Whatevah Wednesday: Family Vacations



I didn't take this picture, but I'll post some soon.



As you read this, I am at Sea World San Diego. With a family of six, we've never had the typical vacation involving 7-day stays somewhere out-of-state, plane rides, etc. (My kids have never been on a plane.) Last year, we visited the Grand Canyon. This year, we decided to drive the 85 miles to San Diego. Yesterday we visited the Zoo, then we stayed in a hotel (two rooms were necessary) for one night, and today culminates with watery fun before we go home tonight. What always floors me is how expensive everything is. Even our overnight excursion is sure to cost us close to $1,000 and could easily surpass that figure if we did suvenires (sorry kids). Here's the breakdown: 

• $180- entrance for all of us to zoo (with no discounts, free parking)
• $250- entrance to Sea World after discount coupon ($20 off per ticket)
• $12 - Sea World parking
• $75- hotel (after using hotel points. Two rooms would have been a lot more)
• $75- gasoline
• $300- food (The way I figure it, with six people and high temps, we'll have several drink purchases both days in addition to meals. And treats. Maybe this is a little high but I'd rather be prepared.)  

This is already almost $900, and we'll probably get some sort of souvenir for each kid, even if it's just a keychain. And since my son missed his school registration day, we'll be paying higher rates for his yearbook and ASB card. Oh, and my husband needed a new pair of walking shoes before tackling this adventure. He stopped at Payless the night before we left but I'm counting it as a vaca expense.

It's hard to believe how quick the money goes. I dream of taking the family to Hawaii, but it might take a winning lottery ticket to get us there. Still, we have fun on these little trips. And hopefully they appreciate the time together and learn not to take life's pleasures for granted. One of my most cherished memories is from three years ago when we went to Sea World and were able to get in the water with a dolphin. It was amazing, but not cheap! Those kinds of things are few and far between for us but that's what makes them special.
 

Amy, Kaitlyn, me, Brandon, Mike 2008


What about you? What family trips are your favorite, or what great deals have you found for stretching those vacation dollars?

Our Two-Day Vacation, Pt.3

We awoke the next morning eager to see the Canyon. None of us Massaros had ever been there before so even the quick visit was enough to excite us. We enjoyed a yummy breafast buffet at the hotel and set off...

The line to get into the National Park area was long; we felt as if we were in line at Disneyland! The passes are 7 day passes, no cheaper option for a single day but well worth the price nonetheless. We drove through some curvy streets and parked in one of the first lots. We snapped a few pics under the Vistors Center sign and headed up the trail. I took a few shots of our march, I breathed in the mountainous air, I anticipated.

O.M.G! The canyon is literally breathtaking! It almost looks fake- like a backdrop hung across the sky. It's not at all like I imagined but it is even more grand. What an amazing God I serve! As we stood there gawking, my heart rate soared. I was kind of a mess. My poor kids heard no end of my rants- "Don't do that! Sheesh! Don't get so close! Oh, stop stop! I'm serious! You're freaking me out!" Sigh. I knew I was overreacting but there was no reasoning with my pulse. You cannot see your children in front of the Grand Canyon and be totally comfortable. You just can't. There are no rails, no safety measures of any kind, it's just a huge drop. There were moments I thought I might actually get sick. Luckily I didn't.

We continued to wind up the trail and stop now and again to gaze in wonder at the magnificence of God's hand. The layers, the cutouts, the obvious evidence of massive flooding. Why anyone would believe a little water and a lot of time over a lot of water and a little time, I don't understand. It was like viewing history. Soon the distant thunder suggested we might want to head back to the car and move on.

We were right.

The trail back down wasn't that long. But as the sprinkles gave way to large (and I mean HUGE) drops we began looking at each other in that "can you believe this?" way. The thunder was closer, it was louder, it dropped more rain on our heads. We giggled at the absurdity of it all. Nobody had an umbrella and we were getting pummeled. The rain steadily increased as we made our way back down to the Center and by the time we reached it we were drenched! We were laughing, almost to tears, and nobody was cold so it was actually pretty fun and one of my fondest memories of the trip.

We hung out in the Vistor Center for awhile hoping to ride out the storm. We listened to a crazy, bearded evolutionist (seriously, this guy was crazy/silly as can be) tell the crowd how many millions of years old the canyon was. We felt stirred to put questions to him but alas, we chickened out. It was not lost on me that another seed had been planted in the minds of the children listening that there is no God who created the world, there is only billions of years and "natural" processes. No purpose to our existence. And we stayed silent, to our shame. We didn't feel ready to speak up. I barely feel ready to speak up here on my own blog. Such is the nature of my humanity. Anyway...

After a while we gave up and ran to our cars and decided to call it quits. The kids got souvenirs, Brandon left with my parents to continue their road trip to Colorado, and the rest of us Massaros headed out of the Park. But first we stopped at another view point which was spectacular! It was even fenced in for my peace of mind- yay! Once out of the Park we went in search of a coffee shop for the long drive ahead.

