tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23046368017740280502024-03-13T09:34:06.802-04:00The Thrifty Gypsy's Travels Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.comBlogger327125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-83883179350611507202019-06-10T19:41:00.000-04:002019-06-10T19:42:19.735-04:00Planning an International Trip with Kids, How Do I Make This Happen?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRhCSykrgg0/XPsC9oK9J9I/AAAAAAAAIT0/xfm6T5nyQ8s9LFvPxS7201ZaDmERw0VUQCLcBGAs/s1600/planning%2Ban%2Bintl%2Btrip%2Bhow%2Bto%2Bmake%2Bit%2Bhappen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="956" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRhCSykrgg0/XPsC9oK9J9I/AAAAAAAAIT0/xfm6T5nyQ8s9LFvPxS7201ZaDmERw0VUQCLcBGAs/s640/planning%2Ban%2Bintl%2Btrip%2Bhow%2Bto%2Bmake%2Bit%2Bhappen.jpg" width="636" /></a></div>
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So we've touched upon the <a href="https://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2019/06/planning-international-trip-with-kids.html" target="_blank">mental preparation of choosing to travel internationally with kids</a>, sharing some ways in which travel has a positive impact on young minds, and now we are ready to dive into the nuts and bolts of planning. This is one of my favorite parts!<br />
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As an A-type personality, researching and making lists turns me into a giddy child, and that's what this next step in our international travel planning process is all about. Are you ready to figure out where to go, how to find transportation and accommodation, and figure out what you'll do when you get there? Here's step two!<br />
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<b><i>Planning an International Trip with Kids, Three Part Series</i></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2019/06/planning-international-trip-with-kids.html" target="_blank">Take the Leap!</a> | <a href="https://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2019/06/planning-international-trip-with-kids-how-to-make-it-happen.html" target="_blank">How Do I Make This Happen?</a> | Don't Pack the Kitchen Sink</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rome is very walkable, with many <span id="goog_363215137"></span><a href="https://santorinidave.com/family-travel-best-rome-kids" target="_blank">kid and family-friendly</a> activities<span id="goog_363215138"></span>, and I wouldn't hesitate to bring the girls if time and money permitted!</i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 2 - How To Make It Happen</span></b><br />
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<b><i><u>Where Should We Go This Time?</u></i></b><br />
If you're like me and can't decide where to go because the world is your oyster and you want to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/seeallthethings/" target="_blank">#SeeALLTheThings</a>, make the process of elimination easier by assessing your budget first. How much can you afford to spend both in terms of money and time? Will one destination require additional resources, such as renting a car versus using public transportation or driving to your international destination? Are there kid- and family-friendly activities?<br />
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To aid in our decision making, I use the following equation to ensure I don't overlook something major.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Money Available + Time Available + Kid-friendly Activities =</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Destination Choice</span></b></i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A children's train at </i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/04/dinkel-what.html" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Dinkelsbuehl's </a>OrangeNacht<br />
<i>celebration proved to be a big success with the 3yo!</i></td></tr>
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<b>The financial aspect of this equation is the first hurdle</b>; if my total budget is only one thousand dollars, I cannot afford the $800+ airfare per person to get five of us to Europe. In the case of limited funds, I look for places where we can drive (Canada), find cheap airfare deals (Caribbean), or else postpone an international trip in lieu of a domestic vacation. Our policy is to avoid debt <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/10/turning-pennies-into-memories-changing.html" target="_blank">to fund travel</a>, and I encourage you to make wise choices when it comes to your money.<br />
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<b>Our available vacation time is the next aspect</b>. This year we have a lot of paid time off at our disposal, thanks to a very generous parental leave program at my husband's job. But next year, we will be back to just four weeks a year plus holidays. In my opinion, any place that takes more than a two hour flight or a four hour drive to reach requires at least three total days to enjoy, not counting the travel time. With kids, you really don't want to feel like you have to go home just as soon as you've gotten there!<br />
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<b>Finally, if your destination doesn't have any activity or natural attractions which interest your kids, then it's not really worth it for a family trip.</b> Since our girls are so young (3.5yo, 2yo, and 4mo), I would not consider trying to visit the Louvre or some other art museum. The admission price is too high to potentially waste it by leaving early due to bored or tantruming kids! But because Paris is such a walkable city, I wouldn't necessarily rule out a trip to the City of Lights as a family trip.<br />
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Using the money/time/activity equation has helped us decide between top choices or putting destinations on the back burner for the future.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Playgrounds can make any city a kid-friendly destination! </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We stumbled across this small, fenced-in play area along the banks of the </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Donau (Danube) in Ulm, Germany. The girls LOVED it!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Getting There </b></span><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: 700;">→</span><span style="color: #990000;"><b> Staying There </b></span><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: 700;">→</span><span style="color: #990000;"><b> Moving Around </b></span><span style="color: #990000; font-weight: 700;">→</span><span style="color: #990000;"><b> Doing Fun Things</b></span></i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>As you can see, this pregnant mama was<br />"over it" before the plane even took off!</i></td></tr>
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<b><i><u>How Do I Get There?</u></i></b><br />
Once we've determined the destination, I create a rough itinerary of how the trip will go, both from a big picture perspective and from a daily view. I start with how we will get there (airfare, train tickets, road-trip gear), flesh out the middle with accommodations and transportation on-site, and end with a list of sightseeing possibilities. I list <i>everything </i>to ensure I don't forget something important, like making sure the hotel/Airbnb has a crib available for the littlest one.<br />
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<b style="text-align: center;">Some of my favorite sites for tracking airfare are Kayak, Skyscanner, and Google</b><span style="text-align: center;">. I have grown particularly comfortable with the filter settings on Kayak and have found them to have the best advertised prices. Once I find routes that accommodate our needs, I cross-check prices across multiple other sites (Orbitz, Priceline, the airline's direct site) until I have the best deal.</span><br />
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Many parents strategically select flight times based on nap times, bed times, or other kid-related factors. While I try to keep this in mind, our deciding factor is always price. We prefer nonstop routes whenever possible, but if a layover route is a couple hundred dollars less expensive per person, we will bite the bullet to save our wallets.<br />
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<b><i><u>Where Do I Stay?</u></i></b><br />
For accommodations since having kids, <b>I almost always choose an Airbnb rental</b>. None of us get a good night's sleep if we're all packed into one hotel room, and the price tag of two hotel rooms is typically more expensive than renting an entire apartment. Finding the best Airbnb for your needs doesn't require superhero skills, just a little common sense. My personal rules of thumb are:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Getting comfortable on the floor at Oma's house<br />for Annika's dinner time (September 2018).</i></td></tr>
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<li><i><b>Only book a rental with lots of reviews.</b></i> I'm hesitant to stay at a new listing if it has no reviews. It could be really great, or it could be really bad. When I'm traveling with kids, I want to minimize the risk of it being dirty, unsafe, or being in a bad neighborhood, so I eliminate listings that have little to no reviews unless a personal friend can vouch for it.</li>
<li><b><i>Don't book a rental whose recent reviews indicate problems. </i></b>A rental might have a high average score on their reviews overall, but the most recent reviews may indicate that the owner has let things start to slide. Be discerning.</li>
<li><b><i>Research the general neighborhood of the rental.</i></b> While the rentals won't show an address until it's booked, you can look at the general neighborhood map for a general idea as to its location, and some listings will discuss the neighborhood. I use this method especially for big cities where some neighborhoods may be unsafe. Sometimes the reviews on a listing may mention neighborhood pros and cons. Beyond the safety consideration, if the listing is too far away from all the attractions you plan to see, you will need to evaluate if it's worth the extra commute time.</li>
<li><i style="font-weight: bold;">Go for the super hosts</i>. There's a reason some Airbnb hosts get a "super host" rating; it's because their listings and service go above and beyond. These fine folks are the ones most likely to hunt down a second pack-and-play for your kid (<i>like our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19053027?guests=1&adults=1&sl_alternate_dates_exclusion=true&source_impression_id=p3_1559238560_KMeA1UVGiNuSwkdv" target="_blank">host</a> in Erding, Germany</i>) or respond in the middle of the night when you realized that you just locked yourself out of your <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24776719?guests=1&adults=1&sl_alternate_dates_exclusion=true&source_impression_id=p3_1559238740_LUMEHBktHBzXAZUh" target="_blank">Smoketown, PA</a>, Airbnb (<i>oops, my bad</i>) or who leaves the crab pots baited for your <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23901823?guests=1&adults=1&sl_alternate_dates_exclusion=true&source_impression_id=p3_1559238821_IPIIZT7I95Dy59q6" target="_blank">Northern Neck getaway</a>. Not all of the stays I just linked have reached this super host status yet, but they will eventually -- because hospitality is a priority for them.</li>
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<b><i><u>How Do I Get Around?</u></i></b></div>
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Prior to kids, my husband and I preferred using public transportation, but for our last few trips to Germany, we have rented a car. Renting a car provides the freedom and flexibility to get off the beaten path and access locations not as easily accessible by public transportation. When traveling with very young children, it also eliminates the stress factor of hopping on and off buses and trains. But as with all things, you'll have to evaluate the cost and responsibility of a rental car versus public transportation. We have used both Sixt and Hertz to rent cars in Germany. I will never, <i>ever </i>use Hertz again, but Sixt has always treated us well.</div>
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If you are traveling to a major city and staying within the limits, renting a car doesn't really make sense. Research the public transportation options and download any available map apps to help you navigate the system once you're there. I found this to be particularly helpful when visiting London.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My Colorado ride -- a brand new, hybrid Ford Fusion. I loved it!</i></td></tr>
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<b><i><u>What Will We Do There?</u></i></b></div>
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The internet is an amazing tool! Simply entering "name of your destination + kid friendly activities" will provide a wealth of responses. Enjoy exploring your destination through articles, photos, and blog posts prior to ever setting foot on the ground! As I surf the web, I keep a list of all the things that pique our interest, how to get there from our lodging, how much time to budget for it, and how much it costs to get in. I also leave time in our overall itinerary to be spontaneous or stumble across something. That dusty old church might not look so interesting on the web, but when you walk by it in person, you may just change your mind.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>See</b></u>: <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/11/selecting-perfect-hotel.html" target="_blank">Finding the "Perfect" Hotel</a> | <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/03/creating-travel-magic.html" target="_blank">Creating Travel Magic</a> | <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/03/flying-isnt-just-for-birds.html" target="_blank">Flying Isn't Just for the Birds</a></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">For an Airbnb referral code, please reach out to me personally.</span></i></div>
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<b>***</b><br />
<b>Stay tuned for the final step in our international trip planning with kids series: how to pack smarter, not harder!</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What sort of things do you like to do on vacation? Do you prefer the relaxing beach vacations with sand castles and ocean-side restaurants? Or adventures in nature with birds and animals to keep the kids interested? Or do you like to wander urban jungles and let the sights, sounds, and smells keep your kids busy?</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Taking family walks is one of our favorite vacation activities. It makes us feel like real locals!</i></td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">***</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-38234119543787964332019-06-06T22:05:00.000-04:002019-06-10T19:42:32.176-04:00Planning an International Trip with Kids, Take the Leap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For those who have never traveled internationally with their children, the thought alone can be sweat-inducing. Some days, it seems like you can hardly manage a grocery store trip without losing every last shred of dignity and sanity, let alone dragging them across borders and into cultures, languages, and landscapes completely foreign to you.<br />
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But as the mama of three kids under the age of four, I'm here to tell you that it can be done. You can not only survive traveling internationally with your kids, but you can <i>thrive!</i> And they will, too.<br />
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What follows is part one of three steps on how I encourage others to travel internationally with their kids and walk through our methods for preparing mentally, deciding upon the destination, and packing light but smart.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Planning an International Trip with Kids, Three Part Series</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2019/06/planning-international-trip-with-kids.html" target="_blank">Take the Leap!</a> | <a href="https://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2019/06/planning-international-trip-with-kids-how-to-make-it-happen.html" target="_blank">How Do I Make This Happen?</a> | Don't Pack the Kitchen Sink</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>World class cities like Paris offer a wide variety of activities not just for the <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/06/48-hours-in-paris.html" target="_blank">solo or kid-free travelers</a>, but for parents of children (even the young ones), too. Simply walking about the city can be fascinating for kids, and it's easy to find beautiful parks to explore.</i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Step 1 - Get Out of Your Head & Take the Leap</span></b><br />
I mean this in the most loving way possible: <i><u>stop daydreaming, stop worrying, and take the leap</u></i>. Unless your child(ren) have chronic illnesses which really can't be managed well during travel or unless you legitimately can't afford it, stop borrowing trouble and start planning.*<br />
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Kids are so flexible, and parenting your kids in Spain or Thailand is not much different than parenting at home, just with a cooler backdrop. If anything, I've found some aspects of parenting to be easier on the road as they are distracted by the new surroundings.<br />
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Your mental perspective of traveling can positively or negatively impact the trip, long before you leave home or even start planning. Rather than focusing on reasons why traveling with kids is hard, concentrate on why traveling with kids is so beneficial. Here are a few of my motivating thoughts:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trying </i>apfelsaft <i>in Pappenheim</i></td></tr>
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<li>Kids have "increased tolerance and respectfulness, willingness to learn and a willingness to try new things" according to 74% of 1,500 educators surveyed by the Student and Youth Travel Association (SYTA) and <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/kids-more-successful-when-they-travel" target="_blank">reported by Travel+Leisure magazine</a>.</li>
<li>Exposure to other cultures, foods, and languages can help your kids learn to say "yes" to more things when they observe children in other cultures doing those things.</li>
<li>Even when they are "too young to remember," traveling develops their curiosity and can help them <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-reasons-why-travel-is-never-wasted-on-young-kids_n_5871fec7e4b08052400ee36f" target="_blank">become adaptable and flexible (Huffpost)</a>.</li>
<li>Travel makes world maps and geography come to life; looking at a country on a globe carries deeper meaning when it's tied to memories of enjoying an activity in that location.</li>
<li>Travel helps our family work together as a team and gives us the opportunity to bond over new, shared experiences.</li>
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Yes, traveling with infants, toddlers, and even older children will never be as "care-free" as solo or couple travel. Once you become a mama or a papa, your entire life changed, including the definition of fun. It's a different kind of fun now. A more tired, sometimes cranky, but mostly exhilarating kind of fun where you get to rediscover the world through the eyes of your enraptured child. So, grab those little hands, go out, and explore!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">See:</u> <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/05/hey-americans-get-traveling.html" target="_blank">Hey Americans! Get Traveling!</a> | <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/10/turning-pennies-into-memories-changing.html" target="_blank">Turning Pennies Into Memories</a> | <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/03/europe-101-saving-money-and-time-while.html" target="_blank">Saving Money (And Time) When Sightseeing</a> | <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/02/europe-101-tips-tricks-being-thrifty.html" target="_blank">Europe 101: Tips, Tricks & Being Thrifty</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><i style="font-size: small;">I will never endorse funding your travels with debt.</i><br />
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<b>Stay tuned for the next step in our travel planning process: how to figure out the nuts and bolts of the trip, from budgeting to selecting accommodations to deciding what to do once you're there!</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What mental blocks do you have about traveling with kids or what encouraging advice would you give to someone hesitant about doing so?</span></b><br />
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-69158798109107847332019-05-14T12:57:00.001-04:002019-05-14T13:02:26.137-04:00Beaching with Babies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I rarely went to the beach as a child.<br />
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My mother disliked sand, and with six children, an excursion to the beach more closely resembled an invasion of enemy territory than a joyful, memory-making opportunity. Because of that, as soon as I became mobile (<i>read: drivers license + car</i>), I made beaching my job whenever I wasn't actually, you know, at my job. Day trips, weekend trips, corn hole on the sand, day-drinking, wave jumping, body surfing, driving on the beach in a jacked up pick-up truck, raising the Jolly Roger high to the croons of Jimmy Buffett - these are all essential parts of the American beach experience!<br />
