Kendra and Joe Duggar 8: Expecting the Expected (a Boy)

[nvmbr02]

I feel lucky since we have been able to travel a lot in the last 18 months. We have spent a week in Hong Kong, 10 days in Thailand and 3 days in Manila (didn't leave the city). In a little over a month we are headed to South Korea. We will mostly be in Seoul but we are headed to PyeongChang for some of the Olympic events as well. We will be spending 12 days in Japan in October and then taking a cruise next Feb. from Sydney to New Zealand. We are hoping to squeeze in a trip to Singapore next spring, but I am not sure we will be able to make it work. After the cruise I suspect we will be back to one trip a year (we a few short weekend getaways here and there) until the kids are done with school.  82 F today but it feels cool since the humidity is down below 70%. I am wearing jeans and my favorite sweater. 

[The Wanderer]

12 hours ago, TheMustardCardigan said:

Of course now that I'm starting a new job in a week I've been invited on two different trips (a friend group trip to Chicago and a bachelorette weekend in Savannah, GA) that I'll have to say no to because I won't be able to take time off right away.

Hopefully you’ll get another chance to go to Savannah. It’s such a pretty city, and easily one of the best places to visit in Georgia (I live outside of Atlanta).

[TheMustardCardigan]

@The Wanderer luckily I've been multiple times!  It's a beautiful city. I love all the squares. 

[JordynDarby5]

My brother and I were lucky as kids that our parents was able to take us on awesome vacations. Disneyland and Disney World twice, San Diego, Hawaii, the Bahamas, two Cruises, Catalina Island, and Vegas. We had the best times and I'm so happy were able to do it. We still talk about them all the time.  My brother and sister-in-law are trying to save up now that their son is old enough to be able to remember. I'd still love to go back to Disneyland and see all the Star Wars stuff with my dad (both of us are big fans) or back to Hawaii.  My dad's been wanting to go back ever since that was the USS Missouri was moved there. If we ever had tons of money we'd go to Alaska and Australia. Italy too. Canada. It would be amazing to see France, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, travel Germany, Austria, Hungary, Ukrane,  Netherlands, okay all of Europe.  Egypt, India, Israel, China, Japan, okay everywhere. There's just so many cool places in the world.    

[freedom_for_all]

On 1/5/2018 at 1:39 PM, WiseGirl said:

@GuineaPigCourtship glad to hear you did well. We are okay because we are far to the west/on the border. Still, poor puppies and not looking forward to the bitter cold this weekend.

WiseGirl walking her dogs: start off, one's paws get cold, pick dog up, warm dog up, put dog down in time to pick up other dog (I have 2).  Repeat endlessly until they do their business,  rush home. Walking and weight lifting all in one. 

Looking forward to 30 to 40F next week. A heat wave!

Have you thought about getting little dog booties? All the dogs in NYC wear them since the salt we use hurts their paws. It’s pretty adorable!

 

Earlier someone asked if WE had a perminant Duggar birth pool. I somehow missed the we and thought there was a perminant pool at the TTH just for Duggars to give birth in. 

On 1/9/2018 at 8:11 PM, SapphireSlytherin said:

NYC is easy from Europe. And you can lesson-plan on the plane! Problem solved. lol

I’m in NYC and dating a British boy. God bless $500 (sometimes less) round trip tickets! 

I also highly recommend Scott’s Cheap Flights. It’s awesome for a lot of cities.

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

The Duggars SHOULD have a permanent birthing pool. They could also use it to baptize people into the Church of the Holy Storage Shed.

[elliha]

There are so many places I want to see and visit and I know that unless I win the lottery I won't be seeing most of them. I want to make it to another couple of European countries. I would love to see Prague, Vienna and Berlin at the very least and visit Italy or Spain. These places are on the realistic list for me. I hope to get a chance to go to at least one country in Africa (Botswana is probably highest on on my list but I would consider other places too) and to go to at least one place in the US or Canada. This part is realistic but might still not happen for various reasons. If I had lots of money I would like to go on a roundtrip to New Zealand, Australia and Fiji as a friend of mine did but I don't think I will ever have the money to do that well and afford taking a couple months off to do so too. Well, if I have saved up once I am retired perhaps. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

Savannah is definitely beautiful. It's also the HOTTEST, most-humid place I've ever been - I thought I was gonna die. And this is from someone who grew up in the hot/humid South.

