Today was our last day in CA. We made a list of our favorite rides in each park to ride before the end of the day. On the top of Jman's list - Peter Pan and Buzz Lightyear. Triguy wanted to ride Peter Pan and Tower of Terror and the Runaway Train rollercoaster. I wanted to ride Soarin' Over CA and Indiana Jones. Supergirl listed Space Mountain (roller coaster), Big Thunder Mtn Railroad (roller coaster), Matterhorn (roller coaster), Muholland Madness (roller coaster), and CA Screamin' (roller coaster) - see a theme here???
We were able to ride all of the rides. Our biggest focus of the day, though, was keeping warm. It was cloudy all day and it seemed to get colder and colder each hour. Thank goodness for layers. By the end of the day, we each had on coats, hats, scarves, and gloves.
Towards the end of the day, there were two rides that Triguy had ridden, but the rest of the family had chosen not to ride - the Maliboomer and the Tower of Terror. Everyone had opted out because both of these rides involved long vertical drops.
I am not sure what go into me - maybe the cold weather had frozen my brain, but I decided to try them both.
The first ride to try was the Maliboomer. This is a ride that is meant to simulate a carnival strength tester - the ones that you hit with a big hammer and send the ball flying to the top to ring the bell. The difference is that it is oversized and you are the ball that is flying to the top...180 feet (18 stories) straight up into the air in under 4 seconds. (Yes, I know, what was I thinking???) Waiting in line, my heart was racing, my palms were sweating and I almost ran out of the line at least 4 times - and the line was only 5 minutes long! (Another warning - short lines mean crazy rides that noone will do!) I didn't trust Triguy when he told me over and over that it isn't as bad as it looks. The guy in front of us in line said the same thing and I felt just a little better. I felt better, that is, until we went to get on the ride and I noticed a big plastic screen that comes down over your face. Ummmmm...why would they have a screen in front of your face????? All I could think of was some kind of vomit-shield. We asked the guy working the ride and he told us it was a "scream shield" meant to send the screams up into the air and limit the noise from the ride. Oh great - sounds more like a scream-magnifier for me! We boarded the ride and were strapped down. My heart was racing even faster. I clutched Triguy's hand. Suddenly, without warning, the ride blasted off into the air. Once the ride hits the top and heads back down, you get the feeling of weightlessness. Even though it only lasts for less than a second, it feels like you are hanging up there for a minute before your stomach is returned to you! It was a crazy ride...but I liked it :)
Right before we left the park, someone handed us two Fast Pass tickets to Tower of Terror. This is a ride I have wanted to ride for over 10 years, but have been too scared to ride. After conquering the Maliboomer, I thought Tower of Terror would be a piece of cake. The fast pass line moved pretty fast and we were on the ride in less than 10 minutes. We were "lucky" enough to get the front row of the elevator. The story behind the ride is that you have entered the Twilight Zone and this once nice hotel is now broken including the elevator you are riding in. It takes you up to the thirteenth floor. Things seem okay at this point. And then, the doors close and the elevator drops. Oh, but it doesn't just drop once. No, no, no. It drops over and over again. And it goes up and then drops again. And each time you don't know how far you are going to drop. And you are in the dark. It was TERRIFYING!!!!! When the ride stopped, I think I was glued to Triguy with my face buried in his shoulder and my stomach left somewhere on the 9th or 10th floor. I couldn't get off the ride fast enough. Not sure that I am going to ever do that ride again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least I did get applause from the family for being brave enough to try the ride. :)
We decided we were all too tired to watch any parades and because of the fog each night, you coudln't see fireworks, so we headed back to the hotel for dinner and an early bedtime. We were too tired to even ask for a free dessert at our last restaurant.
So...free dessert count for the week stands at 4.
Click here for pic from the last day
Saturday, January 3, 2009
New Year, New Friends, New Pace
Question: What is the best way to start a new year?
