Life with Dylan

Category: Vacation

  • Our road trip was a blast, Now back to reality

    The days leading up to a vacation are almost as exciting as the day that you actually leave, but the days after you come home from vacation … well, that’s a totally different story. We have been home from our zoo road trip for a week now and I am just starting to feel like myself.

    Although we made numerous stops and had tons of fun, the last two days of the road trip involved all day in the car. We left hotels by 9 am and didn’t arrive at the next hotel until dinner time. That made for one tired Mom when we got home. I don’t think I even got dressed, let alone got off the couch our first day home. Then it was Dylan’s birthday and we got Tiga. I’m finally starting to get back to my routine and feel like I’m not sleep deprived.

    As for the 800 pictures I took on our zoo road trip … yeah, those will just have to wait a bit longer. However, I did manage to get the 85 mobile pictures from my iPhone up on Flickr. Sometimes it’s fun to see spur of the moment pics from your phone.

    Not all are perfect – some may be blurry (since the car was going 75 m.p.h.) – and some are just plain silly. Regardless, they are memories.

    I’m starting to think that coming home from vacation is more work than planning and actually going on vacation!

  • Time to hit the open road

    We’ve been planning this for months now. Saving up money each month with one goal in mind – have enough money for the much anticipated summer vacation. We didn’t take a vacation last summer and this summer I wanted to do something that would give Dylan and I time together. Time to reconnect after a busy school year and do things that we both enjoyed.

    What better to do than plan a road trip centered around our favorite things? A trip created to check things off the family bucket list. A road trip to visit Mek and say hello to CJ for the first time. No, these aren’t people … they are tigers. Yep, this trip is going to take us to a variety of Zoos, National Parks, and the California Redwoods. It’s a zoo road trip!
    We started with the idea of visiting my Dad in Northern California and making a day trip from his home to see the California Redwoods – then the idea hit me – Road Trip! 

    First we will go to the Fresno Zoo to see out beloved Mek.

    Next stop, Sacramento Zoo so that we can meet CJ the 4 month old tiger cub.

    Then we will head west, driving through some beautiful scenery, and ultimately arriving at my Dad’s home. After spending some time relaxing in what I like to call “so not Orange County” and taking in the majestic California Redwoods, we will start making our way back to Southern California.

    In hopes of seeing a wild condor in flight, we will be visiting Pinnacles National Park. I have heard it is beautiful.

    Once we hit the Central Coast, we will visit the Charles Paddock Zoo. Sure, it’s a small zoo (only 5 acres), but it’s the only zoo in the Central Coast area of the United States. Really, for any zoo lover this is a must see zoo. 

    I’m sure there will be numerous unplanned stops along the 101. The drive is just too beautiful not to stop. A night in Solvang will bring walks on cobblestone streets (yep, that’s a bucket list item) and some yummy Aebleskivers. Along with a bit of Danish history and culture. 

    Finally, a drive down the coast would not be complete without a stop in Santa Barbara. So what will do? Visit the Santa Barbara Zoo of course!

    I won’t be writing much while on vacation because … well … I’m on vacation! 

    However, I will be tweeting, sharing pictures on Facebook, and Instagraming along the way so be sure to follow us. #ZooRoadTrip2013  



  • Our first family bucket list

    After what seems like months of talking about it, we have finally created our family bucket list. Not just what we want to do for the summer or this year even – we went bigger than that. Our bucket list is a big one with far off places and dreams bigger than big for a 9-year-old. Some have been on my unwritten bucket list for years.

    Rather than confine our family bucket list to a single post, I decided to give it a page all of its own. A bucket list page that will remind us of our dreams and places we want to go. A page that we can track and cross thing off the list as we go.

    Take a look at our Family Bucket List page …
    and come back often to see if we have crossed anything off the list.

  • Instagram Summer

    I can’t believe my summer vacation is over in one short week. Where did the time go? 

