Believe in the Magic Traci Diary

Recipes, Travels, and Stories

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  • An Impulsive Road Trip

    The other day I went to a Mother-Son brunch.  We were asked to list 3 things we did before we had kids.

    I forgot to put I took impulsive road trips.  One memorable one was with Tanya on March 30 to April 1, 2002.

    I had forgotten when I took the trip until today.

    On March 30, I called Tanya and told her to pack her stuff.  I was going to pick her up in an hour.  There was no destination in sight.  It was just us enjoying time together.

    We drove to just on I-70 until just past the Illinois border.  Then we stopped for the night.

    The next morning was Easter morning.  She was given the choice.  Either we could continue west to St. Louis or we could go north towards Chicago.

    She choose going north.  We ended up in Chicago.

    Things we did while in Chicago were visiting the Navy Pier.  We found some free parking with a shuttle that took us to the Navy Pier.

    We also drove on Lake Shore Drive before continuing to head north towards Wisconsin.

    I can remember stopping at a travel station and getting us dinner there.  One memory that sticks out is eating a salad from Burger King.  Don’t know why I remember that little detail.

    Once we got to Wisconsin, we stayed in a town called Kenosha.  Since it was Easter, we stopped at their K-Mart and bought our Easter candy.

    If you ever watched That 70s Show, they would visit Kenosha in several episodes.

    After we woke up the next morning, we drove back home.

    It was a nice little impulsive road trip that will forever stay in my mind.  The road trip was a great bonding time for Tanya and I.

    10 years later, I would once again visit Kenosha.  This time with Hubby on our second kid free trip.  It’s an interesting little town.

    14 years later, I would meet my current pastor.  He’s from Kenosha and was surprised that I had been there.

    No photos exist of that road trip.  Just ones in my mind.

    The feature photo is from my visit in 2012.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

  • On the Way to Fort Moultrie and Inside the Museum – Day 9 Part 3

    Since it was very rainy, we could not play on the beach. We had already decided to take the boys to Fort Moultrie. With the weather, it was the perfect day for this activity.

    Fort Moultrie was the fort built during the Revolutionary Time period. When the British fired on the fort, it was half built. The fort was made from palmetto trees and was able to withstand the cannon balls. The battle was the first victory for the 13 colonies.

    The fort was built and rebuilt over the course of almost 170 years. It was in use until after World War II.

    We had to cross the Ravenell Bridge in the rain which was crazy.

    Enjoy my video of our drive to Fort Moultrie and the museum part of the fort.


    Next week, I’ll share the video of some of the fort. The rain ended up stopping while we were in the museum.

    Have a magical day!
    Traci

  • A Magical Birthday – Throwback Thursday

    Around my 39th birthday, I realized my 40th birthday was going to be on a Friday. It was at that moment that I began to make a plan to travel to a new destination. I did not want a party.

    Hubby and I began to make plans of where we could possibly travel. Disneyland, San Diego, and Seattle were all thrown out as destinations.

    Finally, in January of 2015, Hubby made the final decision for where we would travel on my birthday. We were going on a Disney Cruise with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay.

    On the morning of my birthday, we got to the airport at the same time as the TSA agents. I was also the first person to get coffee from the airport Starbucks.

    Once we landed in Orlando, it was time to get on the Magical Express so that we could get to Port Canaveral. At Port Canaveral, we checked in and then waited and waited and waited. We were in group 15, I believe, so it was a long wait. Hubby and I decided to help the Cast Member who oversaw crowd control, so she let us go in before our group was called which was magical.

    My birthday consisted of eating a delicious lunch, riding down the Aqua Duck while yelling “I’m 40!,” exploring the ship, and getting pixie dusted.

    Here are some photos of my fortieth birthday:


    With the Donald Duck statue


    Sophie – The Crew Member who Pixie Dusted me on my 40th birthday


    Sunset on my birthday


    The cool circular bathroom


    More birthday sunset


    Dressed up for my birthday dinner


    The menu from the restaurant where we ate on my 40th birthday


    My dinner – Scallops (I really did not like the scallops.)


    My birthday cake


    The crab that our blanket was folded into

    I took many more photos. I had to be picky about which ones I was going to share today.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

  • Around the House – Day 9 Part 2

    As I said in my previous post, we had a rainstorm.  The outdoor photos in the video I am sharing today were taken before the rain began.

    Enjoy my video of my of what we did at the house before leaving for the day.

