Best Friends Forever (Bonded Bunnies)

I am thrilled to have been able to make a page about our bonded bunnies. For a long time, we weren't sure if they would ever bond. Thank goodness that they are now best friends. 

Best Friends Forever (affiliate link)

This page was inspired by a National Scrapbook Day challenge called 'Put a Little Love in Your Art." We had to include at least five hearts on the page. But there was a catch. You couldn't use five heart stickers or five punched hearts. You had to have at least five different types of heart. I used die-cuts, stickers, a rub-on, washi tape, and enamel hearts to make my page. I love how it turned out. 

Family Birthday Brunch

Each year, we celebrate five family birthdays at once. Steve and his dad have late January birthdays, Steve's mom and his sister have late February birthdays, and I have a March birthday, so we usually find a date in late February or early March that works for all of us to get together for a nice meal. This year was particularly special, as my mother-in-law turned 80. We celebrated with Champagne Brunch at the Grand Island Mansion. It was wonderful.  

Family Birthday Brunch (affiliate link)

This layout was inspired by a color challenge. The requirement was to make a page using tints (colors that has been lightened by adding white). I enjoyed working with pastel shades that I don't normally use when scrapping. 

Brayden on the Stairs

This is one of my all-time favorite photos of Brayden. His mane is looking particularly stylish and he's giving me the cutest quizzical look.  

Brayden on the Stairs (affiliate link)

I took the picture on the landing of the stairs, which used to be one of Brayden's favorite places to hang out. Since adopting Tulip, we've blocked access to the stairs. Brayden has found new favorite locations in their shared territory. He's adaptable. And such a sweet boy. 

I made this layout for one of the easiest challenges during the National Scrapbook Day crop. The only requirement was that the page has a picture of your pet. Check! 

National Scrapbook Day 2025

Saturday was National Scrapbook Day. It's literally my favorite day of the year. I love all the challenges, competitions, games, giveaways, and inspiration. I love hanging out (online) with other scrapbookers who love the holiday as much as I do. 

Last year, I discovered the amazing National Scrapbook Day event hosted by A Cherry On Top. I had a great time, so that's where I celebrated again this year. 

 

The event itself was Friday through Sunday, but the fun is still going on. There are approximately 60 scrapbook challenges and most don't close until May 18. I love that there are so many challenges, as it lets me skip the ones that don't appeal to me and focus on the ones that excite me the most. 

And speaking of exciting, I've had so much fun with all the games this past weekend! I loved all the trivia, word puzzles, riddles, gallery and store searches, guessing games, scavenger hunts, and icebreaker activities. It's a good thing the challenges don't close for two weeks, because I spent a big part of the weekend on all the fun games! I did manage to finish seven layouts; I'll be back tomorrow to show you the first. 

Scrapbook & Cards Today - Spring/Summer 2025

I have exciting news!

I'm in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today! You can see my project by purchasing a print copy of the magazine, or you can view it digitally for free. Or, check out the release day walkthrough on YouTube. I’m on page 70. I'm so excited to see my project in print - this has been a dream of mine for a long, long time.

Scrapping the 2024 Christmas Card

At first, I was stumped about how to scrap our family's 2024 Christmas card. It doesn't use traditional Christmas colors and the photos were clearly not taken during the winter, so the usual Christmas papers and embellishments would look weird. I ended up layering Christmas stickers over labels in order to make this: 

Christmas Card 2024 (affiliate link)

It was really fun playing with all the stickers and I'm happy enough with the completed layout. Into the album it goes!

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 5

This is the fifth and final part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend reading the first post (Alabama through Georgia), second post (Hawaii through Maryland), third post (Massachusetts through New Jersey), and fourth post (New Mexico through South Carolina) before this one. 

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South Dakota

We have taken a number of excellent tours in South Dakota, but there's no question which is the best: the Buffalo Safari Jeep Tour at Custer State Park. My only complaint about the tour is that they should call it the Bison Safari Jeep Tour. During the two-hour tour, we saw many bison, pronghorns, and prairie dogs. We learned so much about the native plants and animals of the area. I'd happily take this tour again and again. 