Answer: Spend it at Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This morning was a cold one. We woke up early and headed into the park with only one goal in mind - ride the Nemo ride. We rushed to the ride and there was already a 30 minute line (How does that happen???? We walk fast!) Since there was a line, Supergirl and Triguy took off for a quick ride on the Matterhorn. Jman and I made it to the front of the line and the other two had not returned, so we let lots and lots of people go in front of us. Triguy and Supergirl finally returned and we boarded the long anticipated new ride. I have to be honest here - this ride was not worth the wait. I guess, if you have 3-4 year olds, it would be a good one, but it was pretty boring. Not a big wow factor like the other Disney rides. That's okay, we checked it off our list.
We hung around Disneyland long enough to ride Buzz Lightyear again and then headed to California Adventure. CA Adventure is a smaller park than Disneyland and has a much more laid-back feel. Supergirl was anxious to ride CA Screamin' - the big rollercoaster in the park where you go upside down. The wait wasn't long, so we went ahead and rode it. Jman decided to opt out - a good thing - and so the rest of us rode the coaster. It was a blast and is my favorite roller coaster in the two parks.
We decided last minute to each lunch with the Princesses at Ariel's Grotto. I thought the kids might be too old for a character lunch...I was wrong. Jack was giddy the whole time - he convinced all of the princesses to kiss his autograph book (flashback to our last trip :) ) Supergirl tried to be cool, but you could see the delight in her face as each princess came to our table. (Check out the pics) The meal was pricey, but was very good. And it was nice to take a break in the middle of the day.
We left the lunch and went over to the Midway Mania ride - a new interactive ride based on Toy Story. The wait was 45 minutes, but we had nothing better to do, so we went ahead and got into the line. About halfway through, the ride broke down. We had already waited about 25 minutes, so we decided to stay a little longer to see if the ride would start. While we were waiting, we met a family with a 9 year old daughter and 7 year old son. The kids quickly became friends and we had fun talking to adults for a change. The ride never did start, in fact 3 of the big rides in the park broke at the same time. We left the line with a fast pass to return to the ride later in the day and new friends. The kids had fun hanging out with someone other than a sibling. They trotted off ahead of us and rode a few of the smaller kid rides together. We went to a 4D showing of Bug’s Life with them and also went on the Monster’s Inc ride together. It was the first time all week that we didn’t hear “I’m bored!” or “I’m hungry” or “He/She looked at me funny!” There was only one “bad” result – the little girl was a pin collector – that is a person that wears the necklace with the metal Disney character pins all over it. You can then trade the pins with other people or cast members in the park. Supergirl was intrigued – anything that you collect is a good thing! She ended up spending her vacation money on pins and a necklace at the end of the day.
We finished the day early again – around 6pm. It was a nice, slow, relaxing day for us – not our usual fast pace. What a wonderful way to start off the new year!
Oh yeah - we received a birthday song and free dessert at the Princess Lunch - free dessert count 4!
Click here to see pictures
Answer: Spend it at Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This morning was a cold one. We woke up early and headed into the park with only one goal in mind - ride the Nemo ride. We rushed to the ride and there was already a 30 minute line (How does that happen???? We walk fast!) Since there was a line, Supergirl and Triguy took off for a quick ride on the Matterhorn. Jman and I made it to the front of the line and the other two had not returned, so we let lots and lots of people go in front of us. Triguy and Supergirl finally returned and we boarded the long anticipated new ride. I have to be honest here - this ride was not worth the wait. I guess, if you have 3-4 year olds, it would be a good one, but it was pretty boring. Not a big wow factor like the other Disney rides. That's okay, we checked it off our list.
We hung around Disneyland long enough to ride Buzz Lightyear again and then headed to California Adventure. CA Adventure is a smaller park than Disneyland and has a much more laid-back feel. Supergirl was anxious to ride CA Screamin' - the big rollercoaster in the park where you go upside down. The wait wasn't long, so we went ahead and rode it. Jman decided to opt out - a good thing - and so the rest of us rode the coaster. It was a blast and is my favorite roller coaster in the two parks.
