Raise your hand if staying at home has got you dreaming of your next vacation. Did I see your hand go up, too?

Staying at home during this time has not only had me redecorating our house for spring but has also got me flipping through photos on my phone and reminiscing of past trips.

Over the years, we’ve stayed at a couple awesome airbnb houses (we stayed at one in Oahu on our honeymoon and a few in the White Mountains in New Hampshire).  We love to stay at an airbnb whenever possible, especially when the location is nearby.  One of my favorite homes by far that we’ve stayed at is this house in Jackson, New Hampshire. We loved it so much we’ve actually stayed at it twice!

As a way to satisfy that travel itch and perhaps give you a new destination to dream about for your next vacation, I thought it’d be fun to share some photos from our past trip.

Airbnb in the White Mountains

Every year, my husband and I try to plan a weekend getaway to the White Mountains. The mountains are located within driving distance to us from Massachusetts, about 2 in a half hours away, making it the perfect weekending spot. Plus, there is SO much to do there! Hiking (numerous trails), nature walks, picnics, small theme parks great for kids and more.

The house we stay at has a very Scandinavian feel to it making it super cozy. It has two bedrooms, two full baths, laundry and an outdoor area for grilling and relaxing with a glass of wine (and Fleetwood Mac playing in the background, of course).

The second time we stayed here, we brought Sloane with us (she was only 4 months old!). We had so much fun sharing this place with her and watching the sunsets from the deck.

This place was also perfect to stay at with a baby. We set the pack n’ play up in the other bedroom and after she went to sleep, relaxed on the deck some more with our baby monitor beside us.

Until we meet again Jackson! Where are you currently day dreaming about? Is it somewhere you’ve been before or new?

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A week before Sloane made her grand arrival, my husband and I went away on a mini baby moon. A baby moon is a trip or vacation for you and your significant other to spend one on one time before your little one is born. His family treated us to a night away at one of New Hampshire’s most historic hotels, the Bedford Village Inn.

The Apartment Suite at the Bedford Village Inn

The Bedford Village Inn is located about 35-40 minutes driving distance away from our house, which is the perfect distance away when you’re 35 weeks pregnant.  The inn originated as a farmhouse and was built in the early 1800s (read more about the history here). Each room of the hotel, including the lobby and bathrooms, is decorated beautifully with detailed colonial decor.

The Bedford Village Inn is one of Southern New Hampshire’s top rated wedding venues. It has also won numerous awards on The Knot for Best of Weddings. When we checked in to the hotel, we received a surprise complimentary upgrade to their Apartment Suite (complete with jacuzzi tub – a preggo’s dream come true!).

The suite was more than enough room for the two of us (if we had known about the upgrade earlier, we most likely would have booked another night!). Each room was so cozy and really felt like a home away from home. The hotel is located down the road from a local grocery store. We picked up a few items and had ourselves a small “happy hour” back at the suite. Happy hour was made up of cheese, crackers, ginger ale for me and craft beer for him, followed by some much needed R&R.

The Dining Room Restaurant

For dinner, we walked to the Dining Room Restaurant. The steak practically melted in my mouth as did the mashed potatoes and veggies. Wearing jeans and sitting at a nice table at 35 weeks pregnant was really uncomfortable. We retreated back to the suite on the early side to enjoy the rest of the amenities the Bedford Village Inn had to offer (including the jacuzzi tub!).

This Jessica Simpson lace maternity top was one of my favorite date night tops. It made me feel like I was wearing a normal, non-maternity shirt (despite the big baby belly!). I purchased this top on clearance at Motherhood Maternity.

Recently, the only place I have found this shirt online is Poshmark.com. I wore several Jessica Simpson maternity tops when I was pregnant and have nothing but good things to say about the brand. I have linked a very similar style (affiliate link) here (if you decide to give it a try, let me know how it looks!).

Also while we were away, I gave Mike a special dad-to-be present (you can read about it here).

Until Next Time

The next morning we got up and said good-bye to our home away from home. Looking back at our mini baby moon, I am so happy we took the trip when we did. It was nice enjoying a night away just the two of us.

I wish we could have stayed another night at the Bedford Village Inn – I guess we’ll just have to go back again next year!

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If you live in New England, then you’ve certainly noticed that as sunflowers begin to bloom the weather also begins to turn from hot and humid to cool and crisp.  Could this be the reason why sunflowers don’t tend to live very long after they bloom? Maybe.

Sunflowers typically bloom in early September and are gone within 2 weeks. Sadly, my husband and I once started the trip to Colby farm before only to find out mid-way that we were too late. This year was different though! I made it to the field with one of my best friends, both of us with camera bags in tow. 

