Driving Home

We drove home over yesterday and today.  Colin, Rylan and I aren't feeling too swift and I think we are all a little worn out from the fun.  The drive was uneventful and full of beautiful scenery - after we reached Utah.  I can't say much that is nice about the scenery in California.  The mountains are scrubby and plain, and the high desert is sort of plain as well.  The Joshua trees are pretty, though.  We spent the night in Cedar City again, and then made the drive over the mountains to get home.  Colorado has had a rough few days of bone-chilling cold, so I am glad we were in California for the duration!

Dean and I finished all of Serial, and then combed the internet looking for any updates.  The open ending was frustrating, but I was already prepared for that since it was splashed all over social media.  I think Jay had a hand in it, and that Adnan had more to do with it than he is saying.  It will be interesting to see what the Innocence Project turns up.

We're glad to be home, but so glad that we had the opportunity to finally vacation with our family!

Disneyland

Today was the day I had been looking forward to for the past several months.  I have been anticipating taking the little kids to Disneyland for a long, long time.  We took Jordan when he was 6 years old and Rylan was a mere 11 weeks old, so it has been a long time!  It took nearly an hour and a half before we even entered the park.  The parking was ridiculous, the lines were ridiculous and the crowds were unbelievable.  The grand spending total for a day at Disney including parking, 6 tickets, two meals, four hats and one toy each was around $1200.  Ouch.  Thank you to grandma Judy for the Christmas money for the tickets, and thank you to the aunties and Aunt Karen and Uncle Steve for the gift money for the toys.  The kids had a blast picking out their stuff!

It was a little difficult negotiating which rides to ride and so forth with such a diverse age group in our family, but with the smart move by getting fast passes, and some trickery to get Owen onto rides, we made it work.  Poor Owen.  He gets easily rattled by watching rides.  It was to our advantage that a lot of the rides were sort of hidden from view, so we could easily fool him into thinking it wasn't so bad.  His imagination gets the best of him.  Here he is on the platform on the Matterhorn after he rode it.  He loved it, of course, but for the entire hour we were waiting in line, we kept telling him that people were screaming because they were afraid of getting wet, not because the ride was scary.  The only scary part of the ride was the Yeti.

We waited an hour to get on It's a Small World, and it was worth it, since it was decorated differently for the holidays.  Here is a group shot of almost everyone on our boat as we head into the ride.  Dean and my brother were in search of the last round of fast passes for the day.

Another round of trickery was involved to get Owen onto Splash Mountain.  He was fooled until the very end, when we went up, up, up before we went down, down, down.  He was seated right in front of me, and as we made the climb up, I could here him say, "I have a bad feeling about this!!".  It was all good in the end.  Here is screen shot of the other boat of family: Drew, Rylan, Jordan, Connor, my brother Kirk and SIL Michelle.  I love Rylan's expression...lol.

We wandered over to Tomorrowland and gave Space Mountain a try.  Go figure, the scariest way to ride a roller coaster - in complete darkness - thrilled Owen to pieces!  He said over and over, "It's like we're in space!!!!"  I'm so glad they all rode it and loved it.  We ended the night with a few more rides and then a parting picture in front of the castle.  The kids lasted all day with minimal meltdowns, which was amazing.  So glad we all had the chance to spend the day together and share in the fun!

New Year's Day and Huntington Beach. (Again!)

It's later on New Year's Day and we drove back from Pasadena to the hotel.  We split off from the rest of the family and decided that we needed some more time at the beach.  We first stopped at a great seafood restaurant and then went back to the same beach we were at yesterday.  The kids brought their suits this time, and braved the chilly surf.  Jordan held Rylan in the bigger waves and she loved it.

The rest of the family eventually joined us and we watched the sun set on a wonderful New Year's Day.  I think every first day of the year should be spent at the beach - it is a great way to begin!!

Tournament of Roses Parade

Good Morning and Happy New Year from Pasadena, California!  We went to bed early last night - celebrating NYE at 9 pm, in anticipation of getting up at 4 am this morning.  We made the drive to Pasadena, snagged some Starbucks and made our way to our special parking area that was right behind our grandstands.  It is a warm and sunny morning and there is excitement in the air in anticipation of the parade.  The streets are full of people and dozens of dirty tortillas.  I'm not sure what that is about, but it looks like they had quite the party last night.

