Adventures in North Carolina

This was our very first Okoren Family Road Trip. I am not the biggest fan of long car rides, but I have always wanted to see the sights in North Carolina. Tyler just graduated with his Masters degree and had a month before work started, so we thought it was the perfect time to explore.

 We started off at Duke University which was so gorgeous. The grounds and buildings are unique and beautiful. I might even forgive Jabari Parker for choosing to play basketball there instead of BYU. We were lucky enough to have the Basketball building open to explore. Afterwords we visited the gardens and many fishes.
 

 Lyla is currently in a Princess loving phase of life. One of her favorites is Queen Else from Frozen. In order to make the trip more fun with her we tried to include princess sightings on all of our stops. For example, at Duke University Chapel we said it was the place where Elsa had her coronation ceremony. Naturally Lyla was in heaven after that. She said the songs all through the grounds of duke or "Elsa's House."

 Our next stop took us through the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville, NC. We got there a little earlier than expected so we found a 100 foot natural water slide in the mountains and had a ball. Lyla didn't love it cause the water was too cold, but it was lots of fun!

 My mother is an interior designer so I have always had a great interest in touring homes. I've have wanted to see the Biltmore estate for a long time. I am happy to say that this mansion exceeded all of my expectations. Lyla loved seeing what she called "Rapunzel's House". It was very well designed and had a classic elegance about it. Learning about the history of the Vanderbilt family was also very enlightening. Definitely worth the trip and the money.

The town of Asheville is very charming and of course our trip full of lots of pillow fights. On our way out of Asheville we stopped at Chimney Rock State Park and did a great hike to a waterfall. We told Lyla we were going to see Pocahontas's house. 

 Our last stop was the beautiful town of Wilmington, NC. I have always wanted to see a preserved Victorian town and this one is incredible. The night we got there we walked down the pier and explored.  The next day we went on a long bike ride around the town and listened in on some of the Horse drawn carriage guided tours. I can see why Hollywood films so many movies here because the town is so breathtaking!

After our ride we went and got some of the very famous BRITS donuts on the pier. If you are ever in Wilmington you have to eat these donuts. They are life changing. The next morning we ate a good southern breakfast, visited a princess store, and drove a long way home. It was great family road trip and I look forward to many road trips to come.

Pretty in Pink

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY LYLA!!

I grew up in a home where birthdays were always a big deal. In fact, my older sister Rachel would practically spend an entire year planning her birthday party. (It is no surprise that she is an incredible party planner as you can see on her blog.) Since we were planning to come home to Utah during Christmas my sister volunteered to throw Lyla a party and I couldn't resist. One of the reasons I was so excited to have a girl was to throw girly parties and dress her up all in pink.  The theme of the party was "Pretty in Pink" and Lyla sat in this stylish pink chair to receive her many presents from friends and family.

This is a small taste of Rachel's home at Christmas, incredible I know!! She gathered sweets from some of the best bakeries in Utah. To have a full list of the details visit her blog.

One of favorite things from the party was this flower and fairy garland. It is currently hanging in Lyla's room to remind her that fairys are real. What I have loved over this past year is seeing her imagination grow. I am excited to share how Lyla has opened my eyes and reminded me again that world we live really is a magical place full of wonder. Every day I am grateful I have her. Happy Birthday Lyla!

Welcome to Our Neverland

This is blog about mom and daughter in a new city, trying to find some happiness and magic. The other day as I put on the movie Tangled (for the Billionth time) for my adorable 2 1/2 year old daughter Lyla, I thought she needs something more than this. I stopped the movie and instead strapped her into the car and we found a farm down the road that sold ice cream and let you visit their animals.  It was lots of fun and I enjoyed the smiles and giggles from my sweet girl.

I admit motherhood is not the easiest thing for me. Mainly because being at home all day long cooking, cleaning, potty training, and coming up with fun things to do is  not always my cup of tea. But I love life and believe that we should live it. Living it requires some effort, courage, and a little bit of imagination.

Peter Pan was always one of my favorite stories throughout my life. There something very enticing about never growing old and being able to fly. I have always loved these words from the famous song Never Never Land: "I know a place where dreams are born and time is never planned. It's not on any chart, you must find it in your heart never never land."  Just like Wendy, Michael, and John couldn't fly until THEY came up with their own happy thought, each one of us has to find our own Neverland. I hope this blog provides some inspiration for you as it helps to motivate me. Here's a little glimpse into our world, enjoy!