Tracking Your Family's Travels - Part 2

At the beginning of each new year, we always look forward to planning this year's family vaction. And it's always fun to look back on some of the trips you've taken before. Spending time with family is one of the things I'm most grateful for, and I'm hopeful that tracking our travels has become a tradition that my children will cherish for years to come.

We track our family's travels on a map, and I wanted to check in with you guys again to provide an update to this original post from 2014 (when our family had visited 8 states in 8 years). Where's our family on our journey now, and how many states have we visited so far? Let's have a looksee!

18 States in 17 Years

Aidyn (our oldest son) is the real history lover in our family. Because he loves history and geography so much, we continue to visit different states and explore the historical sites they offer. As a reminder, when we started tracking our family's travels, we decided to only track visits to states since we had the boys. So we have not included on our lists (or on the map) any states Ryan and I have visited without them.

9.  Georgia

We visited Atlanta, Georgia for Spring Break in 2015. While we were there, we saw the World of Coca Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Legoland, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Centennial Olympic Park, Zoo Atlanta, and did a quick side trip to Stone Mountain Park. At the time, Aidyn had a broken collarbone, but having his arm in a sling didn't really slow him down one bit! Lots of fun things to do with kids in Atlanta, Georgia. You can read about all of the details of the Georgia trip here.

10. Hawaii

We took the boys to Hawaii in 2019 to celebrate our 20th anniversary. (Ryan and I had been before the boys were born, and this was our chance to visit again and show them this beautiful state.) While we were there, we visited Pearl Harbor on Oahu and then spent the rest of the trip on Maui, seeing the sun rise at the top of Haleakela, traveling the Road to Hana, enjoying the beautiful blue water of the Pacific Ocean, attending the Old Lahaina Luau, and visiting the Nakalele Blowhole and Heart Shaped Rock.

11. California

In 2021, once Covid travel restrictions were starting to be lifted, we road tripped through California. We flew into San Francisco and out of San Diego, visiting the Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, USS Hornet Museum, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Park, Disneyland, and San Diego Zoo along the way. You can read about all of the details of the California trip here.

12. Nevada

In 2022, we planned a road trip vacation through several states. You can read the details of our 8-Day Southwest Road Trip here. The vacation started with flying into Las Vegas, Nevada. While we were there, we visited the Neon Museum, attended a Piff the Magic Dragon show, visited many of the hotels on the strip, and ate great food. Once we checked out of our hotel, we drove to the next location . . . 

13. Arizona

On the border of Arizona and Nevada, is the Hoover Dam. When we were done with the tour, we headed to the next location on our multi-state road trip. . . the Grand Canyon. At the Grand Canyon, we rode mules around the North Rim and took in spectacular views.

14. Utah & New Mexico

Our next stop on our 2022 road trip was a "photo stop." We had a specific destination in mind . . . Four Corners Monument. This is the only area in the United States where four states meet in one spot. Those states are Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. We were driving right through this area to get to our next destination, so we decided to stop for a photo op. Even though this wasn't a proper visit for either of these states, this is a fun attraction that we specifically added to our travel itinerary before heading to our next destination.

15. Colorado

Colorado was the final destination on our 2022 trip. And what a way to end our trip! While we were there, we visited many beautiful places, including Mesa Verde, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, Pike's Peak, Royal Gorge, and Denver. Lots of fun things to do with kids in Colorado!

16. South Dakota

In 2023, we planned a road trip vacation through several states. You can read the details of our 9-Day Western States Road Trip here. The vacation started with flying into Rapid City, South Dakota. While we were there, we visited Mt. Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Wall Drug, Crazy Horse Memorial, the geographic center of the US and lots of fun stops in between!

17. Montana

As we continued our trip, we drove through Montana. Our purpose was to break up a very long drive, and along the way we were able to stop at Little Bighorn National Monument. This is a great activity to stop at while driving between Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park and routes you through the north entrance of the park at the historic Roosevelt Arch.

18. Wyoming

Wyoming was the final destination of our 2023 trip. While we were there, we visited many beautiful places, including Devils Tower National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, and Grand Teton National Park. 

18 States Plus LOTS of Repeat Visits!

Of course, we have our favorite destinations that we visit time and again between visits to new places. Does that slow down our progress of "visiting all the states"? Sure does! Here are the states (and sometimes even the same locations within those states) that we've visited more than once since that first post in 2014 about tracking our family's travels:

• Florida (Disney World, Universal Studios, Amelia Island, Kennedy Space Center)
• Georgia (Atlanta)
• North Carolina (Emerald Isle, West Jefferson, Sunset Beach, Boone, Holden Beach, Oak Island)
• Ohio (Chagrin Falls, Solon, Cleveland)
• South Carolina (Folly Beach, Charleston)
• Virginia (Hot Springs)
• Tennessee (Pigeon Forge, Knoxville, Franklin)
• Washington, DC
  
  

Do We Still Track Our Family Travels on "The Map"?

Absolutely! It's fun to plan out your vacation, search for the places you'll visit on the map, and stick in the pins to keep track of where you've visited. The same map that I originally wrote about hangs in our living room, and we've used up the stash of pins that came with it. You can buy replacement map pins so that you can keep marking your travels. You can find similar maps here. We've got a lot more traveling to do!