 
The parade began with a group that danced and sang, and then these guys were doing flips on moving trampolines.  It was neat to see it later on TV and see how they began the parade by emerging from the crowd.

This was my favorite float - how beautiful!!

It's the cast from Loveboat!!

Here is my nephew's band - Legacy Lightning Marching Band from Broomfield, CO.  They looked and sounded great!

It was a fun parade, and the floats were amazing.  There was an opportunity for us to get tickets to see the floats up close, but we opted not to.  I think the kids were a little fried by the end of the parade.  Anyway, it was a great family experience. :)

Huntington Beach

Today was our beach day.  We made a short and uneventful drive to Huntington Beach, found relatively cheap parking and pushed our toes into the sand.  My SIL had a wonderful idea of taking these beach cruisers for a spin, so we spread out among three of them and slowly made our way down the beach.  It was pretty fun!

Then we dropped them off and played in the surf.  Colin got wet to his toes, and that was enough for him.  This was his first visit to the ocean that he would remember.  The last time he was 7 mo. old.  He loved running back and forth and digging in the sand.

It was a little chilly, but the sounds and smells were the perfect thing for these winter-weary souls.

Hollywood and the horrors of driving in L.A.

Today we visited Hollywood.  I got behind the wheel to drive us there, while Dean helped me navigate by watching the right side of the car, while I watched the left.  L.A. traffic is the most freakish driving experience ever.  Nobody signals, nobody cares, everybody speeds and everybody shoots into view out of nowhere at the last possible second, making lane changes a terrifying act.  Let me take a moment to extol on the virtues of the Waze driving app.  This app made driving in Los Angeles tolerable.  Maybe even survivable.

We managed to make the harrowing drive to Hollywood, and parked in a large parking garage at Hollywood Blvd and Highland.  I joked that we were taking a risk doing that in case there was an earthquake.  Not funny.  We made our way out onto the boulevard, and met up with the rest of the family, as they parked in a different area.  Hollywood boulevard is just a scary as I remember.  That is why I don't have any pictures.  I kept my phone in my purse, and my purse clamped to my side, and a small child clutched in my arms on the side of said purse.  I was wary of anyone who came within my personal space.  And that meant everyone.  It was so, so crowded.  I hate crowds.  I hate crowds where half of them are in costume, wanting you to take their picture and give them money.  I hate crowds where women aren't wearing very much.  At all.  I hate crowds where people jostle you, step in front of you, and then stop to take pictures.  Tourists..

The stars on the walk are neat to see, as are the footprints and handprints and signatures.  I've seen them before, but Dean and the kids had not, so I followed along as they wondered at what they could see.  It was neat to see the spot where the cast of Harry Potter all sealed their fame in footprints and signatures.  It was sad to see the star of Robin Williams, gone too soon.

It was drizzly and cool, and we were hungry, so we walked a couple blocks to an In-and-Out burger.  So did half of Los Angeles, apparently, because there was no place to sit.  We finally secured a table.  A single table for 12 people.  Then another two-top cleared, so that helped.  The burgers were good, so I can see why it is popular.  As we left, a fight broke out over a parking spot between the drivers of to two very fancy SUVs.  I'm glad we were on foot.  We made our way back to our car, and left for the long drive home.  It was only 13 miles, but it took nearly two hours.  It was raining, the freeways were choked with traffic, so we took a different route through downtown.  As we left Hollywood, we took a turn and wound up alongside the Paramount Pictures Lot, which was cool to see.  As we drove on, we also ended up alongside this, my only picture of the day:

The Walt Disney Concert Hall, which I thought looked especially cool in the rain.  About this time Jordan needed to go, Owen needed to go, and Colin needed to go.  So we pulled over on a not-so-busy side street and made use of the pee bottle.  Jordan didn't understand that getting out of the car was not an option.  Dean said, "Do you see all of the graffiti?  The amount of graffiti is equal to the amount of you DON'T want to get out of the car".  We continued snaking our way south and east, all the while wary of how close we were to Compton.  Definitely a place we did not want to accidently venture into.

