Last summer we were supposed to take a trip to California to visit my husbands grandparents and we were going to make the trek one week after we moved into our new house....with a 5 month old, but we thought it best to push the trip off until this summer, so that it just what we did. While it turned out to be a great trip I have learned that I ALWAYS pay a penance when I take a trip and I learn valuable life lessons all along the way. Always. Cali was no different.
It was a 4 hour flight into San Diego and the kids couldn't have been any better! Our first order of business would be to find an In-N-Out Burger. I didn't know what to expect, but I did have very high expectations. I was surprised to find how busy it was! I was told to get the "Animal Style" burger, so I did. I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to fast food, but Mr. Clean was unimpressed and was convinced that In-N-Out is actually owned by McDonalds. Party pooper.
The purpose for our visit to California was to visit family, but I knew that my east coast, early rising, children would be west coast, up-at-the-butt-crack-of-dawn, children, so I would have several hours every morning where I needed to occupy my kids so that they didn't wake up the entire street, wearing out our welcome. My plan was to be out the door as soon as I could get them dressed, little did I know that I would be doing all of this alone. Enter Life Lesson #1: When your husband says he will need to work a good part of the trip, he means it.
This reality caused a little bit of a rift in my attitude and I think that's because I was on my own. On the other side of the country, not knowing where anything is. With 2 small kids. Although, I do believe it was a really great experience for me once I shed my original expectations and my bad attitude! Every night before bed I would Google about places to eat and things to see. I'd get up with the kids and we were out the door by 6am and were back in time for lunch with the grand folk. I really pushed myself out of my comfort zone and I'm so glad I did! We got to see some awesome things because of it.
The San Clemente Pier
Dana Point
and Salt Creek Beach (or as Coop called it, Salty Critter Beach...Whatev) were our favorites!
Once Mr.Clean tied up all his loose ends with work, Vacation Chris was able to emerge before the end of our trip. And I'm so glad too, there is something about traveling with your husband and kids that really knit your bond just a little bit tighter.
We took him back to our newly discovered spots and made our way to a really cool, albeit strange, petting zoo where Lucy had died and went to heaven.
And we got a good amount of time in with the family as well. It was so great to spend time with my in-laws (who I even drug out a couple of times)
and to see the kids with my mom-in-laws parents.
Everywhere you turn your head in California you see beauty. It's just beautiful. Mountains, cliffs, the ocean, the flowers...beautiful.
But I learned another lesson. Lesson #2: You can take the girl out of Georgia, but you can't take Georgia out of the girl. I realized by the second morning when "Mary Poppins" greeted us while eating our doughnuts, and the lady at the register got frustrated that my order was wrong, that I love the South. Love it. I got very homesick while I was there. I can't put my finger on why. I have traveled to the Midwest, spent some time in the North East, but something about this trip made me ache for home like never before. Maybe it was the "June Gloom" or the constant need for a sweater in June? Whatever it was, I was never more glad to hug the red earth of Georgia. Even if it took a missed flight, 9 hours in the airport and a middle of the night flight to get us there. We made it home and just in time for my favorite day of the year!
We did make our way to the Happiest Place on Earth while we were out there, but you can bet your bottom dollar that that baby is getting a post of its own!
Thanks for stopping by!!
No comments:
Post a Comment