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Now that I'm on the other side of the child-parent dynamic, I want to encourage a love for nature in my girls, especially the beach. And we have taken our beach lovin' goal to heart this year as we near our fourth trip to the shore in just the last two months alone.<br />
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But when you're traveling with toddlers and infants, achieving fun in the sun isn't as easy as donning your suits and packing your favorite beverages. Kids are needy, and needy means <i>stuff</i>. Lots of stuff. After multiple trips to the shore this year, though, we developed a system for what to bring, what to leave behind, and how to improvise when away from home.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Man with a Plan</span></b><br />
All great days with kids start with a great plan. In 2017, we took five separate day trips to the shore, one week-long mini-vacation at the beach, and a long weekend on the Chesapeake Bay for a wedding celebration. Each trip necessitated a quick plan for travel time (optimized and synchronized with nap times), meal and snack plans, entertainment, and safety (<i>think: floating devices and sunscreen</i>). Once we figured out what we wanted our trip to look like, it was easy to fill in the blanks and pack all the right things.<br />
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It may sound dreadfully formal and a little intimidating to put a plan of action together, but that's not how we see it. We err on the side of preparedness naturally, so it's not stressful to map out our day in detail.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Packing the Kitchen Sink</span></b><br />
When it comes to domestic trips, we are serial over-packers. For just a simple day trip, we <i>STUFFED </i>our van with gear. Nevermind that the nearest Walmart was going to be less than ten minutes away, we were determined to take everything we needed, so help us!<br />
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What we did pack, though, was necessary for both kids and adults and can be summed up in just four categories: beach equipment (chairs, umbrella, cabana), entertainment (sand castle set, phones to take pictures), safety (flotation devices, sunscreen), and edibles (water, snacks, etc).<br />
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Quite possibly the most versatile thing we brought was our BOB double jogging stroller. Both girls can ride in it, or the baby's car seat can be snapped into one position, and the other spot can be piled high with all we needed. Generally, we enjoyed the latter arrangement best.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Just Roll with It</span></b><br />
The best-laid plans of mice and moms often go awry. We joke that there's a silent "f" in parenthood, and it stands for flexibility. Kids get sick. Kids get grumpy. Toddler won't nap in the car or on the beach. Infant doesn't like nursing in "public" (although the only witnesses were the seagulls and Chesapeake Blue Crabs). Husband doesn't put on sunscreen and gets fried. Life happens! Traveling with kids can be stressful, but it will be even more so if you go into it with a heightened obsession of "what if" and are unable to adjust plans as needed. Just roll with it. It's about spending time with your family, making memories - good ones! So when you get to the beach and nature calls, remember there's one good thing about traveling with kids - you always have diaper wipes handy.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are some of your favorite items or tips for beachin' with babes?</span></b><br />
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-74611681575187967792019-05-09T21:02:00.001-04:002019-05-13T17:04:05.978-04:00Up From the Ashes (Life Lately Recap)<div>
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<i>Hi there!</i> It's been a while, hasn't it? My absence has dragged on considerably longer than intended, to the point where I debated whether this space deserved a proper retirement or whether it ought to be resurrected.<br />
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I've chosen resurrection -- for now at least!<br />
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Where do I even begin to cover the last nine months since <a href="https://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2018/08/the-road-goes-ever-on.html" target="_blank">my last post</a>, which was also an apologetic recap explaining the blogging silence? Blogging has evolved so much since I first began five years ago, and while this has only ever been a hobby for myself, a little shelf in the cyberworld where I display some of our traveling highlights, so to speak, I have acquired such great friends and acquaintances, fellow wanderers and observers through it that I feel compelled to explain away (<i>once again!</i>) my neglect of this blog and to encourage you to keep up with me/us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> since that has become so much easier for me to manage.</div>
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So, let's pretend we are having coffee and cake, catching up like old college pals, shall we? I'll start with a somewhat chronological list of highlights from the past year.</div>
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<li>One year ago, while Meghan Mearkle was busy marrying her Prince Charming, we were busy being hospitalized with pneumonia and discovering that our family would be expanding once again. No, it is rarely dull around here.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k-IaOyGLOfs/XNTMJ_Gg-8I/AAAAAAAAIRs/CVp7VU268xUQWmY6g3XMICPZPaeuv9GoACLcBGAs/s1600/FIGHT%2BCLUB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k-IaOyGLOfs/XNTMJ_Gg-8I/AAAAAAAAIRs/CVp7VU268xUQWmY6g3XMICPZPaeuv9GoACLcBGAs/s320/FIGHT%2BCLUB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let the colonial bonnet fool you. This toddler is <br />
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<li>A few months later, I took on a new full-time job, transitioning from an executive assistant to a Professor of Imagination Studies, Director of Manners, and Secretarial Manager of Playdates & Parties. That is to say, I stay at home with my crazy, wonderful children. It is the hardest job I've ever had -- mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically -- but in between the hard moments and breaking up toddler fight club <i>for the umpteenth time and it's only 8am and just you wait until your father gets home</i>, I absolutely love it. I do still work part-time from home (sometimes as much as 12-15 hours a week) and occasionally in the office, but my primary responsibility is my children. Call me blessed, because I am.</li>
<li>Last September, we spent nearly three weeks in Germany, visiting with Danny's Oma and exploring more of Bavaria. Traveling with kids is not easy, but I'm so glad we made this trip because Oma passed away on Valentine's Day. The photos take on a sweeter meaning now, knowing that she is no longer in pain but is praising her Savior face to face and laughing with the loved ones who preceded her.</li>
<li>Upon our return from Germany, I embarked on my first no-kids, no-hubby solo trip to Colorado to visit my younger sister and to see a college roommate before she moves to Australia. After I got over the tears and fears of leaving my kids (<i>mind you, I wasn't afraid that they wouldn't be taken care of; my husband is actually the better parent</i>), I had such a great time in the Mile High City and up in the Rockies. Colorado continues to beckon and tease my dreams. Perhaps 2020 will provide an opportunity for another visit!</li>
<li>We spent Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish) country, followed by six long weeks of sickness for which the Lysol executives ought to send us a personal thank you as it undoubtedly funded their Christmas bonuses.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_khVIurESc/XNTMetOzVcI/AAAAAAAAIR0/PcIeIQj1aLMwxURrBt5xGF8sewI9MPEZwCLcBGAs/s1600/colorado%2Branch%2Blife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_khVIurESc/XNTMetOzVcI/AAAAAAAAIR0/PcIeIQj1aLMwxURrBt5xGF8sewI9MPEZwCLcBGAs/s400/colorado%2Branch%2Blife.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado ranch life.<br />
<i>(Check out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/swingarmslinger/" target="_blank">@SwingArmSlinger</a> for some great travel photos!)</i></td></tr>
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<li>We enjoyed a simple Christmas at home with two little girls and a partridge in a pear tree.</li>
<li>January 2019 will forever be known in our house as The Month That Would Not End. I endured four weeks of false labor in those final weeks of pregnancy. I don't recommend it.</li>
<li>But the aches and pains of January turned into joy when little Maddalen Verity was born on February 1st, stealing her daddy's birthday and all our hearts. She has the sweetest, most patient temperament; happy little smiles; and sleeps so well that the newborn phase was entirely too easy.</li>
<li>February, March, and April were spent enjoying a generous paternity leave. We took many day trips to nearby cities and throughout the region. We are so thankful for the time we've had together, establishing ourselves as a family of five with three girls three and under, and are looking forward to more extended periods of time-off throughout the year.</li>
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<i><b>So... what's next for us?</b></i></div>
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We're hitting the road, Jack! Last week, I road-tripped with the baby to southwestern Virginia, through mountains and valleys to an area I'd never seen before, to celebrate as one of my dearest friends graduated from law school. More winery outings are on the agenda for this month and next, and in June we will beach it up at the rivah. The Northern Neck is one of our favorite spots on earth, and we're looking forward to downtime at <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23901823?guests=1&adults=1" target="_blank">Waterman's Waypoint</a> to celebrate our nine year wedding anniversary.</div>
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Later this summer we will enjoy our longest trip abroad yet! We will spend over four weeks in Germany, starting with a few days in the Munich area to visit the Erdinger brewery. Their hefeweizen is our favorite <i>in the world</i>, and our Airbnb is directly across the street. From there, we will make our home base at Oma's house, paying our respects and rejoicing that it's not goodbye but <i>see you later,</i> and soaking up the last memories in the house before it's likely sold.<br />
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It's the end of an era. Our trips to Europe will never be the same, and international trips may be put on hold for a few years. America the Beautiful is calling us; we want to see more of her.<br />
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My gabbing has gone on long enough. Tell me about you! What does the future hold for you? Feel free to post links to your recent life-lately posts in the comment section.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are your plans for the rest of the year?</span></b><br />
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-14374720659361103182018-08-07T14:10:00.000-04:002018-08-07T14:10:04.802-04:00The Road Goes Ever On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>For the times they are a-changin'...</i><br />
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These lyrics from Bob Dylan's iconic song have been our theme for the last few months, and in part, they explain the silence here. Some of you wonderful people who follow me on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Instagram</a> have an inkling as to these changes, how it has and will affect our travel, our personal lives, our careers, and aspirations, but for those of you courageous people who eschew social media, this recap is for you!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Red White & Due" t-shirt.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Gypsy Family, Party of Five</span></b><br />
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So we had a special (surprise!) announcement to family and friends on Independence Day this year -- we are expecting Gypsy Baby #3! Now that the exhaustion of the first trimester has subsided and the illnesses which plagued us for the first half of the year have given us a reprieve, I'm actually very excited about being outnumbered in a few months! He or she will make their appearance on or around February 1st. We already have babies on Christmas Eve and post-Independence Day, so all bets are on for a Groundhog Day baby. Because, why not?!<br />
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<i>(For those of you outside the U.S., <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day" target="_blank">Groundhog Day</a> is one of those "holidays" that isn't really a holiday, but more like a tradition. There's a pretty funny Bill Murray movie with the same name, too.)</i><br />
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And yes, if you're vaguely remembering my previous pregnancy announcements and trying to calculate the time between each child, I will have three children aged three and under. Please send wine. And more Disney movies.<br />
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We will find out in September if this one will make the guy/gal ratio 2:3 or if the girls will increase our lead to 1:4! I have no guess either way and sincerely just hope for a healthy little one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can read about my office routine <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2018/01/a-tale-of-two-gypsies-corporate-climber.html" target="_blank">in this post</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Career Changes</b></span><br />
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2018 has been quite the year. From weeks and weeks lost to sickness (<i>I'm looking at you, Flu February and Pneumonia May!) </i>to miscellaneous unforeseen expenses, it has been a roller coaster ride. In February, Danny's position and situation at work changed such that he has more responsibilities and more travel obligations. So far in the last three months, he's popped up and over to New York City, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Boulder, and Washington D.C. with many other trips looming on the horizon, including a few Canada and South America. Unfortunately, there are no fun and games on his trips; he barely has time to get a good skyline photo.<br />
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His increased travel has made managing schedules on the home front a little more tricky because he is such an integral part of our routine. He is a full throttle, hands-on dad running at 110% every moment he is home. It is no exaggeration that for both of my girls, I never had to change a diaper in the hospital or at home until they were three weeks or older. He's amazing. So with his absence from home and a few other factors in mind, we've made a decision regarding my career in order to provide more stability for the girls and less stress on our daily routine. After this week, I will no longer be working full-time outside the home.<br />
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Hello, stay-at-home momhood!<br />
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As much as I love spending time with my girls and have dreamed about being able to stay home with them, the decision to leave my job was painful. I truly love my position, my firm, and my colleagues. If ever there were a time I wanted my cake and to eat it, too, this was it -- to be a full-time stay at home mama and a full-time career woman outside the home.<br />
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When I turned in my notice to resign, my boss made an amazing offer that I couldn't refuse. Rather than quitting my job entirely, I will be able to work from home on a part-time basis with my hours of work falling during nap times and in the evening. I am so excited and grateful that I don't have to say goodbye, but can contribute to the company in a way that won't be a detriment to my girls or our family life.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Our #TeutonicTimeOff</b></span><br />
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We desperately need a break. Our year has been full of home improvements, illness, family events, and obligations, with only a few day-trips punctuating the schedule. Our one planned mini-getaway was spoiled by the untimely breakdown of our vehicle on the highway, so in many ways, we've been wanting to fast forward to 2019 in hopes of having an actual fun-filled summer then. But before we skip ahead that far, we <i>are </i>looking forward to our not-quite-annual respite in Bavaria. We are just a few weeks away from brats, beer, and a much-needed break.<br />
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Traveling with two little ones will be quite the experience! I have lists upon lists upon lists of what needs to be done and packed. We are planning to cram all our gear into one checked luggage, one carry-on, and a diaper bag (in addition to two car seats and one double stroller). I will put my Tetris skills to good use when we finagle all that gear into our VW Golf rental car in Munich! Wish me luck and send me tips. If I'm successful, I'll be sure to post some victory photos on our <a href="http://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. Failure photos would probably be a blurry mess of fury, so those won't sully the internet.<br />
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So that's a really brief recap of the last six months with our crew. I would say that not working full-time would allow for more involvement on the blog, but who am I kidding? More often than not, I barely have time to have a sip of coffee when home alone with the girls!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time for an updated family photo in Dinkelsbuehl.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>What's going on in your world?</i></span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-62569344363414922932018-06-25T14:18:00.001-04:002018-06-25T14:18:25.320-04:00Topsail, North Carolina - Turtle Haven & Toddler Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pEz3-2YAuuE/WzExqv9nUvI/AAAAAAAAILI/QzVURbmsXso0zhda-j3QgFhl8lP_CQqvACLcBGAs/s1600/topsail%2Bb%2Beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pEz3-2YAuuE/WzExqv9nUvI/AAAAAAAAILI/QzVURbmsXso0zhda-j3QgFhl8lP_CQqvACLcBGAs/s640/topsail%2Bb%2Beach.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The beach is my happy place.<br />
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No matter the season and through nearly any type of weather, I experience a great peace when I hear the waves crashing and can feast my eyes on the great expanse of the water. At the end of last summer, we drove to Topsail Island, North Carolina, to spend five days just steps from the ocean, and despite sick children and a less than ideal house situation, we had a great time worrying primarily about applying sunscreen and rinsing the sand off our feet.<br />
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We arrived at the beach house on a Wednesday after a fairly stress-free drive from central Virginia. Both the girls behaved well in the van, despite being sandwiched between five tons of baby gear (<i>we have yet to master the art of not over-packing for domestic trips</i>), and we only stopped once on the way down, which is nearly miraculous when accompanied by a toddler and two month old.<br />
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Once we unpacked our bags, filled our bellies, and got the kids down for an early bedtime, it felt like vacation had finally started. We sat on the balcony, talked with the friends who were with us, and enjoyed some wine and beer. This is the good life, folks! Second only to a cross-country road trip, a beach trip is the quintessential American vacation, and after having not seen the Atlantic in nearly three years, it was good to be smelling the salt air.<br />
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The next morning, though, brought new concerns. Toddler Gypsy was running a fever, Baby Gypsy was congested, and the air conditioning in the beach house was blowing hot air. And mid-September in North Carolina is still <i>HOT </i>and <i>HUMID</i>. While we waited for the maintenance crew to show up, we spent time out on the sand, out on the deck, and up on the couch just enjoying a schedule-free day. The adults traded off kid-free time during naps, and then after dinner, we played some tunes and clinked our beer bottles to cheer the end of another beautiful day.<br />
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All our days at the beach were spent similarly. Unfortunately, we had arrived just a few weeks too late to witness the hatching of the sea turtles and their subsequent race to the sea - something for which the island is well known. Topsail is one of the northernmost nesting sites for loggerhead sea turtles. Green turtles, leatherbacks, and occasionally Kemp's ridley sea turtles also nest and lay their eggs here. The nesting season runs from mid-May through August, and the island takes its status as turtle sanctuary very seriously. Any nesting turtle is automatically considered endangered or protected, and heavy penalties exist for anyone who hampers, harasses, or harms a turtle.<br />
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As Toddler Gypsy has a newfound obsession for turtles (<i>thanks, Finding Nemo</i>), perhaps we can return during hatching season in the future.<br />
