Travel

I have traveled what I think is an insane amount this past year. Below are the places I remember traveling to. I went to many of these places 2, 3, or 4 times. I think I have them all listed. The list, pictures and descriptions of the trips make this a LONG post so it's a good thing no one is forcing you to read everything. I wrote most of this quite a while ago because I was going to make a scrapbook page on this but it's hard to fit all the journaling on a two page spread :)

My year's travel list:

1. Anaheim, California – We went for the Craft and Hobby Show (CHA). We hit Disneyland with the kids too. My mother-in-law Linda went with us and watched the kids while Keith and I worked. Keith and I did get time at Disneyland too though. Megan’s highlight was getting kissed by Ariel. Luke’s favorite ride was Space Mountain and he also loved Splash Mountain. Megan says she loved Space Mountain but wouldn’t ride it a second time. I’m glad she tried it once though and had a positive experience. My friends Amy Herzog, Alisha Shaw and Katja Kromann all helped at the show.
2. Portland, Oregon – I went for a scrapbook show. I was only there one night and had no time to do anything but I did get to see Mount Hood from the air. That was GREAT! I shared a room with my sister Angie and friend Amy Herzog (as well as Angie's baby Autumn). It was fun to be with them and laugh the night away.
3. Las Vegas, Nevada – I went for a Photography trade show (PMA). Met up with some friends there including Kelly Lautenbach, Alisha Shaw, Susie Carlson and Jessie Baldwin. We had a lot of fun when we weren't working.
4. Dallas, Texas –I went twice for meetings at Michaels corporate headquarters. I never have much time on these trips but I did drive downtown twice. The downtown Dallas Skyline is amazing. What a beautiful city.
5. Fort Worth, Texas – On one of my two Dallas trips I went to Fort Worth and stopped at the Fort Worth Stockyards. I loved that place! Shoot, my sister Angie and her family just got back from Dallas and I forgot to tell them to go here. While I was there I wished so bad I could bring my kids there. It was so much fun. It’s such a great historic cowboy place with a steam engine that pulls through, fun shops, cattle drives, etc. This was definitely a highlight in my travels. I had a sarsparilla in a saloon looking cafe. Fun.
6. Mansfield, Texas – I stayed with my aunt Andi on one of my trips to Dallas. Mansfield is a nice city with huge High School football stadiums and giant Christian churches. I really had fun looking around and loved staying with my aunt and her family. I’ve always wanted to so I’m glad I finally had the chance.
7. Cleveland, Ohio – I went here to tape for a PBS Scrapbook show called “Scrapbook Memories”. When I walked into the studio one of the first people I saw was my friend Dana Smith. I had no idea she would be there. It was really fun to travel across the country and run into a friend.
8. New York, New York – I went here three times. First, for a press conference at the Roosevelt Hotel, for a show I was participating in called Digital Life. On this trip I had a couple hours to tour the city so I walked around and found Central Park. It is such an incredible park. I had no idea. I kept walking and stumbled on Times Square where I saw a tour bus. I jumped on, not knowing what a “duck tour” was. All of the sudden they literally drove us into the Hudson River. I thought it was hilarious that I had no clue that’s what we would be doing! I saw the Statue of Liberty from a great distance on the river which was fun. The second time I went to NYC I drove myself there from Philadelphia. My plan was to fly to NY from Ohio but I got an opportunity to meet with QVC in Philadelphia so I quickly got a last minute ticket to Philly then rented a car and drove to NY for the Digital Life show. I felt so empowered driving there by myself. I was a little nervous to drive in the city especially since I got there right as it was getting dark but I made it to my destination just fine. I stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square with my friend Danielle Catalano Titus (she is the one who has designed most of my CDs). It was great. The third trip to NYC I also drove from Philly. This time I went to meet with Canon in Long Island. All I did was drive there and around a tiny bit but I did get to see the Statue of Liberty much closer this time as well as some fun bridges including a really cool architectural piece at the beginning of the Manhattan Bridge. I think I drove through China Town too.