We decided last minute to each lunch with the Princesses at Ariel's Grotto. I thought the kids might be too old for a character lunch...I was wrong. Jack was giddy the whole time - he convinced all of the princesses to kiss his autograph book (flashback to our last trip :) ) Supergirl tried to be cool, but you could see the delight in her face as each princess came to our table. (Check out the pics) The meal was pricey, but was very good. And it was nice to take a break in the middle of the day.
We left the lunch and went over to the Midway Mania ride - a new interactive ride based on Toy Story. The wait was 45 minutes, but we had nothing better to do, so we went ahead and got into the line. About halfway through, the ride broke down. We had already waited about 25 minutes, so we decided to stay a little longer to see if the ride would start. While we were waiting, we met a family with a 9 year old daughter and 7 year old son. The kids quickly became friends and we had fun talking to adults for a change. The ride never did start, in fact 3 of the big rides in the park broke at the same time. We left the line with a fast pass to return to the ride later in the day and new friends. The kids had fun hanging out with someone other than a sibling. They trotted off ahead of us and rode a few of the smaller kid rides together. We went to a 4D showing of Bug’s Life with them and also went on the Monster’s Inc ride together. It was the first time all week that we didn’t hear “I’m bored!” or “I’m hungry” or “He/She looked at me funny!” There was only one “bad” result – the little girl was a pin collector – that is a person that wears the necklace with the metal Disney character pins all over it. You can then trade the pins with other people or cast members in the park. Supergirl was intrigued – anything that you collect is a good thing! She ended up spending her vacation money on pins and a necklace at the end of the day.
We finished the day early again – around 6pm. It was a nice, slow, relaxing day for us – not our usual fast pace. What a wonderful way to start off the new year!
Oh yeah - we received a birthday song and free dessert at the Princess Lunch - free dessert count 4!
Click here to see pictures
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wishes Really Do Come True!
Question: How do you reset a 6 year old that has been traumatized at Legoland?
Answer: Head to the Happiest Place on Earth!
We woke up early this morning and drove North to Anaheim. Traffic was light, but the fog was heavy. We parked at our hotel and headed into the park.
We arrived right at opening and set our sights on Fantasyland. Jman was nervous as we waited for the first ride - Snow White. "Does it go fast?" he asked. But once he finished the ride he declared, "I remember that ride!" He rode Pinocchio, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the Teacups, Dumbo, and Casey Jr. Circus train. With each passing ride in Fantasyland, you could see him relaxing. Of course at the same time, Supergirl was getting more and more anxious to ride a roller coaster. By this time about 2 hours had passed and the park was getting more and more full. We started avoiding the popular rides, opting to use FastPass to get tickets to return to things later. We continued to ride the rides that were Jman-speed.
As we were headed to a ride, we passed a Jedi Training Session, a show that trains kids to be Star Wars Jedis. Jman was lucky enough to be picked to be one of those kids that is trained. He got to wear the cape and use a practice light saber. The highlight was his battle with Darth Maul (you can see it in the attached video). Jman was floating through the park on a Jedi-high after the show.
By lunch, you could see the sheer joy returning to Jman. Supergirl was super-patient and was content to ride the rides with Jman.
While we were waiting in line to go into Small World, Jman whispered, "Mommy, wishes really do come true! Yesterday, I wished for a good day at Disneyland, and I got it today!" Awwwwww!
In the afternoon, we decided to use Jman's Fastpass to Indiana Jones that he received 2 years ago when he was too short to ride. Jman was excited to be tall enough to ride the ride. He boarded the ride happily and left the ride in about the same state he was in after that first roller coaster in Legoland. Yikes! He blamed us for lying to him when we told him the ride wasn't fast. (Honestly, the ride isn't fast like a roller coaster, it is just really bumpy.) Jman wouldn't listen to our reason for the misinterpretation of the ride. He was on guard again. Talk about two steps back! Then, we took a ride on the Winnie the Pooh ride and all was right again in the world.
