Family Vacation

(OH, I cut my hair BTW!)

**Warning*** this is a very long post, about the adventures I had this week.

My family vacation to So Cal has come and gone. Family minus Chris because of the tooth debacle...

First of all, I have to explain, that growing up my family would always go on a summer vacation. And you have to understand that we would cram as much fun activities as we could into every day. So the days usually started early, activities filled the whole day, and usually would end late at night. We would never even find time to eat so we would be scrambling to find the nearest restaurant and stuff our faces. It always seemed like we were grumpy and tired at the end of the day.

My family stated that this was going to be a "relaxing" vacation where we could come and go as we pleased. It wasn't exactly that way, but how can you change after 26+ years of family vacations? And I did get to sleep in a couple of days.

1st day: Flight and then Beach Fun!

Sara, my sister, and I had to wake up early to get on our flights. Fortunately her flight was about the same time as mine, and even though I was flying stand-by, I easily got on. The flight is not long, but I sat in front of obnoxious boys who I thought were about 16 until one of them purchased a cocktail and the flight attendant said, "Oh you are just barely 21" as she looked at his ID. I couldn't stand them much longer so I turned on my ipod discretely before I was supposed to.

My dad picked us up from LAX the busiest, smelliest, and scariest airport that I have experienced thus far. By the time we drove from LAX to Huntington Beach it was about noon. When my sister, Jill, returned from her bike ride we all decided to go to the beach.
While at the beach we enjoyed mine and Chris's boogie boards that we had purchased at a local K-mart while in Oahu. But they were way better then the crappy kick board like boogie boards that we found in the condo we were staying at. Those were broken in multiple places, but my Dad (the trooper that he is) used it anyway. When we finally gave him one of the good ones, he had a lot more fun.

Then my mom made delicious dinner and we all went for a bike ride. I was already tired from the beach and only got about 4 hours of sleep the night before. But I didn't want to miss out on the "family experience".

And thus comes the struggle of the shoes. This is a theme that repeats itself this vacation. Yes I wore wedge sandals on the bike ride. And I wore the exact same shoes to Disneyland the next day. They were my most comfortable shoes. I did try to bring flip-flops, but in my flurry of packing fast, forgot one of them. What am I supposed to do with one flip-flop? And I didn't bring "tennis shoes" because the only shoes of that kind that I own are some Sketchers that I "work out" in (meaning they don't get much use) and my Vans skate shoes from like 5 years ago that I wear while driving up the mountain to go snowboarding since I can't wear my snowboard boots while driving. Plus they wouldn't go with any of my summer clothes so I would have had to wear jeans the whole time and die of heat. So all I had was my wedge sandals and some black heels. The bikes had some issues because they were either cheap, broken, rusted, or squeaky. Or a combination of them all. So they were barely functioning, but we decided to go for a ride along the beach anyway. It was during the sunset. The mild ride was probably something Jill could have done in her sleep. However, if you're not used to those bike seats, it can hurt a very sensitive area. Even though the ride was probably barely 5 miles, my rear was killing me by the end and I had issues with sitting the next couple of days. And no, different shoes would have not made a difference.

Day #2 - Di-nee Land

I have been to the Magic Kingdom about 6 or 7 times in my life. When I was about 14 and Jill was 17, my family got a 5 day pass to Disneyland. Now this was BEFORE California Adventure existed, so yes, that is 5 full days of Disneyland. Jill and I had decided that we were going to experience everything minus Toon Town (We had a bad experience that involved Mickey's House and 3 1/2 hours). So we even went to this creepy Abe Lincoln place on Main Street and endured the ever long, most miserable ride, It's a Small World (Which was closed down...I'm so depressed). It was this vacation that coined the term Di-nee Land (said in a high little kid voice). From there on out it is Di-nee Land.

