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Maui

11 Favorite Kid-Friendly Stays Around the World

December 20, 2017
by Carrie

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Exploring the SF Bay Area & Beyond!

I’m Carrie, a native to the San Francisco Bay Area. I have a huge passion for outdoor adventures (hiking, kayaking, zip-lining, scuba diving to name a few) and love taking my family along with me. I love to inspire other families to get outside with their kids and find outdoor activities everyone will enjoy. We love exploring not only the Bay Area but also California & beyond! I aim to show families with busy school & sports schedules that you can still find time to adventure together!

Follow me on Instagram!

marquezfiveadventures

✨THE POWER OF SAYING “YES!” TO OUR KIDS ✨

✨THE POWER OF SAYING “YES!” TO OUR KIDS ✨

While visiting the Seychelles this summer, we took a day trip to La Digue - an adorable island where the main mode of transportation is by bike 🚲🚲The first thing we did when we disembarked from the ferry was to rent our bikes for the day. My two teens immediately noticed the ebikes and began angling for them 🙏🏻😇

The island was essentially flat - I didn’t see a need for an ebike. Sometimes my first reaction is to say “no”. No, you don’t need an ebike - we’re all going to get regular bikes and get some exercise. But in a moment of just being happy to be off a very rough ferry ride, I said “YES”.

⭐️⭐️And this might have been the best decision of the day⭐️⭐️

My two teens went from being slightly annoyed that we had taken them on an all-day excursion away from the hotel to overjoyed that they got to ride ebikes. They buzzed around on the bikes all day - there was no complaining when I wanted to explore what was on the other side of the island or when we spent 45 minutes riding around looking for a lunch spot only to end up right where we had started. When we encountered our first hill, my 16yo flew by me declaring “this is where I SHINE!” as I pedaled up the hill trying not to show him I was winded (and slightly jealous!).

This reminded me of the importance of saying YES! Sometimes one small yes can change the course of the day. This day trip ended up being our favorite day in the Seychelles 🌴

**And in a slight nod to Karma, after teasing me all day about having to expend effort on my bike, my 16yo got a flat tire as we were heading back to the ferry at the end of the day and had to walk his bike back a mile through town. Don’t worry - I got off my bike and walked back with him 😂

🕸Happy Sp👻👻ky Hall🎃ween weekend! Earl

🕸Happy Sp👻👻ky Hall🎃ween weekend!

Earlier this month, Kate had a fall break so the 2 of us took a quick mid-week trip to Disneyland 🎢

I debated for too long whether it was worth a trip if we would only be there for 24 hours. When I decided to just do it, we couldn’t get a park reservation 🤦🏼‍♀️ At the last minute we got a reservation and we went! (Last minute in that the reservation came through in the morning, I booked our flights & hotel around noon, and we were on the plane a few hours later! 🤪)

Was it worth it? Absolutely!! I am SO glad we went! It was so fun to spend some time just me & her. She is so busy with school, sports, friends & other activities that it was nice to have a lot of forced downtime waiting in line, talking, and not rushing. She was in charge of planning our day at the park - there was no negotiating with brothers or compromising. Lucky for her, I just went along with everything. She even convinced me to go on the Tower of Terror (which I was dreading) but it ended up being my favorite ride of the day!

So here’s to last minute trips, 1:1 time with kids, pushing your comfort zone, and a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 👻🎃🕸🍬
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#disneylandhauntedmansion #disneylandhalloween #hauntedmansionholiday #explorecalifornia #visitca #travelcalifornia #halloweenatdisneyland #disneyhauntedmansionholiday #halloweenatdisney #motherdaughtertrip #motherdaughteradventure #motherdaughteradventures #fallbucketlist #halloweenbucketlist #falladventures #falladventure #lastminutetrips #travelwithteens #teentravel #travelingwithteens #experiencesoverthings #chooseadventure #californiaadventures #californiatravel #alwaysexploring #discovercalifornia #adventureswithkids #familieswhotravel #takethetrip #yestoadventure

I love hiking San Bruno Mountain and think it’s

I love hiking San Bruno Mountain and think it’s one of the most underrated open spaces on the peninsula!

🥾In the handful of times I’ve hiked here over the years, it has never been crowded. 🚘There is a $6 entrance fee that usually catches me off guard - but always plenty of space to park.
🏃‍♀️The trails are wide and well maintained. I usually see a lot of trail runners (if that’s your thing!)
😍THE VIEWS! I’ve hiked here on clear days and overcast days and the views never disappoint. Love watching the planes overhead, views towards the airport, the bay, Mt. Diablo in the east, the bay bridge & downtown San Francisco, Daly City, Ocean Beach - this has it all!