We finally made it back to the hotel, and the kids headed for the pool and then got right back to building with their Legos.  We ended the day with a drive to a restaurant a few miles away and had a very nice meal.

Legoland

Today is the day the kids have been talking about for the last three months.  Each morning, when Colin wakes up, the question is the same: "Is today the day we go to Legoland?"

It is a very warm and sunny day today, and we are a little too hot in our long sleeves, but we are happy to finally be here.  There was a lot of excitement as we drove the 30+ minutes it took to cover the last half mile to the entrance.  At least there were a lot of Lego figures to look at.  The parking was convenient, a shortish walk to the entrance, and then long lines to purchase the tickets.  We split up, Dean in one line and I in another, with two coupons that will get a kid in free with a paying adult.  As I wait, a lady walks by, offering an extra coupon she had on hand from her PTO.  That was amazing - it saved us $80 bucks, right there.  The ticket prices are staggering!

We first check out the area that has Lego reproductions of NYC, Las Vegas, New Orleans and so forth...  Just amazing!

 
We were most impressed with the Star Wars section, that included many different scenes from all six movies.  The scenes from Endor were there best.

Then it was time for some rides.  Colin was ready to ride his first roller coaster!  Owen freaked out in line and refused to ride, so Dean left the line with him and walked around while Jordan, Rylan, Colin and I went on the ride.  Colin LOVED it!

This was more Owen's speed...

Then it was time for lunch.  A long wait in line, followed by a staggering checkout price of $92 - and the food was only so-so... :(  At least the kids had a great time while waiting in line.

We rode a couple more rides after lunch (long, long lines...), and then the kids met Wyld Style outside the Lego Movie building that houses one of the sets used in the movie.  Best part of the day!

It started to get chilly as the sun went down, so we hunkered down in an indoors building area, while Dean went back to the van to get jackets.  Jordan spent the time building a giant chicken army.

We ended the day with a nighttime boat ride and dragon roller coaster that everyone rode.   Owen didn't like it, at all.  At the very end, we finally made the trek into the giant store at the entrance to purchase Lego sets.  The kids all received Christmas money in anticipation of visiting Legoland - with the intent of purchasing Legos there.  It was craziness in that store.  I had put them off on buying stuff all day so that we wouldn't have to carry it around, and I think everybody else had the same idea.

So some thoughts about Legoland... expensive.  Too expensive for the limited amount of stuff to do, and for the quality of food.  The nighttime lighting is horrible.  It is so dark - it is too easy to lose a child.  We didn't, luckily, but I found it difficult to let my guard down and enjoy myself.  It is also geared towards younger kids.  Jordan did have fun, but it was a little bit boring for him after the first hour, and I can see why.

After we left, it was a very long drive to our hotel in Downey, near downtown L.A.  My SIL booked an Embassy Suites for all of us, and it was a fabulous hotel!  It was the kind of layout where the floors circle around the main floor, where the breakfast area is, so you can see all of the rooms on each floor.  Several of the room doors in the hotel have tape across them.  We learned that there is a highschool marching band from Texas staying in the hotel too.  The kids are four to a room, and after a certain hour, they are taped into their room.  A security guard and several parent volunteers patrol the floors, and check the tape seals on the hour, all through the night.  That is actually a pretty good system!  Never heard a peep out of the kids.  We made it to our room and collapsed.  The kids wanted so badly to open their Legos, but we made them wait until the next morning.   Tomorrow it is supposed to be overcast and rainy, so we will be sightseeing in Hollywood.

Zion National Park

Today we drove the rest of the way to CA, but first we visited Zion National Park, which was less than an hour from Cedar City.  Here is Owen, my nephew Drew, Rylan and my nephew Connor.  My nephew Alex, the one who will be marching, is traveling with the band.  Everybody else is either behind their own camera, NOT listening that we are taking a picture, or in the bathroom.  sigh.

