Suzanne 
Last year I wrote about an Empty Nest Christmas, this year, the players are the same, as are the general philosophies, but we continue to change and grow a little each year.
I am thrilled to have a new son-in-law! I have never been a mother in law before and I plan to try hard to be a good one. When we sent out our Christmas cards this year it was fun to include the newly married couple and our son and his girlfriend too. It just felt right to have ALL of us!
I love discovering new places and intriguing spaces. Don’t you? If a friend shares a hot new restaurant or an insider bit of travel news, I am forever grateful. Well my friends, I too have something compelling to share!
On this recent trip to Seattle we struck new-restaurant-gold. Only a few months ago Renee Erickson chef and creator of Sea Creatures restaurant group, opened a new cocktail bar called Deep Dive. We heard it was “like a New York speakeasy”, super small and really hard to get in to. There were reports of three and four hour waits to get in! Who waits that long? Not us. But hold on, there is more…
What is it about the wonder of the holiday season? It is such a lovely time of year to travel isn’t it? We recently returned from a very special wedding in the chic, Southern California coastal community of Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara is rich with California history and situated on a south facing beach which is the longest on the West Coast. The climate is described as Mediterranean and the architecture reflects this description as well. The downtown buildings with white stucco walls and red tile roofs help tell the story of the city’s Spanish colonial heritage.
It was so easy when the kids were little. You knew the rules. You had a system. As a mom I was in charge of their calendar and almost everything else in their world.
Then they leave the nest, grow up, mature, and establish a life of their own.
It is what is supposed to happen, but no one warns you when you give birth that eighteen years later the rules change. You ultimately start over and create an adult relationship with your child.
I struggled with it at first, but now I embrace it, in a BIG way. I have written a great deal about what to do with your adult kids, as well as multigenerational travel (see links below). I see on my blog what readers search for and how they find my blog. Many parents are looking for suggestions and ideas for activities to share with their adult children.
No two people seem to have the same destination in mind. How wonderful is that? These friends of mine have offered where they have visited at this time year that tickles them and provides that special something! Have you been to any of these destinations? I have only been to a few of them.
I am thrilled to receive the gift of time whenever our kids can give it. Do you feel like that? Our family lives many miles apart and a plane ride away and I look forward to any time spent with them. Our daughter was married only a month ago and we were blessed with lots of time with family and friends. Lucky us! For me, I am content just soaking up the sunshiny moments and conversations we have. If I see the kids in person, I get this silly, happy, motherly grin on my face. Do you do that? Do you know what that looks like?
Honestly, I try, but I can’t keep up! There are so many HOT enticing restaurants, serving incredibly exciting food in this culinary mecca that there aren’t ever enough days in every trip to San Francisco!
I have written a great deal about the restaurants we have visited and enjoyed I checked back over two previous posts here and here and I still agree with every word. They are ALL still on my favorites list. However, after this past trip, we went to three more restaurants you need to check out!
About three years ago, I sent out a request for all of you to share your favorite holiday destination. This collaborative post was super fun to do and I thoroughly enjoyed reading where YOU like to go!
I think it is about time we did this again!
Although sad to see it end, the wedding adventure is complete. Our grown up adult daughter has married her prince at a lovely destination wedding in Seattle.
Have you been to a destination wedding? I believe the definition of this type of celebration to be any wedding location too great a distance that you could not comfortably drive to and from in the same day.
Seventy percent of all our guests came from outside the state of Washington. That is a huge percentage of wonderful, caring family and friends who wouldn’t miss this day for the world. We so appreciate the time effort and expense of traveling to our Seattle “Urban Garden” Wedding in downtown Seattle.
I introduced these adorable Find Adventure luggage tags several years ago as a practical and fun way to connect as fellow travelers. And they’re back! The holidays are around the corner and why not purchase these tags for the globetrotters in your life? I am hoping to continue to grow the #findadventure movement and these tags will help us get there!
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