Vaca Part 3..... California.... (Yes, this is the final chapter)

I don't know if I'm ready to tackle this... it took a couple hours just to decide on which pictures to use, put them in order, upload and size them all. I feel fairly ridiculous.... but I've had a few friends make positive comments this past week about my blog, so fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I've been encouraged to continue the madness :)

And so it began......

Saturday

A last minute decision for my dad to stay back with David until Monday, meant Trav was the man of the bus! Right as we hit the dunes going into California, the tread on a tire on the trailer blew out. It was scortching hot, but we all utilized the brush to prevent another potty stop and Trav put his {man skills} to good use. And we all learned that the border patrol is alive and well, when a uniformed man in an unmarked car drove slowly by us, very soon after pulling off onto this remote exit. 

Casey, Shelley, their two kids, and Marcie got to Oceanside about the same time we did which turned out great since we needed Casey's mad skills to back the trailer into the itty bitty beach house garage, with cars lining both streets and traffic stopped to allow the manuver. Oh yeah, and then the power steering went out right in the middle of it all, which left us with one car for the next two days while Sharon (the suburban) got fixed.

A yummy burrito from Johnny Manana's made it all better though.

Sunday

Sunday morning we graced the Oceanside 1st Ward with our presence. I was so excited to get to go to Relief Society (I've been in YW for 4 years) and not have it be a Visiting Teaching Conference! Joke was on me. The three of us sat down and were promptly handed a visiting teaching handout to go with the lesson. I don't know if they really appreciated us there when I giggled (ok, maybe snickered... sorry it just came out) as a woman passionately described the power of women and visiting teaching even though we don't have the "Priesthood" and aren't "heads of the household" which she did indeed "air quote" each time with her fingers and say with more than a touch of sarcasm. I didn't mean to be disrespectful, but when you air quote the priesthood like it's some made up power, I think that's kind of funny.

It was a fast Sunday, so we tried to divert our attention with some dominos... this was the first of only two games we ended up playing. I was sad.

And then snarfed on soft tacos and some sort of amazing Giradelli cookies that Marcie made.

We walked along the beach later that day and this is about when Collin learned that he hated the ocean. Those darn waves just come up so suddenly and quickly and drench you in cold, salty water. He was not a fan.

Monday

We beat the sun out to the beach Monday morning and had to stay wrapped in jackets and blankets for a couple hours. The nice thing about this beach house was, it was so far from any public access points, that we literally had it all to ourselves! The only other people that we saw, were those that were walking by. This did mean we had to forgo our lovely {crack baring} friend from last year, but we adjusted. 

Dinner at the harbor.... deep fried fish, shrimp and pineapple! My mom started dispersing $20's to us couples so we could order on our own, which was generous enough to begin with, but what was so funny was that after we had all ordered, she came up frantically trying to give us more money, saying she was sorry she didn't give us enough the first time! We all looked at her strangely, and refused... we had ordered plenty with the $20, but then we learned that while ordering for her and Craig alone, she had spent nearly $50! We died laughing! Craig is 9. How is that possible?! I love my mom and her taste buds... .and even after all that teasing, we ended up eating everything she ordered.

My dad, brother and cousin, Trennon, arrived later that night to find that Shelley and I were corrupting the rest of the family with the Bachelorette finale. Shameless, I know. Trav elected to enrich his mind with Hot Rod in the other room instead. We have such good taste.

Tuesday

More beach!

Someone needed to be buried.

Someone DID NOT like sunscreen being rubbed in his face.

Someone thought a sandcastle would be fun to build... turns out, it's not that fun and it didn't even look like a sand castle.

And someone read a book all week that got her a lot of teasing (but it's not what you think! My marriage is not in trouble, and the title is very deceiving)

Oh, and {someones} celebrated their 28th wedding anniverary! Hooray for Mom and Dad!

