Seaside in Seconds

Last week we took our first big family vacation- a roadtrip to the beach! We spent a week in Seaside Florida, and in true Bowden fashion it was nothing short of a traveling circus. There were moments I thought we might not make it (there's nothing easy about a 13 hour trip with three tiny people- and their tiny bladders) but there were just as many moments when I couldn't even handle the perfection.

I know I couldn't possibly be more of a broken record these days. We get it, traveling with kids is hard, and beautiful. Parenting is hard, and beautiful. Life is just so hard and beautiful. But seriously....it is! I prepared for the week to be exhausting, and frustrating, and fun...and it was all those things. And more...

We drove, swam, cried, napped, played, dug, built, hurt, snacked, complained, walked, burned, laughed, learned, screamed, drank, argued, ate, schlepped, tanned, peed, raced, slept, danced, cooked, sang, sweat, colored, cleaned, ran, shared...We did a whole bunch of really regular life, in a really stunning place, with some really fantastic people, and somehow it all added up to far more than the sum of its parts. I have a camera roll full of snapshots, and a mind full of memories. And my heart- it's really full too.

There's no way to fully document the comedy/tragedy, and heart-bursting magic of it all, but I did make a mashup of some snippets of our week together. Good or bad, I'd jump back into every one of these seconds in a heartbeat.

  Seaside in Seconds from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

{Film shot and edited entirely on my phone, with the 1 Second Every Day, and Splice apps}
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What a trip

They say there's no such thing as a vacation with kids. Well, do you know who they are? Me. I am they. And hear me say to you: there's no such thing as a vacation with kids. 

We just got back from 4 days in Philly, and while I would call it many things (a trip, a visit, a whirlwind adventure!) a "vacation" would not be one of them. Because though it was actually quite lovely (in pockets...at times...) I'm fairly certain people sleep on vacations, so by that criterion alone, our weekend was disqualified. (I would argue that the true hallmarks of a vacation are returning tan, fat and happy...maybe even with a bead or two in your hair...but that seemed like an impossible dream at this point, so I was willing to set the bar low:  I would have settled for just fat. But alas, my kids wouldn't even let me hit the breakfast buffet in peace...)

So no. This weekend was most definitely not a vacation. But it was a trip. 

As with most endeavors these days- there was good, there was bad, and there was ugly. Sometimes all of them within a matter of minutes. There were points when I contemplated, seriously contemplated leaving at least one of the (screaming) children on the side of the road. But somehow, mercifully, there were just as many moments when I wanted to stop time and bottle up their exact essence right now because they're each just too perfect (and funny, and adorable) to comprehend. And then they'd scream some more and I'd be back to my plan of leaving them at the nearest service station to fend for themselves. You know. Just til they're 18 or so. (Don't worry...I'd never actually abandon my children. And if I did, it'd be at one of the really nice rest stops with an Auntie Ann's. I'm not a monster.) 

Traveling with kids is memory making on warp speed...it's highs and lows jammed back-to-back too fast to make much sense of them. You're laughing and crying, and yelling, and hugging, and when it's all over you look at each other and promise you'll never do this again, simultaneously knowing you absolutely will. It is yin and yang. Bitter and oh so sweet. 

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Catching chicken nugget throw-up in a towel, confirming our suspicions that yes, Fin does indeed get carsick. 

Glimpsing in the rear view mirror to see sisters sharing their toys and helping calm down their baby brother. (and maaaaaaybe taking a Dramamine induced nap).

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Turning a 4.5 hour trip into 6, due primarily to the longest rest-stop lunch in history, inclusive of one water bottle related tantrum, and no less than four separate bathroom trips. 

Catching up with old friends, chatting, laughing, and staying up way past our old-lady bedtimes. 

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"Sleeping" sandwiched between two little bodies, striving to keep everyone quiet enough to avoid waking the baby before the sunrise. 

Organizing glee-filled races to press the "excavator!" button (again, and again).

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Nursing a sick baby at 2pm, while my lunch sits juuuuuust out of reach. 

Getting snotty, but heart meltingly sweet snuggles from the fever-stricken baby. 

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Seeing the clock strike 11pm, and 2am, and 6am (and maybe a couple hours in between).

Watching Piper swim a lap around the entire pool by herself (with a little help from her floaties). 

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Running out of discipline options at bedtime, putting Fin in the bathroom for (yet another) time out. 

Laying next to her afterwards to try to talk about being a better listener, and having her rub my arm with her jelly's ears as a silent form of apology.

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Packing everything we could possibly need for an day spent a family's house, and realizing we didn't 
bring a pack and play for naps, and oh...we're also out of diapers.

