Adventure with Annie - Origin Story

It was a classic “beautiful spring Saturday in the Pacific Northwest” kind of problem – what on earth should we do???  Kevin (my husband) and I always enjoy an adventure with our kids.  But spontaneous day trips with 3 boys under the age of 6 was my worst nightmare.   Where should we go? What do we need to bring? Will we buy lunch or bring lunch?  Will we be home in time for naps? I could go on and on…

We decided to go to Discovery Park and then to the Locks.  I proceeded to spend a good hour researching online, trying to piece together our plan.  Once again, I had so many unanswered questions: Where should we park at Discovery Park?  Can we park on the Magnolia side of the Locks? Can you push a stroller across the Locks?  Where should we eat lunch (someplace good, but kid friendly too)?

I’m the kind of person who enjoys the experience much more if I have a good plan in place.

By some miracle (and a lot of research and good luck with the tides) we ended up having a great day!  My good friend Beth had some family in from out of town and had been looking for day trip ideas – that night I emailed her a long description of what we did and all the tips and tricks I’d picked up.  And there became the idea for this Blog!

So many of us moms hesitate to try new things with our kids because we’ve gotten used to the routine and are afraid of all the unknowns.  I want this blog to help arm you with the information you need to get out there with your family.  Find yourself faced with a sunny April Saturday (shocking!!), come here to find an idea of what to do, and all the information you need to make it the perfect adventure.

As time went on, and our boys got a bit older, bigger adventures enticed us. We’ve traveled with them around the Pacific Northwest, and to see family out of state, but the trips that really needed that extra planning spirit were the ones to Disneyland! There’s almost nothing more overwhelming than planning a first trip to Disneyland for a young family! But my planning instincts sprang into action and I found that I actually really enjoy planning a Disney vacation. This transitioned into me providing friends with Disney advice, then brought me to ConciEARS, an Earmarked Gold Disney Travel Planning company where I can help others plan their Disney vacations in a more complete way.

A little more about me!

Thanks for visiting Adventure with Annie!  I’m Annie Dolan, mother of 3 boys, ages 5, 7, and 10.  My husband, Kevin, and I met in college and have been married for 15 years, and counting!  I was born and raised in Northeast Seattle, and now call Sammamish home.

My mom was amazing at getting out with me when I was a young girl – she often says trips to places like the Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center, and Aquarium were weekly occurrences when I was growing up.  As my brother and I got older my parents expanded our adventures to France, Greece, and many other places. My dad had the amazing opportunity to be a contract worker for Holland American Cruise Line, allowing our family to travel to exciting destinations like Alaska, the Mediterranean, and Baltic Sea. I suppose this adventuresome spirit is baked into me, a bit. 

But when you combine that with my perfectionist personality a slight conflict arises.  I want to get out there with my family and enjoy these beautiful places, but I’m simultaneously worried that if I don’t know exactly how to tackle the experience it will be a disaster.  I want Adventure with Annie to be a place for families to find detailed help and tips for their own family adventures.

Originally these adventure ideas were intended to serve a few of my friends and even myself!  To help me remember what to bring next year to the Museum of Flight on Seafair Thursday (for example…).  But I thought it might be useful to more than just that select group.  Hopefully I’m right and some of these ideas will help you brave an exciting adventure with your family!