There are lots of trails to choose from - my go-to is Saddle Loop Trail to Old Guadalupe Trail which is a 3-mile loop that begins & ends at the parking lot. Next on my list is the Summit Loop Trail with panoramic views of the Bay Area from the top.

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#smcparks #santacruzmountains #sanbrunomountain #sanfranciscobayarea #sanfranciscocalifornia #sanbrunomountainstatepark #sanfranciscobay #castateparks #californiastateparks #sanmateocountyparks #sfviews #bayareatrails #norcalhiking #californiahikes #bayareahikes #52hikechallenge2021 #1000hoursoutside #hikingwithkids #cahikingadventures #sfskyline #bayareatrailseeker #bayareaadventures #hiddencalifornia #discoverbayarea #outdoorfamily #chooseadventure #travelcalifornia #hikingfamily #explorecalifornia #bayareabuzz

Our THIRD Peak - Black Mountain ⛰ Earlier this

Our THIRD Peak - Black Mountain ⛰

Earlier this month we completed our third peak in the NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks challenge!

Of the 3 we’ve done so far, I found this one to be the most challenging (though I hear we still have the 2 hardest peaks left to do!). Black Mountain was the longest to date (10 miles) and had some very steep vertical ascents. Black Mountain’s peak was a large flat area - so less peak-y than Mt. Um and Mission Peak, but we were thrilled to reach the top after climbing 3,000ft! 💪🏼

So proud of my 11-year-old for sticking with this challenge! Looking forward to the next 3 peaks! In true Marquez Five fashion, we are really cutting it close with this challenge!

✅ Mt Umunhum
✅ Mission Peak
✅ Black Mountain

#montebelloopenspacepreserve #blackmountain #losaltoshills #sfbay #sanfranciscobayarea #midpenOS #sccparks
#ranchosanantonioopenspacepreserve #santaclaracountyparks #santacruzmountains #sixpackofpeaksnorcal #52hikechallenge2021 #hikingwithkids #kidswhohike #hikecalifornia #bayareatrails #bayareahiking #sixpackofpeaks #hikingcalifornia #familyhikes #hikingfamily #kidswhoexplore #1000hoursoutside #familyadventure #outdoorfamily #explorecalifornia #bayareakids #adventurefamily #chooseadventure #wonderfulwestcoast

“In every walk with nature, one receives far mor

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir🌲

I’ve been turning to hiking a lot lately, but also just getting outside in general whether it’s going for a run, a walk around the neighborhood, or sitting outside in the sun. 2021 has thrown some big curveballs at us and sometimes I get so overwhelmed the only way I can process my emotions is to get outside in nature 🥾🏃‍♀️🌿☀️

I don’t know exactly what it is: a release of energy, uninterrupted time to process my thoughts, fresh air, sunshine, acknowledging the grandness of mother nature and the tiny space I occupy? Maybe it’s a little bit of it all. I always return calmer, happier, more relaxed, and sometimes with a plan or at least feeling more rejuvenated and ready to tackle what’s in front of me.

I think that’s a pretty good return on my investment!!

After 10 days on safari we flew to the Seychelles

After 10 days on safari we flew to the Seychelles for some much needed downtime 🌴😎We had a lot of pool & beach time, explored our home base on Praslin Island, took the ferry to some nearby islands, biked a lot, and enjoyed some unstructured days before heading back home.

I have a hard time sitting still and tend to plan vacations where we pack a lot of activity in. The kids are generally good sports about this and we have an agreement to add in “off” days too. And when possible, we like to end our trips with some warm relaxing days at the beach 🏖 ☀️🌊 I think it’s a pretty good compromise!

**BLUFF TRAIL, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss B

**BLUFF TRAIL, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach***

It’s a tiny little trail - can I even call it a hike? @alltrails lists it as a hike so I guess I can too!

🥾Distance: 1 mile
🥾Difficulty: Easy
📈Elevation Gain: +75’
🚻Restrooms: Yes, in main parking lot
❌Dogs: No
🚗Parking: There’s a lot for about 20 cars and street parking too

Ben and I started at the tidepools at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and then explored the nearby trails. We took the Bluff Trail which starts just east of the parking lot and made a loop connecting to the Coastal Trail.