    Join me next week for our visit to Fort Moultrie.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

  • Toledo Zoo Part 1 – Post #1

    A week before I went to Hershey with the Imaginative One, Hubby and I were childless for almost a week.  We decided to go to the Toledo Zoo which was the last zoo I needed to visit in Ohio.  A couple days later, we visited the Newport Aquarium before heading down to the Boy Scout camp to pick up the boys. (more…)

  • Friday Morning Beach Walk – Day 9 Part 1

    Once again, I took a walk on the beach on Friday morning of our trip.  Luckily I did it before the rain storm.

    We had a rain storm on the last full day of us staying on the beach so that was a bummer.

    Enjoy my video of my walk on the beach.

    Have a magical day,
    Traci

  • We are not vigilantes

    A 14 year old, 15 year old, and  16 year old precious cargo were sitting in my car.  We had just turned on a curvy road with no street lights.  It was a little after 9 at night.  Suddenly a car was tailgating me. (more…)

  • Trip Home from Hershey – Blog Post #10

    After we were done with Gettysburg, we traveled south to Maryland.  The Imaginative One had never been to Maryland.

    (more…)

  • Ways to Up Your Salad Game – Add Some Healthy Fat

    How can you take a salad from ho-hum to WOW? We are going to tackle this idea during this series. Here are the topics I’m going to discuss during this series:

    1. Change Up Your Greens

    2. Add Some Healthy Fat

    3. Protein, Protein, Protein

    4. Toppings Matter

    5. How About Roasting Some Veggies?

    6. Add Some Fruit

    7. Cheese Lovers Unite

    8. Seasonal Veggies and Eat the Rainbow

    9. Salad Dressings Matter

    10. Grains and Pasta

    A word of caution: When you add multi toppings to the salad, you need to be careful you are not adding too many calories. Salads can be healthy but too many toppings can cause them to become “junk” foodish.

    Add Some Healthy Fats

    People are often scared of eating fat but there are some healthy fats that are good for you.  Why?

    1. They will keep you full between meals.
    2. They give you a layer of protection which keeps your core temperature regulated.
    3. They help you digest certain vitamins.

    So which types of fats should you add to your salad?

    1.  Avocados
    2. Cheese – My favorite cheeses are feta and goat cheese.
    3. Eggs – Hard boiled or even a fried egg
    4. Fish – Such as salmon and tuna
    5. Nuts – Just make sure they are just nuts without all of the extra ingredients. Be sure not to add too many nuts because those calories will add up.
    6. Chia seeds – I love chia seeds.
    7. Extra virgin olive oil – Make your own vinaigrette using EVOO.
    8. Olives – One of my favorite ways to get healthy fats.
    9. Tofu
    10. Edamane
    11. Sunflower Seeds
    12. Tahini / Hummus – Another one of those ingredients that you can go overboard with so don’t use too much of it.

    Happy eating,
    Traci

  • Mom, What’s For Dinner? – Week of April 23, 2018

    Some of my meals are hold overs from the previous week because of LIFE.

    Anyway I’ve sat down and figured out meals for this week.

    One of the big things this week is the state superintendent is coming to our school on Wednesday.  My bulletin board is a HOT mess because I never really put anything on the board.  Then students come through and tear the paper.  I am going to stay after work on Monday to take care of the board and clean up my room.  Luckily I bought a frozen lasagna so Hubby is going to bake that or he is going to make the frozen orange chicken with frozen rice.

    I love salads for lunch.  So easy.  I can put the ingredients in the fridge and quickly put together my lunch.  This week though I may do Mason Jar salads which are even easier.  Luckily I’m not a big Romaine lettuce fan.  I’ll eat it but it’s not my favorite.

    Here are my breakfasts:

    1. Chocolate Chip Ricotta Muffins
    2. Cottage Cheese with Peaches
    3. Deviled Eggs

    My lunches:

    Dinners are broken into vegetarian meals and non vegetarian meals.  You’ll notice there is one meal that is the same.  It’s a non vegetarian meal that I’m going to serve to everyone.

    Vegetarian:

    1. Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
    2. Baked Spaghetti  Squash and Cheese
    3. Pasta and Broccoli
    4. Enchilada Quinoa
    5. Meatless Orange Chicken

    Non Vegetarian:

    1. Sausage and Mac and Cheese
    2. Enchilada Quinoa
    3. Honey Sesame Chicken
    4. Burgers and Fries
    5. Frozen Lasagna or Orange Chicken

     

    I’m also getting some Naan bread so if I get a craving for pizza I can make my own.

    Happy eating,
    Traci