Summer is winding down, and if I’m being honest, I’m not entirely sure where it went. Somewhere between taking the train to Montana, squeezing in an adults-only wine tasting getaway in Walla Walla, taking a completely last-minute girls’ trip aboard the Disney Destiny, and sweating our way through Disneyland, the season disappeared in a very satisfying blur of travel.
Oh, and because apparently five trips weren’t enough, I also squeezed in a quick Las Vegas getaway to see the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere.
Priorities. 😂🎤✨
A Last-Minute Girls’ Trip on the Disney Destiny 🚢✨
First up was the Disney Destiny—a completely last-minute girls’ trip that managed to pack a little bit of absolutely everything into a few days. This cruise was such a good reminder that you don’t have to plan every minute of a vacation for it to be amazing.
We sailed out of Fort Lauderdale, settled into vacation mode almost immediately. Before we even boarded the Destiny, we spent the night at Pier Sixty-Six, and OMG, this was the kind of pre-cruise stay I didn’t know I needed.
Then we boarded the Destiny, and the relaxing part was pretty much over. 😂 We saw the shows. We explored the ship. We swam. We snorkeled. We discovered the ship. We stayed up late.
Somewhere along the way, we officially started our Disney pin-trading obsession. I would like to point out that this is not an inexpensive hobby. We started trading, started looking for pins, started finding pins we needed, and before long we were fully invested. This was the beginning of a problem.
A very fun problem.
Adults-Only Wine Tasting 🍷 in Walla Walla
Then there was Walla Walla—a much more leisurely kind of getaway. We stayed at the Abeja Farmhouse, which was exactly the kind of place you want for a grown-up getaway: beautiful, intimate, relaxed, and surrounded by wine country.
There was no rushing around, no packing an itinerary with a million activities, and—most importantly—no one asking what was for dinner every 20 minutes.
Just two nights to slow down, drink some very good wine, eat very good food, and enjoy being somewhere beautiful.
Taking the Train to the Middle of Nowhere
Montana brought a completely different kind of magic.
We took the Amtrak Empire Builder from Washington to Montana, and the journey itself became a huge part of the adventure. Long stretches of train track, big skies, wide-open spaces, and the kind of scenery that makes you want to put your phone down and just look around.
The farther east we traveled, the more the landscape opened up. The towns got smaller. The skies got bigger. And eventually, it really did feel like we’d arrived in the middle of nowhere. (Read more about the here.)
Disneyland in the Summer: Sunshine, Magic & a LOT of Heat ☀️🏰
And finally, there was Disneyland. The magic was strong. So was the heat. 😂
But even after the heat, there’s still something about walking down Main Street, seeing the castle, hearing the music, and watching the park come to life that gets me every time. Disneyland has a way of reminding you it’s possible to feel like a kid again, even when your feet are begging you to sit down – and your family is melting into the asphalt.
Oh, and remember pin trading? Somehow “maybe we’ll get a couple of pins” turned into a full-blown obsession between the cruise and Disneyland. Suddenly we were spotting Cast Members with trading lanyards, hunting for pins, and discussing which ones we needed to add to the collection. It may have started as a cute little Disney activity, alas pin trading may be a gateway drug. 😉
I’ll be sharing more about each of these trips in the weeks ahead—including what I loved, what surprised me, and what I’d recommend if you’re considering any of them for yourself. If you can’t wait that long – pop on over to my Instagram and I try to catch up with photographic proof of life.
Happy travels! xo
Leave a Reply