Have you ever looked for an amazingly fun getaway for your family that gives you the best of all worlds. This past weekend my family and I had the opportunity to travel to Traverse City to go to Great Wolf Lodge. We had never been there before, but we had heard of many people that had gone and they had a great time. For us, it took us a little over three hours to get there, but the three hours were definitely worth it. When we got there, of course, the kids wanted to hit the waterpark. While the waterpark is a large part of the resort, I came to find that there was much more to the resort than just water and slides.

Before I get into the rest of the resort, I have to talk about the waterpark itself. The waterpark was huge and had a little bit of everything, from pool, three waterslides, whirlpools and huge waterpark tree park. One of the best things about the waterpark was the fact that they kept it at a constant 84 degrees inside the waterpark and the water is also quite comfortable as well (unlike many waterparks that I have been to in the past). For my eldest daughter, she mentioned that her favorite parts of the waterpark were the waterslides as well as the huge can of water that dumped on bystanders every 5 minutes or so (and did it ever drench you). The three waterslides were quite different, and I have to say that my favorite was the yellow on that allowed up to three people go down and provided a bit faster ride and you even got to go in the dark. My youngest daughter loved the two waterslides that came off of the tree fort and for only being four, she showed some great bravery going on that over and over again!

On day two of our stay at the resort I spoke to the manager and he let me know about a program that they had called the paw pass. This great addition to your stay opens up the rest of the resort to you and your family. It provides you with the opportunity to try out a interactive scavenger hunt called MagiQuest as well as get a cool tattoo, a stuffed friend, a snack in the waterpark, tokens for the Arcade  and a memorable take home gift from the Cub Club.

MagiQuest was something that looked awesome and in starting the quest itself, my eldest daughter worked to become a Master Magi. This took a few hours and quite a bit of walking between floors, but she was able to achieve this rank and then battle both a Dragon and Goblin King.

There was quite a bit more that she could have done if we had more time, but alas, we were not able to complete everything. The game though is fun because you get a magic wand and go around collecting special runes that you need to defeat your enemies, as well as gold to support your quests. The game makes you think deeply about riddles, and remember where things are along the way. The game was a ton of fun and the resort had some hidden fun things around the resort as well which worked with the wand that made it even more worthwhile.

The tattoo that I mentioned is not your run of the mill tattoo but a multicolored, sparkling tattoo that was amazing! They had so many tattoos to choose from and my youngest chose one of the characters from the resort and as you can see it is quite intricate.

The resort itself had a great gift shop, and inside this gift shop you can find some amazing items to help you remember your trip. One of the things that my youngest was able to do thanks to the Paw Pass was build a stuffed friend that she will have forever. If you have ever been to Build-A-Bear workshop this is a similar idea and they have outfits that you can purchase as well.

The Cub Club is a fun location that allows kids to be able to be creative or just chill out playing some games, watching a movie, or making a fun take-home item (for a small fee). They had a ton of things that you could make and take home that allowed kids to show their creative juices and my eldest made a knap sack and my youngest made a monkey pillow (as she loves monkeys).

The arcade was a blast and you can find games that range everywhere from one to four tokens (each token is worth .25/token). Our girls each had 10 tokens so they did not last too long, but that did not stop them from having a blast in the arcade itself!

Finally was the snack that they had in the waterpark. The snack, called Potato Stix, really was a potato on a stick. What was amazing about this was that they literally take a full potato slice it up in a machine with a spiral cut, fry it and place seasoning on it (based on your own taste) and it comes out looking like potato chips on a stick. The snack itself is not completely crunchy like a potato chip, but it was still a lot of tasty fun.

These are only a few things that we tried and enjoyed. There was also a ton of daily activities such as an animatronic show as well as story time every night which was fun and the kids got to meet some of the resort characters after the story. They had an on-site restaurant which the kids liked as well.

All-in-all this was a great trip which will provide long-lasting memories. I think we are hooked and I believe that you will be too! I highly encourage you to consider taking your own family to a Great Wolf Lodge near you!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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For the past week I have been in Arizona getting to know the folks I work with. As a contractor working from home I came on board quickly and feel like I am just now getting my feet underneath me and a trip out to the home office was a good idea. Not only would I put a face to the folks that don’t return my emails, but I would also get a chance to get away on my own for the first time in a long time. The fact that the trip is Phoenix Arizona in the spring is not a bad thing either.

Along with my time in the office I’ve also made a spring training game, played poker with the Bros, had some of the best BBQ I’ve ever eaten courtesy of old friend and new boss Kyle. It’s been a nice manly retreat, some would even call it a man-treat, wait no they wouldn’t because that sounds disgusting. What ever you call it the trip has been big lift for me and I’m very thankful for Grammie coming from Indiana to stay with Beautiful and the boys so I could get away.

With the grind that comes along with the weeks and months that go by it’s easy to get tunnel vision. The little moments when we are together as a family without anything on the agenda except spending time with each other – those moments tend to bring everything into focus. Time slows down and a sense of peace seems to take hold. Those moments are the one’s that help me reset from whatever stress may be weighing on me. As little as those moments might be they are memories I file away in the back of my mind. All the stresses and worries that seem to anchor me down are minor in scope. Everything that makes me happy and fulfilled is right in front of me.

None of it would be possible if it weren’t for a marriage that took place eight years ago today. Walking down that aisle in a chapel in Las Vegas after we became husband and wife was the start of a beautiful union. Many of life’s obstacles have come our way and together we have leaned on each other. My wife has helped shape me into a better person and together we have made a family. One that fills me with love and happiness. To a great eight years and to many more happy anniversaries, my love.

Ah, vacation. The month of March was brutal for anyone in the education field in NJ. Stress levels were and continue to be very high this year so it was nice to have a break to recharge, relax, and forget about NJ for a few days.

This was a much needed vacation for my wife and I, but on top of that it was our first family trip with our little girl. Months ago, my wife and I decided we’d like to go to Florida during my spring break. This is a time of year where deals on airfare are few and far between and any money saved would have limited the number of days we could spend having fun in the sun. So, we decided against spending money on two expensive airline tickets and a rental car. Instead, while the baby and my wife took to the skies, I would be on the road heading south in the family car with all the luggage and supplies we would need for the week.

Let me tell you this, it was much harder than I expected. I was nervous how the baby would do on the plane. Would there be tears? Would she be in pain? Could she possibly throw a fit for the whole two hour flight? And how would this affect my wife? I was worried about all of this, but was secretly grateful I wouldn’t have to experience myself. I thought I was home free…Boy was I wrong.

The 1000 mile trip was difficult in terms of driving. In fact I made awesome time on the way down, but it was very lonely. I didn’t get to see my wife and daughter for 30hrs. This may not seem like a lot, but it is the longest I’ve been away from the two of them ever. And I missed them.

I didn’t make the trip straight through. I stopped at a hotel in Georgia and barely slept…I couldn’t wait to get out the door in the morning and finish that trek just so I could see them again.I met them at the airport when their plane landed and was relieved to see them both in good spirits. My wife, happy to be in the warmth of Florida, gave me a nice hug and my daughter (who seemed confused at my sudden appearance) gave me a little smile. It was a relief to see them both, I could finally start my relaxing vacation.

It was a great week and my 11month old daughter really seemed to enjoy her first vacation. It will certainly make us less nervous to try this again…I’m just not sure I can handle another long trip without them again.