    When I look back I think we didn’t really do that much – and then I scroll through my Instagram pictures and realize we did. 
    Days at the beach – impromptu trips for ice cream and frozen yogurt – visits to Aquarium of the Pacific, San Deigo Zoo, and his birthday at San Diego Zoo Safari Park – raising over $1,000 for the tigers – lazy days by the pool – sailing – time spent drawing – basketball at the park – Nighttime Zoo – Reptile Walk – Behind the Scenes Safari
      

    Not bad for a summer vacation. This week we have another trip to the San Diego Zoo, a final trip to Legoland, and of course time by the pool and beach. 
    The best part was that we spent time together. Late nights watching Animal Planet and NatGeo Wild were the best, but no Instagrams of that. 
    Dylan still has another month of summer vacation (lucky kid) and I’m sure he will have fun at Nature Camp and with Grandma. I’ve been having so much fun on my vacation that I never got around to my to do list of chores, but that’s ok, I’m sure they will all be there waiting for me next month. 
    What have you been up to this summer?

  • Spring Fever

    It’s that time of year. The days are longer and the sun seems to be shinning just a little bit brighter. Gone are the jackets, sweaters, and boots. Now the stores are filled with sundresses, bathing suits, and sandals.

    The leprechauns have come and gone – soon Peter Cottontail will be hopping down the bunny trail.

    Flowers are blooming and the butterflies are bountiful. Yes, Spring has sprung and I couldn’t be happier.

    The only problem I seem to be having is the bout of spring fever that hit me last week. No, I’m not a student and I don’t party over Spring Break. I’m 41 years old and have a kid, so why in the world do I have spring fever so badly?

    Maybe the theory of spring fever being an illness of teenagers and college students is wrong. Maybe, just maybe adults – moms – can get it too.

    I’m guessing working for the school district doesn’t help my chances of contracting the spring fever bug. So I did the only thing that seemed to make sense. I booked a staycation for a few days over Spring Break. Nothing fancy. No airplanes. No luxury hotels. Just lots of fun times and smiles planned with Dylan.

    Do you have spring fever yet?

    What are you doing for Spring Break?

  • Who do you think I am … Your Mother?

    This past week has been nothing short of a much needed break. For me and for Dylan. While some people had last Monday off for the Presidential holiday, our school district had the entire week off. Technically it’s called Presidents Week, but everyone calls it Ski Week.

    We didn’t go skiing. Heck we didn’t even leave Orange County really. Our days have consisted of staying up late, sleeping in, watching movies, building LEGO houses, a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific, and me catching up on some to-do lists. Nothing overly exciting, but nonetheless, welcomed and needed.

    Somewhere among all the relaxing, my son actually expected me to make him breakfast at 9 a.m. every day. Then a few hours later he was hungry again and wanted lunch – then dinner.

    What? I’m on vacation.

    And even when I’m not on vacation I only make him dinner because he eats lunch at school and my mom makes him breakfast since I have to be at work so early in the morning.

    Three meals a day? Really? Do you know how many dishes that equates to? Enough to give me dishpan hands!

    Rather than spend my time leisurely surfing the web, writing on my blogs, and pinning until my hearts content on Pinterest, I am expected to entertain this child of mine. Not for just a weekend, but for 9 whole days. Two weekends with a week in the middle.

    Who does this child think I am … his Mother or something?

    Why yes, I am. So no matter how much I want to sleep in or tune out to the world around me, I will make 3 meals a day, wash dishes, do laundry, and entertain this child I love so much.

    Why? Because I am his mother and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  • Holiday Travel Done Right

    Nothing says the holidays like traveling through the busy airports. Families fumbling through the security lines and hoping that no major meltdowns happen on the plane.

    After a recent trip to visit family, I took the opportunity to make a list of all the situations I encountered and share my tips with the OC Moms.

    Delayed flights, crying babies on the plane, and long security lines.

    This year, make sure you are one step ahead with some useful mom tips for traveling with the kids.

  • Summer Vacation – Day 3 at @LEGOLAND_CA

    Last day of summer vacation. So far two days and two parks … can we make it three parks in three days?

    Of course we can … how could we drive right past one of Dylan’s favorite places and not stop?

    Besides animals, my son is addicted to all things LEGO … and his face lights up every time we visit LEGOLAND California!

    First stop, The Studio Store, to see what new STAR WARS items might be available. He didn’t even make it into the store before he spotted something he wanted. I foresee a very clean room in his future to earn enough money to buy this one!

