My tote hasn't been many places since November, so I decided to create a wrap up of the last 7 years and re-visit the places Miss Kenzie has been. Join me as I walk down memory lane!
Read HERE to see how The Tales of the Traveling Tote began!
A few times a year a group of us bloggers write a connected post about the places our MacKenzie-Childs large tote bags have taken us. They might include business trips, shopping adventures, weeklong vacations or simply every day escapades!
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In 2015 Miss Kenzie and I visited Albany, NY, Ohio, Avon, MA, Rochester, NY, Cape Cod, MA, Aurora, NY, Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard, New York City and the Finger Lakes Wineries. I worked a few weeks in Provincetown, MA.
In 2016 We went to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Martha's Vineyard, Alaska, Plymouth Rock, Niagara Falls, Columbus, Ohio, Seattle, Washington, Saratoga Springs, Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards and Cayuga Lake Winery Trail
In 2017 We went to Miami and then cruised to Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel ....
....It was also the year I met many of the Traveling Tote members in person: Deb from Mountain Breaths, Katie from Preppy Empty Nester, Sarah from Hyacinths for the Soul, Linda from Life and Linda, Emily from The French Hutch, and Linda from More Fun Less Laundry.
I also met the Beekman Boys in Sharon Springs.
We enjoyed a tour of all the natural springs in Saratoga, returned to Cape Cod, visited Cleveland and Delaware, Ohio, spent a few days in Lake Placid, visited Sodus Bay Lighthouse, went to the Barn Sale and enjoyed a Farmhouse Tour with my girlfriends, visited wineries and breweries in Skaneateles, worked at the NY State Fair and went apple picking
In 2018 I visited Marthas Vineyard with girlfriends, John and I went to Niagara on the Lake and Niagara Falls and we traveled to Ohio to meet our new grandson, Callan.
I met more bloggers and Mackenzie-Childs collectors: Laura and Sandy from California, Dot and Donna, twins, from California, Janice from Fig and Twigs, also from California, and Sarah from Hyacinths for the Soul visited from Texas.
In 2019 we traveled to Grand Cayman for a week, visited Avon, Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Saratoga Lake.
This was also the year I met the "Girls from Chicago", Joan and Susan from Buffalo, Cherry Kay from the Entertaining Women blog from Oklahoma, Tom the "Courtly Check Bear", Crystal from Michigan.
Patti and I stayed at Walcourt Hall Inn, in Aurora for the Warehouse Sale,
We spent a "girls week" in NYC, John and I visited Washington, DC and Virginia and there were a few trips to Aurora!
2020 Began with a wonderful vacation to the ABC Islands in the Caribbean, the birth of grandson #3 and a memorable Valentine Luncheon with Rebecca Proctor in the Farmhouse at MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora.
AND THEN THIS HAPPENED:
Covid 19 arrived and it seemed like the world closed down for a while. We spent months in seclusion but tried to get as much fresh air as possible by visiting local parks and only our daughters in Rochester and Ohio
During the summer our daughters visited and celebrated our 40th anniversary with us. Sadly, our 40th anniversary trip to Bermuda was postponed.
Cabin fever caused me to escape to the Cape for a week and then we spent a week with family in Lake Placid. A few more day trips were spent in Aurora with Tracey and in Sharon Springs with Tobey.
At the beginning of 2021 our Caribbean cruise was canceled and rescheduled til 2022.
We celebrated the closing of the Aurora MacKenzie-Childs store, the opening of The Outlet and the second Online Barn Sale. In spite of Covid, we masked up and enjoyed many gatherings with our vaxed "MacFriendzies"!
Our trip to Bermuda was put on hold for yet another year, so we took our grandsons to Old Forge for a few days and then we celebrated out 41st anniversary in the Finger Lakes.
Early Fall brought us to Lake Placid, the Cape, the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and Saranac Lake:
The Courtly Check Bears hosted a Halloween celebration and brought together a few of the Traveling Tote Instagrammers, Crystal and Tracey, and we took another trip to The Outlet in Aurora:
Linda, (IG TTTer) with her Black Flower Market tote, and I enjoyed the Courtly Check Bears' Mimosas and Munchies Party in December:
We were so lucky to have our whole family together for Christmas! We welcomed grandson #4 into the family and enjoyed the holidays together!
And that brings us to 2022.
And once again, we had to cancel our Caribbean cruise, we just didn't want to vacation wearing a mask and taking a chance that some islands might not accept cruise visitors.
We have booked Bermuda for late summer to celebrate our 42nd anniversary and hopefully the pandemic will be subsiding by then and travel will be simpler!
The last few months have been very low key for us and Miss Kenzie has been hiding in the closet!
I left her home for my visit to the Everson Museum ....
....but I let her tag along to visit the motherland, the Outlet in Aurora!
Emily is hosting our giveaway this time, so make sure you leave a comment on her blog post!
Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch
Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Cherry Kay @ Entertaining Women
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I hope you will join us for our next Tale:
Your adventures read like a very well-traveled tour guide! You've been to some fabulous places. Watching your family grow has been an added treat through it all. I can't get over how much Anthony looks like Pedro! I hope your trip to Bermuda pans out this year (I'm pretty sure it will), and you can get back to your traveling antics you do so well. Happy March!
ReplyDeleteWow Patti, I enjoyed all of the places you and your bag have visiting throughout the years. I enjoyed looking at those photos and I do hope you and your hubby can celebrate and have that anniversary trip.
ReplyDeleteMiss Kenzie is certainly well traveled! I you and John can have that anniversary trip. I think we should all enter the Golden Ticket sweepstakes that MKC is offering from March 3-6, and perhaps one of us will win the trip and get to be a ceramic maker for the day, and have lunch with the amazing ladies!
ReplyDeleteJust noticed a typo in my comment. That should say *hope you and John....
DeleteYou have enjoyed so many places with totes in tow Patti. I love how you travel, you and John with family, with friends and sometimes just you two. I'm sorry you had to cancel your cruise, I know you enjoy those. Hopefully we can all pack our totes and enjoy traveling again this year. Happy March Patti.....
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful recap of your many tote adventures! I certainly hope you finally get to go on that cruise this summer, I know that has been hard to keep postponing. It's so much fun that you live close to Aurora and have so many MKC friends! You are blessed with your grandchildren and family and I hope you get to resume happy travels again soon~
ReplyDeleteJenna
Miss Kenzie certainly made the best of her pandemic time!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this post! You have been to some fabulous places. Hope all will be getting back to "normal" soon and your trip to Bermuda is a go.
ReplyDeleteHow fun to look back at what you and Miss Kenzie have been up to. Do many fun places and activities. So sorry you had to cancel your cruise. It is wise to be safe. Your family is growing. The kiddos looks so cute and grow up too fast. Cheers to more fun travel in the near future.
ReplyDeleteNo question, you and Miss Kenzie are well traveled! Sad this year's cruise was canceled, but hopefully there will be others in your future. Fun to look back and see all the great travels and activities.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed scrolling through the years with you, Patti. You sure have been blessed with meeting so many blogging friends. I hope a cruise is in your future.
ReplyDeleteYou're the bests traveled lady I know. I think we should all call you "Traveler." I'm always so thrilled to see how many of us you find a way to meet and have a fun day. Oh how I yearn to visit Aurora. Some day. Thanks for being our mighty commander. I'm late to the party, but I am finally up and posted. Had an issue with my external hard drive; everything is finally up and running! Hope that you'll drop by for a visit. CherryKay
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting this post together for us, Patti! What a super round-up of all the lovely places you've been and people you've met. The mosaics are super fun!
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