Watching Dustin's family embrace the girls and seeing them play with their cousins like they've known them forever. 

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Accidentally bringing up religion and politics, in one very ill-conceived attempt at conversation.

Holding hands with the girls after a long day, telling them, "I love you little people.", and hearing Fin, with all the sincerity in the world reply, "I love you too, Mom. And you love me. And I love you too."

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I could go on forever, highlighting tiny snippets I never want to forget (mismatched flip flops, unbridled enthusiasm over Fruit Loops, searching for duck logos on every hotel surface), and mini-nightmares I'm thankful are already fading from my mind (the whining. oh the whining. SO MUCH whining). This weekend was the full spectrum:  the absolute worst...the holding puke in your hands, strung out to your wit's end with complaining, bleary-eyed exhaustion, worst. And the absolute best...the childlike wonder, heart might burst, memories for a lifetime best.

It wasn't a vacation. But it was a trip. 

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Car Games

As you know…The Bowdens love a road trip… And even if we didn’t love one, we are forced to take them, as all of our family lives at least three hours away….

So over the years we’ve gotten quite good at surviving the long haul- Dustin is a defensive driver extraordinaire with an ipod full of hits, and I’m a prepared passenger, with magazines, snacks, and conversation starters.

Typically we jam to some music, discuss current events (i.e. work, junk we need to do around the house), read aloud (me…usually from GQ), or chat about big life stuff (how many kids are we going to have?, should Dustin open a gym?, is Pittsburgh our “forever home”? etc.). For the most part we’re able to pass the time pretty well, and I’m thankful for the fun we have, and the serious bonding we do during these trips.

But sometimes you run out of topics. Or songs. Or books. And you have to think outside the box. Thus- our most recent road-trip game was born. We call it:

See If You Can Make This Sound.

It goes a little something like this:
Dustin makes some sort of crazy noise (any mixture of whistling, humming, snort, yell, etc.). I try to replicate it….and die laughing instead.
Then we switch teams. But instead of actually making a noise for him to replicate- I just laugh uncontrollably every time I open my mouth.
His turn again.
Repeat ‘til you pee your pants and have to pull over.

I highly recommend it.

(Photos from an April '10 roadtrip...taken with Photo Booth...which explains why it looks like dustin's driving on the wrong side of the car. And excuses my apparent lack of safety sense.)

Muffled.

This weekend we went to Philly. It was a great time, we saw family, watched a play, ate a lot, and laughed even more. But that's not the story I'm going to tell right now. No, today's story goes a little something like this:

We started the four and a half hour drive.
But then our muffler fell off.
And so the drive took much longer than expected.

That's the short version anyway.....
About halfway through the drive, Dustin and I heard a terribly loud noise. We were scared for a minute (well, I was) but realized pretty quickly what had happened: the muffler on my beloved 1998 Corolla had come loose, and was now dragging on the highway. Ugh.

Thankfully it had stopped raining (we had been stuck in torrential downpours several times already), so Dustin stepped out to take a look. The muffler was attached, but dragging, so it needed to be reattached. A call to AAA proved unsuccessful- their only option was to tow the car. Ummmm, no. Not an option. So instead Dustin had to figure a way to fix it himself.

Enter, the MacGyver method:

I stayed in the safety and warmth of the vehicle, so I can't tell you his exact solution, but I know it involves a carabiner, some golf shoelaces, and maybe some chewing gum. But however he did it, he got the job done, and it held for the whole rest of the drive. Unfortunately, in doing so, he burned his fingers on the car, resulting in a couple of painful blisters.

But luckily for him, I was able to pull a MacGyver of my own: at the next rest area, we stopped to get ice, but there were no plastic bags. No worries- I asked the nice Annie Ann's worker for a plastic glove, and made a makeshift ice pack.

He doesn't look happy, but I think it helped.....

So, that's the long and the short of our most recent road trip. It may not have gone as planned, but it really could have been so much worse. I was so impressed with Dustin- he fixed the problem quickly (if a bit creatively), and didn't even get upset. It's so easy in situations like that
to get frustrated and take it out on each other, but he didn't complain or sulk. I'm so thankful we got home safe, and blessed to have a husband that takes such good care of me.

But I don't think we'll be driving to Philly again anytime soon....