When I was 4, my family took Jill and I to Di-nee land for the first time. My mom was very pregnant with Sara. Traditionally the first ride is the Matterhorn. So my dad took me on this ride and I experienced this:Seriously? Who wouldn't be traumatized? So after that I refused to go on any ride that was "dark" including like Mr. Toad. So my very pregnant mom had to endure dumbo and It's a small world over and over while my dad took Jill on all the other rides. The irony of it all, is now the Matterhorn is one of my favorites. But I always get especially freaked out when we pass the abominable snowman. It was our first ride by the way.

By the way, it was Jill's 29th Birthday, and Disneyland was probably the last place she wanted to spend it. But she had a good attitude. I think Sara and I did more then twice the complaining she did. Happy Birthday Jill!

(The sign says Happiest Birthday on Earth if you can't read it!)

Since we had only purchased a (GASP!) one day pass, we went early. Which I must recommend as that is the only way you will wait less then 30 minutes for a ride. We were able to get on all the rides we wanted. My sisters and I skipped out on Fantasy Land (60 min. for a 2 min Peter Pan ride? NO WAY!). Space Mountain is my favorite, but there is a new ride that is in the running....

The Buzz Lightyear ride is so much fun. It was the first time I had been on it since it had not existed the last time I was at Di-nee land. You go around in this little car that you can spin and shoot a laser gun at the targets. Then you get a score at the end. My Dad and Jill were the highest scoring (why do they have to be the best at everything!) But it was still one of my favorites. We "Fast Passed" a couple of the really long rides like Indiana Jones, and Splash Mountain. I think Splash Mountain's name should be change to Soak Mountain. I remember it just being a little Splashy Fun. But maybe that is if you have a bunch of little children in the little log. Put 5 pretty heavy adults in the boat and you get....

(I know I look GORGEOUS!)

Soaked!

Then the next 2-3 hours is misery. I hate walking around with wet clothes. Especially wet underwear. You feel like you peed your pants. MISERY!

After that we broke off from our parents for a few hours so my Dad could be the wonderful man that he is and take my Mom to Fantasy Land so she could ride Peter Pan. We mostly sat and people watched. We were done, but my mom wanted to go until the firework show at the and above the castle. So we all stayed and endured the crowds for her. We love you Mom!

Day #3 the Surf Experience
The next day we decided to try surfing. Motivated by my sister, Sara, to cross off on her "Bucket list". I have always had a mild fear of waves that was increased on my honeymoon when I got taken out by a huge wave that smashed me against the beach, pulling my swim bottoms down and scratching a very sensitive area against the coarse sand. Ever since then, it takes me a while to warm up to the waves. At least the boogie boarding experience helped me to be a little braver. And as soon as you spend a little time with the waves you get more used to swallowing salt water and the burning in your throat (not really).
It was something very difficult to learn. There are so many steps to remember. You have to arch your back to paddle, then when the wave comes and you actually catch it, you have to do a push-up, lunge, and then crouch on the center line of your board (not too forward so you nose dive) all while the water is streaming across the board. Seems like a nearly impossible task. Especially when you lack the core strength and are as out of shape as I am. Getting my weight up from a lying to standing position is already a difficult task. Add in all the other factors, and it is clear that I did not end up standing up. I did end up on my knees a couple of times, which is the "cardinal sin" of surfing according to my dad. And I was the first one to tire out. Although I wasn't the first person injured (sorry Jill) I was the first one to throw in the towel as soon as I face planted into my surf board. We only had like 10 minutes left anyway. Note to self: do excessive Pilate's, increase flexibility, and lose at least 30 lb's before ever going surfing again.

Day #4 - Low Key

The next morning Jill left early for her 7:00 am flight. When I woke up (late) I felt about as I did the first day after I went snowboarding for the first time. Barely able to move with bruises on my arms and knees. But we just went to the Pier and went shopping. So that was nice. We ate Pink Berry which was delicious. Then I flew home. Thanks MOM and DAD for the great vacation!