Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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Cheesy, breezy Wisconsin Dells

July 17, 2022 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Like so many things in the past two years, our summer vacation plans changed at the last minute. Truly, it’s hard to believe COVID-19 is still interrupting so many things. 

Ben tested positive for COVID the night before we were supposed to fly to Vancouver, where we planned to board a ship on Monday for an Alaskan cruise. We had to present negative COVID tests on Monday and had planned to test on Saturday morning before we left town. Well, the Friday evening test shook up all that. 

We ended up canceling our flights and cruise. Thankfully, we had travel insurance so we got the cruise money back the following week. I had to file an insurance claim, but, hopefully, we’re going to get our flights refunded too. 

Meanwhile, we talked through lots of other trip options and decided on Wisconsin Dells. That seems random, I know. But we had some criteria: We wanted somewhere we could drive to in 6-8 hours that would greet us with cooler, less humid weather. We also thought it would be fun to go somewhere we’d never been. We had both our moms with us, so I had to find accommodations for our party of seven. 

That’s how we ended up spending four nights at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells after Ben quarantined for five days.

I’ll take you through our time there from June 29 to July 3. 

We left Wednesday morning and stopped for lunch at Monical’s in Mahomet, Illinois. When we arrived late that afternoon at the resort, we went to two of the waterparks on the property and ate expensive, mediocre burgers for dinner at the resort.

I decided to fully embrace vacation mode and proclaimed I wasn’t cooking or buying any groceries for this trip, so we started Thursday with a fun, delicious breakfast at Paul Bunyon’s Cook Shanty. Then we learned more about the area on an Original Wisconsin Ducks Tour, which I highly recommend. We spent the afternoon at three of the resort’s water parks. MACS – Macaroni and Cheese Shop – came highly recommended and we all really enjoyed it. We happened upon Kemp’s ice cream and ate it while overlooking the dam. 

We started Friday with another good breakfast at Mr. Pancake. Greg took the big kids bow fishing that morning. Cate was reluctant to go, but we convinced her it would be a worthwhile experience. Sure enough, she made the most of it! She shot a carp right in the mouth with her arrow – something the guide said he’d never seen in his two decades on the job. 

Grandmom, Gran Gran and I took Rachel to the Country Bumpkin Farm Market, which was a great surprise. I expected we’d spend some time there and then maybe find something else to do while Greg, Cate, and Ben fished. But we stayed there for a few hours until it was time to pick up the fishermen. Rachel fed some animals in the petting zoo and then played on all the farm-themed activities and play areas. We all reconvened for lunch at the Riverwalk Pub, which we picked because of its proximity to the river but ended up really enjoying. We walked and shopped around downtown. 

When we bought duck tour tickets, we actually got a dual ticket also good for a jet boat tour. We did that Friday evening – and got very, very wet! There were lots of feelings from certain people about this adventure, but, in the end, it was a fun time on the Upper Dells portion of the Wisconsin River. While I washed and dried some clothes, Greg brought Moose Jaw Pizza back to our condo. 

Our last full day started with breakfast at BJ’s, which was good food for good prices. We did the Take Flight simulator at our resort and enjoyed “Aloha” as if we were flying above it all. We played at three waterparks at the resort. Monks was another dinner recommendation and it was a great meal that started with delicious cheese curds and included amazing burgers. 

Overall, it was a fun time, especially on the heels of having to change our summer vacation plans. Wisconsin Dells is a touristy destination that reminds me of a smaller Gatlinburg or Branson. Our resort definitely got more crowded on Saturday, so I would recommend going on weekdays and leaving town before a holiday weekend. We were happy that’s how our Plan B vacation worked out. 

*****

While in Wisconsin Dells, I shared daily posts and pictures, so take a look at those, if you’d like more peeks into our vacation.

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Filed Under: summer, vacation Tagged With: family, life, vacation

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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To live in communion with one another, means to sh To live in communion with one another, means to share meals, space, advice, and prayers. It also means sharing hope, disappointment, dreams, and forgiveness. 

We explore what this looks like in “Created for Communion,” along with other biblical foundations for friendships and community.

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So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictu So many of my Facebook friends shared lovely pictures of their daughters yesterday for the completely made-up National Daughters Day. Regardless, today I'm all in my feelings about my daughters. 

They're 16 and 8 right now. Both of their classes have been studying ancient Egypt and had a joint feast today. Sweet, huh? 

BUT THEN TIMEHOP GOT ME! Apparently, NINE years ago today, when Cate was a second-grader, her class had an Egyptian feast. I think about a particular picture of Cate and her friend Kilee from that day AND THEN IT CAME UP IN MY TIMEHOP TODAY. Facebook also told me that same day nine years ago, Monica and I became Facebook friends. We probably were at the Egyptian feast and decided we'd be friends because our girls were friends. Y'all, God has been so good to me through my friendship with Monica. Our families click in a special way with our three sets of same-aged kids, most of whom have been adopted. 

Anyway, my daughters. They're lovely, funny, and smart. I love that Cate helped Rachel with her Egyptian eye makeup this morning and made her a Nutella and banana sandwich. I love that they got to have a party today at school together. I love that even though they're eight years apart, they're sisters. 

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do. 💛

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I’m pretty much always thinking about my next tr I’m pretty much always thinking about my next trip! Be it a weekend getaway or a family vacation, I’ve always got ideas of where I want to go next. The rest of my family always has suggestions too. Yes, take the (next) trip!

In the blog post HOW TO TAKE THE TRIP, I share lots of links and suggestions on where to go, who can help you, and what to take with you. 

✨ https://kristinhilltaylor.com/2023/09/how-to-take-the-trip.html

Where do you want to go? What do you always take with you?

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I was thankful for some rest time on the couch on I was thankful for some rest time on the couch on Saturday afternoon — and a chance to finish this suspense book. 

“Between Two Strangers” by @katewhite_author had such an intriguing plot that pulled me right in. I was close to figuring out how it was all intertwined, but I didn’t quite get there through all the twists. Good, quick read!

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Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life Recently, in random snapshots. This is a full life, but it’s a good life. 💛

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When you subscribe to emails from my porch, you ge When you subscribe to emails from my porch, you get some free goodies! Plus, it's a fun way to chat about life, books, and faith. 

I just updated the free gifts to include a lovely PDF that has links to 27 (!!!) how-to posts about life, home, and parenthood. I'm going to give away more goodies when I meet some subscriber goals, so, if you haven't already, please join me on my virtual porch. 

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Well, don't they look lovely together! ✨ Find Well, don't they look lovely together! 

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You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to You’re a light wherever you go! And you like to go! You’re always making friends, asking about our next adventure, wanting to know what’s next, and talking if you’re not singing. You’re the joy our family needed in 2015 and you continue to be the one who makes us laugh and love better than we did before we knew you. 

... You ask a million questions, know the words to thousands of songs, have so many ideas, and still try to sneak into my bed at night. You say I’m the best snuggler in this family. I’ll take it – and your hugs and love, although the middle of the night will never be my favorite time. 

Happy birthday to the girl who loves loudly! 

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In this book about biblical friendships, we’ll l In this book about biblical friendships, we’ll learn how God has created us for communion, allowing His people—then and now—to befriend one another in holy ways.

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