Crossfit Games: Round 1

Last Friday, Dustin and I took a trip into a strange little world unlike anything I’ve seen before. They call it The Crossfit Games. You see...when a couple of our friends said they’d be taking a trip to King of Prussia (Dustin’s old ‘hood) to watch some gym-mates compete at the Crossfit sectionals, we jumped at the chance for a weekend getaway. Little did I know what we were in for......The competition started promptly on Saturday morning, but the spectators among us had a long night of pre-gaming ahead of us. That’s right- while the athletes were making protein shakes, squeezing in some last minute crunches, and centering their chi (I’m assuming...) the spectators among us had a date with some Mexican food. Because if we’re not able to represent some athletic prowess, we might as well show off our elite status in the eating and drinking arena. The forum for our gluttony was Distrio, part of a group of restaurants owned by Jose Garces (the newest Iron Chef).

The food was PLENTIFUL.

And DELICIOUS.

And the Sangria didn’t hurt either.

Oh....and of course there was dessert. Because we are dedicated to our craft.

Truly though, the décor alone was worth the trip. I definitely recommend it.

So after pushing ourselves to the physical limit, we returned to the suburbs for some shut eye. After all...we had a full day of exercise-watching ahead of us. You can’t skimp on the sleep and still expect to bring your cheering a-game.

Stay tuned tomorrow for stories from the actual games! Imagine that!

Final Destination

Like all good things, our vacation (and now our seemingly infinite post-trip coverage) must end. After nine wonderful days, it was time for us to return to the Keystone State, and face "real life" again. But the bright side is: only 336 days until our next anniversary.....

click for full size

But don't think I'd leave you on such a sappy note. No.....let's end this on a high note. Well, maybe more "ridiculous" than "high". Tomayto, tomahto.

Dance Party from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

BTV2

It's no secret that Dustin is wee bit more reserved than I am. Ok, maybe a lot bit. Don't get me wrong, he's a really good time, but he isn't as dramatic or bold about his enthusiasm as I am. I tend to "think out loud", whereas he has an air of mystery about him. Because of this, I feel obligated to confirm he's having a good time. So over our six years together, it's become a sort of verbal tic for me to ask him "Dustin! Are you excited?!" Whether we're going to the Disney World, or the grocery store, it pretty much just flies out of my mouth. You can imagine it was hard for me to reign it in on a trip like this. With splendor around every corner, fun at every turn, I just had to know he shared my level of joy. And God bless him, he humored me every time.

I'm So Excited... from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

While we're on the subject of "Annoying Things Courtney Does", I must tell you about one of my more inconvenient quirks. Peeing. Well, more specifically the urgency of my need to pee. You see, when I have to go, I have to go NOW. There's little warning, and I can go from fine to full in two seconds flat. Dustin often teases me, but has grown accustom to me dropping everything to run to the restroom (literally dropping everything if we happen to be shopping). And though he's used it, you can imagine how this issue is magnified on a series of five hour car rides. Now if you'll excuse me....

A Girl's Gotta Go. from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

BTV: Bowden Television

For those of you who just can't get enough of The Great American Bowden Vacation (anyone? anyone?) I have GREAT NEWS! There's more! You've heard the stories, you've seen the photos, now it's time to watch the video! Now, I was raised in a home video loving family, but I know there's nothing worse than sitting down to watch a forty-five minute slide show of Grandpa's trip to CarWorld (that may or may not be a real memory from my childhood), so I've done my best to keep this entertaining. It's less informative, or even sensical, and more silly highlights from our trip. Pure Bowdenisms.

First up: a montage of our finest filming moments. None of this would have been
possible without our trusty video camera. If only we know how to work it....

An Amateur Production from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

But fear not, we are not only terrible at filming, we also have poor directional skills! We opted not to google-map any or our trip, and we skipped the GPS upgrade, so we were rollin' old school with a backseat full of maps, and an only slightly helpful AAA Trip Tik. It wasn't perfect, but we muddled through....

Are We There Yet? from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

Why hike when you can ride?

It's been a full week of vacation goodness, but we're not done yet. Our big excursion in Colorado was 4-wheeling to the top of a 12,000ft mountain. It was a little scary, a little dangerous, and a lot of fun. Words and photos just can't describe it though- for that we have video.

Enjoy the ride!

Peaking a "Twelver" from Courtney Bowden on Vimeo.

Bowdens Go West: Colorado

The upside of arriving in Colorado was immense: we got to visit a state neither of us have seen before, explore the largest mountains in the country, escape the desert heat, and of course spend time with great friends. But the downside was this was the last stop on our tour. After this it was back to the real world, so we lived it up as much as possible in our last few days.

Click items for a closer look.

It's hard to describe the beauty and the fun that Colorado had for us.

Hopefully some pictures will do it justice.