Tennessee

The best tour I've taken in Tennessee is Old Town Trolley Tours in Nashville. This hop-on-hop-off style tour took us to the most popular locations in the city, including the Ryman Auditorium, Marathon Motor Works, Centennial Park (home of the Parthenon), the Belmont Mansion, Music Row, and the Frist Art Museum. Our guide was outstanding. 

Texas

The best tour we've taken in Texas is the Lone Star Riverboat Sunset Cruise in Austin. The tour begins with a narrated scenic cruise during the daylight, then the captain positions the boat by the Congress Avenue Bridge in time for the bat flyout. 

Utah

I've taken many great tours in Utah, but my favorite has to be the Great Salt Lake Tour. The narrated tour took us through downtown and past a lot of interesting sites on the way to the Great Salt Lake. There, we caught live sea monkeys and then had the chance to swim in the lake (we waded). Our guide was excellent and we learned so much!

Vermont

Oh how I agonized over this one! Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour or Rock of Ages Quarry Tour?! I went back and forth a dozen times. They're both so good! But I'm going with the Rock of Ages Quarry Tour. I learned so much during the tour. The smaller size and more relaxed pace (relative to the larger group and strict timeline at Ben & Jerry's) made for a really enjoyable experience. Don't miss either tour when you're in Vermont. 

Virginia

The best tour I've taken in Virginia was a ranger-led tour of Yorktown Battlefield. That was part of the April 2000 trip I took with my fellow 5th grade teachers and our students. We all learned so much about this important site from colonial times and the American Revolution. 

Washington

The best tour I've taken in Washington is one of the most unique tours I've taken anywhere. It's called Beneath the Streets and that's literally what it is: a tour of what's beneath the streets of Seattle. It was so interesting to learn the history of a place that not a lot of people know about and even fewer see. 

West Virginia

I haven't actually taken any tours in West Virginia, so I can't pick the best one. However, I can highly recommend the outstanding West Virginia State Museum. 

Wisconsin

The best tour we've taken in Wisconsin was the Milwaukee City Tour by Untapped Tours. Most tours are either driving or walking, but this was both. I loved that, as we were able to visit places that were far apart, but still get an up-close view of them. It was a fantastic tour. 

Wyoming

I've only taken a single tour in Wyoming (so far!), so I'm calling Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley the best tour in Wyoming. We really enjoyed our trolley ride and learned a lot about the fascinating city of Cheyenne. 

That wraps up my version of the Best Tour in Every State! If you have any tours to recommend, please let me know in the comments. 

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 4

This is the fourth part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend reading the first post (Alabama through Georgia), second post (Hawaii through Maryland), and third post (Massachusetts through New Jersey) before this one. 

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New Mexico

We took fantastic tours in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque, but I think I have to pick ABQ Trolley Tour as the best one I've taken in New Mexico. It was a great mix of landmarks, culture, history, and hidden gems. There was an emphasis on TV shows and films shot in Albuquerque, which was really interesting. The whole tour was great. 

New York

My first two visits to New York took place when I was in high school (here's one of them). Both trips had were packed with non-stop tours and I have many great (albeit vague) memories of them. I have much clearer memories of the full-day New York city tour I took with my fellow teachers and our 5th grade students during Spring Break in 2000. My parents came too. I'm calling that the best tour I've taken in New York.  

North Carolina

The best tour we took in North Carolina was at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. In addition to being packed with important memorabilia from the fight for Civil Rights, it is home to the original Woolworth's lunch counter where the famous sit-ins of 1960 began. I hated that we couldn't take pictures inside, but loved everything else about it. 

North Dakota

We spent six days in North Dakota, packing in multiple activities each day. We took exactly one tour in all that time, and it was only about 15 minutes: the narrated train tour at the Dakota Zoo. It was excellent, providing more information about the animals and the zoo itself that you'd get from just walking around (which, of course, we also did). 

