About The Trip & My Site
The Trip:
The inspiration for this entire trip is the lovely Woman in the photo to the right. My Grandma Karen. My whole life she has always prioritized traveling and to this day could be half way across the world and most of us wouldn't have a clue. Growing up we didn't have the means to travel much as a family but she made sure she provided at least one family trip to the Wisconsin Dells each year to spend that quality time together. It has always been my goal to at least experience one trip with my Grandma before it was too late. (I always thought it'd be to New York).
About 8ish years ago I tried to convince my siblings to all agree to skip Christmas presents for a couple years so we could all go on some kind of vacation together. Everyone already had lists made and things they wanted instead so no one was in to "skip out". I was bummed and dreaded making a "wish list" every year just to turn around and forget what I got 12 months later. My Dad approached me after my failed family intervention and said "Just because no one else doesn't want to doesn't mean you can't do that yourself you know." And that's what I did. Since that year Dad hung on to my Birthday & Christmas money and started a "trip fund" for me rather than receiving gifts.
Time continued to pass on, years went by and it continued to be a common discussion. Domestic travel quickly turned into international travel possibilities but between my crazy work schedule, not having enough vacation time or not having the extra money to spend quite yet I just kept saving in my trip fund. After Grandma was diagnosed with cancer it was a kaleidoscope of all the things I may never get to have her by my side for. I quickly realized time is something that goes by fast and can never be given back. It was time to stop dragging my feet and prioritize making this a reality while she's still here, healthy and able to take on a foreign country with me. These memories will not and could not be something that just "could have been."
Throughout becoming more serious about a destination and starting to talk numbers my Dad asked to join in on our trip and he's been a part of the planning process ever since. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would amount to something international, or with my Dad AND my Grandma... yet here we are.
The Site:
The website was created in hopes to leave a digital journal for family and friends to follow along but also as a timeless keepsake to have many years later. I wanted one place to write journal entries about the trip, post pictures, videos, where we stayed, where we ate, etc.
The nightly 'vlogs' is inspired by a trip Dad took David and I on to Washington, DC. Dad planned the whole trip, our drive and several stops along the way. If we weren't driving we had something planned and somewhere to be. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, Flight 93 Memorial, Cedars Point, Gettysburg, just to name a small few. Every night when we got up to our hotel room Dad set up his phone and we all sat around and just talked about the things we saw, what we did that day, where we ate, what the weather was like, random funny things that happened throughout the trip, etc. Through phone transfers Dad lost all of those videos. I'm hoping to bring that back and Reece even bought me an expensive camera for Christmas this year just for the occasion. The camera will be coming with and the three of us will do exactly what Dad did with David and I but this time they will be stored on an SD card, in my google drive and right here on our digital footprint.