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<b>Have you ever seen sea turtles hatching?</b><br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ6XpyLlSih/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ6XpyLlSih/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Happiness is a sunny beach and a balmy breeze. 🏖 . Color me biased, but I think Carolina beaches are among the best of the best for natural beauty. Where is your favorite place to watch the waves? #TopsailBeach #carolinabeach</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Thrifty Gypsy's Travels</a> (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-10-06T15:43:44+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 6, 2017 at 8:43am PDT</time></div>
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<br />Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-22070517095155285652018-03-07T15:54:00.002-05:002018-03-07T15:54:57.502-05:00Go Fourth & Travel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
When we began the Thrifty Gypsy's Travels in 2014, we had a loose objective to record our travels and hopefully motivate others to travel.<br />
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Four years, two babies, several countries visited, and countless adventures later, our mission here remains the same: chronicling our adventures, on a budget, with the hope to inspire others to do the same. Our activity on the blog <i>(and the road!)</i> fluctuates with each season of life, but I'm so proud to call this space ours and to continue sharing our trips and life with you all.<br />
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So in honor of completing our fourth year around the blogging sun, we're makin' it rain ... postcards!<br />
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Leave a comment detailing one of YOUR favorite travel memories or comment on one of our social media pages. For the moments and memories that catch our fancy, we will send a postcard featuring our beautiful home state of Virginia.<br />
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In the interim, enjoy some of our favorite travel moments as captured on our blog.<br />
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<b>Swimming in the blue lagoon of <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/08/swimming-in-bagni-della-regina-giovanna.html" target="_blank">Bagni Della Regina Giovanna</a>, the ruins of a Roman villa perched on the cliffs of the Mediterranean. </b></div>
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<b>"</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: medium;"><b>E</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">very visit to Italy ought to include at least one day on the coast. In the midst of an itinerary packed full of ruins, monuments, fountains, museums, beautiful churches, Unesco World Heritage sites, and </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">hurry-hurry-hurry!</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">, we paused for a day on the Campanian coast, basking in the salt breeze, soaking up the warm sun, and swimming in crystal clear water. Turns out, it was our favorite day of the whole Italian trip. " <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/08/swimming-in-bagni-della-regina-giovanna.html" target="_blank">[Read More...]</a></span></div>
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<b>Reliving the Thirty Years' War and throwing back drafts with the locals at <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/03/the-kinderzeche-festival-of-germany.html" target="_blank">Dinkelsbuhl's Kinderzeche festival</a>.</b></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">"</b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; text-align: start;">S</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">weden has a reputation. For remaining neutral during conflicts, that is. </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">But the land of blonde-haired women, meatballs, and Ikea didn't always take the path of neutrality</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;"><b>.</b> During the Thirty Years' War of the 17th century, Sweden invaded many of its Baltic neighbors, including Germany. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">Danny's German hometown of </span><a href="http://thriftygypsytravels.blogspot.com/2014/04/destination-bavaria-germany.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Dinkelsbühl</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;"> experienced the Swedish invasion firsthand, enduring eight different sieges throughout the war. The most well-known siege, however, occurred in 1632 when the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">Swedish General Sperreuth threatened the fully-walled, medieval town with complete destruction</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">." <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/03/the-kinderzeche-festival-of-germany.html" target="_blank">[Read More...]</a></span></div>
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<b>Enjoying a whirlwind 48 hour <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3QcBPauFvJU/VGt3P3CuJMI/AAAAAAAACeM/0VNLXFrNjt4/s1600/1920356_10102705644424362_799701962_n.jpg" target="_blank">introduction to London</a> on a last-minute whim.</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">"</span><span style="font-size: medium;">S</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">o... you're going to London! The home of Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Earl Gray tea has a million sights and activities to offer, but there's one catch: you only have 48 hours. How in the world can you possibly see such a sprawling metropolis in such a short amount of time?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/11/48-hours-in-london.html" target="_blank">[Read More...]</a></span></div>
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<b>Living the salt pup life in <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/06/discovering-virginias-northern-neck.html" target="_blank">Virginia's Northern Neck</a>, where the most pressing item on your to-do list is relaxing to the tune of the waves.</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">"</span><span style="font-size: medium;">T</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-align: start;">he Northern Neck-- a decidedly unromantic name for a place so rich in natural beauty and small-town charm -- is the northernmost of three peninsulas jutting into the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, with the Potomac River as the northern border and the Rappahannock to the south. It's a playground for the affluent and the working man alike..." <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/06/discovering-virginias-northern-neck.html" target="_blank">[Read More...]</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">So, dish it! What is one of your favorite travel moments from the past few years? Comment below <i>or</i> on our social media sites for a snail-mail postcard!</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-83101299438425575552018-02-28T15:22:00.001-05:002018-02-28T15:22:35.331-05:00Finding Nemo at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Life Center<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/" target="_blank">we found Nemo</a> at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Life Center, and that's all that mattered to our Nemo-obsessed toddler.<br />
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Even before the trip began, I had high expectations... and reservations. The aquarium admission price for an adult is <a href="https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/visit/hours-admission" target="_blank">by no means cheap</a>, and after factoring in the other costs (Airbnb rental, food, gas), my thrifty side nearly scrapped the whole trip. But wanderlust prevailed, as did the toddler's increasingly-cute obsession with sea turtles and marine life.<br />
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We began our trip on Friday night after our commute home. All told, what should have been a 2.5 hour drive turned into 3.5 hours in the car, due to detouring south to avoid horrendous rush hour accidents in both Richmond and Newport News (<i>any readers remotely familiar with Virginia can attest to the horror of tunnel traffic in Bad News and Norfolk!)</i>. We checked into our <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21780130?s=51" target="_blank">Airbnb rental</a> at about 8:30pm with a very tired toddler and infant in tow. Leaving late on a Friday can be difficult with young kids, but with all our vacation days currently in limbo for a potential Germany trip, it's a necessity in order to maximize our weekends.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall<br />be my Squishy." - Dory</i></td></tr>
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Our schedule for the weekend revolved around the aquarium. There was nothing else on our to-do list, which made for a more relaxing weekend than anticipated. However, I do wish I had made the six block trek to the boardwalk, but the allure of a mid-afternoon nap overcame any desire to brave the frigid breeze at the beach.<br />
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As for the aquarium itself, well, it was good, but not <i>that</i> good.<br />
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The sea turtle tank and the shark tank are understandably the biggest draws of the aquarium, with the glass tunnel featuring a manta ray, assorted coral fish, and Dory being a close second. The aquarium has thousands of residents, representing 300 species, and it really is a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours when vegging at the beach. However, in the future, we will likely invest the time to travel to the National Aquarium in Baltimore or <a href="http://www.uscitytraveler.com/25-best-aquariums-in-america/" target="_blank">the world's largest aquarium in Atlanta</a>, for more bang out of our buck, as they're larger and yet comparably priced.<br />
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Nevertheless, it was a great weekend escape from the Virginia Piedmont region, celebrating hubby's birthday and enjoying a few adult beverages with good friends who sportingly came along for the ride and made it a great time of fellowship.<br />
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<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you like aquariums? What is your favorite marine creature?</span></b><br />
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<br />Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-11074437630446454772018-02-26T14:30:00.004-05:002018-02-26T14:30:56.611-05:00Well-Laid Plans of Mice and Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had so many grand plans this year. For the blog, for travels, for my job. Then February happened!<br />
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January was a solid month. I managed to publish five posts, which is impressive considering that I only published fourteen during the entirety of 2017. February came in like a wrecking ball, though, bringing the dreaded flu and leaving chaos in its wake. I spent <i>half</i> the month sick or tending to sick babies. I've done more than my fair share in contributing to the bonuses of Lysol executives!<br />
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So with March breathing down my neck, I'm retrenching and reevaluating my goals and expectations for TGT. For years, I have been very discontented with Blogger as a platform. There are few options for layout, and without a personal knowledge of coding, there's only so much you can do to keep your site clean and fresh. I've started reading through the process of migrating to Wordpress (<i>can't lose my precious SEO standing!)</i>, but have also heard good things about Wix. Do any of you have a recommendation?<br />
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Ideally, I'd like to post new content here at least once a week. Realistically, it may come down to twice a month, but I'd rather focus on quality than quantity, especially with all the pots I'm stirring at home and at work. I also feel that I ought to take a good, long look at what my readers want or expect when coming here. For the blogs that I follow (see right sidebar), I almost feel like there's a pseudo, one-sided friendship; as in, I love reading about their adventures and getting little peeks into their life, but between time zones and the busyness of life, there's rarely an actual conversation or consistent back-and-forth.<br /><br />
But with the blog's fourth anniversary just around the corner, I've become a little introspective in regard to what in the world I'm doing in this little corner of the internet!<br />
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<b>For those of you who are new readers or long-term lurkers, what sort of posts do you enjoy the most from me? What interests you the most?</b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-54754069097640491352018-01-29T14:48:00.000-05:002018-01-29T15:13:32.795-05:00The Hit List<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Almost everyone has a travel wish list. Or bucket list. Or whatever you want to call it. It's just a list of places and experiences that you'd like to see and do before a specified time. I've decided to throw out all my buckets, though, in lieu of something a little more spicy:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A hit list.</i></span></b><br />
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Now before you conjure up images of me calling in the mob to schwack someone or picture me running around hitting people across the back of the head with a baguette (<i>isn't that why the French invented such a long piece of bread it in the first place?</i>), the "hit list" name is merely my way of doing the same thing as everyone else but giving it a spicier name. That's simply how I like to roll - baking Grandma's recipe and slapping a new name on it. </div>
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So I've come up with a 2018 Hit List for my home state, Virginia, since the chances of us excursioning internationally or too far afield within the U.S. are about as good as a snowball's chance under Hades' derriere at the moment.* It's just not likely to happen as I'm not fond of the idea of taking my waddling preggo self through airports with an especially active and precocious toddler. Nor do I like to do much on maternity leave except eat my feelings and anxiously wait for the baby pounds to drop off. Oh, and stare adoringly at a cute newborn's face.</div>
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But we're lucky enough to live in a state that has mountains, beaches, rivers, history, modernity, and almost everything in between! With all these resources and attractions so close to hand, I've got a few ideas on what may actually be manageable for us this year.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Virginia House</span></b><br />
I've always had a fascination with old things and an appreciation for the finer things; the <a href="http://www.vahistorical.org/your-visit/virginia-house" target="_blank">Virginia House</a> satisfies both categories. Constructed in 1929 with materials from a sixteenth century manor in bonnie old England, the Virginia House is "a blend of three romantic English Tudor designs" with all the modern amenities of its early twentieth century construction. While I've visited nearby Agecroft many times, I've yet to explore the Virginia House. It will be open during Historic Garden Week in late April, so I'm marking the calendar to take a peek since it's otherwise open only by appointment.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Life Center</span></b><br />
Toddler Gypsy is <i>obsessed</i> with sea turtles lately (<i>thanks, Finding Nemo</i>). So I think a trip to the aquarium is in order this year! I would love to visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore, but since it's closed for necessary renovations, we'll just have to drive down to Virginia Beach to find Crush, Squirt, Nemo, and all of Toddler Gypsy's little buddies at the <a href="https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/" target="_blank">Virginia Aquarium</a>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Great Dismal Swamp</span></b><br />
Is there anything more mysterious and otherworldly than a swamp? It reeks of creepy tragedy. And it sometimes reeks in general, but that will not deter me! This has been on my <strike>bucket</strike> <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/02/16-plans-for-2016.html" target="_blank">hit list since at least 2016</a>. Let's see if 2018 is the year to finally go find an errant gator or two.<br />
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How to visit: <i><a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Great_Dismal_Swamp/visit/visitor_activities.html" target="_blank">Read more...</a></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Bristol, Virginia / Tennessee</span></b></div>
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The <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/malerie-yolencohen/fifteen-fantastic-things-_b_6070506.html" target="_blank">birthplace of country music</a> is calling my name! Another carry-over from my 2016 list, Bristol is technically two towns in two different states, but shares the same name. Straddling the state line right down the middle of the main road is a popular photo pose. I have a feeling that an excursion here will remind us of our trip to <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/03/finding-small-town-america-mount-airy-nc.html" target="_blank">Mount Airy, North Carolina</a>, last year, with perhaps a little bit more country music and bluegrass to its vibe. </div>
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A quick peek on TripAdvisor indicates the presence of some breweries and museums; now if only one could be sipping a beer while touring the museum...<br />
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Past experience dictates that we are more likely to accomplish something if we keep the list focused and manageable under the constraints of a weekend getaway, so this year's list is limited to only four things. I've already booked a birthday trip to one of these locales, though, so here's hoping that we can enjoy all four before year's end!<br />
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Some other places on my radar for future additions to the hit list are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Visiting the historic <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2018/01/the-hit-list.html" target="_blank">Christ Church</a> (circa 1735) in Weems, VA</li>
<li>Exploring old town <a href="https://www.visitalexandriava.com/old-town-alexandria/" target="_blank">Alexandria, VA</a></li>
<li>Revisiting some treasured childhood memories with a visit to the <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/" target="_blank">National Zoo</a> <i>(technically, it's in DC, but it's within two hours of home, so I'm putting it on the list!)</i></li>
<li>Checking out the changes at <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/06/colonial-williamsburg-hotbed-of-sedition.html" target="_blank">Colonial Williamsburg</a>, particularly the <a href="http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cw-gov-palace-0110-story.html" target="_blank">renovations at the Governor's Palace</a></li>
<li>Nip over the <a href="http://www.breakspark.com/" target="_blank">Kentucky/Virginia state line</a> near Grundy, Virginia, when in town to see a good friend graduate law school</li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are some places you're planning to see in 2018?</span></b></div>
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*<i>I wrote this back when I was pregnant with Baby Gypsy #2, born July 2017, but I forgot to post it! So while we are actively hoping, planning, and saving to return to Germany this summer, until our plane is in the air, I don't consider a trip outside the country to be certain. </i><br />
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<b>*** </b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-21127011775325394212018-01-26T15:05:00.001-05:002018-01-26T15:11:36.115-05:00A Tale of Two Gypsies: Corporate Climber Edition<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-il5_mdzkx18/WmtxN3JJp8I/AAAAAAAAIHc/a310Zn8KXJ87Z7ieh70zmaGIscvJsRYSQCLcBGAs/s1600/corporate%2Bclimb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-il5_mdzkx18/WmtxN3JJp8I/AAAAAAAAIHc/a310Zn8KXJ87Z7ieh70zmaGIscvJsRYSQCLcBGAs/s640/corporate%2Bclimb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>While chatting with another travel blogger, comparing lives and wishing our cyber chat were actually occurring in person over a glass of vino, this question was raised: what does my "thrifty gypsy" life look like on the daily?</i></div>
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<i>I err on the side of under-sharing my personal life here on the blog, but since our travels have morphed to being more local or regional, our way of life has become more relevant to the types of places about which I am writing. <b>When I think about the blogs that I enjoy reading, I tend to follow those writers who share enough about themselves to be interesting while not giving enough away for a stalker's dossier.</b> It's kind of like having a first date over and over again; you reveal enough to make them want more without ever airing your dirty laundry.</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></div>
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<i>So as a result of that conversation and subsequent musings, I present this second part of a two part mash-up, regarding our daily lives in between our local or international trips. As I currently split my time almost evenly between the office and staying at home, it seems only fitting to present both sides of the story: the <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2018/01/a-tale-of-two-gypsies-hausfrau-edition.html" target="_blank">Hausfrau (Housewife)</a> and the Corporate Climber.</i></div>