Ohio

The best tour we took in Ohio was on Lolly the Trolley in Cleveland. The tour gave us a great overview of the city and took us to spots we otherwise wouldn't have known to visit. Sadly, Lolly the Trolley permanently closed in 2022 after 37 years, largely due to COVID. I'm glad we visited when we did. 

Oklahoma

The best tour we took in Oklahoma was the Bricktown Water Taxi narrated boat tour. This is the only tour on my list that matches Yelp's. The tour takes you through the mile-long Bricktown Canal. It's packed with a fun combination of interesting facts about Oklahoma City and corny jokes like you'd hear on the Jungle Cruise. We really enjoyed it. 

Oregon

I was going to name the public tour of Powell's Books in Portland as the best tour I've taken in Oregon, but then I remembered the factory tour at Bob's Red Mill. Both tours were really interesting and informative (and free!) but if forced to choose the best tour in Oregon, I'm going with Bob's Red Mill. Eat lunch at the Bob's Red Mill Store - sooo good. 

 

Pennsylvania

I've taken a lot of different tours in Pennsylvania, all of them ones I'd recommend. Hanover is the Factory Tour Capitol of the World and I absolutely loved all the tours we did there. We had a great tour of the Capitol in Harrisburg. I loved touring the Mint in Philadelphia, but I think I have to go with Independence Hall as the best (and certainly most iconic) tour in Pennsylvania. 

Rhode Island

The Discover Providence Tour was outstanding, but I'm going to pick the Providence River Narrated Boat Tour as the best tour in Rhode Island. We learned a lot about the city, but I was particularly interested in WaterFire, the high water marks, and amazing Fox Point Hurricane Barrier.  

South Carolina

The best tour we took in South Carolina was the self-guided Boardwalk Tour at Congaree National Park. The loop trail is an easy 2.6 miles and takes you through the heart of Congaree. The digital guidebook is almost as good as having an actual person guiding you on the tour. 

Tomorrow I'll finish up this series with the last ten states: South Dakota to Wyoming. 

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 3

This is the third part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend reading the first post (Alabama through Georgia) and the second post (Hawaii through Maryland) before this one. 

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Massachusetts

I think we've taken more tours in Massachusetts than in any other state besides our home state of California. It was really difficult to pick a favorite, but I'm going to have to go with the Cranberry Bog Tour at the Ward family farm. It was fascinating learning about the stages in growing and harvesting cranberries and trying some of the traditional equipment in the Education Barn. 

Michigan

The best tour I've taken in Michigan was the Ford Rouge Factory Tour at the Henry Ford near Detroit. It's one of the best factory tours I've ever done... and I've done a lot of factory tours. The size and efficiency of the assembly line was amazing. This photo is from the lobby; as with many factory tours, photography of the factory floor is not allowed. 

Minnesota

The Flour Tower at Mill City Museum is the best tour I've done in Minnesota. The tour takes place in a giant elevator with stadium seats. At each floor, you see artifacts overlaid with historic film. Special effects make it feel like you're really there. It's incredible. 

Mississippi

The only tour I've taken in Mississippi was the self-guided tour of the State Capitol. It's done very well, with interesting and challenging activities to do that help teach you about the architecture and history of the building and its occupants. 

Missouri

The best tour I've taken in Missouri was the Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruise. The narrated journey along the Mississippi River provides a great view of St. Louis. We learned all about the history of the city and the importance of the river in the past and now.  

Montana

The best tour we took in Montana was the Last Chance Train Tour in Helena. The open-air, trackless train took us past historic buildings in Montana, as well as a restored miners' village, Last Chance Gulch, and more. It was a great introduction to Montana's capital city. 

Nebraska

The best tour we took in Nebraska was the Bite of Omaha culinary tour. We learned so much about the Omaha food scene and stuffed ourselves with fantastic food. 

Nevada

I've taken several great tours in Nevada, but the best was the tour of the Hoover Dam that Steve and I did in 2003, during our first-ever vacation together. 