 

[VelociRapture]

3 minutes ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Savannah is definitely beautiful. It's also the HOTTEST, most-humid place I've ever been - I thought I was gonna die. And this is from someone who grew up in the hot/humid South.

 

My dad was stationed in Georgia with the Marines for a short time one summer. He said it was so humid and buggy that he considered it Hell on Earth... and this is a guy who spent a year fighting in Vietnam. It kind of killed any desire for me to visit that part of the country during the summer. 

(And to our Georgia friends - I’m sure your state is lovely. My dad is a New Englander though and doesn’t have a filter. )

[HarleyQuinn]

Humid air I can handle because it does get very humid in the summers around here. It's dry air that throws me off. I was in Vegas when it was 113F outside and I felt like I was constantly standing in front of a space heater. It was bonkers. lol

[Shadoewolf]

Key West is beautiful, has some must-eat places (Goldman's Deli, Mr. Z's and Thai Island)  and the week of the superboat races is awesome. I spent a day down at Fontana Lake in the mountains of NC 2 years ago and want to go back, have a chance to really explore. 

My dream trip is Europe. Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Paris and Rome. But not like, all the typical tourist stuff. I like all the tiny places only the locals know about. 

[louisa05]

NYC is easy from Europe. And you can lesson-plan on the plane! Problem solved. lol

You’ve never made lesson plans, have you?

[The Wanderer]

2 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Savannah is definitely beautiful. It's also the HOTTEST, most-humid place I've ever been - I thought I was gonna die. And this is from someone who grew up in the hot/humid South.

 

Oh I can’t even begin. I was born in Arizona, so my biggest complaint with Georgia summers is the humidity more than the heat itself. However, I went to Hong Kong 2 years ago this May, and it beats the South on the humidity front.

@VelociRapture Thank you for the GA compliment. Despite the humidity I do find Georgia to be a great place for the most part. I also went to New England for the first time about a year ago. I went during the first week of October and it was one of the best road trips my friend (who was also a first-timer) and I have ever done.

[Mela99]

I've been to Georgia once. DH is in IT and they hosted their annual DuckCreek conference at Chateau Elan in... Braselton? I think? Place was wild and incredible. Winery, great food... I'd love to go back. 

[keen23]

Grew up in coastal Massachusetts, choose to move to Phoenix-ish AZ as an adult. Could not deal with cold wet winters and humid summers. So much happier in dry heat (and dry cold). Under 110, no humidity, it's easy to deal with the heat, and everything has a/c. It's so much easier for me to cool down than it is to warm up from the cold.

We travel within the continental US pretty frequently- road trips to surrounding states, and then flying to cities like Minneapolis or Seattle and then driving to surrounding states from there. Trips based around baseball stadiums and beer. We've also been to (east and west coast) Mexico, Bermuda, Quebec Canada, Grand Cayman, the BVI and USVI islands (cruising mostly). The husband has done parts of Europe for work. The kids come along with us sometimes, and other times we travel during the summer while my kids are spending the summer on the beach in Massachusetts (or in the mountains of New Hampshire, where my family has summered for decades). I know it is a privilege to be able to travel as much as we do.

I totally admit to not understanding Disney-philes. Those people who CAN travel anywhere but choose to use all of their vacation time at Disney and Disney resorts and cruises. My best friend is one of these, and she can't imagine taking a vacation anywhere other than Disney World.

[victoriasponge]

I might not make it to the US any time soon but I'm planning a March/April trip right now. Biggest contender is Ljubljana, though I'd also like to visit Prague, Vienna, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Warsaw, St Petersburg and so many other places. Plus they're all around two hours away, and since I'm scared of flying that's a lot more bearable than Atlantic travel. (And they'll all be cheaper than bloody Copenhagen was last year, even if it was stunning) If any of you manage to make it across to Europe I might just tag along, there's so many regions I haven't visited.

