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Category: Travel

Dallas Ft Worth Auto Show Recap

10 Tips for the Car Show Novice

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns 1 Comment

This week I had the pleasure of visiting the Dallas Ft. Worth Auto Show with the She Buys Cars group.  I was surrounded by smart and experienced auto-enthusiasts who knew things about “suspensions” and “horsepowers.”  I, on the other hand, was there to represent the “clueless, yet curious” car buyer – which probably means that I was representing many of you.  (Read all the way to the end to learn about my newest car-crush! OMGGGGG!)

Note:  If you’re looking for a car-expert type review of the Dallas Ft. Worth Auto show (March 22-26, 2017,)  you’re in the wrong place. BUT, if you’re (like me) and an auto-show newbie who likes to press dashboard buttons, rub leather and load up on trade show swag, this post is for you!
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Touch A Truck Austin

Win Free Tickets to Touch A Truck Austin

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns 11 Comments

When you ask kids about the heroes they admire, some may answer with a list of animated Super Heroes like Spiderman and Batman, but more than likely, you’ll hear a lot of responses about the every day heroes in their lives.

Touch-A-Truck-3

 

For my son, the heroes are firemen with their giant, shiny, red trucks. He used to watch Fireman Sam non-stop and would stop and stare at attention any time a firetruck drove by.
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Blog U - Middle School Awkward or Middle Age Awesome?

Blog U: Middle School Awkward or Middle Age Awesome?

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns 19 Comments

I had the weirdest dream:

I’m sharing a couch in a hotel bar with “I Just Want to Pee Alone” NYT Bestselling Author, Jen Mann. Our conversation meanders from our mutual admiration for Hugh Howey to me giving her shit about the fact that her rental car has manual roll-down windows. We then somehow make the connection that I was in the PTA with a book blogger that she follows. The next thing I know, Kim Bongiorno (Let Me Start By Saying) is next to me dressed up as Urkel performing a “Dancing With the Stars” worthy number with Frugie from Frugalista Blog.

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5 Reasons You Need to Take a Vacation Without Your Kids

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns 34 Comments

For some moms, the idea of a week away (or even a night away) from their kids sounds like paradise….for others, it sounds like a nightmare.

I have to admit, I’m a big fan of ‘me-time’ and since becoming a mother over ten years ago, I have tried to work in little trips for myself at least once a year.  I’ve gotten to the point where I barely think twice about it – The kids are older now (11 & 7), they’re in good hands while I’m away, and I believe we all benefit from a little ‘absence making the heart grow fonder.’

That being said, I wasn’t a natural at this maternal separation.
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Top 10 Reasons to Visit The Dusty Parachute in 2015

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns Leave a comment

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New Year’s Day is the perfect time to reflect back on the past year (while lying hungover on the couch eating stale Christmas cookies.) Many of the bloggers I follow are doing fun ‘Top 20 Posts of 2014’ lists. I thought of doing something similar but seeing as how I have only done around 30 posts since starting The Dusty Parachute a few months ago, that would be like saying “Come to the site & read everything!”

So, instead I’ve categorized some of my 2014 posts to help give you an idea of which ones you will enjoy most based on your interests.  Assuming that many of my 2015 posts will fall into these same categories, it also doubles as a “Top 10 Reasons to Visit The Dusty Parachute in 2015”.
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Wishing You a Very Craigslist Christmas

Wishing You a Very Craigslist Christmas!

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns 8 Comments

I hate shopping.

And I’m not talking about Christmas shopping.  I mean 365 days a year.

I hear the stories all the time about all the moms who love their trips to Target and my eye starts to twitch a little (okay, a lot).

I hate the crowds, I hate knowing that whatever I buy will likely go on sale the minute after I buy it and I hate knowing that whatever I buy will be outgrown, obsolete, forgotten about in a matter of weeks.

So when I hear about people waking up at 5am on Black Friday to do the most extreme version of the thing that I do my best to avoid at 2pm on a Tuesday in April, you would assume that I would think those people are crazy, but I don’t.
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Care Instructions for a 1 Year Old (Interpreted by the Grandparents)

The Dusty Parachute by Susanne Kerns 152 Comments

I was just digging through some old photo albums today and this folded up note fell out.  It’s a six page list of ‘guidelines and explanations’ (my own obnoxious words) that I wrote up for my mother and father-in-law when they offered to care for our daughter so that I could take a once-in-a-lifetime ten-day trip to Italy with my mom.

This was eight years ago.  My daughter had just turned one and we had just moved into a new house the week before.  There were boxes everywhere and the normal craziness of living with a one year old.  Even with all that, my in-laws were kind enough to volunteer to fly from Arizona to Seattle to watch her so that my mom and I could go on a food and wine tour across Italy.  I am still grateful that they gave us this gift of their time and now I am even more grateful that they didn’t either bolt for the door or laugh in my face when they saw what follows.
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