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<b>A Tale of Two Gypsies:<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Corporate Climber </span></b></div>
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<b>04:00</b> - It's an ungodly early hour, but Baby Gypsy babbles and whimpers in her bassinet until I wake up, begrudgingly. Thankfully, after a quick feeding, she goes right back to sleep, as do I.</div>
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<b style="font-style: normal;">05:45</b><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span>- The first alarms of the morning start screaming at us. <i>Time to get up! Time to get up!</i> And like every other self-respecting adult, I hit the snooze button at least twice before dragging myself out of bed.</div>
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<b>06:30 - </b>Danny and I have both showered, and I'm fixing my hair and makeup while he cooks breakfast and gets up the Toddler. I really hit the jackpot with this guy. He spearheads the whole morning routine with the kids and breakfast, letting me take my time. Getting ourselves and both the girls fed, dressed, and ready to drop off at my parents' house is a major operation, but he manages us handily.</div>
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<b>07:05 </b>- We drop the girls off at my parents' house, who mercifully live across the street. Even if I forget to bring something, either they have their own supplies or can let themselves into my house if need be. I would not survive this adulting thing without knowing my girls are in good hands.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPEXYkVN5lY/WmuH5HDKm_I/AAAAAAAAIHs/06MsglphY9M1ebuVQaSu0Add5DySjdPyACLcBGAs/s1600/UVA%2Brotunda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPEXYkVN5lY/WmuH5HDKm_I/AAAAAAAAIHs/06MsglphY9M1ebuVQaSu0Add5DySjdPyACLcBGAs/s400/UVA%2Brotunda.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlottesville - home of the University of Virginia (a UNESCO World Heritage <br />
site - Rotunda designed by Thomas Jefferson pictured above), the 'Hoos, <br />
controversial statues, beautiful mountains, and the <a href="http://www.bodosbagels.com/" target="_blank">best bagels</a><br />
found on this side of heaven.</td></tr>
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<b style="font-style: normal;">07:50</b> - Whether it's listening to tunes or <a href="https://www.truthforlife.org/" style="font-style: normal;" target="_blank">a podcast</a>, I while away my 34 mile (55km) commute to work in <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/08/throwback-thursday-university-of.html" target="_blank">Charlottesville</a>. This may seem like an obscenely long commute, but at my previous job, it was 49 miles (80km) <i>one way.</i> Honestly, if there's no traffic, the drive isn't bad, and I rather enjoy the time to decompress and engage my mind.<br />
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<b>08:30</b> - By now I've caught up on emails and have begun to tackle my to-do list. I have a complex role at my firm, which is a nationally-known consulting engineering firm*. On the one hand, I'm an executive assistant to the Principal/COO headquartered in our office, and on the other, I'm a marketing coordinator. Plus I wear the hat of office manager for our particular location, responsible for the administrative logistics of keeping a small office running smoothly. My job entails a lot of writing, a lot of organization, and a lot of stirring many pots simultaneously. Lists and sticky notes are my best friends.<br />
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<b>11:30</b> - I've spent the morning going from one task to another, and now I break out the lunchbox to munch and work. 2018 is the year of <a href="https://daltonsonwaltonblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/31/new-year-new-hopes/" target="_blank">getting fit</a> and counting calories, so on today's menu is iceberg lettuce with tomatoes, cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, and some ranch, accompanied by an apple and a tall glass of water.<br />
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<b>12:00</b> - Time to walk! I am obsessing with the <a href="https://www.myfitnesspal.com/" target="_blank">MyFitnessPal app</a> to count how many calories I'm consuming and burning (<i>add me! my username is KatrinaD0809</i>). It can sync with Samsung Health or the fitness app on your Apple device, and it's been quite the motivator to stay on track with this fitness kick. It's been brutally cold in Virginia this past week; the temperature hasn't been above freezing for almost a week now. Nevertheless, I bundle up and hit the pavement. There's a small park nearby, but I often just walk the neighborhoods to vary the scenery.<br />
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<b>13:00</b> - Back to the grindstone. Is it Friday yet? Oh wait, it actually is!<br />
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<b>14:00 -</b> I'm starving. Is it dinner time yet? Maybe I should raid the candy drawer in the kitchenette. No, no, I don't want the app yelling about my sugar intake. I should probably just eat an apple. Boooooring!<br />
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<b>14:05</b> - Still hungry.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajm1NamUTTo/WmuIdBvD6lI/AAAAAAAAIH0/rgTXbqadUEsEu7WiQ2A0gNnSYm3Lgq9JQCLcBGAs/s1600/20180126_144846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ajm1NamUTTo/WmuIdBvD6lI/AAAAAAAAIH0/rgTXbqadUEsEu7WiQ2A0gNnSYm3Lgq9JQCLcBGAs/s320/20180126_144846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My very own window in my very own office!<br />
The view isn't great, but I love the natural light.</td></tr>
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<b>15:20 -</b> I cave and treat myself to one candy bar. Deal with it, app tyrant!<br />
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<b>17:00</b> - It's no longer five o'clock somewhere; it's five o'clock here! You won't catch the door hitting my backside.<br />
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<b>17:45</b> - I'm greeted with "Mama, Mama, Mama!" from Toddler Gypsy as I walk into my parents' house. I get the rundown of the day before scooping up my little girls and loading them into my trusty steed (<i>I'm in the minivan club now, dontchyaknow</i>).<br />
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<b>18:00 </b>- We pull into the driveway at the same time as Danny, and it's a tumbleweed of kids, bags, coats, and empty lunch boxes as we get everything inside. Just like every other day, it's a gauntlet of d<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">inner, bath, story time, teeth brushing, and cuddles before the girls are in bed by 7pm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>19:00</b> - Bedtime for babies! Since 2018 debuted, I've been working on efficiently managing my time. <i style="font-weight: bold;">Be Intentional, Be Present</i> is my motto for the year. That has translated into drastically reducing the time I spend on social media. I've put myself on a fast between the hours of 8am and 5pm, and as there are so many other things I want to accomplish this year, I find myself turning to a <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/" target="_blank">book</a> or another self-development activity instead of mindlessly scrolling Facebook. <a href="http://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Insta</a> is my poison of choice most days anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">So the rest of the night is devoted to reading, spending intentional time with Danny, scrapbooking, designing my own greeting cards (<i>for family birthdays and other events</i>), or trying to figure out what hobby I'll take up for the year (<i>any suggestions?</i>). As tomorrow is Saturday, I look forward to a whole day with the girls and hubby, whether at home or out on an excursion. Happy weekend!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What does your normal day look like?</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQCG7mGAD7s/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Who wouldn't want to sit on a couch of sunshine?! 🛋🌞 Downtown Mall, Charlottesville, Va.</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Thrifty Gypsy's Travels</a> (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-02-03T02:37:36+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 2, 2017 at 6:37pm PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*<i>If you want to know more about the firm, I don't mind chatting with you directly about who we are and what we do!</i></span></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-54425345688199491122018-01-23T11:35:00.000-05:002018-01-23T13:21:23.390-05:00A Tale of Two Gypsies: Hausfrau Edition<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTVI9TH6sjc/WmZZAqbiCXI/AAAAAAAAIHI/XqvmKoK_G3MN9CcTSqe9hwELlpI5RrgoACLcBGAs/s1600/tgt%2Bhausfrau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTVI9TH6sjc/WmZZAqbiCXI/AAAAAAAAIHI/XqvmKoK_G3MN9CcTSqe9hwELlpI5RrgoACLcBGAs/s640/tgt%2Bhausfrau.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>While chatting with another travel blogger, comparing lives and wishing our cyber chat were actually occurring in person over a glass of vino, this question was raised: what does my "thrifty gypsy" life look like on the daily?</i></div>
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<i>I err on the side of under-sharing my personal life here on the blog, but since our travels have morphed to being more local or regional, our way of life has become more relevant to the types of places about which I am writing. <b>When I think about the blogs that I enjoy reading, I tend to follow those writers who share enough about themselves to be interesting while not giving enough away for a stalker's dossier.</b> It's kind of like having a first date over and over again; you reveal enough to make them want more without ever airing your dirty laundry.</i><br />
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<i>So as a result of that conversation and subsequent musings, I present this first part of a two part mash-up, regarding our daily lives in between our local or international trips. As I currently split my time almost evenly between the office and staying at home, it seems only fitting to present both sides of the story: the Hausfrau (Housewife) and the Corporate Climber.</i></div>
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<i></i><br />
***<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">A Tale of Two Gypsies: </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The <i>Hausfrau </i>(Housewife)</span></b><br />
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<b>04:00</b> - Baby Gypsy wakes up and babbles in her bassinet beside my bed. I change and feed her before we both drift back off to sleep.<br />
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<b>06:30</b> - Danny wakes up and gets ready for work, which usually stirs me into a drowsy wakefulness. Here I wrestle with the ultimate question: do I get out of bed and enjoy a shower, or do I roll over into sleep and forfeit a shower for the day? Honestly, nine times out of ten, I choose sleep. Because, SLEEP.<br />
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<b>07:30 - </b>Toddler Gypsy begins chanting my name with all the passion of a young child with an empty belly. That is to say, it's more like hangry screaming than actual chanting. I like to think it's a toddler's way of showing love, making it loud and clear that they need me to fulfill their needs.<br />
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<b>07:45 </b>- Toddler is changed, dressed, and scarfing down her eggs and bacon while I let out the dog, eat my own breakfast, and putz around the kitchen. I hear Baby Gypsy's coos over the monitor (<i>yes, this kid actually does coo; in fact, she rarely cries, and I'm not sure how such an angelic creature could be my child, but that's another story</i>), and have her up, changed, fed, and dressed by about 8am.</div>
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<b>08:30 </b>- Having packed the diaper bag, put the dog away, shuttled everyone out to the van (<i>that is to say, the MOM CHARIOT OF GLORY!</i>), and triple-checked that I didn't lock myself out of the house, we pull out of the driveway and commute twenty minutes into town. It's errand day.<br />
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<b>09:00</b> - Our morning excursions vary, but the destination always accommodates a walk. The <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/07/richmond-through-eyes-of-local-travel.html" target="_blank">Richmond area of Virginia</a> has a lot of great parks (such as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXeLJbxF5_a/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Maymont</a>), but there are also really cool neighborhoods to stretch your legs and give yourself and the kids some different views. Carytown, Monument Avenue, and even the new village-housing in Short Pump are some of our favorite places to walk. On other days, we drive out to <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/07/the-university-of-virginia-unesco-world.html" target="_blank">Charlottesville</a> and walk the trails or downtown mall. As Toddler Gypsy's attention and interests continue to expand, so does my range of where we go and what we do.</div>
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<b>10:00</b> - Baby is ready to be fed again, so Toddler Gypsy chills in her car seat munching on goldfish, which is pretty much the jet fuel of toddlers, while I multitask by finishing the shopping list on my phone. This next hour and a half will be a gauntlet of running in and out of Kohl's, dodging all the cute clothing, sighing over the chic luggage, and mentally blowing my budget on all the house decor; stopping by Wegman's for German mustard and <i>spaetzle</i>; then buying a whole week's worth of groceries at Aldi and Lidl for less than $100. I'm in love with those stores. The less money I have to spend on necessities, the more money I get to save for <i>travel!</i></div>
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<b>11:30 </b>- We are on our way back to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcDyBKhl5Pi/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Goochland</a> (<i>yes, that's really the name of my county</i>), and right on cue, both girls fall asleep in the car. For those of you who aren't moms, car naps are THE WORST. Think about it this way - a nap is your one chance in the day to have kid-free time. They are behind bars, locked up, safe, secure, out of your hair, however you want to look at it. But when they fall asleep in the car, they never sleep as long or as well as when in bed plus you are then deprived of that blessed kid-free time when at home. Often I will resort to singing at the top of my lungs to the radio in an attempt to keep Toddler awake, but <strike>sometimes</strike> oftentimes that doesn't work.</div>
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<b>12:00 </b>- Home sweet home. Unpack the car. Lug in the Toddler and Baby. Put the groceries away. Feed the Toddler. Change diapers. Pop on <i>Robin Hood</i> for the Toddler while feeding Baby. Take the kids out to the playset and swing the energy out of them before attempting to put them down for a legit nap inside. Success! Both girls go down, hard, and I have some kid-free time by 1:30pm.<br />
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<b>13:30</b> - It's the golden hour (or two) of my <i>hausfrau</i> days. Both girls are napping at the same time. I can shower, or clean in peace, or browse travel sites, or blog, or work out, or work from home, or check on the budget. I usually do put in some work from home and also check on the budget, mostly because both tasks benefit (<i>you guessed it!</i>) our travel budget.</div>
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<b>15:30</b> - Two hours later, I'm back into full blown mom gear. Diapers, reading books, creating Duplo masterpieces (<i>my retirement depends on Toddler becoming an engineer and supporting me in my old age!)</i>, feeding, playing ball, sneaking in a few minutes on social media while the girls are distracted... the rest of the afternoon flies by, and before I know it, it's time to start making dinner. Because responsible adults don't let their kids go hungry, and unfortunately, Oreos don't count as a nutritious dinner. Bummer.<br />
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<b>17:00 </b>- I stick Toddler into her high chair to make a Play-Doh mess while I start making dinner. Now that I'm six months postpartum, I've run out of excuses regarding making good choices for food and exercise. So rather than reaching for the frozen pizza or lasagna, I'm making more of an effort to cook fresh. Because responsibility. And smaller waistlines.<br />
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<b>17:45</b> - Danny is home, and I can mentally relax after solo parenting all day. Dinner, bath, story time, teeth brushing, and cuddles before the girls are in bed by 7pm make the next hour fly by. We worked hard to put Toddler on a good sleep schedule; she regularly sleeps from 7pm to nearly 7am. But she wasn't always this way. Last year involved a lot of tears (<i>from both her and I</i>) to train her sleeping habits. Baby Gypsy, however, has been a naturally good sleeper and has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks old. I am definitely spoiled.<br />
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<b>19:00 </b>- <i>KID. FREE. TIME. AHHHHH!!!</i><br />
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The rest of the evening is generally spent catching up on chores for the first hour and then vegging in front of the television or computer until bed at ten. Lately, I've become appalled at how much unproductive time is spent wasted in front of the screen, so I'm monitoring my usage a little more closely. My self-imposed rules are that I must be accomplishing something productive online, not simply browsing, and that I'm not allowed to become hooked on another TV show without relinquishing a current fave. Two hours a day translates into 14 hours a week with nothing to show for it! I need to get back into reading or blogging more or figuring out more ways to pinch pennies for the travel/entertainment fund. Any recommendations?!<br />
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So that's the day in the life of <i>hausfrau</i> me. On paper, it doesn't seem like much. But the days fly by, and it is fulfilling and rewarding to spend so much time with my girls. Then again, perhaps I appreciate it so much due to being away from them four days of the week. Time will only tell!<br />
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Stay tuned for the next edition: the Corporate Climbing side of me.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What does your normal day look like?</span></b><br />
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-73469851445585912372018-01-15T10:51:00.000-05:002018-01-15T16:16:08.253-05:00Applying for a Child's Passport<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjb7NWtNo3Y/WlvKFt9AObI/AAAAAAAAIGI/Z0v479Gb7PA6jrDkNHAr6z1GIB-YAJFxQCLcBGAs/s1600/child%2Bpassport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pjb7NWtNo3Y/WlvKFt9AObI/AAAAAAAAIGI/Z0v479Gb7PA6jrDkNHAr6z1GIB-YAJFxQCLcBGAs/s640/child%2Bpassport.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So you've got a kid and you want to travel. What next?<br />
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Applying for a passport in the United States is relatively straightforward, albeit not inexpensive, whether you're an adult or if you're a parent looking to acquire one for your little bundle (<i>or toddler tornado</i>) of joy. I've broken the process down into three steps, found below.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Take a Passport Photo</span></b><br />
This will likely be the most difficult part of the passport application process. As you well know, getting a good picture of an infant or young child is not easy even without fairly specific criteria.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Endlich!</i> She is facing the camera, mouth closed, both ears and<br />
chin visible, and eyes were open. Hallelujah.</td></tr>
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According to the State Department website, a passport photo must meet the following salient requirements (<a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/photos.html" target="_blank">full list can be seen here</a>):<br />
<ul>
<li>Your head must face the camera directly with the full face in view. [No shadows on the face, no tucked chins, both ears visible.]</li>
<li>Your face must have a neutral expression or a natural smile with both eyes open.</li>
<li>The photo must have been taken in the last 6 months.</li>
<li>The background must be white or off-white.</li>
<li>The photo must be 2 x 2 inches with the head measuring approximately 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25 to 35mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.</li>
</ul>
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Did any of you parents laugh out loud at the thought of managing this with your squirming infant or whirlwind toddler? I know I did!</div>
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Take a deep breath. Go into this with a lot of patience and don't be surprised if it takes more than one session to get the photo you need.</div>