Colby Farm Sunflower Field Photos

I was 12 weeks pregnant with my daughter when we went, so naturally we needed to take some cute baby bump photos! I am so thankful we were able to capture these special moments from early pregnancy with my first baby.

Dress: Francesca’s.

Overall, we really couldn’t have chosen a more perfect time of day to visit the field and I’m thankful my friend was able to capture some great maternity shots along the way.

Visit Colby Farm 

If you’re in Massachusetts next fall, visit Colby Farmstand at 50 Scotland Rd, Newbury, MA 01951. It’s the perfect location to spend a morning or afternoon with family. But, be sure to charge your camera, cellphones and other devices before you go so you can capture as many photos of the sunflower fields as you like. You won’t be disappointed!

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Here are some other New England travel posts you may enjoy:

• DJ Hussey Christmas Tree Farm
• Airbnb White Mountains Escape in Jackson, NH
• Bedford Village Inn

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I have always wanted to believe that somehow, someway, time travel really does exist.

THE HOUSE IN THE HAMPTONS

We visited my uncle a few weekends ago and stayed in the house in the Hamptons. It’s not your ordinary house; in fact, it’s more like five unordinary houses tied beneath one ceiling. Its wooden floors are old and painted with a soft shade of cream and white evenly spaced into a diamond pattern; its hallways are long, quiet and filled with small pockets and corners just barely visible to the eye; and its bathrooms are bright, white and lace, channeling a time period far away from the one we are in.

The house is outlined by beautiful trees and gardens. Sunflower stalks rise up to the sky near the green house and rest gently against the shingles.It made me feel peaceful being away with my family in that house.  For a few days, it allowed me to forget about the now and to try to find my way to then. I’m thankful I got to spend time with my uncle, he is always a breath of fresh air to be around and to talk to.

The house in the Hamptons is a place; its a time frame; its an experience that I will never forget. It’s not everyday we can escape from our realities and 9 to 5 jobs and wake up in the 1900s, and subsequently it’s not everyday that we need to.

Sometimes it’s just nice to know that its possible. In other words, I guess its just nice to know that time travel really does exist.

Where do you go to escape?

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If I had known how windy it was going to be that day at the lighthouse, I would have chosen a more casual ensemble to wear and would have been able to climb up to the top of the lighthouse – without fear of flashing all of the tourists below!

Are you familiar with Montauk Point Lighthouse and have you ever been to the top?

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When I hear the phrase wine country, my mind automatically thinks “Napa Valley”.  Subsequently, it also thinks “West Coast” because Napa Valley is located in California. Sadly, I’m in Massachusetts; roughly 2,600 miles away. So it’s safe to assume that taking a quick weekend trip to Napa is completely of out of my reach (my vacation time is pretty scarce right now, I used most of it up when we went to Washington D.C.). Thankfully, Napa isn’t the only place to visit to try great wine! That’s right, east coasters’, I give to you Long Island Wine Country.

Yes, Long Island is also home to several great vineyards. How awesome (and convenient) is that? On our last day there, we decided to get up early and stop at a few vineyards along the way back to Orient Point before catching the ferry home.

PELLEGRINI VINEYARDS

The second vineyard we stopped at was Pellegrini Vineyards.  This was one of the best times we had during our trip and, it was some of the most delicious wine we had – I left with two bottles

POUR AND PEDAL

A cool activity we discovered that’s offered throughout wine country is called Pour and Pedal. Pour and Pedal is a bike riding excursion that takes you biking through Long Island Wine Country, stopping at a bunch of historic landmarks and vineyards throughout the day. From reading more about it on their website, it looks like it offers quite the unique way of touring and experiencing the vineyards (we had never heard of it until we saw a tour group stopped at Pellegrini!).

It’s offered in a few locations in Long Island, New York and New Jersey (if you’re interested in signing up for a tour, visit their website here). Next time we come back to the Hampton’s, Mike will be able to join us and we’re definitely giving this excursion a try!

WINE TASTING

The three of us signed up for the tasting and were able to take our pick of any four wines we wanted to try, one being a complimentary glass of their Merlot blend which we each tasted and loved. Stopping at Pellegrini for a tasting was the perfect end to a great weekend away with my family. Cheers to my parents for letting me tag along!

Do you love wine? Have you ever been to Long Island Wine Country?

Shared with: Treat Yo’ Self and Little Friday.

