City Vacation, Saltwater Sailing (part 2)

This is part 2 of a two part blog post.  Click here for Part 1.

To finish off our mini getaway to a little city, Chris and I took our boys on a sailboat tour on the Great Salt Lake!  Before our vacation, I did a lot of THINKING of what activities our family could do in Salt Lake that were unique to that area.  I wanted our boys to learn more about the actual Salt Lake and to fully experience it so I did some research and discovered The Great Salt Lake Experience Sailboat Lessons and Tours.

Giant white sails

wind at our backs

compass and directions

safety orange rafts and nautical bags

ropes and blue skies

A Day of Sailing!

That morning all of us were super excited to get out on the water:
packed, cozy, and ready to set sail!





 We even brought along our monogrammed nautical bag with rope handles. :)

The boys were ALL SMILES as soon as we made our way into the endless blue water.

The powerful mountains above the strong shifting waters were breathtaking.

I am always excited to TEACH our family at every opportunity.  I believe that we can learn all through life, not just in a schoolroom.  It is exciting to use events in our daily lives as chances to LEARN and DISCOVER!  A sailboat tour and lesson was the ideal time to soak up some new knowledge!

We were able to learn and be sailors for a day.

We learned a completely new vocabulary!  And no, it wasn't swearing like a sailor... Our captain taught us different nautical terms to use when sailing and what they mean.  I got confused instantly but it was all so fascinating to watch and learn!

Captain JR.

 I hope my boys always have a heightened awareness for the opportunities to learn, while still enjoying life's pleasures.



Square knots, slip knots, all sorts of knots to twist on ropes if you live the life of a sailor!
Boys and knots are a healthy combination!


We learned that when there are a lot of waves, the water is referred to as "lumpy".  Aww, I kind of like that term... it's cute...lumpy water. ;)

It was a little lumpy out on our sail!

A sailboat is actually a beautiful thing.  It moves across the vast waters, powered by the elements of nature.  It was mesmerizing to watch the oversized sails fill with air and whip it out.  The sails do a majestic but speedy dance with the wind. 

 The Great Salt Lake is home to millions of birds!

Being on the fresh saltwater brought a new calm to my often too hurried life. 

This day out gave us all a chance to be still on the moving water, TOGETHER as a team, and to remember that even though we are reaching a life stage where each of us goes in different various directions, that is it valuable to pause life and to celebrate our family, our team, US...together. 

My nautical loves

 I adore those inquisitive tea cup blue and hazel eyes on my boys with their blond hair framing perfect smiles.  And I need the strong arms of my husband that hold me and let me know that I'm never alone.  We spend money on life experiences and it is worth it.  Paying for moments is worth far more than paying for material things.  We don't own a flatscreen tv but we've invested in our fair share of adventures.  I would pay each dollar, a thousand times over, just to spend those minutes again with the ones who make my heart full. 

And so, 

we snatch those minutes in time, 

run away

and together we

sail away,

sail away,

sail away

from the noise of daily life and find ourselves captivated by our little-big world.  

The beauty is always there, 

but silly humans, 

we forget to stop, 

we forget to steal our families away...

to sail away and discover it!

To see tips on planning a downtown city vacation and for more details on this vacation, 
please read part 1.

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This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Celebrations at Home,Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave  Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design   

Downtown City vacation DAYS! (part 1)

 In mid April, our family took a springtime city getaway.  I wanted to post this during the appropriate season, in full spring, when hoodies shelter us from the departing cold breeze of winter and when the soft sunshine warms us only for a few moments when we stand directly under the rays!  But the calendar has flipped to June and I'm just now sharing our vacation! It's been "one of those days, weeks, months".

 We traveled to the SIGNATURE family friendly city: Salt Lake City, Utah! I wanted to visit Thanksgiving Point during their Tulip Festival.

Can you see why?  

Glowing magic of springtime flowers

Springtime dances with the expectation of new color and warmth, giving us a peek-a-boo into the happy upcoming months!  One of my most-loved qualities of the spring season are bulbs! Delicate tulips are...,yes gorgeous, that's the word.