Supergirl rocked on all of the rides. It is so much fun to have her at the age where she rides EVERYTHING! She was really happy to be tall enough to drive the Autotopia cars by herself. I rode as her passenger and I am thinking that I am not going to let her get her license until at least 20. The ride was just a little jerky and bumpy.
Two fun things about Disneyland during the holidays:
1) Small World has a holiday theme with really cool holiday decorations on all of the scenes AND they sing "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" along with "It's A Small World" to help your sanity.
2) The Haunted Mansion has the theme of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and was totally redone. It was lots of fun!
We decided to head out of the park around 5pm and skip the New Year's festivities and opt for sleep. The park is PACKED - people like sardines. It was stressing all of us out. We are hoping that everyone sleeps in tomorrow and that there will be a smaller crowd at the park tomorrow morning.
Click here to see pictures from Day 4
Answer: Head to the Happiest Place on Earth!
We woke up early this morning and drove North to Anaheim. Traffic was light, but the fog was heavy. We parked at our hotel and headed into the park.
We arrived right at opening and set our sights on Fantasyland. Jman was nervous as we waited for the first ride - Snow White. "Does it go fast?" he asked. But once he finished the ride he declared, "I remember that ride!" He rode Pinocchio, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the Teacups, Dumbo, and Casey Jr. Circus train. With each passing ride in Fantasyland, you could see him relaxing. Of course at the same time, Supergirl was getting more and more anxious to ride a roller coaster. By this time about 2 hours had passed and the park was getting more and more full. We started avoiding the popular rides, opting to use FastPass to get tickets to return to things later. We continued to ride the rides that were Jman-speed.
As we were headed to a ride, we passed a Jedi Training Session, a show that trains kids to be Star Wars Jedis. Jman was lucky enough to be picked to be one of those kids that is trained. He got to wear the cape and use a practice light saber. The highlight was his battle with Darth Maul (you can see it in the attached video). Jman was floating through the park on a Jedi-high after the show.
By lunch, you could see the sheer joy returning to Jman. Supergirl was super-patient and was content to ride the rides with Jman.
While we were waiting in line to go into Small World, Jman whispered, "Mommy, wishes really do come true! Yesterday, I wished for a good day at Disneyland, and I got it today!" Awwwwww!
In the afternoon, we decided to use Jman's Fastpass to Indiana Jones that he received 2 years ago when he was too short to ride. Jman was excited to be tall enough to ride the ride. He boarded the ride happily and left the ride in about the same state he was in after that first roller coaster in Legoland. Yikes! He blamed us for lying to him when we told him the ride wasn't fast. (Honestly, the ride isn't fast like a roller coaster, it is just really bumpy.) Jman wouldn't listen to our reason for the misinterpretation of the ride. He was on guard again. Talk about two steps back! Then, we took a ride on the Winnie the Pooh ride and all was right again in the world.
Supergirl rocked on all of the rides. It is so much fun to have her at the age where she rides EVERYTHING! She was really happy to be tall enough to drive the Autotopia cars by herself. I rode as her passenger and I am thinking that I am not going to let her get her license until at least 20. The ride was just a little jerky and bumpy.
Two fun things about Disneyland during the holidays:
1) Small World has a holiday theme with really cool holiday decorations on all of the scenes AND they sing "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" along with "It's A Small World" to help your sanity.
2) The Haunted Mansion has the theme of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and was totally redone. It was lots of fun!
We decided to head out of the park around 5pm and skip the New Year's festivities and opt for sleep. The park is PACKED - people like sardines. It was stressing all of us out. We are hoping that everyone sleeps in tomorrow and that there will be a smaller crowd at the park tomorrow morning.
Click here to see pictures from Day 4
Link to a Video From a Ride at Legoland
Click here for the video - Jman and I rode the "gentle" setting!
