a few final jumps into the “swimming cool”, because I couldn’t imagine a happier note for our kids to end the trip on…

And then it was time to hustle to our room, do a quick rinse, shove our pool toys in our suitcases, and head the airport.  WAIT, though.  Make a wish…

We wish..for a Maui 2026 trip.  Seriously, though, every couple of weeks, Isaac will sigh and say, “I really want to go to Maui…”, like he knows it can’t really happen at that moment, but he can’t help but speak his hopes out loud.  I tell him we’ll go again someday, and then we talk about the pool and the sunsets and the beach and how brilliant it all was.  The magic of the island is not lost on us.  We’re so thankful.