    However, he did have enough money to buy a coveted Lego Minifigure. Of course, we had to open it right away to see which one it was.
    (more…)

  • Summer Vacation – Day 1 at @SanDiegoZoo

    A few weeks ago Dylan and I packed our bags for a fun-filled vacation in San Diego. The goal was to leave all computers and work at home and just have fun! Three parks in three days – World Famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World San Diego, and Legoland California – can we do it? Of course we can, we have annual passes to all three! Nothing was going to stand in our way.

    We left home early on a Tuesday morning and drove straight to the San Diego Zoo. Yes, we were just there last month, but this time we were on a mission … to see the baby tiger cubs!

    We walked right to the Lost Forest, but sadly, the tiger cubs were not out on exhibit this morning. However, there is always something to learn when you are at the San Diego Zoo!

    Did you know that you can find parts of the Rain Forest in your Cupboard? All of the products in this display come from some sort of plant found in the Amazon Rain Forest.

    From Tiger Trail, we headed to Hippo Trail and we got to watch the Momma and Baby Hippo play for about 20 minutes!

    We even managed to get his cute video of the Momma Hippo teaching the Baby a thing or two.

    Dylan loves the area by the Hippo exhibit. He always wants to climb in the tree and pose for pictures on the bronze hippo sculpture. I think I have about 20 pictures on this hippo (spanning over 6 years) Yes, I guess you can say we go to the zoo often … but it’s always worth it to see the look on Dylan’s face when he is near animals.

    Now off to the Discovery Outpost Children’s Zoo to see all sorts of cute and furry animals.

    Black Marmoset

    Playful Meerkats
    Scarlet Macaw Parrot
    Now as much as Dylan loves our next stop, I normally choose to wait outside … but he begged me to come inside the Insect House. The least I could do was take some pictures for him.
    And if this wasn’t enough to show how much I love my child, we headed over to the Reptile House next! However, this time I stayed on the outer edge and handed the camera over to Dylan. These are a few of the pictures he took.

    There was one little guy that I thought was kinda cool though … well, maybe not so little.

    Green Tree Frog

    Feeling a little hungry after the long drive and walking around the zoo for 3 hours we stopped at the Safari Kitchen for lunch. They have the best burgers! Not to mention some brightly colored neighbors.

    Dylan was so excited about staying in a hotel (it’s the little things you know) that we decided to drive over to the hotel and check-in, give our feet a rest, and maybe hit Sea World for some night time fireworks!

    But that’s for another post …

  • Spring Break in Monterey

    This year we decided to not only get away for Spring Break, but to take our first road trip together. It was better than I thought, considering the furthest Dylan has driven is San Diego (2 hours), and this was going to be a 6-7 hour drive. The Are we there yet? didn’t start until Santa Barbara, and then it was How much longer? about every 40 minutes. I tried to get him to enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery, but it didn’t last too long.

    At last, he sleeps and the drive is peaceful.
    It’s just not a road trip without a stop at McDonald’s!
    Dylan’s picture from the road. (only 1 hour to go)

    We arrived in Monterey about 4 pm and I immediately felt relaxed. Something about hotels and being away from home, not to mention the fresh coastal air, was just what we both needed. Our agenda included The Monterey Bay Aquarium, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and anything else we saw along the way to our destinations.

    The aquarium was amazing and we spent almost all day there. Took over 150 pictures! Definitely worth the drive to see this place.

    Dylan even got a little education on Steinbeck with some historical landmarks…

    And in true Dylan style had a little impromptu photo shoot …

    A little stroll through the Cannery for some lunch.

    Lunch at Bubba Gumps

    A Kid in a Candy Store … Classic!

    Day 2 – The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (like he needs any more animal/nature facts to add to his ever-growing encyclopedia of a brain)

    Who cares if it’s only 60 degrees outside … we’re going in the water! Well, Dylan went in the water. For about 2 minutes and then he decided his feet were freezing so we put our shoes back on and went for walk along the rocks to see marinelife up close. We spent almost 2 hours here along the shore in Pacific Grove.

    Just a few of the seals we saw

    Come on Mom, let’s go!

    The kelp beds from above

    This sign was great … Tsunami in California?

     After a long day of sight-seeing, we decided to have an early dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf. Dylan love the fact that seals were right outside the window of the restaurant. he thoroughly enjoyed his calamari and pasta!

     We had an amazing time together and will always treasure the bond that we share.