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If your child is too young to sit up, lay them down on the floor on top of a white sheet or drape a white sheet over their car seat and recline them there. Make sure you are in a room with a lot of bright, natural light, perhaps supplemented with artificial lighting as well. Position yourself in such a way that you are not casting a shadow on them; use the flash on your camera if need be. Start snapping photos. Take hundreds, if necessary, until you have a photo that meets all the State Department's parameters. </div>
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Once you have your photo, you can upload it for printing from many different retailers (Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens are several options) or print out a color copy yourself on matte or glossy photo paper. You will need to have two copies of the 2 x 2 inch photo.</div>
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<i>As of the time I wrote this, we have taken over 150 photos of our five month old and FINALLY have an acceptable photo! In most of the photos, either her ears weren't visible, she was grimacing, the photo was taken too close (and cannot be shrunk to meet the photo to face ratio), or her clothing was covering her chin. But persistence eventually paid off.</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Complete the Passport Form & Gather Supporting Documentation</span></b></div>
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When applying for a new passport for an infant or child, you will use the <a href="https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds11.pdf" target="_blank">DS-11 application form</a> (renewals or changes/corrections to an existing passport use different forms). <u style="font-weight: bold;">You cannot apply online for a new passport for your infant or child; you must take the completed form to a passport center</u>. Because of this, I recommend printing off the completed form or printing a blank form and completing it manually.</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKNe1_R5R1w/WlzMdEqBhVI/AAAAAAAAIGk/-vJ3-4UcsC4eH75cXTtQo7APsz7mvSbiQCLcBGAs/s1600/travel%2Bsized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKNe1_R5R1w/WlzMdEqBhVI/AAAAAAAAIGk/-vJ3-4UcsC4eH75cXTtQo7APsz7mvSbiQCLcBGAs/s320/travel%2Bsized.jpg" width="320" /></a>Additionally, you will need to provide proof of your child's U.S. citizenship.* At this time, <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/under-16.html" target="_blank">a birth certificate</a> is the only acceptable proof listed on the State Department's website. You will need to take this original document along with a black and white photocopy (front and back if there is information on both sides) with you when you submit the application. A birth certificate will also be used to prove your parental relationship to the child.**</div>
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You will also be required to present a photo ID to the acceptance agent, along with a photocopy of that ID, front and back. Yes, there are a lot of IDs required for this! Don't worry - I've recapped and listed all the forms and IDs in the final step below.</div>
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Once the DS-11 is completed and you have gathered the documentation, you're ready to submit the full application package.</div>
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<i>*If your child is not a U.S. citizen, please consult with the State Department regarding travel outside of the U.S.</i><br />
<i>**If you are not the biological parent, whether due to adoption or having legal guardianship of the child, you will need to bring proof of your status as legal parent or guardian along with a black and white copy of that documentation if that information is not specified on the child's birth certificate.</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Submitting the Passport Application Package</span></b></div>
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You've run the photo gauntlet, cramped your fingers completing the DS-11 form, photocopied all IDs plus the kitchen sink (<i>because, you just never know...</i>), so now what?</div>
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You must apply for the passport in person with both your child and any/all legal guardians present (father, mother, etc.).* To find the nearest passport acceptance facility, you can simply input your zip code into the State Department website here: <a href="https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/">https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/</a>. Some places may require an appointment, or you can simply show up within the hours stated on the site.</div>
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While there, as parents/legal guardians, you will give parental consent to authorize the issuance of a passport for your child. This is typically just as simple as verbally consenting to the passport acceptance officer. Then you will pay for the application and execution fees (<i><a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/fees.html" target="_blank">see here</a> for a breakdown of the fees</i>) and walk out the door. The application will be processed and mailed to you, typically within six to eight weeks.** Then the world is yours!<br />
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<i>*If another legal guardian/parent is unable to appear for any reason, then a DS-3053 form (Statement of Consent) or DS-5525 form (Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances) will need to be completed prior to applying in person. Please see the <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/under-16.html" target="_blank">State Department website</a> for more details.</i><br />
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<i>**I recommend applying for a passport at least three months before you actually plan to use it. Otherwise I believe there are options in which you can pay to expedite the process.</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">RECAP:</span></b><br />
<b>➮ Take a passport photo</b><br />
<b>➮ Complete the DS-11 form</b><br />
<b>➮ Bring the child's birth certificate along with a photocopy</b><br />
<b> </b><b>➮ Bring the photo ID of all legal guardians along with a photocopy</b><br />
<b>➮ Take the passport application package to the nearest acceptance facility</b><br />
<b> ➮ The application package consists of: passport photos, DS-11 form, child birth certificate</b><br />
<b> & copy, parental/guardian IDs & copy, passport application fee</b><br />
<b> </b><b>➮ All legal guardians present or forms completed for guardians not present</b><br />
<b> </b><b>➮ Pay the application and execution fees</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Have Passport. Will Travel.</b></td></tr>
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<i>While I have endeavored to accurately convey the information and passport application process as published on the U.S. State Department's website, what I have written above cannot be taken as official or legal counsel.</i></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-1713598777322521532018-01-05T11:42:00.000-05:002018-01-05T11:42:27.030-05:00Time Flies When You're Having Babies<div style="text-align: right;">
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<i>Written Christmas Eve 2017</i></div>
I blinked, and my entire life changed.<br />
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Today we are celebrating the second birthday of our oldest daughter, Toddler Gypsy. It has been such a joy to view life through her eyes! A simple trip to the grocery store turns into a game; an excursion to a historic site becomes an adventure; a camping trip may as well be a visit to another world. She has a big imagination and loves to go to new places, just like her parents.<br />
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In the past 24 months, the quantity of our travels has slowed considerably. Traveling with little ones brings a whole host of logistical hurdles to overcome, which makes travel more difficult when you're adhering to strict budget constraints. But that's okay - our little gypsies will not be little forever, and we want to soak up this time while we can. One day they'll be more mobile and more interested in the history and attractions of sightseeing, which is more conducive to traveling.<br />
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But not today. Today we will watch as she blows the candles on her Elmo cupcakes and somersaults across the living room to elicit applause from extended family and friends. For now, we will explore the microecosystems in our backyard or the attractions which bring visitors across the country (<i>and world</i>) to our little neck of the woods. And we will continue to cultivate her curiosity and encourage her character until she's ready to take on the world on her own terms.<br />
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Happy birthday, little love. I can't believe it's already been two years, and I can't believe it's only been two years. With one international trip under your belt, the next one in the works, a handful of regional road trips, and countless trips to the beach and mountains, you're already quite the adventurer.<br />
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Time flies when you're having babies.<br />
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-36604777413032104562017-12-31T23:00:00.001-05:002017-12-31T23:00:24.840-05:00So Long & Thanks for All the Fish (2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just one more hour until 2017 makes her final exit. It's been quite the year, and it's been quite the mixed bag, both on a personal level and culturally speaking. But for my part, if 2018 is half as exciting as 2017, it will be a great year.<br />
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2017 has been a very quiet year for the blog and for our travels, though. At the <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/01/a-not-resolution-resolution-for-2017.html" target="_blank">beginning of the year</a>, I expressed a simple desire to experience or see just one new thing per month even if no international travels were in the cards for us. As expected, we didn't set a single toe outside the country, and while that is disappointing on one level as we've consistently had at least one big trip per year since our marriage in 2010, it merely testifies to our changing life and priorities. That's not to say that travel isn't still something of a priority for us (<i>because it is!</i>), but for now it's on a smaller scale.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2017 Recap</span></b><br />
<u>January</u>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO2kkVtA0my/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Eating my way around the world</a> at various eateries in Charlottesville<br />
<u>February</u>: A weekend getaway to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO2kkVtA0my/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Mount Airy, NC</a><br />
<u>March</u>: Rubbing shoulders with literary notables at a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSFOVymFnJN/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">local fine dining establishment</a><br />
<u>April</u>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYRRGaHl9AS/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Wine outings</a>, questing after the goal of visiting all 252+ Virginia wineries by 2022<br />
<u>May</u>: Discovering <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXeLJbxF5_a/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">local parks</a>, hikes, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYMPcmuFVSZ/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">splash zones</a> in an effort to keep me and Toddler Gypsy active<br />
<u>June</u>: Seven years a bride! Also, nine months pregnant = too hot and sweaty to do anything new<br />
<u>July</u>: We had a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BXGVuQWlYBf/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">baby</a>!<br />
<u>August</u>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYT3MtUlKSN/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Beach trips</a> to Kilmarnock<br />
<u>September</u>: Family vacation to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ6XpyLlSih/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Topsail, NC</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZEf3CbFXHE/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">"The Ocean has its silent caves, Deep, quiet, and alone; Though there be fury on the waves, Beneath them there is none... . The earth has guilt, the earth has care, Unquiet are its graves; But peaceful sleep is ever there, Beneath the dark blue waves." -Nathaniel Hawthorne #TopsailBeach #NCBeaches #BeachBumLife</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Thrifty Gypsy's Travels</a> (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-09-15T17:36:27+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 15, 2017 at 10:36am PDT</time></div>
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<u>October</u>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BahqVutFA4B/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Oktoberfest </a>and polka plus <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bao6TUkluE0/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">pumpkin picking</a> in the country<br />
<u>November</u>: Weekend escape to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbFYxa6FonE/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Annapolis</a> and the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbDDHdNlxSZ/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Eastern Shore</a> for a family wedding at the U.S. Naval Academy<br />
<u>December</u>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8h62hFRos/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Busch Gardens Christmas Town</a> (largest Christmas light display on the East Coast), our firstborn's second birthday, and one full year since buying our house<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2018... What's Next?</span></b><br />
Well, you know what they say about the well-laid plans of mice and men... but we are planning, saving, and hoping for a trip to Germany this summer. One of Danny's sisters and all his German relatives have yet to meet our littlest Baby Gypsy. We would have both a 2.5 year old and 1 year old in tow, so it remains to be seen whether we would take an excursion into a new country, but we most certainly would be seeing new sites while abroad. Hopefully, we will have firm plans within the next few months.<br />
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Beyond that, I am itching to map out our local and regional excursions for the year! They will revolve primarily around federal holidays so as to leave our vacation time freed up for a Europe trip. We had such a blast at the beach with our friends last year (in spite of sick kiddos), so I hope to make that an annual fall tradition.<br />
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The only thing I can say with certainty at this point in time is that I will be visiting quite a few new wineries this year! I've only visited 27 out of over 252 wineries just in Virginia. I have quite a lot of sipping to do!<br />
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<b>Happy 2018, y'all. What plans do you have for the new year?</b><br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdWgib3FCF_/" data-instgrm-version="8" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdWgib3FCF_/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">2017 is coming to a close, leaving nothing but smiles over the good times and excitement over what 2018 will bring! Every year, I hope and wish to travel more than the year before. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. But it's important not to fixate on what you don't have or what you don't get to do. Comparison is the thief of joy. If you spend your whole life comparing yourself to others or comparing your current self to your past, then you are robbing yourself of the present. I'm preaching to the choir here because I know how hard it is to find joy in your current circumstances when you are surrounded by people who seem to have it better than you. Social media makes it all too easy to see where Sally is traveling, what Johnny has accomplished, or what Billy has won. But you're not them! Don't waste your life pining over what others have. Seek to find the joy in your circumstances; no matter how small it may seem. Take a break from social media if you have to - but live this life you have. It's all that you have! May 2018 bring you joy! Happy New Year! #CarpeDiem #ComparisonIsTheThiefofJoy #HappyNewYear</a></div>
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A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" target="_blank"> Thrifty Gypsy's Travels</a> (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-12-31T03:34:17+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 30, 2017 at 7:34pm PST</time></div>
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<br />Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-27988956573618792462017-11-16T10:05:00.000-05:002017-11-16T10:05:48.755-05:00Pretty, Photogenic Prague<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Despite spending summers in Germany as a child and teenager, my husband's experience in Europe did not extend much farther than Bavaria or the occasional ski trip to Austria or Switzerland during their infrequent winter visits. That is, until 2012 when we visited Prague together. It was his first true sightseeing experience outside Germany, and that's possibly the reason why he thinks back on Prague so fondly! But seriously, why wouldn't you? It's so beautiful!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you been to Prague?</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-41263902248837640292017-10-10T15:46:00.000-04:002017-10-11T08:21:41.734-04:00Return of the Prodigal Blogger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hello, there!</span><br />
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It's been a long time since I've lurked in these parts. <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/03/finding-small-town-america-mount-airy-nc.html" target="_blank">Nearly seven months</a> to be exact, but who's counting?<br />
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In March, I began an unplanned, unannounced break from blogging. Pregnancy, increased responsibilities at work, and an always-energetic toddler craving more and more attention contributed to the hiatus. <b>To be honest, I was feeling a little burned out and more than a little disillusioned with travel blogging</b>, partly due to my annoyance with the Blogger platform (<i>anyone want to volunteer to export TGT to <a href="https://thriftygypsytravels.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Wordpress</a> for me without losing any of my page hits and SEO ranking?!</i>) and the fact that, well, we weren't going to be making any trips outside the country anytime soon. It's hard to feel any motivation when you don't have many grand plans in the works.<br />
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But with the changing of the seasons here in Central Virginia, I'm feeling a resurgence in my <i>mojo</i>. Yes, I got that lovin' feeling towards this little blog and all the wonderful people (<i>yes, that's you!</i>) that I've been able to meet through it. So I'm back, for now.<br />
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So much has happened in these last seven months! Let me walk you through some of the major events:<br />
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🌎 <b><span style="font-size: large;">Thrifty Gypsy, Family of Four</span></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Gypsy #2</td></tr>
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In July we celebrated America's birthday with a few fireworks of our own as<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/01/2017-two-is-better-than-one.html" target="_blank"> our second daughter</a>* joined us the day after Independence Day. Our firstborn is a Christmas Eve baby, so it was only fitting that our second would also be a nearly-holiday baby! Despite a difficult delivery and a traumatic scare on her third day of life, which resulted in an emergency ride to the hospital via ambulance and an overnight hospital stay, her appearance and this postpartum time has been the easiest for us all. <b>She is such a sweet baby</b> <b>and seems to have inherited my deep and abiding love for sleep</b> as she's been snoozing through the night almost from the beginning (<i>let's hope I haven't jinxed it by bragging on her!)</i>.<br />
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Big Sister has transitioned through initial reluctance and tantrums with the new arrival and now is the biggest fan of "bee-bee, bee-bee." She's a pro at fetching diapers, burp cloths, and helping baby sister play with her rattle. As they're only 18 months apart, I sincerely hope that they can find best friends in one another as they grow up.<br />
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As I avoid frequent personal updates on this blog, you may not hear much more about them or life as a family of four unless it pertains directly to travel. But if you're interested, I've recently begun a blog that is much more personal in nature. While it may touch upon travel from time to time, it primarily is a <i>potpourri</i> blog where I can ramble about any number of things. Feel free to ask for the web-link directly either through here or on Facebook (<i>that way I can make sure my boss doesn't read it; sorry, R--!). </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kilmarnock, Virginia. 2017.</td></tr>
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🌎 <b><span style="font-size: large;">Maternity Leave</span></b><br />
