© 2014 sarahfortune.

HELLO
Mom to Iris. Wife to Todd. Our little family lives at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We love it here and I love sharing little bits of our life.

© 2014 sarahfortune.
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Category : Travel

Life, Travel

Upcoming Travel Adventures

Well, hello… and Goodbye.

Actually, it’s not goodbye. It’s see ya later! Or see you soon? Anyway, it hit me today how much travel I have coming up in such a short of time (#SarahFortuneTravels, indeed). Some is for work, most is for fun, but ALL of them are destinations I have either always wanted to visit or always wanted to visit again.

Here’s my travel list for the rest of the year:

Los Angeles (West Hollywood, specifically) – I’m going with a group of gal pals who love all things Bravo, so we’re basically going to set up shop and eat Goat Cheese Balls at SUR for THREE. DAYS. STRAIGHT.

Washington D.C. – This is a work trip, but I lived there for a couple years back in my 20s and love going back. It’s one of my most favorite places in the world.

New York City – This a recent addition (as in, today), courtesy of my mom. She called me the other day and asked if I wanted to go to NYC. Uh, duh! She’s taking me to see Hadestown. It’s just going to be over a long weekend, but now that we have some affordable (and direct!) flights to NYC, a spontaneous trip like this isn’t all that crazy.

Another CRUISE! – Can you believe it? Iris and I loved it last time, so we’re doing it again. And yes, you read that right. Todd will be sitting this one out (he’s a one and done type of cruise dude), but Iris and I are excited to visit the Bahamas for the first time. We’ll spend a day at the Atlantis resort where I’ve booked us an excursion to swim with the dolphins – basically a dream come true for a mermaid loving seven-year-old.

Last but not least… MAUI! – This has been #1 on my list since I went almost ten years ago. When I went then, it was for work and I went all by myself. I’ve wanted to go back with my family ever since, but it’s so expensive from our little airport (try $1,000 per person for airfare alone) that I didn’t know if the day would come. However, thanks to some good ol’ fashion saving and a lot of help from airline points, we’re headed back to my favorite island.

After all of that, I think I’ll take it easy… Until next year. :)

Life, Rosemary Beach, Travel

Rosemary Beach, Florida 2019

I feel like such a grown-up saying that we just went on our SIXTH annual trip to Rosemary Beach, Florida. I didn’t grow up going on the same family vacation year after year, so it feels extra special to be able to create these ongoing memories with Iris as a family. It almost feels like a piece of that place belongs to us.

Once again, we were lucky enough to have the Gundersons from Kansas City travel with us, along with some first-timers, the Hobbs who live in Boulder, Colorado. While we visit the same beach town every year, we’ve never stayed at the same house twice. I would be tempted to break that tradition though, because this was by far the best house we’ve stayed in. Not only was it huge (three stories!) with lots of room so we never felt crowded, but it was a one minute walk to the beach and our favorite pool.

Here are some photos from our trip to Rosemary Beach and surrounding towns… And you better believe we’ve already booked for next year. We ended up choosing a different house, but it’s right around the corner from our recent one and has its own private pool. There’s no bad spot in Rosemary, but it sure is fun trying to find the best.

Rosemary Beach, Travel

Summer Ready!

I look forward to May every year… and finally it’s here! We’re about to embark on our sixth annual Rosemary Beach trip and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s one of those places you just fall in love with the very moment you arrive and we still experience that same feeling with each trip back. We’re renting a house that we’ve never stayed in before, so even though we visit the sleepy little beach town each year, we like the experience of staying in a different spot each time we return. Be sure to follow along my Instagram for updates on the road!

Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: Graceland

Special thanks to Graceland for providing us with a few tickets!

On our way back home from our Thanksgiving trip to Nashville, we planned an overnight layover in Memphis (my hometown!). And to Iris’ delight, we stopped by Graceland for the grand tour. Todd has a velvet Elvis hanging in his work room off the garage and, when Iris was just a little toddler, she asked who he was. Todd told her about Elvis and played his music for her. Then, of course, she became a Full House fan and we all know how much Uncle Jesse loves to talk about the King. I would tell her about how he lived in Memphis and that one day we would go and visit his house. She never forgot my promise and finally, after several years of reminding me, Iris finally got to see Graceland.

Growing up in Memphis, both of my parents have stories about Elvis. I might not be remembering either 100% correctly, but from what I recall my mom once went on a date with his pilot, who took her aboard for a tour. They didn’t actually fly anywhere, but my mom claims to have picked up a pair of Elvis’ undies (just for a few seconds) out of the dirty clothes.

