Ever since I decided I wanted kids, I longed to hear those words.
I have such wonderful memories taking family vacations, getting in the car and driving somewhere... whether it was our family reunion in Tennesse or a cabin up North. We would spend time in the car playing license plate tag or the ABC game, I Spy, or just listening and singing to music.
My how times have changed.
We headed out to California for an early Spring Break (#getmethehelloutofminnesotaitsfreakingcold) a couple weeks ago and one of the first things Jaxon asked me when I picked him up for school was, 'Mom, how many ipads did you bring?'. He then did a mental count of how many hours it would take to get there and approximately when we'd be settled at the hotel so he could calculate how much time he'd have to play at the pool. Which I guess, I was pretty impressed with his math and ability to tell time, so I'll give him that.
It's interesting, I'm not sure when it happened, maybe it's just age and wisdom, but at some point we just totally lowered all expectations when it comes to trips like this. I mean, we booked our hotel two days before flying out, so that tells you either a) we are super disorganized or b) we are super fun people. I like to think it's the second one.
If you recall, from our previous experience with Disneyworld last year, I don't plan for much and whatever happens, happens. I mean, you can only plan so much when you're flying Spirit Airlines and there's a Measles outbreak a week before you go to Disneyland, right? You never know what is going to happen, so we figure always expect the worst and you'll be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't happen.
And we were.
We made it through the airport security and had some fun with the massage chair to kick off the trip. Really not sure how that blanket has survived this long...
The kids provided some positive thoughts and meditations as we landed. Really. No clue what that was about.
Spirit Airlines got an A+. I can't even complain about a single thing because a) the flight left on time, b) we got there early and c) my kids were pretty much complete angels (thank you to the TWO ipads, one leappad, countless snacks and Gatorade, and the very pleasant folks who put up with us around them).
Day at the Beach
On our first full day, after checking into our hotel complete with bunk beds for the kids, we headed to Denny's for some breakfast and then drove to the beach. We stopped to get a couple of towels because we figured we'd need them for after the kids swam in the ocean. Ha ha.
We went down to Crystal Cove, near Newport Beach. It's a state park on the beach with a cute little restaurant called the BeachComber. If you ever get a chance, go when it's a bit warmer, right at sunset, and have yourself a glass of pinot grigio on the deck..glorious. We did not do that.
We walked down to the beach- Kiley and I in sundresses, Scott and Jaxon in shorts and t-shirts. Everyone else-the other ten people- there were in winter parkas. It was about 65 degrees. We're from Minnesota. Clearly.
It was fun watching the kids skip rocks, chase seagulls, and look for the best seashell.
Then we drove up to Newport Beach and meandered through some shops and arcades, had some ice cream and ribs, and headed back to the hotel for a nap.
Later that night we enjoyed some authentic Korean BBQ.
Disneyland and California Adventure
On Friday, we bought a parkhopper pass and went to CA Adventure and Disney. While there were quite a few rides closed, we were able to meet some of Kiley's favorite characters, play in the snow with Olaf, ride the Carousel, eat cotton candy and ice cream, and even managed to trick the kids into going on a roller coaster. So fun!
Sacramento
The second half of our trip was just as fun as the first. We had rented a car and ended up driving to Sacramento. As I was getting my coffee in the morning from my favorite barista, I prayed she was wrong when she said it would take us 8 hours to get there. You never know with LA traffic.
It took us 6. Thank goodness!
And while I did hear, Are we There Yet, several times, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The kids were so excited to get there and see Carol and Jeri and play with their dog, they didn't seem to mind driving that far.
And what a welcome! We got to see almost all of the Hoods in a short amount of time, with a big dinner on Saturday night and lots of laughs watching Kiley and Ella playing together. It was like being wrapped up in a big giant hug- you can always feel so much love in that family.
The drive back to LA brought just some minor drama. Kiley must have gotten a little carsick... she started eating some beef jerky and then just out of nowhere threw up all over herself. I'm not going to lie. It was disgusting and made me question my ability to eat beef jerky in the near future. And I like jerky.
So Scott pulls over and by the side of the road we strip her down to nothing to clean her with the $1 handwipes I bought in the Target travel section thinking they might come in handy. They did.
Meanwhile, Jaxon says he needs to go to the bathroom. Bad.
So he ended up peeing off the side of the ditch.
I thought for sure one of those California highway patrol drones was going to come take pictures and mail us a ticket for indecency or at the very least disrupting traffic. But alas, we got cleaned up and headed to the good ole In n Out Burger for some lunch. Kiley seemed just fine, or perhaps it was the deliciousness of her burger, but either way, she ate that burger like a champ.
We eventually made it back to our hotel (the one we had just booked the night before, because we are fun), and hit the gym and hot tub. We left for dinner with Peter and his girlfriend and mom just in time to catch a few minutes of the local high speed police chase on TV and hit some good old LA traffic.
There's so much more I'm sure I'm leaving out.
Like the $180 Scott spent on beef jerky. Finding a leaf as big as Kiley's head at California Adventure and hiding it so nobody would steal it while we played in the snow with Olaf. The stuffed bears the kids won at the arcade that now live with us. The amazing drive from LA to Sacramento and Pyramid Lake. The kids making Whinnie jump through hoops. The Childrens' Museum and driving in the torrential downpour (or atmospheric plume as the Californians like to dramatically call their rainfall). And the beautiful evening run Scott and I had together after the rain.
Those are the memories I'll have with me. I hope I can say the same for my kids too. Because family vacations are about so much more than where you go, or what you see, how many characters or castles you can check off your list.
They're about the little things along the way. The special treats. The people you're with. The simple moments that you might not take the time to notice in your normal everyday busy life.
Because honestly, you can only plan so much. Through all of the twists and turns in our travels and in our lives, it's not about getting there. It's about enjoying the moments, perhaps even learning a thing or two, along the way and being with the ones we love.
Are we there yet? Probably not.... but we sure are having fun.