[Satan'sFortress]

I suggested (in the suggestion thread) that FJ have a Travel/Geography forum.  Not that I mind a  thread drift, of course, but I genuinely think that it would be great to have a spot to ask about particular places that we may be thinking of visiting or moving to & get answers from people who have actually lived there or visited.  I am currently dreaming about retiring somewhere--not sure yet--and have lots of questions for locals or seasoned travelers!

[LegHumperBibleThumper]

2 hours ago, Shadoewolf said:

Key West is beautiful, has some must-eat places (Goldman's Deli, Mr. Z's and Thai Island)  and the week of the superboat races is awesome. I spent a day down at Fontana Lake in the mountains of NC 2 years ago and want to go back, have a chance to really explore. 

 

I'm heading to key west for a few days on Monday. Thanks for the suggestions! Perfect timing

[QuiverFullofBooks]

1 hour ago, keen23 said:

I totally admit to not understanding Disney-philes. Those people who CAN travel anywhere but choose to use all of their vacation time at Disney and Disney resorts and cruises. My best friend is one of these, and she can't imagine taking a vacation anywhere other than Disney World.

I agree- there’s such a lot of world to see! But I get how the Disneyphile thing happens. You get the Disney Visa and join the Disney Vacation Club timeshare and buy the annual pass to the parks. They send you deals all the time and info about events, and it becomes an affordable option. You even view it as an investment you need to amortize. 

[karen77]

1 hour ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

I agree- there’s such a lot of world to see! But I get how the Disneyphile thing happens. You get the Disney Visa and join the Disney Vacation Club timeshare and buy the annual pass to the parks. They send you deals all the time and info about events, and it becomes an affordable option. You even view it as an investment you need to amortize. 

DVC member here!!! we are going to DL in April and WDW in July

[Knight of Ni]

I’ve heard Disney described as an outdoor DMV. 

[keen23]

5 minutes ago, Knight of Ni said:

I’ve heard Disney described as an outdoor DMV. 

It's not that bad! But there are a lot of people. We did Disneyland in December 2014. It was nice enough. California Adventures was really quite small, and the marquee ride, the Cars Land one, is prone to break downs. We'll do Disney World in a couple years, just for the Star Wars stuff, and then we're done for at least 15-20 years. I have seen/heard enough crowd reports that we're going to pull the kids out of school for a week to do it right. No way in hell are we going on a vacation week, ever again.

[Shadoewolf]

@LegHumperBibleThumper It's hard after the hurricane to know what's still in good standing but a few others to consider...

If you drink, get an alcoholic slushy from the Flying Monkey or Fat Tuesdays. Stick with the small size or you'll be staggering around, they are STRONG. But tasty!

Chocolate covered key lime pie on a stick (or just regular key lime pie by the slice) from Key West Key Lime Pie Co. is hands down the best. Unless you like meringue then I'd say get the mile high key lime pie from Blue Heaven. 

For good, through the generations Cuban food go to Papa ChiChi's. But I'm biased on this one because a friend of ours owns it. 

-For Disney World, we took the kids over the long MLK weekend off from school last year. Was great because everyone was back at school and the lines for everything except the 7 Dwarfs mine coaster were 10 minutes or less. Recommend staying on the property too. Extra Magic Hours are awesome. 

 

[Lullu-Beanz]

I'm in southern Louisiana, and it gets so humid here it's not funny. One summer I went to visit my dad for a few weeks in southern California, and coming back here after getting used to the dry desert air was horrible. Breathing in that humid air made me feel like I was drowning.

[Percy]

Looking for suggestions to see and go in New Orleans? Or should we go to Orlando Florida instead?

Daughter number 2 is 20 years old and I am in my early 50’s.  I can walk a lot but can’t do too much physical stuff due to 30 years of nursing and ‘nurses back’.