9. Cherry Hill, New Jersey – For a meeting with Cherry Hill Photo
10. East Brunswick, New Jersey – On my first drive to NYC I was THRILLED to see signs for East Brunswick. This is the main area my mom lived when she was growing up. I called my Grandma Park and my mom to share my excitement with them. I’m so glad I got to talk to my grandma that day. On my second drive to NYC I actually made time to stop in East Brunswick. I went to my mom’s old house and took pictures, and then I went to Rutgers College where my Grandpa Park used to teach. I called him while I was there and tried to find the office he worked in. We couldn’t figure it out on the phone but when I got home we realized I was parked next to it while we were talking. Ha ha.
11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – I went here three times to meet with QVC. On the first trip I got to have lunch with my friend Lynette Wilkins (Bruce’s sister). On the third trip I got to spend time with my friend Amy Sullivan. We spent time downtown at the historic sites. We (at least I) had a great time talking. We tried to be serious and learn about history but we just had too much fun talking. Both Amy and Lynette live in or near Philly although Lynette just moved. The second trip I spent by myself. I really needed some alone time and I loved every minute.
12. West Chester, Pennsylvania – This is where QVC is. It looks like a really nice place to live.
13. Delaware – Ha! It kind of doesn’t count to say I’ve “been” to Delaware. I just drove through to say I’d been there.
14. Rosemont, Illinois – Every year for the past few years I go to a Craft and Hobby show (CHA) here.
15. Chicago, Illinois – This year I took Becky Lloyd, Brianne Judy and my sister Erin to work the CHA show with me. We went to Chicago one night to see the Broadway play Wicked. We also took (my favorite) boat tour through the city and went to the John Hancock building to over look the city. There is a bar/restaurant on the ?? floor that has more spectacular views than the Sears tower. The views from the women’s bathroom (seriously) are out of this world!!! I highly recommend going there. We didn’t even eat there. We just went up to the bathroom. Ha ha.
16. Idaho Falls, Idaho – I went here for another scrapbook show. It was fun because I took my kids and Erin and Becky. Erin and Becky did most of the work at the show and I played with my kids. We met up with my friend Mindy Bush and her family while we were there too. I love Mindy and her family is great. Luke’s favorite part was stopping at the Lava fields. We also stopped at Bear World. That was fun.
17. Miami, Florida – We went to Miami to get on our cruise ship. My parents took the entire family on a cruise (THANKS Mom and Dad)! The night before our cruise I really wanted to go to Miami Beach but we decided to just go somewhere closer. We went to a shopping center called “Bayside”. It was a real treat to shop there because it was absolutely gorgeous. We took a cab there and Megan sang her ABC’s really loud for the taxi driver. Ha ha. It was sooo funny.
18. Cozumel, Mexico – We stopped here on our cruise. My mom kept the kids on the boat while we dove with Liquid Blue Divers. Thanks Mom!
19. Ocho Rios, Jamaica – Keith, Luke, Megan and I got off the cruise ship and hired a driver to take us around. It was really great to be able to see the city but it was disappointing because the time was just too short to do anything. We were grateful for the opportunity to show Luke how poor some of the people are there. We made sure to point out some of the poorest areas in hopes he could understand how much he has.
20. George Town, Grand Cayman - Another stop on our cruise. Keith wasn’t feeling well but insisted on keeping the kids with him on the ship while I went diving with my family. I tried to take some underwater pictures with my dad’s camera but failed miserably. It’s going to take a lot of practice to get good at that.
21. Labadee, Haiti – This was actually our first port on the cruise. It was AMAZING here! It’s a private beach for Royal Caribbean. Absolutely gorgeous! We spent most of our time swimming in the bay. Everyone had a blast. My favorite part was floating on a mat in the ocean. Aaaahhhh! I could do that EVERY DAY!
22. St. George, Utah - I went to St. George three times last fall to teach classes and a forth time for a scrapbook show. The kids went each time and we always had fun swimming. One time my mother-in-law, Linda went with us. That was the best trip.

More pictures to come. Well... maybe.