The best day of my life was Wednesday, February 8, 2006 - <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/02/every-mile-memory.html" target="_blank">the day I met Danny</a>. <b>But the best <i>days</i> of my life have been these last three months while I've been on maternity leave.</b> Unlike the dark postpartum days from my first daughter's birth, I have been blessedly free from postpartum depression and anxiety. I spent my days cuddling my newborn on the couch, interrupted regularly with the riotously exuberant play of the toddler, and happily fulfilled the role of stay at home wife and mama - a veritable <i>hausfrau</i>.<br />
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But it seems that all good things come to an end. Maternity leave is neither standard nor protected under the law in the United States. I happen to work for a wonderful small business that accommodates taking extended leave while still holding your position secure and has even offered me a flexible work schedule as I transition back, which has been most welcome since baby girl has been rejecting a bottle. But many women aren't afforded the luxury of compassionate, understanding employers. Even a fiscal conservative can't help but wonder if incentives such as tax breaks for companies who offer paid maternity and paternity leave would entice more employers to offer tangible, uniform benefits for new parents. My husband's employer recently announce <i>eight paid weeks of paternity leave</i>, which is a rarity in our country. Needless to say, that will be a welcome gift whenever we take the plunge for baby #3 in a few years.<br />
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🌎 <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Day trips, Beach trips, and Future travel plans</b></span><br />
A new house, pregnancy, birth of a second child, and one income while on maternity leave - none of these are conducive for frequent or grand traveling, but we maximized our summer experience nonetheless! Day trips to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYT3MtUlKSN/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Virginia's Northern Neck</a>, a few <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYRRGaHl9AS/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">wine days out</a> with the ladies under the shadows of the Blue Ridge, and a sun-filled week at Topsail Island, North Carolina, were some of our stand out trips apart from the daily excursions to parks, spray-grounds, river trails, and other toddler-sized adventures. When you're on a tight budget and saving every penny for a big trip, look to experience the beauty of your home town to keep down costs.<br />
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A post shared by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-10-06T15:43:44+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 6, 2017 at 8:43am PDT</time></div>
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<b>And, yes, we are pinching pennies for a big trip again! </b>Next month Danny's Oma will celebrate her 93rd birthday. Unfortunately, we will not be there ourselves, but we are eyeing next July for a return trip. If it works out, it will be the third consecutive time we will watch the final matches of the World Cup while in Germany; on our honeymoon in 2010, Germany took third place, and in 2014, we danced and drank in the streets of Stuttgart after Germany took first! We can only hope that <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/09/weltmeister-celebrating-germanys-world.html" target="_blank">Germany will be world champions</a> again in 2018!<br />
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Additionally, Dinkelsbuhl's <i>Kinderzeche</i>, or Children's Festival, takes place in July, so there are so many compelling reasons for us to plan our trip in the high summer. Let's just hope they don't experience another heat wave; Oma's house is a few hundred years old, and central air is not a common amenity in northern Europe!<br />
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In the meantime, our fall calendar is off to a great start. <b>We'll be sneaking away to the Northern Neck one last time to hunt for arrowheads and will be attending a wedding at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Academy_Chapel" target="_blank">U.S. Naval Academy</a> in Annapolis, Maryland, next month</b>. The reception will be hosted at the <a href="http://development.cbmm.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/homepage-slide-01c.jpg" target="_blank">Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum</a> in St. Michael, Maryland, on the eastern shore. I'm already swooning over some of the photos of both the USNA Chapel and the Maritime Museum. Any place on the water is beautiful - no matter what the season! Now if only I could lose some more of this baby weight before the wedding...<br />
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Thanks for checking back in with us! I'm excited to be back online, and though I know my posting won't be nearly as prolific as the early years of the blog, I hope to be more present than absent.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are your travel plans for the fall?</span></b></div>
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Photo taken July 2014.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Want to follow along?</span></b></div>
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While this corner of the internet has been rather dusty this year, I've kept a strong presence on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Facebook</a> - my favorite social media addictions. Follow us to stay up to date on what an evolving thrifty gypsy life looks like with two kids, a piliferous canine, and a tight budget!</div>
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<i>* Out of respect for their inability to express a preference, Danny and I err on the side of caution when it comes to our children's personal information. We do not share photos with their faces on the blog or any of our social media sites, personal or otherwise, nor do we reference them by name. So far, our firstborn has been referred to as "Baby Gypsy," but now that we have two, I'm not yet sure how I'll differentiate between them with appropriate pseudonyms. Stay tuned and feel free to share your suggestions for names!</i></div>
Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-90774639793872054662017-03-17T10:52:00.000-04:002017-09-27T14:17:28.727-04:00Finding Small-Town America - Mount Airy, NC<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>There's a certain stereotype to small-town America, and it's no coincidence that it looks a lot like Mount Airy, North Carolina. Small shops. Old-timey buildings. Locals greeting each other on the streets. Vintage and knickknack shops sandwiched between local food joints!</b></div>
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This town in the northwestern part of the state, a stone's throw from the Virginia border, holds the distinction of being the inspiration for the town of Mayberry as featured in the 1960s sitcom, <i>The</i> <i>Andy Griffith Show</i>. Little more than a small dot on the map from a bird's eye view, Mount Airy represents quintessential small town America: slow-paced living high on quality relationships with neighbors and low on the anonymity of big cities. Capitalizing on its connection to Andy Griffith and the show, the town has carefully preserved its main street shops and maintained a few replica buildings as iconic trademarks of the sitcom, such as the courthouse, Floyd's Barber Shop, and Wally's service center.</div>
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<i>The</i> <i>Andy Griffith Show</i> followed the life of the widower sheriff, Andy Taylor, who spends more time raising his son Opie and calming his excitable cousin, Deputy Barney Fife, than solving any actual crime, since the biggest commotion in town is usually caused by the local drunk who often breaks into the county jail to pass out after a bender.</div>
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Growing up, I absolutely <i>adored </i>the show. Barney Fife and his "one bullet" was by far my favorite, but there was something charming in each character. For my husband's birthday this year, I gifted him a weekend away as a family to a place where family fits right on in and is celebrated.</div>
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Whether you're a fan of the show or not, Mount Airy is great for a stopover or detour from the <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/01/the-blue-ridge-parkway-nelson-county-va.html" target="_blank">Blue Ridge Parkway</a> or just a quiet weekend away. We found <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2763280?checkin=02%2F23%2F2017&checkout=02%2F25%2F2017&guests=1&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&s=wOLb6g0U" target="_blank">an absolutely adorable 1930s house</a> with three bedrooms on Airbnb just around the corner from Main Street for less than a price of hotel rooms! We spent our Saturday wandering up and down Main Street, snapping photos in front of the various replica buildings and locking my husband up in the jail for "failure to buy his wife chocolates on a regular basis" (<i>preggo lady has needs, y'know!)</i>. We also took an excursion out to see the views from Pilot Mountain, a short drive south of Mount Airy. They did not disappoint!<br />
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A post shared by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-02-05T00:10:41+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 4, 2017 at 4:10pm PST</time></div>
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Beyond the town itself, there are a few wineries in the area, and the Blue Ridge Parkway and accompanying Appalachians are within a very short drive. Mount Airy hosts "Mayberry Days" that advertises to be a family-friendly celebration of the town and the show, oftentimes featuring actors from the show itself.</div>
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Coming home from a long weekend is always a sad affair for us, but even more so after having slowed our hectic lives to a comfortable amble in a town where the journey isn't necessarily about the destination, but the quality time spent getting there.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you been to Mount Airy? What's your favorite small-town America location?</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-28817035802394531402017-03-08T09:20:00.000-05:002017-09-27T14:17:18.550-04:00In Search of Pretty Places<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>Very rarely do I call attention to or endorse other travel bloggers and enthusiasts, but when I do, it's either because I know them personally or have followed them long enough to trust their content and have developed a cyber-relationship with them over a mutual love for all things travel. Emily falls into both categories. I've known her personally for over 16 years, having grown up in the same county, attended the same social settings, and everything else that comes with growing up in a rural small-town.</i></div>
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<i>Emily currently lives in Colorado Springs, working as an accountant by day and developing her skills as a hiking enthusiast, nature photographer, and insatiable wanderluster at every chance she gets. She recently returned from a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands and can be found 'gramming and blogging at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insearchofprettyplaces/" target="_blank"><b>InSearchOfPrettyPlaces</b></a>.</i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Hi! Tell us a little about yourself.</span></b></div>
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I'm Emily, a 32 year old accountant with an insatiable love for all things travel! I grew up in a little town outside of Richmond, Virginia, but recently packed up everything and moved 1,700 miles away to Colorado Springs, Colorado. I am married to a wonderful man I met in college, who is in the army now. We have two cats and a very outgoing husky that we like to take hiking with us. We are both very passionate about the outdoors and try to hike something every weekend we are home. I'm an avid postcard collector an a very amateur photographer. But learning to take a good picture and using PhotoShop to enhance my photos has become one of my favorite hobbies!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">What was your first trip in search of a pretty place?</span></b><br />
The first trip I remember inspiring my love of travel was beginning our annual pilgrimage to New York City and Boston to visit our extended family. We would all pile into our family minivan and head north. Since I come from a relatively large family of six, my parents tried to keep the spending low by taking us tent-camping instead of staying in hotels. I developed a strong love for camping at an early age and have camped in many of the states on the eastern seaboard. My parents love camping as well and have spent a considerable amount of time hiking and camping in the United States and abroad. I'm so thankful that they shared their love with us from the beginning, and I'm always surprised to meet someone who has never camped before!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Where was one of your recent "pretty places" trips?</span></b><br />
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One of my recent trips was driving the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to Seattle! It has been a goal of mine since I made the drive from San Diego to LA years ago. The entire coast is absolutely stunning, and it’s a trip I think everyone should take. We camped along the way and it truly added to our experience! Plus, I got to add two more states to my list (Oregon and Washington)!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">What is your travel style?</span></b><br />
I love luxury, and I love the outdoors. My interest tends to gravitate toward places where I can experience both if possible. But I can stand to “rough it” a little if it means getting to enjoy nature in an intimate way. When we planned our PCH trip we decided to camp for two nights since the scenery is so beautiful. It truly added to our experience, and even though we were in a tent, I was comfortable both nights! Falling asleep to the wind in the trees and the waves on the Oregon coast was so peaceful!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">What is the hardest part about traveling?</span></b><br />
Traveling is hard for everyone at times. Missed flights, lost reservations, not speaking the language, etc. Of course those things are difficult, but for me the hardest part about traveling is my health. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease when I was in college, and it requires some vigilance. Fortunately, I have been in remission for the better part of a decade and usually feel okay if I’m doing all the right things. When I travel, inevitably, I will face some stress which makes me sick. Each trip I take I’m learning more and getting better at knowing how to handle it. I make sure I give myself enough downtime, have a comfortable place to stay (luxury!), keep my medicine handy, and eat foods that I know are safe. I try to keep in mind that it will pass and that I have never regretted take a trip yet!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glacier National Park</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Where to next?</span></b><br />
We would like to visit Japan! I have read so many excellent reviews and heard so many people speak highly of the culture that I can’t wait to get there! Because we are military, we are going to try staying on the base there since it is cheaper but still nice accommodations. I am reading everything I can get my hands on about Japan and starting to plan our trip.<br />
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We’re also planning to take a few day trips nearby. There is so much of Colorado I have yet to explore! Places on our list include hiking Pike’s Peak, visiting Breckenridge and Estes Park, and spending a long weekend in Crested Butte!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">You can follow Emily on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insearchofprettyplaces/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://www.insearchofprettyplaces.com/" target="_blank">her blog</a> for more pretty places!</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drake's Seat, St. Thomas Virgin Islands. </td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">***</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><i>All photos in this post are the property of <a href="http://www.insearchofprettyplaces.com/" target="_blank">In Search Of Pretty Places</a> and are used with permission. Unauthorized use of the photos is strictly prohibited.</i></b></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;"><i>Linking up with: </i></b><i><b>Lauren of <a href="http://laurenonlocation.com/">Lauren on Location</a>, Van of <a href="http://snowintromso.com/">Snow in Tromso</a>, Isabel of <a href="http://www.thesunnysideofthis.com/">The Sunny Side of This</a> and Marcella of <a href="https://whatawonderfulworld.co/">What a Wonderful World</a>.</b></i></div>
Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-26518059404017200632017-03-06T11:15:00.000-05:002017-09-27T14:17:08.831-04:00How Having a Baby Improved My Travel Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Did you do a double-take when you read the title of this post?</b><br />
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Most people would assume that having children would <i>diminish</i> the travel experience, and if you read some of my tongue-in-cheek posts <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/10/flying-with-baby-tips-tricks-hot-toddies.html" target="_blank">about flying with babies</a> and how <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/10/a-tale-of-two-babies-transatlantic.html" target="_blank">we survived a total of 19 hours on a plane</a> with an 8 month old, you would think I'd be among that crowd.<br />
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I didn't say traveling with a baby is easier. But I do think it's <i>better</i>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Little Eyes, Big World</span></b><br />
Seeing the world through the eyes of a little one is amazing. My daughter can't contain her excitement over something as simple as a fallen leaf, let alone the wonder of a medieval stone wall! I have not traveled enough to feel inured or unmoved by man-made or natural wonders yet, but if I were to ever reach that point, taking a trip with a child could fix that problem in short order. I see the world anew when my daughter enjoys a new experience, and it's made my own travel experience richer.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎 </span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Stop & Smell the Roses </b></span><br />
True story: kids will slow you down. Their little legs can't keep up; nap times are a necessity; attention and interest will wane when you're in the middle of enjoying a culture's finest attractions; and chicken nuggets will be demanded over the niceties of <i>foie gras</i>. You can bemoan that fact, or you can embrace it. Traveling with kids is a much slower affair than traveling as a couple (<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/11/48-hours-in-london.html" target="_blank">or solo</a>), and some choose to forego traveling because of it, taking an all or nothing approach. However, I would much rather experience something than nothing! And a slower pace to accommodate the little ones simply means that I have more time to smell the roses along the way, savoring the culture and experience rather than rushing through it.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">🌎</span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;">Crossing Language Barriers</span></b><br />
Smiling is a universal language, and there is perhaps nothing more engaging or endearing than a little kid smiling at you! When Danny and I traveled as a couple, we didn't seek to overly engage ourselves with any residents of our destinations. We preferred to primarily observe and interact only with servers, hotel workers, or those employed at cultural attractions on an as-needed basis. We have probably missed out on a deeper understanding of these cultures and other travelers because of it, but with a kid, we have no choice. Our daughter loves to smile <i>at everyone</i>. And everyone loves to smile at her! While carrying her around <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKBTE10j4Ij/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">the Regensburg Cathedral</a>, I was mobbed by a group of Japanese ladies who began cooing and smiling and talking excitedly to us in Japanese with a few interspersed "cute baby!" phrases thrown in the mix. It was a small interaction, but so heart-warming to me. Traveling with a child, especially a baby, makes you very approachable and can open up a lot of doors to interacting with a culture in a way you wouldn't expect. Rather than walking by a playground, you may end up spending time there, experiencing in a small way what it would be like to actually live there and perhaps making friends with a local mom and kids that are probably more like you than not.<br />
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As with anything in life, traveling with kids is what you make of it. You can choose to focus on the downside, or you can choose to dwell on the enriching part. Broaden their world, enrich their minds, and choose to have fun in doing so!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Traveling with kids: would you do it? </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Other #TravelWithKids posts</u>:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/10/flying-with-baby-tips-tricks-hot-toddies.html" target="_blank">Flying with Baby: Tips, Tricks & Hot Toddies</a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/06/traveling-with-baby-dont-forget-rum.html" target="_blank">Traveling with Baby: Don't Forget the Rum</a></span></b></div>