It’s short, with shady wide trails and minimal elevation gain making it a great choice for just about anyone. The views of the water from the Bluff Trail were gorgeous and we even spotted seals below on the beach 🌊🦭There are tons of trees to admire and climb on and of course the super cool cypress tree tunnel.

At the end of the Bluff Trail where you can either turn around to make it an out-and-back hike or take the connecting trail to the Coastal Trail, you can also continue along Beach Way for about a quarter of a mile to @mossbeachdistillery for food, drinks, an outdoor patio with firepits, and fantastic views overlooking the Pacific. If you don’t already know about their resident ghost, The Blue Lady, the entire story is written on the menu!

I just love the holidays 🎃🦃🎄🎉 I look a

I just love the holidays 🎃🦃🎄🎉 I look at October through New Year’s with grand anticipation for what’s to come including 3 of our 5 birthdays. But it can also bring me a lot of stress knowing everything I want to pull off (decorating the house, family outings & holiday traditions, presents, parties). In theory, these things are all doable with minimal stress if I have a plan, but I often tell myself I have plenty of time and then I’m scrambling at the end 🤪

This year, I found @thelazygenius. Her podcast and book, The Lazy Genius Way, have helped me reframe how I look at everything in my life, including planning out the holidays. Her motto: “Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t” is so simple and obvious yet I needed someone to spell it out for me. She put out a holiday docket that I snatched up and is helping me plan out the next 3 months so I make sure we’re able to fit in all the things that are important to our family (and save ourselves from last-minute disappointment!).

We sat down at dinner earlier this month and everyone listed out what was important to them. Everything listed was not necessarily important to every person. I’m ok letting people veto one or two things they don’t want to participate in, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us won’t do it. We did this for each upcoming holiday and are now working to schedule these things on the calendar so we make them priorities.

Here are the things that are important to us this month:
🎃Visiting a pumpkin patch
🌽Completing a corn maze
🍎Picking apples
👻Decorating the house
🎃Carving pumpkins
🍭Halloween costumes & Trick-or-Treating
📺Watching It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

What’s on your list?? 🧙‍♀️🕸💀

It’s no secret, California is dry, especially in

It’s no secret, California is dry, especially in the summer ☀️Do you know what’s out there in all those golden hills?

🔥Fire Danger
🐍Rattlesnakes
✅Foxtails

Foxtails? If you have a dog, foxtails can be dangerous! We have a bernedoodle who is a magnet for foxtails. We do our best to keep her hair short in the summer, but those pesky foxtails have a way of embedding into her without us realizing it until she’s excessively licking her paw or constantly shaking her head. In just 3 years she has had 3 foxtails (2 in her paws, 1 in her ear). Just last week, we had to take her to the emergency vet when we noticed a swollen lump between her toes with a puncture wound (the earliest a non-emergency vet could fit her was in 5 days!)

Here’s why foxtails are dangerous for dogs:
🌾Foxtails are designed by nature to embed further into an object with each movement making them super dangerous.
🌾They travel - never backwards only forward. A foxtail inhaled through the nose can travel to the brain or even a lung, puncturing it. They have also been known to puncture eardrums or embed in the spine.
🌾Foxtail seeds don’t break down inside the body which can lead to serious infection and even death.

What you can do to avoid foxtails:
✅In California, it can be hard to avoid hiking in areas with foxtails, but we do our best to keep our dog on the path and out of tall dry grass.
✅If you have a longer hair dog, like we do, keep their fur shorter in the summer to keep them cool and make it easier to spot foxtails.
✅Check your dog for foxtails after hiking and give them a good brush. Foxtails love their faces, ears, mouth, and even gums. And of course their paws, especially between their toes & pads.

Anyone else have foxtail issues? Let me know any additional tips! 🐕‍🦺

You may remember that I made some big claims at th

You may remember that I made some big claims at the beginning of the summer to deep dive along the San Mateo County coast for the best beaches, restaurants, and hidden gems. While that is still my intention, I didn’t make nearly as much progress as I had hoped. But that’s ok, because my goal is not to speed through exploring, but rather to enjoy the journey and savor the moments we do have.

One place we did get to was the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach 🐠

🐙”In-the-know” tidepoolers will tell you the best time to go is during a negative tide of at least -1. We checked the tide charts and the lowest we were going to find that week was 0 - so it was good, but not amazing. We saw some crabs, sea anemone, little fish, and, clams. We’ll definitely go back on a negative tide day.

☀️Summer days along the coast can often be cool & foggy, but we were there on a sunny warm day (and so were a lot of other people).

