Two items of business before we get this post underway:
1) I'm publicly acknowledging the neglect of my blog these past months, SHAME on me. And I'm vowing to do better. (I really DO love to blog, despite evidence to the contrary.)
2) Yes, the title says, "SUN." We had SUN on this year's California trip! Sun, as in that big, big star in the sky that rises in the east and sets in the west. Sun, as in that glorious ball of light, warmth, loveliness and joy!
Now on to the story. I've got to get these details down before they leave my mind entirely. Good grief--I'm already eight months late in posting this! Okay, here we go:
This year, for our California trip, we decided that frugality was a virtue so we opted to drive instead of fly. I was glad of this not only for the money-saving and having-a-car-once-we-were-there perks, but also because last year I threw up on the plane ride and wasn't eager to repeat that experience in any way, shape or form. But I was a little concerned because the car ride would include myself, James, Bethany, my brother James and niece Ruby, and I didn't know how a 14-hour trip would go down with the two three-year-olds. (Or, more to the point, go down with me trying to entertain said three-year-olds.) But thanks to a burst of sheer inspiration and a trip to the Dollar Tree, I was able to put together 12 gift bags for each kiddo with a fun activity or treat in each bag. The girls were allowed to open a bag every hour or so all the way down. It worked like a charm--the girls were SO well behaved on that long drive! And other than being a little cramped from sitting in the backity-back-back of my brother's minivan, right there with luggage piled all around me, I really can't complain!
We drove as far as Las Vegas that first day and stayed with (okay, get ready for this complicated explanation) my brother's wife's cousin and wife. That wasn't too bad, no? Tracee's cousin and his wife. I guess I could have just said that. Anyway, Jeff and Cora were so hospitable and gracious. They had a lovely, comfortable home and even two darling girls--the oldest of whom was the same age as Bethany and Ruby. The three girls enjoyed playing together. After a refreshing night's sleep, we hit the road early the next morning and headed to San Diego. All the way down, the sky just got bluer and bluer and the temperature gauge in the van climbed higher and higher. I couldn't contain my joy, and after hearing me say things like, "Look at the sky! It's so blue!" over and over and over, my brother finally proclaimed that I must suffer from seasonal depression to be THAT EXCITED about the blue sky. I just reminded him that he wasn't with us on the 2010 trip, a.k.a. the 2010 FLOODED trip to Disneyland, and if he had survived the tornadic thunderstorms with me the previous year then he would want to write sonnets to the sky, too. (And I probably do have a touch of seasonal depression.)
Anyway, we got to San Diego in one piece and without too many potty stops, arriving at our hotel (the Days Hotel on Hotel Circle) just ten minutes after the "flying crew" arrived. Mom, Dad, Grandma Johnson, Tracee and Macy had all flown. The timing couldn't have been more perfect! And after we were all checked into the hotel, we headed to Coronado Beach for Bethany's first glimpse of the ocean!
She liked it. :0) There's just nothing like being at the beach with that salty breeze and the waves crashing . . .oh WHY don't I live on the beach? Why? I love it so! Here are some pics of that fun afternoon:
Finding a Feather:
Discovering Seaweed:
Bethany wrote her name in the sand:
And went wading with Grandma:
And then . . .Bethany fell down, right in that cold ocean. And I am NOT about to be nominated "Mother of the Year 2011" because I didn't have even one stitch of a change of clothes. Not prepared in the least. After all, we weren't going to swim on this outing, just run around on the beach! I didn't take into account that little girls can slip in the surf and fall. Oh brother. So my dad, being the amazing parent/grandparent that he is, took his own white t-shirt off his own back, still warm, and Bethany got to wear that for the remainder of the day. Totally commando, running around the beach in nothing but Grandpa's t-shirt and a smile.
A BIG smile!
I thought it pretty adorable, even though I won't be "Mother of the Year." What a fun day:
My parents feeding the seagulls Wheat Thins Stix:
Seagulls, apparently, are big fans of Wheat Thins Stix. "Mine! Mine! Mine!"
James, Tracee, Ruby and Macy:
Cute picture, huh? Coronado Beach is very special to them because that's where James and Tracee got engaged. On these very rocks, actually, with James singing some romantic song to Tracee about his last name:
Cute couple, yes? And here's my darling, wonderful, beautiful Grandma:
And other pictures from the day:
Eventually, the sun went down so we had to leave. We all very reluctantly left the ocean and it's heavenly wonderfulness. Farewell, Pacific, 'till we meet again.
But on with the trip. That night, we were all pretty cold and I was definitely feeling some twinges that Bethany should be wearing more than a t-shirt, so we headed back to the hotel and changed. Once Bethany was all snuggie in her jammies, we headed out for some dinner. It may be eight months after the fact, but I still do remember how starving we felt! We headed to The Cheesecake Factory for some grub. I had never been to a "The Cheesecake Factory" before and I was eager to try it. Here we are, eating outdoors--it was VERY cozy with the heat lamps by our table!
Even Grandma was all roasty-toasty under the heat lamp (and she's always cold)!