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<br />Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-73944169763167192202017-03-03T09:03:00.000-05:002017-03-03T09:03:47.946-05:00Three Years a Gypsy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ucq6pLiytTM/WJjtfhLRHHI/AAAAAAAAH14/zSiAWBIfTUgZNwOsjVMuWeKfO0V3UsZdwCLcB/s1600/three%2Byears1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ucq6pLiytTM/WJjtfhLRHHI/AAAAAAAAH14/zSiAWBIfTUgZNwOsjVMuWeKfO0V3UsZdwCLcB/s640/three%2Byears1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today my blog turns three. THREE.<br />
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<i>*Sniffles*</i> My little baby is growing up so fast!<br />
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Seriously, though, I am proud and amazed that I've been able to keep this blog alive for so long, relatively speaking of course. To put things in perspective, the only other thing I've been able to maintain for a longer time would be my marriage, which will be hitting <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/02/every-mile-memory.html" target="_blank">the seven year mark</a> in June.<br />
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For those of you who have stuck with me since the beginning, a lot has happened and changed in the past three years. I left a job I loved only <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/12/on-personal-note.html" target="_blank">to find a career I really, <i>really </i>love</a>. We've managed <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/03/top-five-before-35-international.html" target="_blank">to cross a few items off the travel bucket list</a> (only to replace them with three times as many places!). We had <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/08/baby-gypsy-herr-or-her.html" target="_blank">a daughter on Christmas Eve 2015</a>. And are expecting an <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/01/2017-two-is-better-than-one.html" target="_blank">Independence Day baby in 2017</a>. We've put down roots by buying a house, even while remaining forever wistful at not having accomplished a move overseas. We don't blog half as much as we used to, but we are alive and well <a href="http://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">on social media</a> and love all the interactions with fellow travel-lovers there.<br />
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But while I may not have been as prolific of a blogger in the past year compared to the first two, I've been focusing more on my style and the quality of the information I present, rather than the quantity. There's definitely a viewership difference between the posts I just throw together and the ones where I take the time to create a thoughtful post! Here are some highlights, lowlights, and some personal favorites from the past three years:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Personal Favorites (From The Past Year):</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z0Hm9TSrBU8/V__JxoxujUI/AAAAAAAAHxU/2Agk1IrR2MAB0c6fAejCtLQXvze7UVFAQCLcB/s640/aerial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z0Hm9TSrBU8/V__JxoxujUI/AAAAAAAAHxU/2Agk1IrR2MAB0c6fAejCtLQXvze7UVFAQCLcB/s200/aerial.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/10/flying-with-baby-tips-tricks-hot-toddies.html" target="_blank"><b>Flying with a Baby: Tips, Tricks & Hot Toddies</b></a><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell;">"Flying with a baby isn't easy. But it's not impossible.</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLZ0UG4gEjo/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Becoming a parent doesn't mean that you stop being who you are and stop doing what you love</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">. Yes, finances change with having children. Yes, interests and lifestyles will change, too. But if you </span><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/10/turning-pennies-into-memories-changing.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">make travel a priority</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;"> and budget accordingly, it's still possible - even if you have to spend more time prepping and jump through more hoops to accomplish it!"</span><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/10/flying-with-baby-tips-tricks-hot-toddies.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLg_Pu0bGLc/V4hCmy-XcTI/AAAAAAAAHp8/EQF5dxVPDWMbzPbchGSGeBgch7KzIkS3wCLcB/s640/richmondcapitolTGT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OLg_Pu0bGLc/V4hCmy-XcTI/AAAAAAAAHp8/EQF5dxVPDWMbzPbchGSGeBgch7KzIkS3wCLcB/s200/richmondcapitolTGT.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/07/richmond-through-eyes-of-local-travel.html" target="_blank"><b>Richmond Through the Eyes of a Local [Travel Blogger]</b></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"Every city has a combination of personality, culture, and natural attractions (or lack thereof) which makes it distinct from any other place in the world. Call it a fingerprint or call it a flavor - but each town is unique. When traveling to a new city or country, I seek out the best examples in each of these categories to get a holistic view of that place as a living, breathing entity of people and attractions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">And when I stop to seek out these same ideals in my own backyard, I come to one conclusion: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: medium;">Richmond is one cool city."</span><br />
<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/07/richmond-through-eyes-of-local-travel.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/05/footloose-rabies-free.html" target="_blank"><b>Footloose & Rabies Free [A Reintroduction of Thrifty Gypsy]</b></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell";">"Hi, my name is Katrina. I'm a little bit crazy and 100% weird, but I promise I don't have rabies.* </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell";">No, really. I don't.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">If I haven't scared you away yet, welcome! As a new co-host of the #TravelTuesday link-up, I thought it the perfect opportunity to (re)introduce myself to the travel blogging community</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">..." </span><i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/05/footloose-rabies-free.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cc5fLesCJ0A/Vx7GBTEIzwI/AAAAAAAAALA/iX1TPw1hzv4pEl-wOMkdBzZ__M_4G2FBACLcB/s640/dinkelsbuehl%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cc5fLesCJ0A/Vx7GBTEIzwI/AAAAAAAAALA/iX1TPw1hzv4pEl-wOMkdBzZ__M_4G2FBACLcB/s200/dinkelsbuehl%2B1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/04/dinkel-what.html" target="_blank"><b>Dinkel-What? [Europe's Hidden Treasures]</b></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"Even those who don't travel are familiar with the big names, the "must sees" if you will, of Europe. </span><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/11/48-hours-in-london.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">London's Big Ben</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">, </span><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/09/the-colosseum-symbol-of-ancient-rome.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Rome's Colosseum</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">, and the </span><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/04/eyeing-eiffels-tower.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Eiffel Tower of Paris</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">, just to name a few. But there's more to Europe than the tourist hot spots, and if you're looking for a break from the hordes, </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">a hidden treasure like Germany's Dinkelsbühl</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;"> may just tickle your travel fancy."</span><br />
<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/04/dinkel-what.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8Ig6L6-w7U/Vr_muEuyugI/AAAAAAAAHXk/OujDXsXgNZI/s640/europe%2B101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8Ig6L6-w7U/Vr_muEuyugI/AAAAAAAAHXk/OujDXsXgNZI/s200/europe%2B101.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/02/europe-101-tips-tricks-being-thrifty.html" target="_blank"><b>Europe 101: Tips, Tricks & Being Thrifty</b></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"It's no secret that travel from the United States to Europe can be expensive. </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">Stupid</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;"> expensive. While there are some things you can do to help mitigate some costs, others - such as airfare - can't be avoided. However, there are a few tips and tricks that can make your dollars go further when planning a trip to Europe!"</span><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2016/02/europe-101-tips-tricks-being-thrifty.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Highlights (Popular Posts):</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ruPZ5oAg60M/VQt-WKX-uBI/AAAAAAAAGLY/tPSehxft_t8/s1600/frauentormauer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ruPZ5oAg60M/VQt-WKX-uBI/AAAAAAAAGLY/tPSehxft_t8/s1600/frauentormauer.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/03/that-time-we-accidentally-found-red.html" target="_blank">The Time We Accidentally Found the Red Light District in Nuremberg</a></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"Hey, let's go down this way and walk along the city walls."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">With this suggestion from Danny, we busted a sharp left down the cobblestone streets of Nürnberg's </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">Altstadt</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;"> or Old Town. This was new territory for us..." </span><i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/03/that-time-we-accidentally-found-red.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar3vIFvPTYk/U9_RyG58vwI/AAAAAAAABbM/lfQL95RmGGU/s1600/10530693_10103173958973252_7078508151482039520_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar3vIFvPTYk/U9_RyG58vwI/AAAAAAAABbM/lfQL95RmGGU/s1600/10530693_10103173958973252_7078508151482039520_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/08/swimming-in-bagni-della-regina-giovanna.html" target="_blank">Swimming in the Bagni della Regina Giovanna</a></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: medium;">"E</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">very visit to Italy ought to include at least one day on the coast. In the midst of an itinerary packed full of ruins, monuments, fountains, museums, beautiful churches, Unesco World Heritage sites, and </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px;">hurry-hurry-hurry!</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">, we paused for a day on the Campanian coast, basking in the salt breeze, soaking up the warm sun, and swimming in crystal clear water. Turns out, it was our favorite day of the whole Italian trip." </span><i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/08/swimming-in-bagni-della-regina-giovanna.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-haGHhi9YaTw/VDsONJ_HzSI/AAAAAAAACGs/m6LfPry6OLk/s1600/pompeiifood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-haGHhi9YaTw/VDsONJ_HzSI/AAAAAAAACGs/m6LfPry6OLk/s1600/pompeiifood.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/10/where-to-eat-in-pompeii.html" target="_blank">Where to Eat in Pompeii</a></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"W</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">hether you're planning to visit </span><a href="http://thriftygypsytravels.blogspot.com/2014/08/pompeii-city-frozen-in-time.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;">Pompeii </a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">on a day-trip or </span><a href="http://thriftygypsytravels.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-room-with-view.html" style="background-color: white; color: #33aaff; font-family: Cantarell; font-size: 13.75px; text-decoration: none;">book a hotel</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;"> to stay longer, at some point during your visit, you'll probably need to grab at least one meal. During the two and a half days we spent in Pompeii, we tried out two restaurants, a cafe, and some street food. While most of the eatery choices in close proximity to the ruins are very touristy, some are better than others, and even good restaurants near the ruins may appear deserted for dinner since most tourists visit Pompeii only for the day. Here are our recommendations, ratings, and caveats of available eateries in Pompeii (the ancient ruins) and Pompei (the modern town)..." </span><i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/10/where-to-eat-in-pompeii.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5swagG7sTqQ/VlkNbpQoF6I/AAAAAAAAAFw/xtT2oMJjeT8/s640/pearl%2Bharbor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5swagG7sTqQ/VlkNbpQoF6I/AAAAAAAAAFw/xtT2oMJjeT8/s640/pearl%2Bharbor.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/12/a-visit-to-pearl-harbor-guest-post.html" target="_blank">A Visit to Pearl Harbor [Guest Post]</a></b><br />
"After following the Thrifty Gypsy for some time, I got the travel bug myself. I won’t lie. Seeing someone take the time to experience the world is inspirational, and it made me wish I could, too. In the last 15 months I have taken every opportunity to explore and am glad for it. Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hawaii, a drive north along the east coast, a drive south along the east coast, some local trips mixed in there - I’ve tried to explore and do SOMETHING each month since I came down with this bug..." <i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/12/a-visit-to-pearl-harbor-guest-post.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><b><br /></b>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jFXaedUSTts/U4NbpH6cu0I/AAAAAAAAA0A/7ozA4FoUWaw/s1600/172+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jFXaedUSTts/U4NbpH6cu0I/AAAAAAAAA0A/7ozA4FoUWaw/s1600/172+(5).JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Das Ist Mir Wurst [Or My Love/Hate Relationship with German]</b><br />
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"Q: What do you call a person who speaks <i>three </i>languages?</div>
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A: Trilingual.</div>
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Q: What do you call a person who speaks <i>two</i> languages?</div>
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A: Bilingual.</div>
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Q: What do you call a person who speaks <i>one</i> language?</div>
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A: An <i>American!</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">N</span>ow before you think I missed my calling as a stand-up comedian..." <i style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/05/das-ist-mir-wurst-or-my-lovehate.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i></div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;">Lowlights (Overlooked Posts):</b><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5fL2d3Ba5yw/VjWBRd2migI/AAAAAAAAHJI/FYWGii_d_2s/s640/sticking%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bplan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5fL2d3Ba5yw/VjWBRd2migI/AAAAAAAAHJI/FYWGii_d_2s/s200/sticking%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bplan.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/12/turning-pennies-into-memories-sticking.html" target="_blank">Turning Pennies Into Memories - Sticking to the Plan</a></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"Let's start with a brief recap:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">You've changed your priorities and mindset about spending, choosing to take control of your finances and to dictate where your money goes instead of floundering between pay periods wondering where in the world your income went and how you'll survive until the next paycheck..." </span><i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/12/turning-pennies-into-memories-sticking.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TZH5aaCOqhs/VgSQD78YnUI/AAAAAAAAG-o/g1e7ycDk20k/s640/atlantis%2Bsantorini%2Bgreece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TZH5aaCOqhs/VgSQD78YnUI/AAAAAAAAG-o/g1e7ycDk20k/s640/atlantis%2Bsantorini%2Bgreece.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/11/the-ill-fated-journey-to-atlantis.html" target="_blank">An Ill-Fated Journey to Atlantis</a></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"The lost city of Atlantis may not be quite as lost as you thought. In fact you can visit a ruined city on the Greek island of Santorini (Thira) which may in fact be the fuel for the Atlantis legend. That is, if the public transportation gods of Greece don't thwart your best efforts to see it!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">On our trip to Greece this past spring, Danny and I ventured from our home base of Oia on Santorini to visit the archaeological site of Akrotiri..." </span><br />
<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/11/the-ill-fated-journey-to-atlantis.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lNXMbkOB8zw/VGzBTAEBahI/AAAAAAAACe8/DM2cugYG3r0/s1600/1654159_10102705693456102_1652925006_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lNXMbkOB8zw/VGzBTAEBahI/AAAAAAAACe8/DM2cugYG3r0/s1600/1654159_10102705693456102_1652925006_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/11/thoughts-from-london.html" target="_blank">Thoughts from London</a></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"-Five hour energy shots are worth their weight in gold.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">-The Tube is AMAZING.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">-Apparently 52' with a real feel of 45' makes Londoners break out their shorts, skirts, and fishnets. (Winter heat wave?)</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">-My life is complete now that I've seen the Rosetta Stone & the Sutton Hoo exhibit. Weepy glees.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">-Buying the last minute ticket here was the best decision ever..." </span><i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/11/thoughts-from-london.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LM5-lUjLpV8/U4jgV4aepuI/AAAAAAAAA6o/vLKTdykZbuY/s1600/45874_1479580022965_1113520_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LM5-lUjLpV8/U4jgV4aepuI/AAAAAAAAA6o/vLKTdykZbuY/s1600/45874_1479580022965_1113520_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/05/the-marienberg-fortress-in-wurzburg.html" target="_blank">The Marienberg Fortress in Wurzburg</a></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"Würzburg was one of many places we visited while honeymooning in Germany for 23 days in 2010, and it's a city I would definitely recommend seeing. It's located on the Main River in the northwest corner of Bayern about an hour east of Frankfurt. We spent only the better part of the day there, but managed to see the Residenz, the Marienberg Fortress, the Alte Mainbrücke (the Saints' Bridge), and the Würzburg Cathedral -- arguably the four main attractions of the city!"</span><br />
<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/05/the-marienberg-fortress-in-wurzburg.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WvP6WvKmxMs/UzBg6Xpwl-I/AAAAAAAAAPs/ohkfmG28GjE/s1600/EGYPT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WvP6WvKmxMs/UzBg6Xpwl-I/AAAAAAAAAPs/ohkfmG28GjE/s1600/EGYPT.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/03/flying-isnt-just-for-birds.html" target="_blank">Flying Isn't Just for the Birds</a></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "cantarell"; font-size: 13.75px;">"Airfare. It's the one aspect of traveling that can wreak havoc on any planner's budget, particularly transatlantic or transpacific flights. But instead of dreading the search and purchase of a plane ticket, turn it into a competition with yourself to find the best price possible. The time you spend researching will be well-worth the money you save on the ticket."</span><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2014/03/flying-isnt-just-for-birds.html" target="_blank">Read more.</a></i><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks for sticking with me over the years! If you haven't already, tell me a little about yourself and what corner of the world you call home!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-57753454602897541292017-02-24T08:47:00.000-05:002017-02-24T08:47:11.213-05:00Life, The Universe & Everything<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3xbZshm_Iw/WK85AY-xI7I/AAAAAAAAH40/Z05R-jLxKNIvhSm8fHB7KRL7eHXqUNfhwCLcB/s1600/life%2Blately.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i3xbZshm_Iw/WK85AY-xI7I/AAAAAAAAH40/Z05R-jLxKNIvhSm8fHB7KRL7eHXqUNfhwCLcB/s640/life%2Blately.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
In a world of oversharing, Danny and I have decided to err on the side of caution when it comes to privacy. Sure, we share details about our travel experiences, which oftentimes get personal, but we tend to be mum on our lives outside of that and practice especial care in regards to our little gypsies. Both here on the blog and on our social media, we have a strict no photo policy of our children. You may see a bit of cheek, the back of the head, or cute little toes, but you will not be seeing their faces. While this decision garnered a few teasing comments from family and a few eye rolls from those who didn't fully agree with us, we've been very careful not to share our daughter's name or photo online, no matter how innocuous or well-meaning our intent!<br />