🦭This reserve is great about protecting the wildlife. When there are harbor seals present along the beach, they block off much of the beach with cones. This leaves a much smaller area for tidepooling. This is not a complaint - this just means when the cones are out (like they were the day we visited) there are a lot more people in a smaller area.

🥾As a result, we cut our time tidepooling short, and spent more time exploring the nearby trails. Bluff Trail is short (~1 mile), easy and great for all levels. We found trees to climb, a cool cypress tree tunnel, and great views of the seals below on the rocks.

🍔We finished our adventure at @mossbeachdistillery over looking Moss Beach for lunch. We tried the fried pickles (delicious!), each got an order of sliders, and finished with dessert.

🌊Moss Beach was relatively empty except for a few people walking along the shore and some paddleboarders in the cove. Next time we’ll take the stairs from the Seal Cove Trail (essentially right where this picture was taken) down to the beach and hang out for a bit. You could even walk to the Distillery at the other end of the beach.

NOTRIPHOBIA: the fear of not having any trips book

NOTRIPHOBIA: the fear of not having any trips booked ✈️🌎

It’s true. I have nothing booked and feel like my mind is spinning trying to figure out when we can fit in another trip 🤪My 3 kids have 3 different school schedules and their breaks only partially overlap: only 2 of them get Thanksgiving week off and have a winter break in February and all 3 have different spring breaks. Plus don’t even get me started on their sports schedules ⚽️⚾️🏀

Usually, I have our summer trip identified by this point, but even that is up in the air since my oldest wants to apply for a summer internship and another will likely take a summer school class - and those dates are of course TBD!

Don’t get me wrong….these are not bad problems to have. Given the many curveballs 2021 has already thrown at us, I’ll take “no trips planned” any day of the week.

So instead I’m reminiscing about our trip to Kenya - so thankful we were able to make it happen. All the amazing experiences we had there are tiding me over until we’re able to travel again! This was one of my favorite lions - a young male @segeraretreat 🇰🇪🦁😍

We had the most amazing opportunity to participate

We had the most amazing opportunity to participate in a tracking activity with the canine anti-poaching unit @segera. This unit has a 100% track & find record - not only with poachers, but also with cattle rustling, and missing people.

We gave Ben, our guide, and a guard a 45 minute head start to run through the bush and hide from us. The rest of us met up with 3 bloodhounds (Mickey, Stevie and Lindsey) and their trainers 🐕‍🦺. They gave Mickey the scent from Ben’s footprint 👣 and she took off after him. We followed behind Mickey as she quickly darted through the bush in pursuit of Ben.

As we tracked, we learned all about the unit from the trainers: how much they train, the process of tracking, why they track, the types of missions they’ve been on. Did you know they don’t carry guns to shoot the poachers? They carry guns to protect the dogs!

After almost an hour of tracking Ben’s scent, we finally found him hiding in the bush (I mean, I knew we would, but it was still a relief 😅). It was so fun to see this unit in action and be a part of such an amazing program that helps keep the wildlife and community safe.

Can you spot the giraffes off in the distance? 🦒

✨Gray Whale Cove Trail Loop, Moss Beach ✨ Thi

✨Gray Whale Cove Trail Loop, Moss Beach ✨

This trail is short, but amazing! I was not expecting the views to be as fantastic as they were 🤩This trail hugs the bluff and has expansive coastal views pretty much the entire time. A fun surprise was spotting the old bunker at Devil’s Slide (you can see it sitting out on the edge of the bluff).

🥾Distance: 1.9 mile loop
😅Difficulty: Moderate. Alltrails calls this trail “easy” and 90% of the trail is. However, there is one extremely steep section that lasts almost a quarter of a mile. If you have kids, this section of the trail will surely elicit complaints and accusations that you “tricked” your kids by telling them it was an easy trail when surely you must have known about this hill! Or is that just my kids?
📈Elevation Gain: +465 feet
🚻Restrooms: Not that I saw
🦮Dogs on leash
❌NOT Stroller Friendly
🚗Parking: There is a tiny lot at the trailhead (maybe enough for 5-6 cars). We parked a little south of the trailhead along Highway 1 near the Montara State Beach parking lot (bigger lot, but also full when we were there). We walked north along Highway 1 and then crossed to the trailhead. Walking along the road made me nervous so on the way back, we we followed a trail on the west side of Highway 1 that lead us back to the beach parking lot.