The gardens at Thanksgiving Point had over 250 thousand (!!!) tulip blooms. 

We each got our hands stamped with tulips, then we were off to count all the varieties of tulips.

Walking through the endless green hills was truly a dream.  When I was a little girl and I would squeeze my eyes shut and hope for "sweet dreams" at night, I would lie in bed and out of the darkness envision miles of beautiful gardens just like the gardens at Thanksgiving Point.  

 Flower Rainbows at every turn...

 Posing for a picture super fast so they could flop down and roll down the hills!



How tempting are rolling hills of green grass?
They rolled, and rolled, and rolled.  These green hills rolled out forever! 



 Okay, I had to try it too.  And that decision left me dizzy for the.rest.of.the.day.  I just stuck to the ground at the bottom as the entire world spun above me and I saw fuzzy blond heads bopping down the hill calling my name and my extra sweet husband laughing from the top. 

Then the boys ran up and pushed repeat again and again. I just played it safe and took pictures, as usual. 

 

After leaving the gardens, we went to the farm country at Thanksgiving Point.  I've never wanted to be a country farmer, but it does have its charm...from a distance. ;)

 

To my boys, 
If you become farmers when you grow up please bring me baskets of fresh produce & please scrub with lots of soap before hugging me.
Love,
Mama

When evening rushed into us, we finished out our day at Thanksgiving Point in the Ancient Life Museum.  Because I have a household of boys, this place was a hit.  I prefer shopping, but I won't complain...this time.

My big husband isn't so big after all.



The boys spent SO MUCH TIME playing in the dirt, building dino-land stuff.

A little bit of learning along the way...

Before leaving, the boys got to pick out fun treats as souvenirs!

While vacationing in cities, I PREFER to find the hidden jewels for our night's stay.  It's more exciting to have a memorable, unique hotel, then a cookie-cutter room that you can find anywhere.  I was very happy with discovering Hotel Monoco in Salt Lake City downtown! It had all the personality and all the charm!

The boys trying to spot our room.

The Hotel Monoco is French inspired, infused with modern fun.

Our rooms were appointed with slices of royal blues, reds, and deep purples, with unique lighting and princess beds. 

Whenever we travel, the boys always race into the room and collect the complimentary pens and paper pads.  Titus found it first and excitedly put them in his suitcase.  Well, Kotah was entirely disappointe that he missed out.  Soooo, without a word, Titus quietly wrote Kotah a note on the pad and put the pen and paper on his bed as a gift since Kotah was sad.  (love those boys!)

Titus in our room, in the middle of downtown SLC!

Digging in their resort bags before bed to find their travel treasures! 

Chris and I managed to get a date night in while in the city! Bambara is an upscale restaurant downtown and the food is truly exquisite!

 It far exceeded our expectations.  Every bite was incredible!

One of our family's favorite pastimes is discovering different cities.  Every city is it's own unique mini culture!  For recreation, we take getaways to various downtowns and dig into the heart of that city.  Salt Lake is a small, peaceful city that shines on families.  We visited museums, walked the streets to see the historic architecture, and found the BEST places to dine!

Planetarium downtown

 

Peaceful city Sugarhouse Park with the incredible mountains as a backdrop!

Red Iguana! If you visit Salt Lake, you must eat here for Mexican food that will rock your world. 



City fountains in perfect downtown shopping plazas.  And yes, we touched the water.  It's irresistible.

While shopping we found Bear County Cookies! They even use whole wheat flour and these cookies are better than an ice cream cone...for sure.

Next time you have a pair of days set aside to relax with family, 

try making a quick road trip to a nearby city!

 More travel blog posts, click below: 

FAMILY VACATION TRAVEL TIPS

WHERE TO EAT WHEN ON VACATION

I will share our sailboat tour (part 2) of our SLC getaway soon.

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This post is linked to:   Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Celebrations at Home,Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave  Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design