The evenings resulted in cousins having fun... even in boxes, and more eating of course. This time, Trav and I made dinner and I must say it turned out pretty darn good. We made grilled pineapple and teryaki chicken kabobs, mango and avacado salsa, and coconut rice, served with black beans and chips! And jello cake for dessert. I got all the recipes from Natalie Dayton's blog if you'd like to steal them! :)

Wednesday

We had heard lots about this restaurant called Beach Break Cafe, which was within walking distance of the beach house. Well, we needed some energy for SeaWorld, so we started our day there. It was indeed as tasty as we'd heard. Now I have the secret ingredient for making yummy Strawberry Crunch French Toast. (coat it in Honey Bunches of Oats!)

 Collin dined on Cheetos. His choice. 

Sea World

The customary, yearly picture...

We did it (hang head). We bought a leash. It seemed the only feasible option for a runner who doesn't like his stroller for long and doesn't understand "Don't run away or you'll get it!" Well, it didn't work, so we only embarrassed ourselves for about 10 min.

Here he is trying make off with a stuffed penguin in yet another gift shop. Onlookers were very amused with his get-a-way plan. Grab and run!

Getting psyched for Sesame Street's 4D experience!

You can't end the day at SeaWorld without a funnel cake. (Mom decided to clean out the gift shops instead :)This was about when Collin's stomach had had enough of frozen lemonade, cotton candy, and popcorn and decided to share with the stroller.

The final show...Shamu Rocks! The fam even made it onto the big screen with their dance moves and glow in the dark sticks. After some fire works it was time to call it a night.

Thursday

Beach day #3

Lane was so cute, going "surfing" on his boogie board. He would spend hours waiting for strong enough waves to wash up and move his board a bit. Collin crawled on, right as a dreaded wave struck... he didn't get a drop on him, but he cried nonetheless. Grandpa took him for a spin on a board and this time a wave unseated and drenched him. I don't believe he'll be trusting his well-intentioned grandpa anytime soon.

By this point, Collin was spending WAY too much time with Uncle David. We caught him with a knife (yes, plastic) and lighter that had been given to him by said uncle. Hi-yah!

Friday

The girls were in need of a shopping fix on Friday morning and we were more than tickled when my mom offered to treat us each to a new purse. Heaven. She probably wished she had never said anything when I took nearly a half an hour deciding on which one. Purse selecting is serious business. If you are ever in Oceanside, hit up The Closet, for some cute, cheap goods!

Lunch at Ruby's on the pier...

 is it apparent yet that we like to eat? I think we ate out way more on this trip than ever before and I was loving every second. I have a serious downfall when it comes to eating out. There is nothing better than being served delicious food and then not having to do any dishes. 

Collin downed a whole bowl of Mac'nCheese and topped it off with his new favorite snack... Pringle Honey Butter Stix. They are like straight sticks of butter. No wonder he loves them. 

After a final day of sand and water, we ate our traditiona dinner of take- out pizza on the beach. (I am officially craving, french fries, pizza, and Black Cherry milkshakes. sigh.)

Saturday

Saturday morning is usually the day we leave, but this time it was just Trav and I to take off... the rest had made a last minute decision to stay 'til Tuesday. My brother Jefferson, who was on the National Jamboree, was supposed to come on Friday, but his flight had been delayed, so they extended the trip so he could come on Saturday and stay a few days.

The Grandparents and grandsons....

Collin got one last {tackle hug} from Laners.

We all drove into San Diego to pick up Jefferson and simultaneously check us and our baggage in.

Then it was off to Phil's BBQ for lunch, before we had to catch our flight. This place is so popular, there is nearly always a line out the door. They accomadated our group of 13 very well. :)

Here are all the Lindblom chil'ns, minus Christopher :( and the grandkids. We missed Christopher and Jael on this trip!

It was sad to say goodbye. It's always hard to leave and be {alone} again after weeks of friends and family. We had a layover in Vegas before embarking to Buffalo, and since it wasn't a full flight, we got an extra seat for Collin. A blessing straight from above. I had to capture a few of his poses as he watched Curious George. So funny. Even though it was a long day of traveling, the flights went off without a hitch and we arrived home around midnight to our {cabin smelling} home. Why does it always smell like that after being gone for a while? While it was so nice to put Collin down in his own crib, in his OWN room for bed, my heart ached a little bit to be back. Thank you Mom and Dad for providing a wonderful vacation for us! We had the time of our lives and wish we could do it over and over again.