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My dad is from Long Island; he was born and raised there and, when he talks sometimes, you can still hear a hint of that Long Island- New York accent in his voice. When I was very little, we used to take trips down to Long Island to visit my Grandparents before they eventually moved to upstate New York.  Now that my Uncle lives there, my parents have been making a point to get down there at least once every summer to spend time with him and to stop by my dad’s old stomping grounds when they get the chance.

Taking the ferry was a nice way to break-up the travel time of the trip for our family. Instead of driving the whole way there, we were able to sit back, relax, catch a quick tan and enjoy the views of the ocean!

Have you ever been to the Long Island Sound?

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When your parents ask you if you want to accompany them to visit your Uncle’s house in the Hamptons for the weekend…you don’t ask questions, you just go.

This was my life last Friday; no work, no computer, the sun in the sky and the sand under my toes. It was the most relaxing weekend I have had in a long time. Not to mention it was one of the first times in a long time that I had a mini-vacation away with just my parents and me. Laying out in the sun on one of the most beautiful beaches in East Hampton is an experience I hope you all get to have.

Take a look for yourself!

My mom is one of my best friends; we talk almost everyday (whether it’s speaking on the phone or in text) and we have a very open relationship, which I love.  I’ve always been able to tell her anything that’s going on in my life, like things that make me happy or things that make me sad, and even things that I may have done wrong. Regardless of the subject and whether or not its something she actually needs to know,  she’s always been there and willing to listen to me and offer her opinion when I need it. So spending the afternoon with her on the beach was a lot of fun for both of us. Especially the few times when I passed my camera over to her  

The beach wasn’t our only adventure of the weekend; Montauk Point Lighthouse, Pellegrini Vineyards, the Cross Sound Ferry and stopping at “The Big Duck” are all moments that I plan to share with you.

P.S. I want to thank EVERYONE who entered in my One Year Blogiversary giveaway! 8 winners have been chosen and will be e-mailed within the next day with a special code to redeem their prize. I can’t wait to meet my new sponsors and start working together!

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Since I’m still recovering from my long weekend in Kansas City (and my brain is outright with focusing on our big move this weekend), I’m going to keep the narrative short and sweet and let the “lights and sounds” below speak for themselves.

Enjoy!

LINCOLN MEMORIAL

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL

The World War II Memorial was breathtaking.  I posted photos of this memorial earlier this month on the Fourth of July (I also added a fun photo of me holding the Washington Monument in this post, check it out if you don’t believe me).

THE WHITE HOUSE

 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

That’s an elephant’s left hind leg standing next to Mike. Just an FYI, Mike’s a little over 6 feet tall…if that doesn’t put the actual size of an elephant into perspective for you then I don’t know what would!

The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat diamond that is currently on display in the museum.  It’s GORGEOUS.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

On our second full day in D.C., we decided to take a little break from the National Mall by visiting the animals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.  The zoo was awesome and only a cab ride away from the National Mall which made it very easy to head back to the mall when we were ready.

Our next stop at the mall was the National Gallery of Art. Understandably, I was only allowed to take photos of a few of the exhibits, which was unfortunate because there were a few modern art pieces in the museum that I really enjoyed. Thankfully, I was able to capture a few of one of my favorite artists from the Impressionist period; Claude Monet.  Halfway through the art gallery, I let Mike take the reins over the camera.

Above is one of the photos he took.  The expression on the statue’s face seemed to be a real focal point for my fiance, couldn’t quite tell you why, but it kept him laughing for days (he’ll also be happy to know that his work of art made the blog).

Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? What was your favorite museum or memorial? 

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The Smithsonian Zoo is massive, it is sectioned off into various trails and pathways that lead to the different genres of animals that live there. It was SO hard to choose which trail to go down first, I just wanted to see everything. All at once.

Like good tourists, we grabbed a map of the Zoo and made great use of the giant signs and maps located around the park.

I admired the elephants for the longest time. They were so full of personality and I enjoyed watching them walk closer to us to see who we were, as if we were on exhibit too. Although I know these animals are treated well at the Zoo, part of me always can’t help but feel bad for them.Mike had to practice the art of persuasion to finally get me away from the elephants and onto the next group of animals.

It seemed like the lion cubs were posing for us!

The rainforest exhibit (below) was my second favorite to walk through because you were able to be up close and personal with the animals. They roam freely in the exhibit (you can’t touch them of course, but it feels like you’re in the wild with them!).

This monkey. Can’t even (Ashley, I hope this photograph makes you die laughing as much as it makes me. I took it with you in mind!).

I loved the Zoo and encourage you to visit if you are ever in Washington D.C. – it takes a lot of walking to get around the park, but its 100% worth it.

What’s your favorite Zoo animal?! 

Shared with: Travel Tuesday.

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