California Vacation Recap

We are home and trying to get back adjusted to Eastern time, the humidity, and not being close to the ocean.  As we were driving to the airport on Saturday C said to me, “Mommy I really like California.”  She is a girl after my own heart: she loves warm weather, big bodies of water and sand in her toes.  She is truly my daughter.  And M too, it was his first time at the beach and he loved it…. or he just loved eating the sand.

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I spent the first four days in California by myself attending the IdeaWorld Fitness Conference and Blogfest.  (Check out my highlights.)  J and the kids arrived in California on Saturday afternoon and picked me up in LA after I was done with my workshops.  What an awesome Daddy who flew cross country with two munchkins- a serious rockstar.  Once they arrived it was time to relax and vacation!

I was super excited to see them and exhausted from the last few days that I wanted a low key night.  Our best friends live in Redando Beach with their almost 2 year old son so we opted for ordering pizza and drinking wine on their balcony once the kids went to bed.  It was just what the doctor ordered.

Sunday we woke up, headed out for brunch and then made our way to Laguna Beach.  Unfortunately it was a rainy day, but we still enjoyed lunch by the water, some shopping, a celebrity siting (Maria Shriver), and some ice cream.

Monday we started our day with an awesome, leisurely breakfast (and each day after that).  I then went to the hotel gym to squeeze in a quick, but sweaty workout.  J had to head off to some meetings so L & H came to our hotel and we had a fun day at the pool.

Monday evening our little family of 4 headed to Huntington Beach for some delicious Mexican cuisine and a walk on the beach.  Here we discovered M’s love for black beans and my new obsession with Carne Asada.

Tuesday I had all intentions of getting my nine miles in on Monday for my half marathon training, but that didn’t happen so my sweet friend, L, agreed to helping me out.  J had to get some work done so I pushed M in the stroller and L put C and H in the bike trailer and off we went down the strand… for 9 hot, humid miles.  It was a difficult run!

After a shower and some food, J agreed to stay with all three kiddos while we went out to a few stores and to grab groceries for dinner.  Once dinner was over we put all three kiddos in the bath together, jammied up and we headed back to our hotel.

Wednesday was a day spent at the beach in Redando and it was the best day!  We just enjoyed the view, the water and watching the kids play in the sand.  I was also able to have a short visit with a good friend of mine from high school who was making the move to LA and looking for apartments.

J had to be back to Newport Beach for a work event so I dropped him off and the munchkins and I headed out to grab In-N-Out Burger for dinner.  We took it back to the hotel, ate, took baths and had some play time before calling it a night.  Once I put the kids down for bed I ordered some wine and read my book in bed.

Thursday we decided on a last minute to head to Tanaka Farms.  We arrived and immediately headed on the tractor for a ride around the land.  We stopped for a variety of fresh picked vegetables: corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, squash, zuichinni and melons.  After the tour we bought some strawberries at the market and headed back to the hotel for lunch and naps.

Thursday evening we had a babysitter come to stay with the kids while J and I attended a dinner cruise through Balboa Bay for his work.  It was an awesome evening for it and super fun.

Friday was the day we had been waiting for: DISNEY!  We had told C prior to that we would be going, but I don’t think she really knew what it meant.  We spent the whole day there: meeting characters, riding rides, and enjoyed experiencing this with the kids.

I had never been to Disney myself so it was wonderful.  At the last minute we decided to make a go for it and stay for the Paint the Night Parade and the fireworks and it was amazing.  At one point I got quite emotional during the fireworks- it was such a great and memorable day we had together.

Saturday was the day we had to head back home.  After a long day at Disney we were so glad our flight didn’t leave until later in the afternoon.  We slept in, enjoyed one last breakfast and packed.

The flight home was uneventful and the kids did great the whole way home.  By the time we finally arrived home Saturday night we were all exhausted and went right to sleep.

What a great trip we had!  I feel completely blessed to be able to show my children so many awesome places and spend some great time with our dear friends too.  Any trip that includes warm weather and water is a winner in my book!

Your turn- tell me!
Where is your favorite place to vacation?
What kinds of things do you like to do on vacation?