My dad, who joined us on our recent Graceland tour, shared a story I had never heard before. Apparently back in 1977 he was working, doing some sort of construction in Memphis, when somehow they accidentally knocked the power out to the movie theater next door. They got word that Elvis had rented out the theater that night to watch Star Wars, so they were working as hard as they could to get it back up and running. Unfortunately, Elvis never made it. The date was August 16, 1977.

What’s funny, is that even Todd has an Elvis story. When we first started dating he lived in Elvis’ old karate studio. There’s old footage of him kicking and chopping right where we used to spend a lot of time listening to music and hanging out with friends.

Visiting Graceland helps put those stories in perspective and remind me how cool it is to be from a place like Memphis. Most native Memphians, including myself, will tell you that if you live in Memphis there are two places you never go: Beale Street and Graceland. It’s true that mostly tourists visit those spots, but each holds so much history. It was pretty spectacular walking through the time capsule that is Graceland… Seeing home videos of Elvis swimming in his pool and then seeing his grave right by it. Lisa Marie’s baby bracelet. The tiny halls that make you realize how crazy our house standards have become. The dim kitchen that was probably fabulous for its time. And of course, the Jungle Room. It was pretty awesome to share this experience with my family.

Sponsored, Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: 21C MUSEUM HOTEL NASHVILLE

For the third year in a row, we continued our Thanksgiving tradition of taking off and exploring a different city for the holiday. The first year was Chicago, 2017 was a whirlwind trip to Disney World, and this year was – Nashville! Our best buds at 21c Museum Hotel Nashville hosted our stay, so our trip was nothing less than marvelous.

Not only was this our third Thanksgiving trip, but it was also our third stay at a 21c Museum Hotel. Bentonville and Oklahoma City were our previous visits, but I’d now like to make it my mission to explore each and every one. As for Nashville, our eight-hour drive was surprisingly easy-breezy. We arrived mid-afternoon which allowed us time to relax at the hotel before we headed out to explore. Conveniently located downtown, everywhere we went was either a short walk or quick Uber ride away. You honestly can’t get any better location-wise.

I’m a sucker for a nice hotel and with 21c Museum Hotels I always look forward to the details. From the Malin + Goetz bath amenities, to Nespresso coffee maker, and of course the crisp linens – I could live in this hotel room. And I’m pretty sure Iris would happily live here with me because of the teal penguins alone. Every 21c Museum Hotel has these ginormous penguin statues that guests are welcome to move around. When Iris found out we were staying at the hotel, her first question was what color the penguins were. And when she found out they were her absolute favorite color, she reacted as if she had won the lottery. So naturally we snuck one into our room… Oh. And Todd will also be joining us in our new abode thanks to the local craft beer always stocked in the mini fridge. :)

Of course with any 21c, the coolest part about the stay is 24/7 access to a museum. We love exploring the art throughout the property, so we make it a point to stop on every floor to ensure nothing is missed. In Nasvhille, much of the art was interactive which of course scores big with a seven-year-old. We spent a fair amount of time in a room that featured videos, along with twirling chairs that made you feel like you were going to fall with every spin (spoiler alert: you won’t ever fall, but it sure is fun). Iris loved that part so much I joked I was going to send down her blanket and pillow and see her in the morning. She was very disappointed to learn I was only kidding.

Another favorite was the on-site restaurant – We frequented Gray & Dudley as much as we did our hotel room! Breakfast, lunch, and Thanksgiving dinner. This is the third year we’ve had our big meal at a hotel and the third year I haven’t regretted it for a second. No cooking, no clean-up, no rushing around. Just eating, drinking, and relaxing! For the Thanksgiving dinner at Gray & Dudley, you chose your main course, then the appetizers and sides were served family-style. They even had a cute little menu for the kiddos.

Beyond the Thanksgiving meal, Gray & Dudley is a lovely spot for brunch (Iris recommends the smoothie) and the bar is a perfect spot to break from exploring the art (I recommend alllll the wine). If I lived in Nashville, this would be my place.

It’s kind of funny that our “non-traditional Thanksgiving” has turned into our own tradition, but I love it. If you are considering doing something similar this season, they have a great “Explore More” holiday offer going on right now. Stay three consecutive nights through February 28, 2019 at any 21c Museum Hotel, and save $100 on the third night. Treat yourself to an escape when you probably need it the most. Find out all the details over on their website.

THANK YOU 21c Museum Hotel Nashville for incredible service (seriously – everyone was SO hospitable) and a Thanksgiving we will always remember!