Bowdens Go West: Moab

Just when the noise, expense, crowds and lights of Vegas were getting to be a bit overwhelming, it was time for us to make our escape to polar opposite location: Moab, Utah. This was the destination that people were most surprised to hear about when we described our itinerary, but it was one of the places I was most excited to visit. It is home to Arches National Park, which has some of the most astounding natural scenery on the planet. I've heard rave reviews from family and friends, and couldn't wait to see it in person.

Click each item to read details.

Loved this place. So refreshing after the pretencious places in Vegas.

Just an authentic, enjoyable spot to enjoy some delicious food and drink!

The amount of photos and video we took in Arches is utterly ridiculous. But it's hard to hold back when everything you see is "photo worthy". Skim through....I won't be offended.

Bowdens Go West: Las Vegas

After taking in the gorgeous desert sites of Arizona- Phoenix, Grand Canyon and Sedona, it was time to shift gears a bit: goodbye nature's beauty, hello man made excess! Las Vegas was certainly different than our last few locales, but I was really excited for the change in pace. Dustin had never been, and I had only gone once, back when I was about seventeen (an age which forbids most of Vegas' charms). Our plan was to get some sun, gamble a little, eat a ton, and just take in the sites. Done, done, done AND done.

Click on each photo to see close-up.

Abosolutely delicious. There are few things I love more than a burger!

And it's fun to be "gourmet" for a day.


Hotels are just about the only place in Vegas where you
can still find a deal. Adored our hotel.


Not a bad way to get out of the heat for a bit.

Dustin and I made reservations at a fancy shmancy place in the Bellagio.We got

all dressed up, trekked down a few blocks (me in heels!) were seated and presented

with the wine list.....and......we bailed. I just couldn't justify the expense, and felt

out of place in such a formal (i.e. stuffy) space. Thankfully Dustin understood and we

made a quiet exit. After both of us being cranky and hungry for a bit, we wandered into Seredipity. Best choice ever. From now on, no more "fancy for fancy sake" outings. I'm much more satisfied with great food in a comfortable and creative environment.

Didn't take as many pictures here as you would think. Too busy taking it all in, and besides, who wants to lug the camera around all day? But we managed to capture the highlights!

Bowdens Go West: Sedona

After we got our fill of the gaping hole, we retraced our "steps" (like 120 miles worth....) on the road back to Sedona. Not the brightest move to go to the canyon first, but we didn't know any better- We had been warned, but we thought we'd more time at Grand Canyon. Wrong-o. If we could do it agin, we'd spend twice as much time in Sedona....it was beyond beautiful.

We loved it here, even thought it was only a quick trip. Great relaxing day, with unbeatable scenery. I'd say it was one of our favorites, but that's true of pretty much everything on this trip!

Bowdens Go West: The Grand Canyon

We rose bright and early on Sunday morning- partly because we were still on East Coast Time, partly because it's crazy sunny in Phoenix, but mostly because we had to get on the road! We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with my aunt and uncle in their outdoor dining terrace (yeah, that's right!) and then it was off to The Grand Canyon! Dustin was given the honors of recording the highlights:

click to enlarge....

...and with his handwriting, you'll need to!

Bowdens Go West- Grand Canyon

Bowdens Go West: Phoenix

First stop on our journey was a visit to my Uncle Joe and Aunt Delene's house. They've lived in Arizona for about six years, but I had not yet made it out to see them. I'm so glad we finally did. We had a great time catching up with them, and my cousins Eliana and Luke (who seem to grow at an alarming rate! Or am I just getting old?) They graciously opened up their beautiful home, and showed us around city a bit. It was a wonderful place to start our trip- made even better by some wonderful people to share it with (and ok, some wonderful food too! You'll see that theme develop soon enough).

Here's the rest of the scoop.....

(click pics for larger view)

Go West, Young Bowdens!

On September 4th, Dustin and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. (4th on the 4th...fun right?!) We try to do something special each year, and this year could be one of the biggest yet. We took time off from work and set off on a week long cross country adventure. We had five main stops on our tour- Phoenix, The Grand Canyon/Sedona, Las Vegas, Moab, Denver/Salida.....We flew out to Phoenix, and then road tripped it from there. We were able to spend a couple days in each location before ending in Colorado for our flight home. It was a whirlwind vacation, but we had a spectacular time. I wanted a unique way to record our memories, rather than trying to force 8,000 details into a blog post, so we saved souvenirs (some may say "stole"- as I would pretty much put any writeable surface in my purse before anyone knew what happened) from notable locations: parks, hotels and eateries, and jotted down reflections as we went. Hopefully it'll be a fun "old-timey" way to share our trip with you. Stay tuned this week for highlights!

In a nutshell:

Click Pic for Detail

Michigan: not nearly as terrible as you think.

