Sisters, Sand and Sunshine

Little Miss Molly moved to California months ago.
We wondered where does she live? To what places does she go?

How are those beaches not far from her home?
How delightful are those malls? What could I buy? Where could I roam?
Sarah and I decided to just hop in our car.
Take a vacation. Visit this sister. It couldn't be that far.

We drove late into the night and arrived on location.
Molly's cute home was our desired destination.
We shopped at the malls. We enjoyed fine dining.
We watched movies. Played games. Enjoyed a cooler sun shining.
We did only the things that we wanted to do.
I never changed a diaper or put on a kids shoe.
The ocean was as awesome as I knew it would be.
The sand between my toes was the prescription for me.The waves were so big, and so very strong.
That they knocked me over and stole my sunglasses before long.
I've always been tickled that my Arnette's are impossible to brake.
I failed to realize that wearing them in the ocean was a big fat mistake.
Not even this could dampen my mood.
I splashed in the waves, though their theft was quite rude.
I relaxed and slept in. I shopped and I swam.
I enjoyed time with my sisters, and all of the fun I could cram.
You may be jealous. You probably should.
With a husband like mine, you could have this much fun, and you would!

Now we are home, and back to real life.
Back to the gym, diapers, and chores of the house wife.
Back to routines that I actually love.
3 sons and a husband, gifts from above.

As much as I love vacations and chilling.
Home with my family is without a doubt the most fulfilling!

Vacation Delights and Seeing the Sights

My husband surprised me when he conspired with his parents and set up an amazing vacation to San Francisco. The weather was divine. The views spectacular. The company quite humorous. Our hotel location was ideal. Our flights were flawless and even arrived early.

A trip to the Golden Gate Bridge was paramount. We examined it and determined it was sturdy and impressive. We walked on the bridge and considered the joys of leaping to a death in the icy waves 700 feet below. Not very tempting.

We enjoyed all of the tourists who were tricked into taking a jaunt over the bridge aboard the first bicycle they'd seen in decades. Watching these people weaving through the masses of discourteous amateur photographers, aboard 2 wobbly wheels, with a 65 year old bum 3 times the seat size, nope not my idea of a pleasure cruise!!

I did a silly jog on the beach. My hair caught some serious height with the blowing wind. Bob Marley would be impressed. The water was insanely cold, however this did not keep me from getting my feet wet. We spent the 4th of July celebrating the Independences we appreciate.

On this occasion, we celebrated the Independence known only by parents that left their children home so that a REAL vacation could be enjoyed. No diapers. No tantrums. No sippy cups. No sudden onset of inopportune colds. No bedtime routines to ignore and suffer the consequences. Even more exciting were: no embarrassing moments on the airplane, no crying children, no diaper bag, no strollers, no scrutinizing glances from passersby, and restaurant dining at its finest!We decided to check out Bubba Gump's Restaurant. Of course, we had every variety of shrimp and spoke about each type while exceeding the human capacity of lower lip extensions. The movie Forrest Gump plays from multiple screens throughout the restaurant to create ambiance. The shrimp was quite delicious, I highly recommend it, but I discourage the faint of wallet, as it was pricey!
We took a cruise over to Alcatraz Island. I found it interesting that we spent Independence Day exploring Alcatraz prison. Who understood the loss of freedom like those who threw away their independence when they abused their civil liberties. I've never spent much time thinking about it from that perspective. Can you imagine how painful it would be to have a view this beautiful, through iron bars, when you are trapped in a place like this? The prisoners could even hear laughter that carried across the bay.

It was fun to visit Alcatraz and say, "Welcome to the Rock," with our best efforts at a Sean Connery impression. We sat at the front of the cruise and enjoyed the cool San Francisco breeze. Just prior to returning to the Arizona Desert we tried our hand at crab fishing. Brian was the real fisherman catching 4 big crabs. We even captured a handicapped crab with just one pincher. It was fascinating that the muscles attached to this claw were huge! Way to adapt, go Mr. Crabby. My in laws caught a crab and set it down just long enough for a greedy seagull to steal one of his eyeballs. Now that's one hungry bird. As we were leaving we set 5 chicken drum sticks on the pier. Watching the seagulls gulp them down whole was impressive and appalling.

We wouldn't have enjoyed such an amazing trip without our tour guides. Brian's parents knew exactly where we needed to go and ensured that we did not miss out on any of the fine opportunities afforded in this cool and beautiful city. Brian even managed to not acted completely tortured while I enjoyed every little shop and street vendor. Now that is true love!