Road Trip 2013

Sometimes when the smog and constant coughs and colds and homework and daily grind get to be too much, a girl just has to get away.

And when that urge hits, there is only one thing to do...call the Davies and McCoys. It is our favorite vacation in the whole world!

First, we dig out our dusty shorts and T-shirts. We love digging out our shorts in February. It makes you feel like you are pulling a fast one over on Mr. Winter! Then we pack the car full of WAY too much junk and food that we would never eat in "real" life, and we hit the road.

I am a firm...even passionate...believer that life is all about the journey, not just the destination. Whether you are speaking metaphorically or literally, sometimes we are so focused on the "end" that we miss the majesty all along the way. Road trips are only bearable if you stop and find the hidden gems.  And so this time I made Chris pull off the highway so we could go see Fillmore, Utah...the first capital city of Utah. We drove down Main Street and then stopped off to see the old courthouse. I love little towns and historical sites. They truly are my favorite!

Next stop was St. George, UT where we shed our sweatshirts and coats and took our first deep breath of unpolluted, warm air! Spencer desperately tried to sweet talk us into letting him drive the next leg...this boy loves sitting at the wheel of the car!

 Only tourists from cold climates stop and take pictures in front of the dead-ish palm trees in a Costco parking lot.

I am afraid the next part of the story is a tiny bit tragic.

My parents were actually coming HOME from Las Vegas the same day we were driving TO Vegas. I thought it would be so fun to stop and take a picture when we crossed paths on I-15. So we got on the phones and found the spot...a charming little exit called Hidden Valley Road in Nevada. The only things at this exit were some sagebrush, abandoned tires, and a huge cattle grate. We all pulled over and had to document the moment with a picture.

See how cute and fun we all are? And if one picture is so good, wouldn't 2 pictures be even better? We were all getting in place when my poor Mo happened to step backwards and her leg fell in the cattle grate! Ladies and gentlemen...beware of cattle grates! They are BRUTAL. 

I thought she had broken her leg...we pulled her out and she was hurting. Really bad. She couldn't put pressure on her leg and we were in the middle of NOWHERE! We got her back in the car and they rushed off to the next booming metropolis to get a bag of ice. When they arrived back in SLC that night, they took her to the emergency room where it was determined her leg wasn't broken but was terribly beat up and bruised. I have had a visual of the injury and I can safely say I have never seen a leg so mangled and chewed. She is still recovering from that big, mean grate...and I harbor terrible guilt because it was my idea to stop and take a picture in the middle of nowhere!

After putting Mo in the car and sending them off to look for ice (guilt!), we proceeded to Las Vegas and a delightful visit with the McCoys that involved darling babies, Cafe Rio for dinner, and children who were supposed to be in bed sleeping having a wild dance party! It was so fun...I love Abby and her gang!

We had tucked all the children snug in their beds and Boo had requested a special CD to listen to while falling asleep. Abby put the CD in and a minute later I heard HB say (from her bed), "This doesn't sound like  lullaby music...this sounds like dance music!" and just like that it went from sleepy time to Hammer time (80's reference).

I would like to refer to this next sequence of pictures as "Vacation Time is Waxy Donut Time"...an old Oscarson tradition.

After the waxy donuts the next morning, it was time to say good bye. I hate good bye.

Then it was off to the Davies and sunny, beautiful San Diego. Baby's favorite game is Peek-A-Boo...he'll play it anytime, anywhere, with anyone! It makes him giggle!

After battling California traffic and rain, we finally arrived at the Davies home. Only 3 members of the family knew we were coming...we wanted it to be a surprise for the rest. Spencer had had a little diaper incident and was in nothing but a diaper and shirt AND was also waking up from a long car nap...but we put him in a big basket on the front porch with a note, rang the doorbell, and hid.

The notes says, "Have lost my pants and been stuck in a car seat for 2 days! But excited to play with cousins! P.S. I brought the rest of my posse with me." It was so fun to see 2 cousins open the door and try to process how a brown baby came to be on their doorstep...and then there were lots of hugs and squealing and excitement. And the vacation festivities had begun...

Baby takes the BEST vacation naps!

Baby has the most delicious corkscrew curls on top of his head! We had plenty of volunteers who wanted to help do his hair!

Amazing, fun Aunt Courtney gave the girls permission to decorate the walls in Miss E's bedroom with chalk. It was a splendid sight to see...fairies and apple trees and swings and rainbows! Best activity EVER!

There were parks and green, green grass...soccer balls and games...beautiful sunsets!

We spent an amazing afternoon exploring the tidal pools and lighthouse at Point Loma...

Another afternoon was spent at the La Jolla Children's pool where we went to watch the pelicans and seals...in my next life I am praying to be a seal...you eat until you are stuffed and then you roll yourself onto a bed of kelp on the beach and nap in the sun. My kind of life. We also saw a whale spouting water off the shore. Magical day!

We spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking on the beach in La Jolla. The Taylors came down from LA and spent the day with us. Nothing beats sand, waves, family, sun, and warm temps when you have spent 3 months freezing to death. Perfection!

Baby has a bit of a bird and duck fetish...you mix those 2 together and you get a darling 1-year old at the beach squealing, "DUCK!" every time he sees a seagull. It was hilarious!

We had such a fabulous time! All too soon, it was time to go. I still hate good-byes. Blah.

We drove back home to a snowstorm and very cold temps. It was just fitting. But oh, how I love vacation.

Thank you to some of our very favorite people on the planet from Vegas to San Diego who hosted us, played with us, and provided some of the most outstanding entertainment imaginable. Thank you for cousins and aunts and uncles who make us feel like the most important, loved people on the planet. Thank you to Daniel Craig for being James Bond and for Magnum chocolate bars that taste like heaven. Thank you Chris for dropping everything and whisking me away when my sanity was on the line.

So...who wants to host us next?