New Hampshire

The best tour I've taken in New Hampshire was the Portsmouth Harbor Cruise. Our captain taught us so much about Portsmouth, past and present, as he took us down the Piscataqua River to where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. It was a great tour. 

New Jersey

The best tour I've taken in New Jersey was a guided tour of the Capitol building. In addition to covering the history, our guide provided a detailed look at the art and architecture of the stunning building. The photo below shows my favorite piece of artwork on display. 

If you have any tours you recommend, tell me about them in the comments. I'll be back tomorrow with the next ten states. 

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 2

This is the second part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend starting with the first post, which provides important background information, including my definition of a tour. 

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Hawaii

The best tour I've taken in Hawaii was The Best of Hilo. Highlights of the tour included the Tropical Botanical Garden, Rainbow Falls, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory, Volcanoes National Park, and walking through a lava tube. It was fantastic.

Idaho

I've been to Idaho seven times in the last ten years to visit my family, so you'd think I would have taken at least one tour. Nope. While we've done a lot of fun activities in Idaho, none of them were tours. The closest to a tour would be the World Center for Birds of Prey, where we watched docents and staff give presentations. 

Illinois

The best tour I've taken in Illinois was by the Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co. We had a fantastic guide who took us to all the best places in Chicago and taught us so much about the history, geography, and culture of the city. 

Indiana

The best tour we took in Indiana was Indy Fun Trolley Tours. Our guide went above and beyond, teaching us everything there is to know about Indianapolis - not just the history and points of interest, but restaurant recommendations, great stores, and even where to get the best donuts in each side of town. 

Iowa

The best tour I've taken in Iowa was a guided tour of the State Capitol. By being with a guide, we were able to go places that self-guided visitors can't go, including up a circular staircase to the dome. We had a great guide who told us so much about both the building itself and those who have worked there over the years. 

Kansas

The best tour I've taken in Kansas was the Dome Tour of the Capitol building in Topeka. Not only was it interesting and informative, but it was quite a workout!

Kentucky

It was really, really hard to pick a favorite tour in Kentucky, as we have taken quite a few excellent ones. Ultimately, I had to pick the guided tour of Churchill Downs as the best. We learned all about the history of the track, the Derby race itself, and the various winners. The highlight was going onto the track and standing in the winner's circle.  

Louisiana

Picking the best tour in Louisiana was very difficult. We had several outstanding tours, but I think I have to pick the guided tour at Mardi Gras World as my favorite. I loved the behind-the-scenes look at everything that goes into making all the incredible Mardi Gras floats, and particularly enjoyed seeing the artists at work. Trying authentic King Cake for the first time made the tour even more fun and memorable.

Maine

The best tour I've taken in Maine was a guided walk at Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain. It was absolutely beautiful and our guide was excellent. It was exciting seeing a variety of animals and experiencing multiple biomes during a relatively short walk at Acadia. The views from Cadillac Mountain were stunning. 

Maryland

The best tour we took in Maryland was the guided walking tour at the United States Naval Academy. We learned so much about the Academy and what student life is like. So interesting and a really different college experience than the one I had!

I'll be back on Monday with the best tours I've taken in the next ten states. 

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 1

Yelp recently published an article called The Best Tour in Every State. To find their winners, they identified businesses in the Tours category, then ranked them based on the total volume and ratings of reviews. The list is interesting and there are plenty of tours on it that I would enjoy. Others, not so much. (There are three alligator tours on the list and two of them mention "hold" or "hands-on" which are major red flags.) Boats are a common theme, but there are plenty of tours for those who want to stay on dry land. Almost every tour is guided, but they did include a self-guided tour on the list. A few are seasonal - you won't be taking a snowmobile tour in the summer, nor doing whitewater trips in snowy states in the winter. Anyway, it's an interesting list.

