We woke up early and ran straight to our verandahs to take in the stunningly blue Caribbean water and our first look at Nassau! The excitement was real—nothing beats that first glimpse of a new port. Papa led us on a little self-guided tour of downtown, which was both fun and, well, a bit of…
Sleeping In & Spa Bliss Josh and Blake took full advantage of the lazy sea day, sleeping in and ordering room service for breakfast. Meanwhile, Rusty and I had a very different kind of morning—we headed straight to our couples massage, a generous gift from the family as a thank-you for planning the trip. Absolute…
Day 1: Embarking on Adventure After two jam-packed days at Universal, you’d think we’d be ready for a rest — but instead, we traded Hogwarts for high seas and boarded the Disney Wish for a cruise none of us will ever forget. The morning was crisp, the Florida sun only barely warming the air as…
We can’t believe that it’s come and gone. Our epic family adventure, the one we’ve been planning for and waiting for so long, is done. What a special vacation to celebrate the one and only Ralph and Susan. 70 never looked so good. We missed Cole so much, and wished he was with us every…
It’s AUSTRALIA DAY!! And Banks family Christmas morning. Even with our impending trip, Santa still found these big kids on the nice list. A new monitor and gaming chair for Blake, a (new to her) laptop and new coat for Halle, and a Raspberry Pie and new shoes for Josh. Blake turned his presents into…
Elephant and Piggie!! We took Luke and Mave to Elephant and Piggie and we had so much fun! The kids were so thrilled and thought the whole thing was magical. Especially the rooftop smores at 54thirty. And last, but not least, Thanksgiving! We had such a great time this year with Mom and Dad and…
If I refuse to believe it, does that mean it didn’t happen? Just kidding. Nothing has brought me more joy than watching you grow up. You are so smart, driven (you woke up super early in Australia to take an interview for an internship!) and just plain fun to be with. Our family always feels…
We told the kids if they could swim 500M without stopping they could get scuba certified and we would take them diving. And I wanted to spend more time with the kids. Josh took us up on it so we went diving. We basically repeated Tara and I’s trip to Cozumel because it’s the best…
Rusty here. Gemini turned my journal entry into quite the exciting high adventure trip report: Embarking on the Holy Cross Wilderness: A Backpacking Odyssey Anticipation crackled in the air that Wednesday evening as we meticulously checked our packs, ensuring every essential item was accounted for. X and Y’s tardiness added a touch of unexpectedness to…
After the celebration, the whole family headed to Park City for a few days of relaxation and connection. We really needed this! The house was awesome–it had a racquetball court in the basement, along with weights, badminton, ping pong and volleyball. The kids had a blast down there! We also had the most beautiful deck…