"When I'm Screaming It Means I'm Not Having Fun!"
Question: Can you ruin a 6 year old's day in Legoland with just one ride?
Answer: YES!!!!!!!
We started Tuesday with Jman declaring “If I am screaming, then it means I’m not having fun.” That was his warning for us for the day.
We took note and decided to side track for an hour and start the day with a short trip to the beach in Carlsbad, CA. The beach was beautiful. Triguy and I both had forgotten how much we enjoy the beach. The kids had a blast collecting shells. There weren’t many, but the ones that they did find were mainly scallop shells of different colors. There were two places on the beach where rocks had been formed into protective walls and you could climb up onto them. I thought we could get some great photos on them, so we all climbed up. During the exploring and photo-taking, Supergirl pointed out that there were squirrels up there with us. The looked like our little scrawny desert squirrels, but wet. Then, as we looked closer, we saw that one squirrel had a HUGE lower canine tooth sticking up like a sabertoothed tiger. You must go to the daily photos to check out this squirrel. Freaky!
After the wonderful start to our day, we headed to Legoland. The plan was to get there early to we could head straight to the biggest roller coaster in the park before the huge line formed. We did just that. We were the first ones in line. Triguy had put an offer onto the table for Jman. If Jman rode the big roller coaster and the little roller coaster in Legoland, Triguy would buy him a Lego remote control car kit. Jman was hesitant, but decided at the last minute to give the ride a try. 20 seconds of solid screaming later, Jman declared that he was done with rides. Haven’t we learned by now that Jman DOES NOT like fast rides???????? That ride pretty much ruined his whole day at the park. He didn’t want to ride any other rides. He certainly wasn’t going to ride the smaller roller coaster. He wanted that car kit, but not that much! Finally, out of pity and guilt, we told Jman that if he rode the dragon arm thingy ride (I still don’t know the name), that he could get the remote control car kit. He rode the ride – and even liked it. (See video).
After seeing Jman react to the first ride, we thought we should leave the park early. We took an hour to tour the attached aquarium at Legoland. The kids enjoyed the distraction.
We wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon and try to catch the sunset. We picked La Jolla because we knew how beautiful it was at sunset. We arrived around 3pm and went down to play in the tidal pools. The kids loved playing in the sand. We walked around and looked at the sea lions bathing in the sun. Then suddenly, off to our south, there was a giant storm cloud that was fast approaching. It covered the horizon. Triguy saw it and was concerned a storm was moving in rapidly, so we started to head back to the car. Before we got close to the car, we were engulfed by thick cloud. It wasn't a storm, it was fog rolling in. It was a something we have never seen. The fog obscured the setting sun, so we decided to call it a day.
We headed back towards the hotel to try a new seafood restaurant. The food was AMAZING - I had coconut-crusted Mahi Mahi with a rum-butter sauce. A meal I will not forget. And....we received 2 free desserts - dessert count 3.
Click here for Day 3 Pictures
Answer: YES!!!!!!!
We started Tuesday with Jman declaring “If I am screaming, then it means I’m not having fun.” That was his warning for us for the day.
We took note and decided to side track for an hour and start the day with a short trip to the beach in Carlsbad, CA. The beach was beautiful. Triguy and I both had forgotten how much we enjoy the beach. The kids had a blast collecting shells. There weren’t many, but the ones that they did find were mainly scallop shells of different colors. There were two places on the beach where rocks had been formed into protective walls and you could climb up onto them. I thought we could get some great photos on them, so we all climbed up. During the exploring and photo-taking, Supergirl pointed out that there were squirrels up there with us. The looked like our little scrawny desert squirrels, but wet. Then, as we looked closer, we saw that one squirrel had a HUGE lower canine tooth sticking up like a sabertoothed tiger. You must go to the daily photos to check out this squirrel. Freaky!