Okay. No offense to Arizona, really. But why is it that there is absolutely NO Starbucks in a 20 mile radius of Williams? Not just Starbucks, but no coffee shops in general. An employee at a Wendy's told us they served Starbucks coffee at the hotel up the road. So we stopped there and I went inside to get my cup o' joe. (I NEED my cup o' joe!) Nobody was at the coffee shop counter but I was told the souvenir shop girl also would help me with my order. Turns out though, that they don't serve Starbucks coffee there anymore. That's ok, I'm not a Starbucks snob- really, I'm not. What kind of coffee is this blend of yours? "Just regular coffee." Okaayy. Um, is it dark or light? Medium? Bold? "Just regular coffee." Sigh. I guess I really AM a coffee snob. Who knew! I ordered a mocha-something and she took my money at the souvenir counter before heading to the food station. There she opens a fridge and tells me she has no milk. Keep in mind, my family is out in the car and I waited for her for 5-10 minutes already before she would take my order (she was counting money in her drawer). I ask her how long till she gets her milk. She says 5 minutes or so. I decide ya know what? I can't wait that long! My man is getting frustrated with me enough as it is, making him drive all over this city looking for coffee. So I tell her I'm sorry I need to get going. She has to get a manager to get my money back. I ask if there is a Starbucks in the next 20 miles and she tells me no, she doesn't think so. I am very sad. Long story short... I didn't find any coffee in Arizona.

The rest of the drive home was somewhat uneventful. We slept, I read, we watched the same shrubs go by that we saw on the way there. We saw some flares in the night sky that could have looked like UFOs to those inclined to believe in such things. Oh yeah- and we almost ran out of gas! We had zero miles left according to the van's digital gas display. We pulled off the freeway only to find there was no gas station, or anything else, at that exit. We got back on the freeway and took the following exit- amazed we were still moving. Again, no station! Yikes! We finally found gas and praised God we hadn't ended up on the side of the freeway miles from home with no gas for miles around!

We pulled in around midnight and we all hit our pillows with exhaustion and satisfaction. It may have been just 2 days, and most of it may have been spent on the freeway, but it was a great trip! When's the next one?
***

Our Two-Day Vacation, Pt.2

We arrived at our hotel and got checked in. My parents headed to the hotel restaurant but we Massaros had already comitted our wallets to the "value menu" at the drive-thru for dinner this night. Here the dollar menu was really the dollar and thirty cent menu, but still.

The girls had been uber excited to swim in the hotel's indoor pool, so even though it was already a quarter till eight, I told them to put on their swimsuits while Dad picked up the chicken sandwiches.

Oh horror! Amy had forgotten to get her suit out of the dryer back at home! Pouting and blaming on her part were transferred to Kait with my decision that they would take turns in Kait's suit. Kait did not like this, famously spewing the words "that's not fair!" but a teachable moment was to be had. We are a family, you are sisters, this is what we do. Get over it. Moving on.

Walking into the pool area assaults my eyes and lungs with a thick cloud of chlorine-saturated air. Wowza! It was muggy. It was warm. "Get-me-out-of-here" humidity wrapped around me. Kait and Dad and Brandon and Trevor swam while Amy played her DSi and I took pictures. When Trevor decided he'd had enough, I took him back to the room. Amy took her turn in the pool shortly afterwards and by nine or so everyone was back to their respective rooms.

Soon, Brandon came from across the hall in my parents' room to complain of an upset stomach. Well, shoot- we have no Tums! Mike must drive around looking for some medicine. When is it time to take that deep breath and sigh contentedly while reclining on the hotel bed? Oh well. Poor guy. Dad returns with Pepto, girls argue over which side of the bed to sleep on, everyone goes to sleep. Tomorrow we're seeing the Canyon!!
***

To be continued... Read Part 3 Here

Read Part 1 Here

Our Two-Day Vacation, Pt.1

The trip started out simple enough. We packed our things, started the dishwasher, and headed out the door. We managed to keep the baby awake on the way to In n Out, trying to save his nap for the hours of driving we had ahead of us. I impressed, and apparently shamed, my mother by ordering my burger "protein style", skipping the calories of a bun, and she resolved to do better on her diet. Lunch cost more than anticipated, but that's the breaks. We ate, we snapped pictures, we climbed back into our vehicles. We were off.

The baby was asleep before we reached the freeway. His slumber was a blessing. So was the AC. The temperature ticked higher and higher, and watching the van's thermometer became a game. 104... 108... 111! The windows were hot to the touch, but we were safely ensconced in the cool air blowing through the vents.

Shortly we encountered obstacles in our path! We dodged three bicycles in our lane- my husband deftly swerving right and then left while I clutched the arm rests and tried not to freak out. In a flash the crisis was over, problem averted. The road was smooth and straight before us, the chips were plentiful and the iPod batteries still held their charges. We were happy.

Smack... Smack, smack! What the heck? Something was hitting the van outside the passenger door! I leaned forward and checked the side mirror. The rubber atop the van's running boards was flapping wildly as we sailed down the freeway, banging against the van. The heat was melting the glue! Three seconds later it flew off, falling into the distance behind us. Now there's something to remember! Not even out of California yet and already having adventures!

Trevor woke up and was not at all pleased to be sitting in his seat for so long. I crawled into the back to try and console him but to no avail. I briefly considered if there was any way to nurse him without taking him from his carseat but gave up the idea as ridiculous. His screams rose. So did the temperature. At its highest, the thermometer reached 119 degrees. We stopped a couple of times to placate the child. Eventually Trevor napped again and we were able to make good progress. We crossed the state line! And to our immense pleasure we made it to Williams, AZ and our hotel room.
***
To be continued...

Part Two
Part Three