California Vacation

At the end of the summer, we headed to California to visit Jason’s Dad and have a family vacation. This is the longest car trip we have ever taken as a family, especially for Hailey, who gets extremely carsick. We started out on Friday afternoon, and arrived in California on Saturday evening. Although the car ride was long, we all enjoyed seeing the variety of landscape along the way. We had a wonderful time visiting family, the kids were so excited to get to know their Grandpa Rick and Grandma Carmen better. After resting up Sunday, we headed to San Diego early Monday morning. We only had three days to spend in San Diego, so we fit in as much as possible. The first day we went to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. The next day we went to Lego land and the beach. The last day we went to the San Diego Safari Park Zoo, Birch Aquarium, and another beach. I think we saw a good portion of San Diego, and had an amazing time. Except Ashley, who was sick with a bad cold, and the long drive caused her bladder spasms to start again. She was pretty miserable for most of the trip, and had no problems letting us know how she felt. I do have to give her credit, Ashley was awesome for all the driving there and back. She did better at all the places, if we rented a wheelchair. It seemed silly putting our, perfectly capable of walking, eleven year old in a wheelchair, but it provided the security she needed, and we got through all the places we wanted to go as a family. We will definitely be investing in our own wheelchair in the future. After the three days in San Diego, we returned to Jason’s Dad’s house, rested up for another day, and then headed home. On the way home, we saw the London Bridge in Lake Havasu, the kids got to ride with Grandpa Rick and Grandma Carmen that far. Then we said good-bye, and headed on to see the Grand Canyon. It was breathtaking and really should warrant a vacation in itself, but we were so close, we hated to not see it. Even Hailey and Josh seemed to appreciate the beauty, not so much Ashley, who refused to leave the car. Jason and I took turns sitting with her, while the other saw the Grand Canyon. We arrived home, very tired of the car, on Saturday night. It was a wonderful trip, everyone had so much fun. We were amazed at how well Grandpa Rick, Grandma Carmen, and all the family there did with Ashley. This is family we rarely get to see, our first trip to their home, and the first time of meeting Carmen’s relatives. They were all, without exception, friendly, encouraging, and supportive. When her behavior was terrible, they were understanding, and jumped in to make excuses for her. I can think of very few places we have felt more comfortable or welcome. And she certainly put them to the test. Whenever we are in someone’s home, there is always the fear that she will break something or make a mess, they immediately put those worries to rest, by saying they weren’t concerned, things can be replaced or cleaned, and just to let her be. Of course, we still kept a careful eye, but were definitely more at ease because we could tell they genuinely meant what they said. We all had a great time and made some wonderful memories. We plan to go on family vacations more often, but our thankful that we don’t have to be in the car that long, with Josh for quite awhile! Originally posted September 2011