My Feet Are In the Sand, But My Heart Is In the Woods!

This month’s theme is, “If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?”, so it’s ironic that I’m writing this blog post while on vacation! Though, not to knock this vacation…it’s not my dream one. :) I’m on a family vacation—and I mean extended family—to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It’s a great spot for the kids—I’m watching my son fly a kite on the beach as I type this and my daughter is playing in the sand. I certainly can’t complain! But it’s just not my DREAM vacation. Here are some polaroids from my trip:

So what would my dream vacation be? (I realize that’s not exactly the question, but I’ve got vacation on the brain…) A cruise comes to mind because with cruises you can visit a few different places without packing and unpacking—your “hotel” travels with you. But I’m the mom of two crazy-active, fearless kids who don’t listen well, and I’d be terrified they’d fall off the side of the boat. Actually, that makes for an easy decision—my dream vacation would definitely involve leaving my kids with someone I really trust, who would come to my house to watch them while we were gone!

Since I’m not much of a bask-in-the-sun person, but I do prefer a slow-paced vacation, I’d like to travel somewhere I could rent a beautiful cottage in the woods, preferably on a pond or lake (no motors allowed!).  There must be tree-lined paths on which to ride a bike into town to the bakery, a local eatery, or a pub.  I want there to be lots of time for writing and relaxing with my husband. The weather would need to be *just* chilly enough for a sweater at all times, and there’d have to be a porch swing with pillows and a fireplace.

Know anywhere like that? Let me know in the comments! I want to make reservations for my next vacation!

In closing, here is a picture of me on the beach in my bikini!!

I *swear* I'm in my bikini! Sorry, my selfies aren't usually aimed well. ;)

Kisses in all the right places,

Piper Trace

The Best 23 Hrs of My Life...Part 2

If given an all expense paid vacation to anywhere, I wouldn't hesitate before screaming EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND!!!

In 2007, I had the awesome chance to go to the UK with my BFF. Talk about a dream come true.  I've always been an Anglophile and if you asked me I would tell you I was British at heart but the 23 hours we spent in Edinburgh were the most fun I've ever had in my life.

We were there in August, in time for a slew of Edinburgh Festivals which made views like this common place:

Everyone was cheerful, the accents were amazing (it's pronounced Ed-n-Burr-ah btw), and you'd be walking along and see something like this: 

I'm one woman. How am I supposed to resist kilts AND whisky at the same time?  To be truthful I did avoid both, but I could tell you a story about a sexy Aussie, several pints of cider and the Pub Crawl of Epicness.....

But before you think it was all hotties and booze, there was also beautiful buildings and natural beauty. Yep, that's right, me, the girl who avoids outside because that's where the Civil War happened. I LOVED how green everything was. 

It was the first time I had Indian food, the first time I had a vacation fling (but not the Edinburgh Experience), the first time I found inflatable sheep for sale in a vending machine for sex purposes. ;)

We only got to spend about 23 hours there, and it's my dream to one day make it back and spend several.  Definitely with my bestie along, gallons of cider entirely optional, but encouraged.

Sasha