Zion is absolutely beautiful.  It was a little chilly in the shade, but otherwise a gorgeous day to be outdoors.  We picked up Junior Ranger books at the Visitor Center, watched a short presentation and then the kids HAD to have these from the gift shop:

Many thanks to Aunt Joyce for the Christmas money for each kiddo, and a thank you to the kind Park Service employee with a sharpie to lend me so that I could initial each tag, thus avoiding endless fighting about whose raccoon was whose.

We went on a short hike up the Weeping Rock trail.  In the spring, summer and fall there is water that seeps out of the rock and trickles down the wall.  Now, in wintertime, the water is frozen, so the giant rock wall is covered with thousands of icicles.  There is the constant sounds of ice cracking and icicles falling and crashing on the rocks below.  It was quite the show..

The trail was steep, and icy in sections, so it was a bit dicey for me in places, but thankfully there was always some small child nearby that I could hang on to, to keep my balance.  We stood and watched and listened for at least a half an hour, but alas, California is calling and we have hours of driving ahead of us.  First though, our stomachs are growling and lunchtime is near.

Las Vegas is also near, so we hatch a plan to hit a buffet on the outskirts of Vegas for lunch.  We drive just over an hour and arrive for the last 25 minutes the buffet will be open.  Kids pile their plates and we eat.  The food was less than fabulous and the casino was smokey.  We are so accustomed to living in a non-smoking environment here in Colorado, that it is a shock to the system to walk into a smoky establishment. It was also a challenge to steer small children through the casino to even get to the buffet.  So many flashing lights!  So many sounds!

Back in the car, we drive, drive, drive.  We break out the Star Wars trilogy (4,5 and 6) that Santa brought for Christmas, and the kids have a mini-movie marathon, while Dean and I crack up at their commentary.  The desert is endless.  So is the stretch from Vegas to Barstow, that moves at about 15 miles per hour.  HOW CAN THAT MANY PEOPLE BE DRIVING TO CALIFORNIA!!??  It takes forever, but we finally reach our hotel in San Bernardino.  Tomorrow is Lego Land, so to bed we go!

A family leaves for California

We left for our trip to California today.  A year ago, my SIL shared with us that our nephew, Alex, would be marching in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena with his high school marching band.  We missed out on seeing our other nephew, Connor, march with the same marching band in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade the year prior because the trip was very expensive and it wasn't feasible to take so many young children on a trip to the mean streets of NYC.  So for this trip, the stars were aligned.  We had a year to save up, the kids would be the perfect age to visit Disneyland, and it had been 8 long years since our last visit to CA.  We had a portion of each paycheck diverted to a special savings account, and at year's end, we were mostly set.  Theme parks are expensive!!

We left bright and early this morning, but still almost a whopping two hours behind schedule.  Despite the mother of all packing lists, it is the actual doing of the packing that we never seem to manage...  We are traveling in our van, and my brother, SIL, two nephews, my dad and stepmom are traveling in their van.  They live an hour away, so they hit the road long before us.  Our destination is Cedar City, Utah.

We've had some snow, but thankfully almost a full day of weak sunshine for the crews to work on the roads.  As we traveled along we fought a little bit of traffic along I-70, and decided in Frisco that it would be nice to be able to actually SEE out the windshield, so we stopped for a new pair of wiper blades.  After that, the travel was much better.  As we passed Vail, I remembered that Dean and I resolved to listen to Serial, the podcast that everyone is raving about.  So I queued up as many episodes as I could while we had cell service, we popped in a movie and made all the kids wear headphones, and then Dean and I settled in to enjoy the show.

As we neared Glenwood Springs, the canyons looked absolutely magnificent.  The snow-covered strata was so beautiful...

Funny, though, when I look at this, I associate it now with the beginning episode of Serial, as the case is being discussed for the first time.  The way people associate different memories with smells - I'm the same way with sounds.  I look at my bedroom walls, and remember painting them as I was listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

We drove through the late afternoon and evening.  I'm sad we missed seeing the beautiful landscapes of Utah, since it was so dark.  We arrived in Cedar City a dead-tired and crabby bunch, and immediately went to bed after saying a quick hello in the hotel hallway to my brother.  Tomorrow we drive to CA!