Skip to main content

California Dreamin'

Some time in late December/early January I started to get itchy.  Itchy for warm weather.  Itchy for a break.  Itchy for some quality family time.

Justin and I started talking about booking a vacation and it occurred to us that Jordan and Julia might be interested in joining us for a California adventure. Their little guy, Jett, had yet to meet Nana and Papa, so we invited them to come along.  It didn't take long for them to agree.  We booked our flights and house rental shortly thereafter.  We shopped VRBO and airbnb, and definitely got the better deal on airbnb.  A great 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom townhome in sunny Carlsbad.

We flew out on a Monday afternoon and connected in LA to arrive in San Diego.  Even though it was nearly 10 by the time we arrived our airbnb host still greeted us and showed us around the place. Justin and I quickly tucked the kids into bed, and then we passed out as well.  Travelling with a threenager and a very busy almost two-year old can certainly take it's toll.

Tuesday we spent some time at the beach, had lunch with Nana and Papa, spent some more time on the beach, watched the sunset on the beach, and had In'n'Out for dinner.  A great first day!

Wednesday was fairly low-key.  Justin had arranged for me to have a vacation massage, so that we a really nice way to start the day.  We picnicked at the beach and soaked up copious amounts of much-needed Vitamin D.

Thursday was the best.day.ever.  Justin and I have always talked about waiting to spend money on going to any sort of Disney theme park until our youngest kid was old enough to ride all the rides. However, Via is obsessed with Minnie Mouse, and has been for the better part of two years.  That might not sound like much, but when you think about it that's more than half of her life so far. We couldn't think of anything better than seeing her meet her best friend in real life, and it was so worth it. She loved loved loved meeting Minnie Mouse.  We hadn't told her where we were going, so the whole Disney daytrip was a total surprise.  We spent about 5 hours at Disneyland, met 5 characters, and went on 4 rides.  That was plenty for our little crew.  Soren and Via both passed out on the way home since they were both way overdue for naps.

We spent some more time at the beach on Friday and then made our way out to Murrietta to visit with Nana and Papa again.  Nana made a great meal, and Justin's Aunt Kim and Uncle Clayton were there as well.  It was great to visit with everyone.

Saturday came too soon.  Time to pack up and head back to the land that wants for more sunshine.  It is always nice to come home, but that trip got me dreamin' about more sun, more often.  :)










Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Moon Palace Cancun Nizuc - 5 Things I LOVED, and 3 Things I didn't

All-Inclusive vacations may not be everyone's cup of tea, but over the past 6 years I have developed an appreciation (addiction) for taking a vacation where I don't really have to think much.  Between the demands of marriage, parenting, career, housework, and kids activities, it is really nice to pay a sum of money for your vacation and then just......enjoy!  Many all-inclusive resorts include more than just food and beverage.  There is often entertainment, activities, childcare, fitness classes, and plenty to keep you busy without leaving the property or spending additional money.  If you like, you can also book excursions or explore the local area at an extra expense.  We have rarely opted to do anything extra as we are typically happy to take advantage of the included options.   Listen, in my experience, you get what you pay for with, well, almost everything.  And that goes for all-inclusive resorts.  We have gone low-end, mid-range, and h...

Our Creator is not a Careless Mechanic

On Friday, November 2, Justin and I headed to our 41 week and 1 day checkup.  I had been having consistently inconsistent contractions for days, but.......Still.No.Baby.  My doctor wanted to monitor me and Via for half an hour and was looking for us to score 10 out of 10 points.  After half an hour of monitoring us she only found 6 points - also my blood pressure was much higher than it had been during the rest of my pregnancy.  Justin and I listened as she explained that the placenta may not be doing the best job for the baby anymore.  She looked at me and said, "If you were the type of mom that was planning to have an epidural, then I'd say let's go to the hospital, put you on pitocin, and have this baby."  She went on to say that since we favored a drug-free approach we had two options: 1.  Go to the hospital and be monitored for 24 hours to see if we could make up the 4 points we were missing.  If all looked good, then we could go ...

The Grand at Moon Palace - Family Vacation Summer 2022

Ever since the summer of 2017 my husband and I have taken some “adult-only” vacation time away each year. It started with a trip to Italy in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary. Then, in 2018, we began taking these “Annual Aways” at all-inclusive resorts. We first stayed at Ocean Maya Royale in 2018, then Único 2087 in 2019, followed by Atelier Playa Mujeres in 2020, and then Le Blanc Los Cabos in 2021. For the three most recent trips we had the good fortune of vacationing with some of our dear friends from Minnesota. It’s such a treat to take these trips with people we love.  During our Le Blanc Los Cabos trip in 2021 Justin and I started talking about how fun it would be to take the kids to an all-inclusive resort and maybe even my parents to thank them for diligently watching our kiddos each time so Justin and I can get away. When we were leaving Le Blanc they offered us a pretty great vacation package at any of their Palace Resorts. We bought two packages on the spot...