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But it's been a while since I've given a general update on our family, how having an energetic one year old (and another on the way!) impacts our travel plans and travel style, or sharing how we split our budget between exposing our little gypsies to the world and ensuring that they get to enjoy the highlights of their own culture and country when we're at home. In other words, it's time to get a little personal!<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YD88md44Bp0/WK8up_70yVI/AAAAAAAAH4U/wcteqzf5X2IcWl9hiKkw-4TyaIcGQasBQCLcB/s1600/girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YD88md44Bp0/WK8up_70yVI/AAAAAAAAH4U/wcteqzf5X2IcWl9hiKkw-4TyaIcGQasBQCLcB/s320/girl.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Baby Gypsy #2</b></span><br />
This past week we had a small party for <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/01/2017-two-is-better-than-one.html" target="_blank">Baby Gypsy #2</a> (<i>hmmm, I might need to redevelop pseudonyms now that we're having more than one kid!)</i>, and our cupcakes revealed that we are expecting another daughter! Even more importantly, the ultrasound showed that she is developing quite normally, healthily, and energetically as she has plenty of energy to make herself felt through tiny kicks and punches. Seeing her little face on the ultrasound was yet another reminder as to how miraculous a gift life is and that even the unborn can make you fall in love with their personality!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Baby Gypsy #1</span></b><br />
Sometimes I think that we have the Energizer Bunny for a daughter - she never stops moving! So far I've gained very little weight this pregnancy (<i>a blessed relief after gaining </i>so much<i> last time</i>), and I could undoubtedly attribute most of that to the thousands of calories burned chasing a toddler around the universe. Ever since she learned to walk at 10 months old, she has hardly paused since. She particularly loves being outdoors, whether visiting her daddy at the downtown mall in Charlottesville, trotting around <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BQG_tRwAtyV/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Pilot Mountain in North Carolina</a>, or chasing her puppy on her grandparents' hobby farm. Taking her to Germany seems like such a distant memory, and I dearly wish we could put firm plans in place for our return. She would be so much more fun now at this age, although the plane ride would probably be even more of a handful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Skx1wwyhXvk/WK8viVo_9-I/AAAAAAAAH4g/ZKKgVQdYFsshho9295S_dvT4sUMArZEpQCLcB/s1600/20170131_133323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Skx1wwyhXvk/WK8viVo_9-I/AAAAAAAAH4g/ZKKgVQdYFsshho9295S_dvT4sUMArZEpQCLcB/s640/20170131_133323.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Absolutely fascinated by goats. She likes to "woof" at them.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Budgeting for Travel</span></b><br />
Buying a house, having a "hungry hippo" toddler, and throwing the impending arrival of another little girl into the mix can make the budget do back-flips if you're not careful! We still make saving for travel a priority in the midst of life's everyday expenses. We managed to take a long, low-key weekend getaway to Mount Airy, North Carolina, for Danny's birthday (<i>I tend to gift him trips away instead of things</i>), and I still squirrel money away for our next, as-yet-unplanned-and-unbooked return trip to Europe. We've spent the last two World Cup finals in Germany, so we're looking to make it a tradition with a visit in July 2018. Sneak peeks at the general cost of flights in July and realizing how expensive 3-4 plane tickets will be nearly gave me a heart attack, but it'll be <i>so</i> worth it.<br />
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On top of that, I've dedicated $10 a week for a Girls Getaway... in 2023. You may laugh at that far-off date, but I'm completely serious! While we are all busy having babies and raising little ones right now, a few of us are hoping to take a (by then) much needed ladies-only trip somewhere. Maybe the Caribbean. Maybe Croatia. Maybe Spain! In saving $10 a week, by 2023, I'll have $3,120. Not a bad chunk of change!<br />
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Recently, we booked my mother in law's round-trip tickets from Washington D.C. to Frankfurt for a total of $605 - a very, very good price for mid-May (thank you, IcelandAir!). That familiar rush of finding a good deal and dreaming about beloved places abroad has left me feeling a little sad that we likely won't be venturing beyond our state's borders much this year, let alone the country.<br />
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Thankfully, that sadness only lasts until I see a picture of my daughter's face and then I start making plans to take her someplace new a little closer to home. Having kids is hard. Traveling with kids is hard. But I wouldn't change my life for the world. Unless you happen to have a spare million laying around to share!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What's new in your corner of the universe?</span></b></div>
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<br />Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-33439001071700794512017-02-17T08:43:00.000-05:002017-02-17T08:46:31.161-05:00How to Scratch the Travel Itch (When Stuck at Home)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTTGRudIxrE/WJzbY4_4dAI/AAAAAAAAH3k/YbsbFeZXLVM115Rs9ptXMiGNbrIb5z1MQCLcB/s1600/travel%2Bitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TTTGRudIxrE/WJzbY4_4dAI/AAAAAAAAH3k/YbsbFeZXLVM115Rs9ptXMiGNbrIb5z1MQCLcB/s640/travel%2Bitch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You know that feeling when you're driving home on a Friday night after work wishing you were driving to the airport for a weekend getaway? That itchy, <i>have-to-travel</i> compulsion that almost inevitably occurs when your next planned trip is months away? Or worse, not even in the works?<br />
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Yeah, that feeling can sting a little sometimes.<br />
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So what's a girl to do when the travel bug starts itching? I have a few go-to methods that help me travel vicariously when my butt is stuck in central Virginia.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>⇒ Watch a travel show or movie.</b></span><br />
This can be anything from joining <a href="http://www.ricksteves.com/" target="_blank">Rick Steves</a> in Europe, hopping behind Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck on their <i>Roman Holiday</i> scooter, or questing with Frodo and Sam in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> (Can I get a <a href="https://twitter.com/ThriftyGypsy87" target="_blank">#MiddleEarthIsAREALPlace</a> trend going, please?). Movies have the ability to transport you away from reality for a while; why not immerse yourself in another culture to quench your travel thirst?<br />
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<u><b>Recommendations</b></u>: The Amazing Race (tv show), The Sound of Music, The DaVinci Code, Mary Poppins, almost any James Bond movie.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hF5mVNGeGXM/WJzcJX78uAI/AAAAAAAAH3s/UcADwgwHQS4-TJ0tIZJ5BT4Uu018aiFKgCLcB/s1600/roman%2Bholiday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hF5mVNGeGXM/WJzcJX78uAI/AAAAAAAAH3s/UcADwgwHQS4-TJ0tIZJ5BT4Uu018aiFKgCLcB/s400/roman%2Bholiday.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman Holiday, anyone?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>⇒ Stalk your fellow travel bloggers and 'grammers.</b></span><br />
Chances are, one or two of your favorite travel bloggers are currently tripping around the world or are still writing about their recent adventures. Go drool over their photos, laugh at their snafus, and let their travels distract you from your wanderlusting itch. Don't have time to read? Fill your feed with some kick-ass Instagrammers!<br />
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<u><b>Recommendations</b></u>: [<i><b>Blogs</b></i>] <a href="https://www.whatupswags.com/" target="_blank">What Up, Swags?!</a> | <a href="http://www.anestingnomad.com/" target="_blank">A Nesting Nomad</a> | <a href="http://www.meganstarr.com/" target="_blank">Megan C Starr</a> | <a href="http://www.snowintromso.com/" target="_blank">Snow In Tromso</a> | <a href="http://www.embusyliving.com/" target="_blank">Em Busy Living</a> | <a href="http://bbqboy.net/" target="_blank">The Travels of BBQ Boy and Spanky</a> [<i><b>Instagram</b></i>] <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatupswags/" target="_blank">What Up, Swags?!</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/insearchofprettyplaces/" target="_blank">InSearchOfPrettyPlaces </a>| <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thewanderingwife/" target="_blank">The Wandering Wife</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/anestingnomad/" target="_blank">A Nesting Nomad</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/megancstarr/" target="_blank">Megan C Starr</a><br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: 99.375%;">
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLcfTOiAgpM/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Twilight over the Sacré-Cœur. 🗼💒🇫🇷 Preparing my impressions and thoughts about the Basilica for a post set to debut later this week. Spoiler alert: it's a mixed bag. #JeSuisParis #SacreCoeur</a></div>
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A photo posted by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2016-10-12T01:53:49+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 11, 2016 at 6:53pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>You could always just <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thriftygypsytravels/" target="_blank">follow me</a>!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>⇒ Go explore your back yard.</b></span><br />
Have you ever thought about the fact that all those exotic places on your bucket list are someone else's "back yard" and that your own back yard might be on someone else's bucket list?! When traveling far isn't an option, don't overlook the cool places close to home! Make yourself an expert on your city, region, or state.<br />
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<u><b>Recommendations</b></u>: Check out your locality's tourism board for suggestions or use Trip Advisor's "top things to do" for your area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V5bL06Rt9p4/WJzgK7pxzjI/AAAAAAAAH34/8-YYp9SAQFowyW7lg--nqUqBZg5fMYUHQCLcB/s1600/backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V5bL06Rt9p4/WJzgK7pxzjI/AAAAAAAAH34/8-YYp9SAQFowyW7lg--nqUqBZg5fMYUHQCLcB/s400/backyard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The OBX isn't <i>quite</i> my backyard, but it's pretty close!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What are your go-to travel itch distractions when you're stuck at home?</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">***</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-60257817856944640082017-02-09T15:09:00.002-05:002017-02-09T15:23:41.287-05:007 Wineries in 6 Hours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r18qQXqv__I/WJzJCRXg6qI/AAAAAAAAH2s/hVK71TK81S8mXpzzNr-v30YJ3ATTtIMlwCLcB/s1600/wineries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r18qQXqv__I/WJzJCRXg6qI/AAAAAAAAH2s/hVK71TK81S8mXpzzNr-v30YJ3ATTtIMlwCLcB/s640/wineries.jpg" width="584" /></a></div>
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My friend Meghan is a Wine Nazi. And I mean that in the most flattering, complimentary way possible!<br />
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On a cool April day, we three girls - Meghan, my fellow <span id="goog_1186106401"></span><a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/p/252by2022.html" target="_blank">#252by2022</a> challenger Brittany, and myself - piled into the car and headed west for Virginia's wine country. We hoped to visit at least three wineries; we dared to think we may even see four. But seven?! Well, when you have a determined wine fanatic like Meghan at the wheel, all things are possible!*<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cx9OD2O1_rA/WJzJdf64DHI/AAAAAAAAH2w/l6hmkK89gnUuPPrSf8AJREFbWiA2rNXCgCLcB/s1600/hilltop%2Bwinery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cx9OD2O1_rA/WJzJdf64DHI/AAAAAAAAH2w/l6hmkK89gnUuPPrSf8AJREFbWiA2rNXCgCLcB/s200/hilltop%2Bwinery.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Brittany James</td></tr>
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<b>1. Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery</b><br />
As our taste for wine tends to run on the sweeter or less dry side, we were very pleased with a lot of the selections at <a href="http://www.hilltopberrywine.com/" target="_blank">Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery</a> as most are fruit-based wines and meads. My particular favorite was their strawberry "Sweet Vixen" wine, but the Sweet Melon was a close runner-up.<br />
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<b>2. Bold Rock Cidery</b><br />
<a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2015/02/drink-in-scenery-at-bold-rock-cidery.html" target="_blank">Bold Rock</a> is an old favorite of ours as Brittany and I first concocted our #252by2022 challenge after a spontaneous visit to their establishment earlier that spring. The Virginia Apple and Vat No. 1 are our ciders of choice, with the latter resembling more of a champagne than a true cider.<br />
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<b>3. Flying Fox Vineyard</b><br />
The wines of <a href="http://flyingfoxvineyard.com/wines.php" target="_blank">Flying Fox Vineyard</a> suit the palate of dry wine aficionados, of which we are not. However, we found the 2013 Pinot Gris and the White Table Wine to be drinkable** and were pleased that the price for tasting included keeping the stemless wine glass as a souvenir!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q0iALXDPUdU/WJzJqC2barI/AAAAAAAAH20/GIQiZ83RJB0TinYD8Nuv5SXQ8YYcGP04QCLcB/s1600/flying%2Bfox%2Bwinery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q0iALXDPUdU/WJzJqC2barI/AAAAAAAAH20/GIQiZ83RJB0TinYD8Nuv5SXQ8YYcGP04QCLcB/s400/flying%2Bfox%2Bwinery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying Fox Vineyard. (c) Brittany James</td></tr>
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<b>4. Afton Mountain Vineyards</b><br />
With a sign at the front of the property proclaiming that "Grapes Don't Grow in Ugly Places," we had high hopes for beautiful scenery at <a href="http://www.aftonmountainvineyards.com/" target="_blank">Afton Mountain Vineyards</a>, and we were not disappointed! Similar to Flying Fox, Afton has many dry varieties of wine, although there were a few sweeter ones which we fancied, such as the Muscat and Mountain White.<br />
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<b>5. Cardinal Point Winery</b><br />
Folksy, bluegrass music greeted our ears at <a href="http://www.cardinalpointwinery.com/" target="_blank">Cardinal Point Winery</a>'s outdoor porch and patio where we settled down on comfy couches with a glass of 2014 Quattro, a blend with tastes of apple, peach, pear, and, of course, grape. It is slightly drier than my normal wine favorites, but I took a bottle home with me anyway!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHZtJb_EnOY/WJzKdMtWxiI/AAAAAAAAH28/XOYSqIaQthgSqbsbXCcBDsvBU3XMWVy9ACLcB/s1600/veritas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GHZtJb_EnOY/WJzKdMtWxiI/AAAAAAAAH28/XOYSqIaQthgSqbsbXCcBDsvBU3XMWVy9ACLcB/s320/veritas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Is For [Wine] Lovers. <br />
Veritas Vineyard & Winery. (c) Brittany James</td></tr>
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<b>6. Veritas Vineyard & Winery</b><br />
<a href="http://veritaswines.com/" target="_blank">Veritas</a> numbers among the nobility of wineries in the general Charlottesville area. The atmosphere is what I imagine of the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley. Polished. Aristocratic. Aloof. Veritas' wines have a reputation for being solid performers, but my only favorite of the day was their 2013 Rosé, which was light and crisp.<br />
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<b>7. Pollak Vineyards</b><br />
We capped our wine blitz at <a href="http://www.pollakvineyards.com/" target="_blank">Pollak Vineyards</a>, squeaking through the door shortly before their official closing time, but were treated as warmly as if we were the first guests of the day. If the weather hadn't been so depressingly foggy (and it hadn't been so late in the day!), we would've taken advantage of the beautiful patio and scenery around the tasting room. Although Pollak's wines generally run more on the dry side, by this point in the afternoon, I liked almost all of them with the Rosé 2014 (sensing a pattern here?) taking the top spot of the line-up.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you visited any of these wineries in Virginia? What's your all-time favorite wine?</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PU9geu5bh2k/WJzKth9zCuI/AAAAAAAAH3I/a0-uVfOgRlsa2AmQBu5yuMpsX8oFKC9SwCLcB/s1600/pollak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PU9geu5bh2k/WJzKth9zCuI/AAAAAAAAH3I/a0-uVfOgRlsa2AmQBu5yuMpsX8oFKC9SwCLcB/s640/pollak.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pollak Vineyards. <br />
(c) Brittany James</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TCstfiQLuxo/WJzKtivAp0I/AAAAAAAAH3E/ZUFqLaNV5p4SAEswsrex_bkR-i5MGbBowCLcB/s1600/wine%2Bbarrels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TCstfiQLuxo/WJzKtivAp0I/AAAAAAAAH3E/ZUFqLaNV5p4SAEswsrex_bkR-i5MGbBowCLcB/s640/wine%2Bbarrels.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wine barrel art.<br />
(c) Brittany James</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SwRI1RynYj8/WJzLkiXKXyI/AAAAAAAAH3Q/MUYeZLzpJPYyc35pUabffhoiWzYfGOaLgCLcB/s1600/good%2Bfriends%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SwRI1RynYj8/WJzLkiXKXyI/AAAAAAAAH3Q/MUYeZLzpJPYyc35pUabffhoiWzYfGOaLgCLcB/s640/good%2Bfriends%2B2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We four winos!<br />
(c) Brittany James</td></tr>
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<i>* Meghan later went on to visit 8 wineries in 5 hours on a separate occasion. This should be a Guinness Book of World Records title!</i><br />
<i>** For all we know, they could be very good wines, but as we have not yet developed the taste buds for the drier varieties of wine, we can't recommend either way.</i><br />
<i>***All photos were taken by and used with permission of Brittany James. Unauthorized use of these photos, as with any photo on </i>The Thrifty Gypsy's Travels<i>, is strictly prohibited.</i>Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304636801774028050.post-45151357294501442882017-02-06T21:04:00.000-05:002017-02-06T21:04:05.357-05:00Traveling through Taste<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zWpkZGaV5eM/WJkqW9aSN9I/AAAAAAAAH2I/aGRgnc4M8WcY62ZcDsCQobYCM9ww3ljqgCLcB/s1600/travel%2Bthrough%2Btaste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zWpkZGaV5eM/WJkqW9aSN9I/AAAAAAAAH2I/aGRgnc4M8WcY62ZcDsCQobYCM9ww3ljqgCLcB/s640/travel%2Bthrough%2Btaste.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So <a href="http://www.thriftygypsytravels.com/2017/01/a-not-resolution-resolution-for-2017.html" target="_blank">my not-resolution resolution for 2017</a> was to purposefully <i>be present and do</i>, translating into a goal of experiencing at least one new thing for every calendar month. While our wallets recovered from the holidays and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BODNGR4Ang7/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">buying a house</a>, we stayed close to home in January. But my taste buds traveled to the Middle East and Far East, thanks to the variety of restaurants accessible to us!<br />
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My first food foray of the year was at the Afghan Kabob Palace in Charlottesville, Virginia, for a lunch out with the whole office. It was a dream-come-true for the cravings of a pregnant woman! An all-you-can-eat buffet of lamb or chicken curry, manto (beef dumpling), somosas (stuffed pastry shells), eggplant, rice, and other various vegetables served in traditional Afghani spices. It was <i>delicious</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BO2kkVtA0my/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Lamb curry, eggplant, butternut squash, and mixed veggies. YUM! 🍆🍽👌 #Afghan #FoodTravel</a></div>
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A photo posted by Thrifty Gypsy's Travels (@thriftygypsytravels) on <time datetime="2017-01-04T18:34:17+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 4, 2017 at 10:34am PST</time></div>
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My taste was not yet sated for eastern food, though! The following week, I ventured farther east (figuratively, that is) for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPVXA_egb81/?taken-by=thriftygypsytravels" target="_blank">Indian cuisine</a>: chicken marsala on a bed of curried vegetables and rice. I think this baby already has the makings of a transcontinental cuisine connoisseur since most of my cravings lately have been for ethnic food!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What's piqued your taste buds lately?</span></b></div>
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Katrina Elisabethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15083877882755665975noreply@blogger.com0