Year 5, Day 237

After the slowest start of any morning this whole trip (I mean, this IS a vacation), we headed out to the beach around midday today. Yes, we've been to the beach a couple times this week, but this was the first time we went with the intention of setting our stuff down in one spot … Continue reading Year 5, Day 237 →

Year 5, Day 236

We departed Monteverde today and headed back to the coast to the final destination on our Costa Rica trip, but before we settled into the three-hour drive we made one more stop in the mountains, visiting the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens. Our guide Kieron was immensely patient as he explained some of the native fauna to … Continue reading Year 5, Day 236 →

Year 5, Day 235

Today's excursion took us to Selvatura Park, where we had the modest goal of walking a well-defined trail through the jungle and traversing a series of suspension bridges. Our adventure began as you might expect -- in the bathroom, where this happened: ...well...crap. On a mandatory pre-hike potty break, Miles and I literally got locked … Continue reading Year 5, Day 235 →

Year 5, Day 234

We made good on our promise to get Miles to the beach today, and while the drive there was filled with lush, beautiful scenery, Miles instead opted to tool around on his tablet. "Look!" he exclaimed at one point. "I found Blue's Clues!" "You know, buddy, you might want to look out the window," I … Continue reading Year 5, Day 234 →

Year 5, Day 231

Packing for a trip can be a challenging process. With limited space to work with, you have to be very selective about what you bring and what you leave behind. It should be obvious, then, that when asked what he was bringing with him on our trip to Costa Rica, Miles's top two priorities were … Continue reading Year 5, Day 231 →

Year 5, Day 113

We traveled to Raleigh to visit my brother and sister-in-law this weekend, and while Miles was excited to see them, what he was really interested in was seeing their cat. Unfortunately (for Miles, not the cat), we arrived last night to find that their power was out. It didn't really stop him from LOOKING for … Continue reading Year 5, Day 113 →

Year 5, Day 88

Long ago, in the "Before Times" of 2019, I purchased a ticket to attend Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim. Then COVID happened, and the event got kicked out. Tomorrow, I finally fly out to California for four exhausting and fun days of convention-going. Had this event happened as scheduled back in 2020, Miles would have … Continue reading Year 5, Day 88 →

Year 4, Day 171

Vacation is obviously a time for relaxation. ...just look at this kid. But it isn't all fun and games, and Miles was once again put to work this evening. This time, he was tasked with picking peaches, and he executed this zealously, darting around amid showering fruit, wholly unconcerned by the potential for getting beaned … Continue reading Year 4, Day 171 →

Year 4, Day 169

When we started our vacation, Miles was really only aware of one thing: we were going to a farm. That carried certain expectations with it, and today was the day most of those would be satisfied, as Miles was going to get to interact with a variety of animals. Waiting patiently to head out to … Continue reading Year 4, Day 169 →

Year 4, Day 168

Yesterday, we left Charlotte for the first big family trip we've taken in two years, on a two-day drive that would take us first to Maryland then to Princeton, NJ. At the outset of our journey, almost certainly the last time we'll all be smiling in the car on this trip. After what felt like … Continue reading Year 4, Day 168 →