Pro Tip: Alltrails led us to the little lot at the south end of the trail, but we saw another larger lot at the northern end of the trail (you can see the cars parked there in this picture), and there’s a path from the lot that leads to the trail we were on. I would park there, hike, and then afterward walk across Hwy 1 to relax at Gray Whale Cove State Beach - see if you can find the hidden swing!

I rated this hike 8/10 because I wish it had been a little longer and I didn’t like the parking situation (but I’ve now got a better plan for next time!). My family rated it lower than I did because they thought it was too short and of course there was “that hill”. The good news is there are other trails in the park so it would be easy to extend the hike and make it longer and probably even avoid the steep hill!

7/25/2021. Hike 24/52. Our rating 6.75/10. #52hikechallenge2021

Our last stop in Kenya was in the Laikipia region

Our last stop in Kenya was in the Laikipia region at the amazing @segeraretreat. We added this stop to our itinerary at the last minute and I am SO happy we did! Our trip would not have been the same without it. The service at Segera was over the top and each person made us feel welcomed like family.

This morning out on safari was one of my favorites. We departed in our jeep to an amazing sunrise and had already seen a leopard with its impala kill, lions, and an albino zebra. We stopped at this iconic tree for coffee, hot chocolate, and biscuits. The kids found a metal hoop that they tossed at the tree trying to catch it on a branch and naturally made it into a competition. I felt such joy and gratitude watching them play this simple game. At home they’re all so busy with their individual lives - the games they do play are mostly organized sports. While there is always space in sports to make decisions and play within the rules, it was so refreshing to watch them create a game on the fly, make up their own rules, cheer each other on, and of course taunt each other as well. And even though I did accidentally walk through the game and get hit in the head with the flying hoop I’d call this a great morning!

Have I mentioned that the big cats in Kenya were m

Have I mentioned that the big cats in Kenya were my favorite?

On our last morning in the Mara, we stopped at a M

On our last morning in the Mara, we stopped at a Maasai Village where we got to partake in traditional dancing and singing. Then one at a time, they had the kids participate in the famous jumping contest called Adamu. The Maasai made it look easy, but it was really hard - although our basketball playing 16yo did impress them. This dance is part of the Eunoto ceremony where boys transition to men. The higher one jumps, the more of an eligible bachelor he is!

We toured the elementary school and joined the students in the classroom as they learned English and at recess playing soccer and jump rope.

The Maasai live in huts called Manyattas made out of cattle dung and grass. From the outside, the huts looked quite small and we were all surprised by how spacious they felt on the inside!

Finally, we went to their market to look at the handicrafts made by the locals - there were gorgeous carved wooden animals, jewelry, bowls, it was so hard to decide on just a few things!

Our itinerary had a tip that said: “bargain hard!”. I didn’t and here’s why: When we did a tour in Bucerias Mexico with @humanconnections we went into the homes of local artists and learned about their trades. The story one of the artists, Teresa, told us made a huge impact on me. The lengths she went to in order to learn to make beautiful beaded jewelry was incredible and showed such determination. She taught herself by copying other artists and initially struggled to purchase enough materials. She started out by walking along the beach selling her jewelry to tourists and then transitioned to a stand in town. She told us many people would bargain with her assuming she was selling things that were massed produced. They didn’t recognize that her items were handcrafted, took a lot of effort to make, and by bargaining she lost most any profit. She was just a single mom trying to make ends meet. So when I go to a local market to buy authentic handmade items, which is not often, I will always pay the asking price. Did I pay too much? Maybe. But I feel that’s a way I can support local communities and respect the hard work that went into creating these items that I will take home and treasure.

This is the very last picture I ever took with my

This is the very last picture I ever took with my beloved FujiX-T10

One of the first things we did when we returned home from Africa was to head out on a coastal hike🌊 We had never tried Gray Whale Cove Loop right on the coast in Pacifica. It’s just south of Devil’s Slide and north of Mavericks Point - two of our favorite spots. Gray Whale Cove did not disappoint - in fact it exceeded my expectations! The views were just 🤩 and I had missed the cool & invigorating coastal air 🌫

Everything was great. Until I stopped to take a few pictures and mid-picture my camera went black. It wasn’t out of battery. It didn’t accidentally turn off. I hadn’t messed with the settings. It just died. I panicked and tried to troubleshoot on the trail as my family hiked on oblivious to my troubles. The camera’s screen would occasionally flick bright white and then go black again. My diagnosis: Not good.

