I'm Home! But Not For Long
I've been thinking for the last three days, I just need to sit down and blog. But you know what keeps winning out? Chores. And sleep. Kind of. Last night I slept for a glorious seven hours, the longest stretch I've had in more than two weeks.
Isn't that what vacation is supposed to mean? Nights of only four hours of sleep, maybe five if you're lucky? Hah! Those of you nodding your heads probably have kids. A vacation is not a break for a mom. Not if the kids are part of the trip.
So where did we disappear to? We had a family reunion at Disneyland and then tacked on some extra days before and after so we could visit other family members in Cali. Terence and I both grew up in San Diego (well, Terence spent his teen years there anyway), so we have most of our siblings living in Southern California and a boat load of friends we never get to see. It was a stretch of fun, stressful, heart-filling, short-tempered, exhausting, exhilarating days!
Like all vacations, some things really stand out:
Like almost every vacation before, our trip wasn't complete without some car trouble. We had issues with the van just before we left Arizona-- an insanely expensive computer module needed to be replaced last minute, and we only got the van back the day before we left. Then on Saturday when we got up to leave (4:30am) the van was dead. It died again at a gas station in Banning (where nothing was open at 5:30am). After that Terence refused to turn the van off until we reached a Walmart in Buckeye, AZ (which is the western edge of Phoenix). We spent almost two hours hanging out in Walmart or in the hot sun while we tried to figure out what the heck was wrong. Battery? Something else? Final judgment: loose battery connections. Sheesh.
Yesterday we continued the vacation-like trend by going to Big Surf water park with a friend and some cousins. Maybe some of you locals remember what the weather was like yesterday? Yeah. Imagine that monsoon storm while at a water park. Luckily we made it into the van just before the wall of dust hit. But let's just say we had a ride home that kept me on the edge of my seat!
So after all this surely it's time for a break? Well, not really. I've got one more summer trip to go. So I've been in a whirlwind frantic state the last three days, trying to get ready to leave again. Then right after that we start the back-to-school grind. I'm not ready.
Where is my break????
But at least we've had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. That's what matters, right?
Isn't that what vacation is supposed to mean? Nights of only four hours of sleep, maybe five if you're lucky? Hah! Those of you nodding your heads probably have kids. A vacation is not a break for a mom. Not if the kids are part of the trip.
So where did we disappear to? We had a family reunion at Disneyland and then tacked on some extra days before and after so we could visit other family members in Cali. Terence and I both grew up in San Diego (well, Terence spent his teen years there anyway), so we have most of our siblings living in Southern California and a boat load of friends we never get to see. It was a stretch of fun, stressful, heart-filling, short-tempered, exhausting, exhilarating days!
Like all vacations, some things really stand out:
- Sharing one bathroom among twelve people is a serious challenge. Actually, we probably should have posted a schedule on the door. That way, M's shower might not have contributed to her aunt being late for work....
- It actually cools down at night in some places during the summer, even in Lake Elsinore. We needed jackets when we visited the lake-- and my kids were shivering. Desert rats, for sure!
- Possibly taking K & S on Space Mountain first thing our first day at Disneyland was a mistake. K refused to speak for the next 30 minutes and S screamed so loud that she practically ruptured ear drums.
- I suck at rowing a canoe. Especially when I am surrounded by three kids under the age of ten.
- Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite ride EVER!! Of course, the rest of the family was not on board. B was a good sport, willing to ride it to earn a Ghiradelli sundae. K & S went on it not having any idea what they were in for, and I'm not sure they will ever do it again. M & J flat refused to try it at all.
- Riding a Grizzly Rapids raft is a quite fun (though cold and wet) way to watch 4th of July fireworks!
- Apparently we brought the Arizona weather with us to California. It was crazy hot. I mean HOT, for LA. When we went to the beach on Friday, we were blistering our feet trying to get across the sand. I thought I was back in Florida again.
Like almost every vacation before, our trip wasn't complete without some car trouble. We had issues with the van just before we left Arizona-- an insanely expensive computer module needed to be replaced last minute, and we only got the van back the day before we left. Then on Saturday when we got up to leave (4:30am) the van was dead. It died again at a gas station in Banning (where nothing was open at 5:30am). After that Terence refused to turn the van off until we reached a Walmart in Buckeye, AZ (which is the western edge of Phoenix). We spent almost two hours hanging out in Walmart or in the hot sun while we tried to figure out what the heck was wrong. Battery? Something else? Final judgment: loose battery connections. Sheesh.Yesterday we continued the vacation-like trend by going to Big Surf water park with a friend and some cousins. Maybe some of you locals remember what the weather was like yesterday? Yeah. Imagine that monsoon storm while at a water park. Luckily we made it into the van just before the wall of dust hit. But let's just say we had a ride home that kept me on the edge of my seat!
So after all this surely it's time for a break? Well, not really. I've got one more summer trip to go. So I've been in a whirlwind frantic state the last three days, trying to get ready to leave again. Then right after that we start the back-to-school grind. I'm not ready.
Where is my break????
But at least we've had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. That's what matters, right?
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