And Ruby was mad that I was taking her picture, so now I have to post it:
Anyway, about The Cheesecake Factory, I'll just say this:
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE??!! I LOVE YOU!!! I CRAVE YOU!!! YOU'RE THE NEAREST THING TO HEAVEN . . ."
Okay, I'll stop now. It's a good thing we don't have a The Cheesecake Factory here in Logan, or else there would probably be a good 100 more pounds of Jenny to love. But I digress.
The next morning, after a great night's rest, we headed to Sea World. Actually, we had breakfast first. I thought I'd share this picture of my brother James at breakfast for no other reason other than I like his expression:
He was probably thinking about the Aggies. I feel safe in saying this because my brother James thinks about the Aggies about 97.9 percent of the time. But I digress again (love you, James).
Here are some of my favorite pictures from Sea World:
Jump, Shamu!
A family photo (Bethany was ecstatic to pose for this one judging by her expression)
Riding the Atlantis rollercoaster--what a thrill!!!
Ruby and Bethany playing in the sand:
James, Tracee, Ruby and Macy in front of the Beluga whale exhibit. Cool picture, huh?
I've decided that I'm a MAJOR fan of beluga whales. They're just so happy and peaceful and silent--and beautiful!
And of course, since Bethany's favorite animal (at the time) was sharks, we had to catch the shark exhibit about four times!
Bethany couldn't get enough of those bad boys!
You have to admit, they are pretty cool. I was glad to get this picture, although I don't know if the shark appreciated my flash. Sorry, sharky. Anyway, Sea World was great. We caught lots of shows and saw lots of aquatic-type creatures, and after we were done we hopped into our rental car and drove to Anaheim. We were pretty beat by the time we got to Anaheim and checked into our motel--it had been a great (and long) day!
The next morning we woke up and went home. The end. Okay fine, we didn't just go to Anaheim to sleep at the motel. We also went to eat at that FABULOUS Denny's restaurant. (Ick.)
You know, the later it's getting the more sarcastic my commentary is. Sorry. On to the real stuff . . .Disney! Disney! Disney! You know, I'll just never outgrow Disneyland. And Day One was fantastic! We leashed up the kids and headed to the park.
Nothing warms the heart more than a dad walking his dog--er, daughter.
And say what you will about those backpack/leash thingies--I think they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Anyway, here we are getting ready for some Disney magic and fun in the sun! (Did you catch that I said "Fun in the sun?" :) :) :) :) No horrid rainstorms on this Disneyland trip!!! (And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I refer you to last year's post entitled "Our Soggy and Memorable Trip to Disneyland." It's archived. Read it, and then tell ME if I'm just talking out of seasonal depression!)
Here are some of my favorite pics from Disneyland. They say that "a picture is worth 1000 words." So I'll let the next few speak for themselves:
Hello, my knight!
Hello, Tiana!
Hello, Minnie! I dyed my eyes to match your dress . . .
And how I love my Dumbo! (And no, I'm not talking about James. If James were a Disney character, he'd be "Smarto.")
Hi Macy!
Tea for Two and Two for Tea:
We may or may not have chased Alice in Wonderland down the street to get this picture. And she may or may not have been annoyed with us. Oh well. (It's not like she doesn't get paid. Sheesh.)
Back to that whole a-picture-says-a-thousand-words thing:
Yup, that word would be "EXHAUSTED." In all caps. But after a good night's sleep, we were ready and raring for Day Two!
Hello, Tow Mater and Lightening MacQueen!
I think Bethany and Ruby went down these slides in California Adventure about 1.2 million times. Give or take ten or so.
Hello, Sully!
Aboard the Mark Twain riverboat:
"Practically perfect in every way."
Four Generations of Princesses!
Honestly, I don't know why Disneyland doesn't just hire all four of us! Here are James and Bethany on the Jungle Cruise, having a moment:
And then we caught up with Aurora--one of my all-time favs:
And last but not least, we got a picture with Cinderella's fairy godmother. (I wonder what her name was?) Anyway, it gave me hope that maybe Disneyland will hire me when I'm old, since I missed the boat in my younger years!
Yup, I now have a goal. Those were my favorite pictures from the trip. After four days of Disneyland, we said goodbye to the "flying crew" part of our group and Grandma, Mom, Tracee, and Macy caught their flight for home. That left James, me, Bethany, Ruby, and James piling back into the minivan for a LONG ride to Las Vegas. The little girls fell asleep immediately, and I snuggled amid the luggage in the back (not the most comfortable, with coolers sticking in my sides) and fell asleep myself. We dragged into Tracee's cousin's house around 2:00 a.m. the following morning and promptly stumbled in and crashed. The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we said our "Thank yous" and traveled northward. It's always more fun traveling TO a vacation rather than home! But we made it and after dropping James and Ruby off in North Salt Lake (Tracee had a wonderful meal prepared for us upon our arrival--it was vexing to realize she'd been home for almost 24 hours by the time we pulled in) James, Bethany, and I made our way home to Logan.
What a great trip! THANK YOU, California sunshine! :0)