One of the neatest things about having been to all 50 states is that I can make lists like this too. But first I had to decide what the definition of a tour is. Obviously, when you get onto a bus, boat, train, wagon, etc. and someone drives you around telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you're on a Segway (ugh), bike, scooter, or just walking and there's someone leading the way and telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you put on headphones and move from one location to another as directed by the narration, that's a tour. It's still a tour if the narration starts when you press a button, or if you just read signs that take you from the first stop to the next. Basically, a tour involves being told where to start and where to go next, with factual information conveyed along the way. If you can wander around and look at what interests you with no obligatory path, maybe skipping some items, maybe returning to something... that's not a tour. So I don't consider most museum visits to be tours. Likewise, a bus, boat, or train ride is not a tour if there isn't a narration component along the way. 

With my definition in place, let's look at the first ten states. If you click on the name of the state at the beginning of each entry, it will take you to a list of all the activities we've done in that state. The link within the text will take you to the narrative about the specific tour I've named the best. 

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Alabama

The best tour that Steve, Trevor, and I took in Alabama was at Oak Mountain State Park. It was absolutely fantastic. Oak Mountain is gorgeous, even in the middle of the winter. I can only imagine it would be stunning in other seasons. You can find ranger-guided tours and educational programs at the Treetop Nature Trail, the Alabama Wildlife Center, the Oak Mountain Interpretative Center, and more. 

Alaska

We've done so many incredible tours in Alaska that it's really hard to pick a favorite. But I'm going to give that honor to the Musher's Camp Tour and Sled Dog Experience that we did in Skagway. It was so much fun and such an iconic Alaska experience. That was before I was blogging about travel, so there's no post to link to. But here's a picture of us with one of the dogs who pulled our sled.

Arizona

The best tour I've taken in Arizona was by Rising Phoenix Tours. I learned so much about the past and present of Phoenix and what makes it unique. In addition to seeing the sights, we also stopped at a bunch of creative businesses. (It was during an AFCI-sponsored trip, so Steve and Trevor weren't with me for this tour.)

Arkansas

The best tour we took in Arkansas was at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Actually, it is one of the best tours I've taken anywhere, in my entire life. Ranger Rebecca did an amazing job bringing the history to life. This tour was one of the highlights not only of this particular trip, but of our entire time visiting all 50 states. 

California

This one is really tough. I've taken dozens, if not hundreds, of tours during my 53 years in California. I've done city tours, food tours, gold mine tours, boat tours (traveling on rivers, lakes, and the ocean, as well as tours of stationary historic boats), cave tours, redwoods tours, butterfly tours... the list goes on and on. I've toured the Jelly Belly Factory at least a dozen times. There are so many outstanding tours I could name and I hate picking one since it means leaving others out. But pick I must. Probably due to the recency effect, I'm going to select the Warner Bros Studio Tour as the best tour I've taken in California. 

Colorado

This is an easy one. The best tour I've taken in Colorado is the Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour. I've taken the tour twice and loved it both times. It is so interesting seeing all the raw ingredients and learning how they are transformed into products ready to ship. My favorite part of the tour is the Mint Room, where mint explodes at your senses in the very best of ways.

Connecticut

We spent a full day in Connecticut doing a lot of fun things... but none of them were tours. My favorite non-tour activity was going to the Pez Visitor Center. 

Delaware

The best (only) tour we took in Delaware was a docent-guided tour of the Old State House. We enjoy taking guided tours of current and former Capitol buildings when we can, but the timing doesn't always work out. Fortunately, it did in Delaware. 

Florida

I've been to Florida at least 7 times, but I can only remember a single tour I've taken there. I was about 13 when we took a bus tour at Kennedy Space Center. On account of it being the only tour I've taken in Florida, it is now officially my favorite. I don't have a photo from our visit, so I'm using one of the media photos from their website. I don't remember it looking like this in the mid-80's, but it might have. I really don't remember much about it at all. 

Georgia

My favorite tour in Georgia was the 5-hour Atlanta City Bus Tour. Our guide was fantastic and we learned so much about the history and culture of Atlanta. Highlights of the tour included Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, the Atlanta Beltline, Ponce City Market, and much more. 

That's the end of Part 1, Alabama through Georgia. I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2, Hawaii through Maryland!