When I was a kid, I, like most children raised in Ohio, learned a song in which the main lyrics are "We don't give a d**n about the whole state of Michigan", so it was a bit strange to pack up for a weekend in the land of Great Hate. Oh- I mean Great Lakes. But our good friends from Cincinnati, Brian and Jillian, recently moved and bought a home in Grand Rapids, so I couldn't let a little thing like deep-seated state rivalry keep us apart. Besides, Ann Arbor is over two hours away from their new digs. Lumping them together would be like blaming Columbus for Cleveland's suckitude. In other words, completely unfair.

So we embarked on the six and a half hour road trip (somehow I seem to remember it being shorter when I signed up for the trip....). Two to three hour juants are routine at this point, but this trip tested our stamina. Ultimately, it went like most of our road trips go: Dustin drives, we argue over windows vs. AC, and I read magazines until I eventually fall asleep, leaving Dustin to suffer the miles alone. But- we had a very successful new addition this time: slurpies! This made all the difference. I was up and ready to party for the Michigan portion of the journey (which came in handy in Ann Arbor. I mean, someone had to be ready to flip 'em the bird!).

Almost as important as the real fuel.

I imagine these two were anxiously awaiting our arrival.

But all the miles were more than worth it when we were greeted by the Parsons' smiling faces (well....Megan needed a bit of convincing before she was ready to fully embrace us.) and the Riels, another couple (plus baby and a half) we were friends with back in Cincinnati.

The boys of summer.

We had a wonderful weekend. Michigan charmed me with its perfect weather (I think we witnessed the best three days of the year), and quaint yuppy towns. Friday was a quiet night at the Parsons' abode- spent catching up, wrangling children and just laughing together. The boys got to take in the sights on a late night beer run, while the ladies hung back and gossiped about our husbands (kidding...sort of!). Saturday was gorgeous day, and we took in all the joys of surburban living. (fun fact, East G.D. Rapids, as it's known, is famous "for its award-winning school system with extensive athletic championships, its affluence and its lack of ethnic diversity". That's a wiki-fact, but after a weekend there, I'd be inclined to agree.) We enjoyed a walk to the Gaslight Village, had lunch al fresco, checked out a local candy shop (that may have enduced a short megan-meltdown....my bad!) and stopped for ice cream (and pictures of course!).

Jeff and Karen....+ another baby on the way!

One of 85+ adorable Megan pictures I took. She probably
won't recognize me without a camera in front of my face.

Dustin found a delightful little lady to help him finish his cone.

After all of that fun (and sugar!) it was time for a nap for the little ones and some fun in the sun for the big kids. EGDR (as the cool kids are calling it) is one of those ideallic neighborhoods that you dream of growing up in....or at least raising kids there. Next door to Brian and Jill is a house with a zip line (yeah, you hear me) and an in-ground trampoline. It is at least as cool as it sounds. Not to be outdone though, the Parson's Palace is equipped with a pool- but in keeping with their Penguin-like tradition, they keep it at a brisk 62 degrees, so there wasn't a ton of swimming going on. Brian however, was bold as usual, and wow'ed us with his diving skills. I won't steal his blogging thunder, but let's just say there was a small incident involving a child's innertube. Stay tuned to his site for the story....

Scared of Daddy's antics? Or intrigued? Hard to say....

Sunday morning was a real treat, as we got to visit Mars Hill Church, home to preacher, writer, and all around cool guy Rob Bell. He wasn't speaking that particular week, but it was still great to check out a new church, and spend time worshiping and learning with good friends. Unfortunately the Riels had to leave shortly after, but not before Reva got a few more rides on the Pretty Pony. I swear I still have the song in my head.

Clippity clop. Clippity clop.

But the fun for us was far from over. We took a quick trip over to Holland MI, home of Kerry and Sue Boote, who are Jillian's parents as well as extraordinary boat tour guides. They took us out on Lake Macatawa (Lake Mac to the locals) and Lake Michigan (which might as well have been an ocean....where does it end?!). This may have been the highlight of the entire trip. I giggled like a five year old while we crashed over waves, Dustin and Kerry bonded over real estate prices, lake history and other guy talk, and Megan fell asleep.

See...even far from home we still rep the O-H!

We ended the weekend with a double date dinner, with talks of friends, jobs, ministry, plans, hopes and....life. It was an absolute delightful trip- the only negative was leaving. But hopefully we'll be back sooner than later, or we'll plan a Pittsburgh pit-stop, or our paths will cross in Ohio. Regardless, I'm just grateful for good friends- their honesty, generosity, and love.