What I Learned on a Family Trip

We kidnapped my parents for Thanksgiving. We packed ’em up in our car, took my youngest sister & her husband along with us, & headed up to Hot Springs Arkansas. We rented a house on the Ouachita River, brought food with us, & left all itineraries/plans at home. We were winging this one & adapting day-by-day.

Traveling with family is totally out of character for Eric & I. We’ve perfected how to travel with each other & have become a fine-tuned travel machine. When you throw someone else into the mix, we don’t know what to do with them: What do they like to eat? Do they like waking up early or sleeping in? Do they really want to hike all day or are they just saying that for our benefit? Will they think I’m anti-social if I read a book for a few hours?

But we also know that memories are made during family trips & so we forced ourselves out of our comfort zone for this holiday. I won’t lie, there were moments when I thought “why did we do this?” but they were quickly followed by sweet moments or laugh-so-hard-I-snorted moments. And like all good trips, I learned some new things. For example, I learned (or was reminded) that…
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Young, Scrappy and Hungry

I’m just like my country / I’m young, scrappy and hungry / And I’m not throwing away my shot! — Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Eric and I just returned from a quick trip to Chicago where we were lucky enough to see the Broadway production Hamilton. I’d been dreaming about seeing it since I first heard the lyrics and pretty much memorized the entire album by the time we arrived in Chicago. With these lyrics in my head, our experiences in Chicago took on a whole new meaning and reminded me why I love our country so much and why we must fight against the forces that constantly seek to tear us apart.
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Final thoughts on Germany & Austria

This is my final post about our trip to Germany & Austria, because by now you’ve probably already booked your own trip to Deutschland or you’re thinking “Clare, stop talking about Germany — I’m having nightmares of weinersnitchels attacking me!”

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed following along as Eric & I traveled to Salzburg to Obertraun to Füssen to Munich & to Freising. We learned a lot & I’d love to hear about your own experiences in this region or answer any questions you might have. I’ll leave you with a little helpful humor…
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