After the wonderful start to our day, we headed to Legoland. The plan was to get there early to we could head straight to the biggest roller coaster in the park before the huge line formed. We did just that. We were the first ones in line. Triguy had put an offer onto the table for Jman. If Jman rode the big roller coaster and the little roller coaster in Legoland, Triguy would buy him a Lego remote control car kit. Jman was hesitant, but decided at the last minute to give the ride a try. 20 seconds of solid screaming later, Jman declared that he was done with rides. Haven’t we learned by now that Jman DOES NOT like fast rides???????? That ride pretty much ruined his whole day at the park. He didn’t want to ride any other rides. He certainly wasn’t going to ride the smaller roller coaster. He wanted that car kit, but not that much! Finally, out of pity and guilt, we told Jman that if he rode the dragon arm thingy ride (I still don’t know the name), that he could get the remote control car kit. He rode the ride – and even liked it. (See video).
After seeing Jman react to the first ride, we thought we should leave the park early. We took an hour to tour the attached aquarium at Legoland. The kids enjoyed the distraction.
We wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon and try to catch the sunset. We picked La Jolla because we knew how beautiful it was at sunset. We arrived around 3pm and went down to play in the tidal pools. The kids loved playing in the sand. We walked around and looked at the sea lions bathing in the sun. Then suddenly, off to our south, there was a giant storm cloud that was fast approaching. It covered the horizon. Triguy saw it and was concerned a storm was moving in rapidly, so we started to head back to the car. Before we got close to the car, we were engulfed by thick cloud. It wasn't a storm, it was fog rolling in. It was a something we have never seen. The fog obscured the setting sun, so we decided to call it a day.
We headed back towards the hotel to try a new seafood restaurant. The food was AMAZING - I had coconut-crusted Mahi Mahi with a rum-butter sauce. A meal I will not forget. And....we received 2 free desserts - dessert count 3.
Click here for Day 3 Pictures
Warning: Adjustments May Occur
Question: Is it possible for a family to forget how to go on a vacation?
Answer: YES!!!!!
Today was our first day in California and we started out quietly with the kids and Tri-guy heading out for breakfast and a grocery run while I stayed in the room for a work conference call.
After my call was over and the kids returned, we jumped in the car to head to Legoland. Things seemed good at first - Jman was amazed by all of the Lego creations. Supergirl was plotting and planning how to get to the roller coasters. but things started crumbling after that. Supergirl was pinging from ride to ride, like a Mexican jumping bean. She was obsessed with getting to the roller coasters, so much so, that she started talking Jman into skipping rides. The park was packed and lines were long. About this time, the kids pulled out every parents worst fear - WHINING!
So, when we stopped for lunch and we realized we were all vibrating from the tension, something had to be done. Time for an adjustment. Supergirl and I left the park and took a break in the car for about 20 minutes to reset. Not at the top of my list of things to do, but it worked. Supergirl was great for the rest of the day.
Jman started repeating "It's not fair!" over and over in protest to the fact that Supergirl gets to ride rides twice in a row when he chooses not to ride them. The whining finally stopped when he was told he would suffer the same car-time-out fate as his sister if things didn't change.
We left the park at closing - around 7pm and rode around the Carlsbad for a half an hour looking for a restaurant. The kids were exhausted and we knew they were going to pass out soon, so we opted to order carry out from a restaurant and eat in our room.
After dinner, the kids passed out in less than a minute each.
It has been almost 2 years since our last vacation, and I think we just had our "Get reaquainted with your family vacation" day.
Oh...and Happy Birthday to me! Free dessert count is still at one because we ate in our room.
Click here to see pics from Day 2
Answer: YES!!!!!
Today was our first day in California and we started out quietly with the kids and Tri-guy heading out for breakfast and a grocery run while I stayed in the room for a work conference call.