It’s amazing how camera issues can put me in a bad mood. I’ve forgotten my memory card, gone hiking with a full memory card, without a battery, with a dead battery…...I reluctantly pulled out my outdated iphone and continued taking pictures. Luckily, there is no better way to lift my mood than to be outside hiking. So while I was momentarily reeeeeeally bummed about my camera, I was quickly distracted by the views and the awe of being on the most amazing coastline.

The cost to repair my camera wasn’t worth it. I decided this was a sign to upgrade to the #fujixt4. First I rented a new body at @borrowlenses, decided that I loved it, and then searched around for the best deal!

So in the end it all worked out. I am SO thankful my camera waited until we were home from Kenya to give out on me 😅and I’m excited for all the new memories I’m going to capture 📸

The two most popular questions I’ve received sin

The two most popular questions I’ve received since I started posting about our Kenya trip are: How close were we able to get to the animals? and Was I ever scared?

We were able to get very close to the animals! I took this picture of a jeep, with some cape buffalo just a few yards away, on our balloon ride 🐃 What struck me was how vast & remote the land is with just this tiny lone jeep surrounded by buffalo (you can’t see that there are a few behind the jeep too). There is no fencing or barrier between the jeep & the animals. The “roads” are basically tire tracks through the bush. It doesn’t get much more wild than this. We got so close to lions that a few times I could have reached out of the jeep and touched them (obviously don’t do this!)❌😵

So were we ever scared? The only time I was ever scared was when Mike & I decided to do a guided bush walk in Samburu. We were going to walk down to the watering hole and back - no big deal - it would take about an hour or so. We met our guide and an armed guard who was there “just in case” 😬The guard explained he would never use the gun on an animal - he would only shoot it into the air to scare them away if necessary. As we were walking through the hills, we encountered some elephants & babies. One mother (about 30 yards away) was staring right at us through some bushes and sensed we were there. When our guide told us to quickly stand behind him and the guard, I decided that was enough for me and I asked them to go back. I’m sure I overreacted and we weren’t really in any danger. In hindsight I wish we had kept going and finished the walk, but my nerves got the best of me in that moment 🐘 I’m the big scaredy-cat in the family - everyone else is much braver than I am 😂

Also, did you know that elephants can climb hills? I was so surprised to see elephants up on BIG rocky hillsides! Our guide told us they can get down on their front knees and sort of shimmy up when it gets really steep! Who knew?

Scariest animal we encountered on safari? This one

Scariest animal we encountered on safari? This one right here. A Cape Buffalo - one of the Big Five🐃

Did you know that the term “African Big Five” was coined in the late 1800s as a list of the 5 animals most challenging and difficult to hunt on foot? It’s not because of how big they are or how many people they kill (Hippos actually kill the most people🦛). Now with so many anti-poaching efforts in place, this list has evolved into a list of “must see” animals on safari.

Male & female buffalo both have horns, but the male’s horns fuse in the middle creating a solid bony plate called a boss. This is a female because the horns are separated in the middle. Buffalo are herbivores, but are aggressive & deadly if attacked or threatened. They lower their heads and try to scoop up and toss a predator onto their horns. They travel in herds - sometimes up to the thousands. We saw several herds of around 100, but this one was alone when we saw it. We came around a corner and there she was lurking in the bushes 👀

When we’re on vacation, I have what I consider t

When we’re on vacation, I have what I consider to be a very simple and achievable goal: to get one family picture per day. One picture - that’s it! Yet, even on our trip to Kenya I didn’t reach this goal.

Sometimes it’s just easier if I take a picture rather than set up a tripod (which I’m not great about bringing anyway) or ask someone else to take it for me. And sometimes, one of the kids is not in the mood for a picture. They aren’t toddlers anymore, I can’t quickly distract them with a joke or something silly 😜 Instead I get eye rolls 🙄

Here we were at a champagne 🥂breakfast set up in the African bush after our amazing balloon ride and I just wanted a picture. I tried to gather them up and get a quick shot before breakfast was served - and I was getting lots of pushback. A woman, who I had bonded with on the balloon ride over our love of travel, was sitting next to me and overheard my plight. She very graciously offered to take a picture of all of us. I took her up on it and because it wasn’t me holding the camera, the kids obliged.

I probably would have framed the picture differently and cut out the table filled with dishes, but we’re all looking at the camera and everyone’s eyes are open. So I’ll take it! Because the alternative is that I wouldn’t have a picture at all 📸

What’s your secret for getting family photos? Send them my way!

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