Whatever Happened to Your Traveling T-Shirt?

As a follow-up to this post, I thought I'd show you guys that I'm still traveling with Daddy's Marine Corps T-shirt! (Make sure to read the original post to learn about the origins of the shirt and why I started traveling with it.)

Here are a few more photos of me with the shirt. Why do I make sure that Ryan is wearing an Army T-shirt when I'm wearing Daddy's Marine Corps T-shirt? Well, in case anyone says, "thank you for your service," it's so much easier if Ryan is around to field that one since he actually served in the Army and I'm just wearing a shirt.

Pigeon Forge (TN) 2014

Pearl Harbor (HI) 2019

USS Hornet (CA) 2021

Garden of the Gods (CO) 2022

South Dakota Air & Space Museum (SD) 2023

So that's the update! I love documenting our travels on the map. It's actually adds to the fun of traveling and is a great way to see where you've been at a glance. 

We're already planning our trip for this summer - so we'll be adding more pins before you know it! Hope this post has inspired you to start tracking your family's travels too.

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How to Upcycle Your Photo Christmas Cards into a Valentine's Day Banner

As I started taking down the Christmas decorations and storing them for next year,  I thought maybe I could find a way to upcycle my Christmas cards from this year.  I decided to use them to make a Valentine's Day banner.  This turned out to be such a fun and easy project!  And I think you will like it too!  What better way to enter the season of love than to be surrounded by photos of friends and family!

Here's a list of the materials I used to make this Valentine's banner: 

• Photo Christmas Cards
• Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter (or stencil)
• Marker or Pen
• Scissors
• Hole Punch
• Twine or Ribbon

Step 1:  Sort your Christmas cards.  I had A LOT of photo cards, but a handful of other cards too.  I only used the photo cards for this project.  I sorted all others into a separate pile to be stored for Christmas crafts next year.  

Step 2: Use your heart shaped cookie cutter or stencil to trace a heart around the picture you want to feature on your banner.  Some cards only have one photo and some have lots.  I positioned my cookie cutter a few times before deciding which photos to use for my banner.  Depending on the layout of the card you are using, you may need to rotate your stencil slightly to get the desired image inside your heart. 

Step 3: Once you have all your hearts drawn, carefully cut them out. 

Step 4:  Using your hole punch, punch two holes in the top of each heart shape.  Be careful not to punch too close to the edge of your heart or over anything (or anyone) important!

Step 5:  Finally, use your twine or ribbon to string your hearts together.  Your banner is complete and ready to display!

I love how this little banner turned out!  And I hope you will give it a try too!

Make sure you check out these other Harris Sisters blog posts for ideas on how to decorate for Valentine's Day:

• How to transform your Christmas Tree into a Valentine's Tree
• O Valentine Tree! O Valentine Tree! (vintage Disney cards on an aluminum tree)
• A Valentine-y Kitchen Tour
• Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
• Pink Depression Glass

Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2023

It's Christmas Eve, and while you're waiting on Santa Claus, you know you can count on The Harris Sisters to deliver our annual 2023 year-in-review in the form of a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas parody (directly to you via social media so there's still room in your stocking for other goodies).

For new readers, this is a Harris Family tradition that dates back to the "late 1900s" as the kids would say (before technology like computers, and blogs, and social media, and the interwebs). The original Harris Family Christmas parodies were handwritten by putting pencil to paper while sitting at the kitchen bar on Christmas Eve night.

We always enjoy looking back and sharing the best parts of our year with you, parody-style. We hope that you enjoyed keeping up to date with us throughout the year on our our blog and on social media.

'Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2023

'Twas the site by three sisters, Twenty Twenty-Three

We started off the year by spilling the tea;

We brought you a menu and decor ideas right away,

To host your very own Spring Soiree.

As April rolled around, we joined the craze,

Keeping up-to-date with the trends always!

We showed you how to Create Your Own Barbie Meme

In three easy steps (nothing extreme).

And then in September, we shared apple recipes,

Just like our good friend, ol' Johnny Appleseed.

More rapid than eagles, these recipes we named,

And we mixed, and stirred, and shared them again!

"Now, APPLESAUCE! now, APPLE BUTTER! now, CAKE and JAM!

On, BAKED APPLES! On, FRENCH TOAST! On, JELLY! OH, MAN!

From our kitchen to yours, the best recipes for fall.

The Harris Sisters really know some good recipes, ya’ll! 

And then in December, we threw a big bash,

Our Carolina Christmas Party - it was a real smash!

In the wink of an eye, it’s easy to plan,

Hometown Christmas fun for the fam. 

And as yet another year departs,

We wanted to tell you we appreciate you, Dear hearts!

To all who have followed, shared, commented, and liked,

"HARRIS CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

Merry Christmas from Misty, Deanna, and Donna! (And Daddy!) 

Make sure to take a look at our previous year's Christmas Eve parodies too!

If you're only following us on one social platform or the other, remember you can connect with us here on the blog, on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on Instagram. And make sure to share us with your friends to help us grow The Harris Sisters family! 

We look forward to seeing all of you in 2024.