After my call was over and the kids returned, we jumped in the car to head to Legoland. Things seemed good at first - Jman was amazed by all of the Lego creations. Supergirl was plotting and planning how to get to the roller coasters. but things started crumbling after that. Supergirl was pinging from ride to ride, like a Mexican jumping bean. She was obsessed with getting to the roller coasters, so much so, that she started talking Jman into skipping rides. The park was packed and lines were long. About this time, the kids pulled out every parents worst fear - WHINING!
So, when we stopped for lunch and we realized we were all vibrating from the tension, something had to be done. Time for an adjustment. Supergirl and I left the park and took a break in the car for about 20 minutes to reset. Not at the top of my list of things to do, but it worked. Supergirl was great for the rest of the day.
Jman started repeating "It's not fair!" over and over in protest to the fact that Supergirl gets to ride rides twice in a row when he chooses not to ride them. The whining finally stopped when he was told he would suffer the same car-time-out fate as his sister if things didn't change.
We left the park at closing - around 7pm and rode around the Carlsbad for a half an hour looking for a restaurant. The kids were exhausted and we knew they were going to pass out soon, so we opted to order carry out from a restaurant and eat in our room.
After dinner, the kids passed out in less than a minute each.
It has been almost 2 years since our last vacation, and I think we just had our "Get reaquainted with your family vacation" day.
Oh...and Happy Birthday to me! Free dessert count is still at one because we ate in our room.
Click here to see pics from Day 2
Monday, December 29, 2008
A LOFTY Beginning with an EXPLOSIVE Ending
Question: How many people does it take to pack for a trip to California?
Answer: One Frazled Mom, One Car-Packing Dad, One "I can't find my socks!" Daughter and One "I have to have pjs for every night because wearing the same pair two days in a row is gross!" Son (even though the son doesn't bathe for days on end.)
We started the day early, but it took us about two hours to pack. We didn't get on the road until about 8am. As we were leaving El Paso, we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful hot air balloon rising up over the Rio Grande River Valley. It was a touch of magic to start our journey.
Eleven hours, 3 pitstops, 3 mountain crossings, and countless miles later, we ended our day watching fireworks from the highway in California on our way to our hotel. A nice magical ending.
In between, the trip was fairly uneventful. Ipods and DS's are the best gifts of peace and quiet to road-tripping families everywhere. The only downside are cries of "Dad, you made me lose this game when you told me to look at that sunset!"
We ate a late dinner at our favorite, not-in-El-Paso restaurant - TGI Fridays. The servers were way too focused on the San Diego Chargers game, so they threw Triguy's birthday ice cream on the table without any big scene. Triguy was happy, but the rest of us were disappointed. We will have to have a do-over later in the week.
My goal is to see if we can milk our two birthdays and get free desert at every dinner for the week. So far, our free desert count is 1.
Here is a link to pictures from the drive
Answer: One Frazled Mom, One Car-Packing Dad, One "I can't find my socks!" Daughter and One "I have to have pjs for every night because wearing the same pair two days in a row is gross!" Son (even though the son doesn't bathe for days on end.)
We started the day early, but it took us about two hours to pack. We didn't get on the road until about 8am. As we were leaving El Paso, we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful hot air balloon rising up over the Rio Grande River Valley. It was a touch of magic to start our journey.
Eleven hours, 3 pitstops, 3 mountain crossings, and countless miles later, we ended our day watching fireworks from the highway in California on our way to our hotel. A nice magical ending.
In between, the trip was fairly uneventful. Ipods and DS's are the best gifts of peace and quiet to road-tripping families everywhere. The only downside are cries of "Dad, you made me lose this game when you told me to look at that sunset!"
We ate a late dinner at our favorite, not-in-El-Paso restaurant - TGI Fridays. The servers were way too focused on the San Diego Chargers game, so they threw Triguy's birthday ice cream on the table without any big scene. Triguy was happy, but the rest of us were disappointed. We will have to have a do-over later in the week.
My goal is to see if we can milk our two birthdays and get free desert at every dinner for the week. So far, our free desert count is 1.
Here is a link to pictures from the drive
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