I need a vacation from my vacation!
When I first began this blog, it was a place for vent writing, a little journal of my motherhood adventures and crazy experiences knowing that one day my children would be able to read it when they grew older laughing at some of our craziest, thrilling and sometimes heartbreaking times. My blog, amazingly, has now grown tremendously on its own because of you mothers reading it as you experience the same as me, everyday. This one was definitely one of those experiences for the books. My dad wasn't traveling with us for the third time in 2014 and because the last time we visited Cali was with him, we knew this would be bittersweet.
After a long 8 days away from home in another state with two kids under the age of 8, along with two sick relatives and the extreme cold weather Cali rarely has... I'm glad we made it safe back home where I can relax and worry about absolutely nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love traveling and oh my, we had a blast! I am so blessed to be able to travel with my little family. My daddy always had us traveling with his amway business and those were the best times of my life, let me tell ya. So, being able to travel with my kiddos and experiencing new adventures together is pretty liberating but it comes with extras.
All of that traveling was a lot of hard work. Traveling with two kids is no walk in the park but it sure does make for a great adventure if you're ready to have one. It can be messy, frustrating and wonderful all at the same time. Aside from my own needs and Jason's, I have to also plan for the unexpected and for ways to keep them occupied on long plane rides, delays and road trips. I packed backpacks (carry-ons) with activities, notepads, coloring books, colors, ipads, earphones, snacks, blankets, jackets AND an extra pair of clothes. I'm pretty lucky, my kids have been traveling since they were babies, so they got this... but you never know! All in all, it really doesn't have to be a nightmare, it just takes a lot of energy, especially when you try to call it a "vacation." And my cousin and aunt got to experience first hand, what it was truly like to travel with kiddos.
Well, it was that time again for us! As a graduation gift to myself, my kids, my momma, Jason, closest cousin and aunt, for all the hard work and patience they showed me throughout my graduate school years, it was time for vacation. Vacation in California; fly to San Diego and road trip to Los Angeles via the coast. And even though I've visited it many times, it was a pleasure seeing my children and family enjoy it for the first time. After momma and I planned appropriately, like daddy always did, we were able to experience in bulk (because there was 7 of us), the magic of Disney on New Years as well as test our handprints on the avenue of the stars! There were great iconic options the kids were able to enjoy such as; San Diego Zoo, Whale watching, shopping, Laguna Beach, the Observatory to catch the view of the Hollywood sign, the La Brea tar pits that are famous for being placed in a fav movie of theirs (Volcano), Rodeo Dr where stars shop, Universal Studios Hollywood where they met the Grinch, the farmers market to taste new eats, the Grove shopping center and so much more!
8 days wasn't enough but it sure holds lasting memories that I'm happy to have been able to share with my children, my momma, Jason and our closest family members. We even had a day to relax but even then, these kiddos were engaged and entertained by the atmosphere and the beauty of the mountains outside our hotel window. Cheers to the New Year and to us making yet another vacation with our amazing kiddos and crazy family!
Our trip in a nutshell:
After a long 8 days away from home in another state with two kids under the age of 8, along with two sick relatives and the extreme cold weather Cali rarely has... I'm glad we made it safe back home where I can relax and worry about absolutely nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love traveling and oh my, we had a blast! I am so blessed to be able to travel with my little family. My daddy always had us traveling with his amway business and those were the best times of my life, let me tell ya. So, being able to travel with my kiddos and experiencing new adventures together is pretty liberating but it comes with extras.
All of that traveling was a lot of hard work. Traveling with two kids is no walk in the park but it sure does make for a great adventure if you're ready to have one. It can be messy, frustrating and wonderful all at the same time. Aside from my own needs and Jason's, I have to also plan for the unexpected and for ways to keep them occupied on long plane rides, delays and road trips. I packed backpacks (carry-ons) with activities, notepads, coloring books, colors, ipads, earphones, snacks, blankets, jackets AND an extra pair of clothes. I'm pretty lucky, my kids have been traveling since they were babies, so they got this... but you never know! All in all, it really doesn't have to be a nightmare, it just takes a lot of energy, especially when you try to call it a "vacation." And my cousin and aunt got to experience first hand, what it was truly like to travel with kiddos.
Well, it was that time again for us! As a graduation gift to myself, my kids, my momma, Jason, closest cousin and aunt, for all the hard work and patience they showed me throughout my graduate school years, it was time for vacation. Vacation in California; fly to San Diego and road trip to Los Angeles via the coast. And even though I've visited it many times, it was a pleasure seeing my children and family enjoy it for the first time. After momma and I planned appropriately, like daddy always did, we were able to experience in bulk (because there was 7 of us), the magic of Disney on New Years as well as test our handprints on the avenue of the stars! There were great iconic options the kids were able to enjoy such as; San Diego Zoo, Whale watching, shopping, Laguna Beach, the Observatory to catch the view of the Hollywood sign, the La Brea tar pits that are famous for being placed in a fav movie of theirs (Volcano), Rodeo Dr where stars shop, Universal Studios Hollywood where they met the Grinch, the farmers market to taste new eats, the Grove shopping center and so much more!
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| San Diego Zoo |
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| Ready for our road trip from San Diego to Los Angeles |
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| Driving the Coast! |
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| Orange County, California |
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| Feeling the sane between our toes and getting a glimpse of the ocean from the other side of the world. |
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| Stopped at Laguna Beach to soak in the fresh OC air. |
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| Snuggling with my little family in our LA Hotel |
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| Farmers Market and the Grove in West Hollywood |
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| New years in Disney! What a magical night!!! Ringing in 2015 with only the best of the best! |
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| Universal Studios Hollywood where we made lasting memories. |
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| Walking the Hollywood Walk of Fame |
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| Awesome Memories! |
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| Dinner with my sister and our families. |
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| Quality time with my nieces and nephews at their casa in San Fernando Valley, California. |
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| Lunch on Rodeo Dr. |
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| La Brea Tar Pits, The Hollywood Sign and Beverly Hills. |
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