Travel Blog

Pixar Pier has now been open for a month. That means that just four weeks ago, my family was invited by Disneyland to be among the first people to enjoy Incredicoaster! We played games, cut loose on Pixar Pal-A-Round and indulged in animated apertifs.

Chelsea and I met at college in Los Angeles, but in our six years at UCLA we never made it to the epic Hollywood Sign hike. The internet wasn't as flush with advice back then. Every time we tried asking around about how to get that epic picture, we were given conflicting instructions. We were told that the Hollywood Sign hike required a journey through private property, or it was closed, or it was painfully difficult. Thirteen years later, we decided to finally decipher this trek - with four kids along for the ride. Just like Indiana Jones and his lesser known tale, The Toddlers of Hollywood Hill.

They say being prepared is half the battle. Having what you need when you need it makes future issues a lot easier to get through. In my case, preparation is a REALLY important half. It allows to quick execution of my plans. After all, I’m a pragmatist and I’ve learned over time to buy, keep, and take care of the things I actually need.

We’ve still been on the road a bunch, and this dude has been along for the ride. All the rides! Traveling with a dog requires consideration of health issues, campsite and hotel standards, as well as awareness of various travel provider rules. Here is a complete dog travel checklist to help you get ready for your trip.

When visitors ask how they can get a glimpse of historic Hollywood, there's one property that everyone in the area immediately refers to. The Garland. Previously in use as Gene Autry's horse ranch, Beverly Garland's husband bought it and built a hotel that originally had water beds and shag carpet that the maids cleaned with rakes. True story.

Oh, have the times changed! Nowadays, men are allowed to be more expressive. They can share their true thoughts and aren't expected to bottle up how they feel. They also aren't expected to live a life of solitude or to want to have guys night anymore. Or go 'bowling with the fellas.'

Our imagination truly is one of the greatest driving forces in our lives. It conjures, creates, augments, stores, and helps us feel the intangible. All things past, present, and future can be toyed and tinkered through our imagination's fancy. It can be born of nothing at all, almost suspended in the ether or rooted in something inspirational. Standing in the here and now, our imagination can take us to a whole other place and time. Oh a South Dakota road trip. All with just a little thought.

When we first started traveling, I had a conventional first aid kit. It got dismantled as certain things were needed and others weren't. Ointments and some other often-used stuff earned a permanent spot in the diaper bag and other items were relegated to the glove box (we have yet to find a need for that space-age blanket). The pouch that gets tossed in my suitcase morphed over the years, and eventually shrunk into a modern medicine bag that holds items that help with the little emergencies we encounter fairly often.

I’m still going. And going and going and going. Friends have asked how it is that I can have this sort of energy in the midst of everything. Right after claiming that I’m trying to be mindful, how can I also write about being busy and needing an on the go snack? Well, life happens, that’s how. One pal recently said I reminded her of Princess Poppy from Trolls. She then cheekily, musically chanted, “Get back up again!”

Chelsea talks a lot about family health and well-being from both an individual and a group perspective. Self care is a top priority, as well as being mindful of our kids growing older. She tries to grasp onto every second of these precious days as they slip by, while also carving out time for herself. Multitasking to the max. I think those are traditionally thought of as "motherly" characteristics: being cognizant of personal needs while simultaneously bemoaning the passage of time.