It’s Easter and I look around and see all the people I love. I see my father and his wife sitting at my grandmother’s table laughing at a story told by my stepfather and mom. I see my grandmother playing with my niece, letting her use her wheelchair as her own personal climbing gym. I…
On our recent spring break trip, we went back to the east coast to visit family. However, we were surprised with an unforeseen weather event – snow in April! My California son was throughly delighted at the sight and experience. He was sad when it melted just a few hours later (as spring snow often…
My daughter is a dancer. She dances at the dining table, she dances in the streets, she dances in restaurants, she dances with relish at her weekend ballet and tap class. She loves being on stage and the feeling that comes with it. We’ve been encouraging her with dance classes, support during recitals, and books…
I’m of a certain age where all my friends (and in a year and a half I myself) are starting to reach that milestone birthday year. When I was a child I remember when my mom turned 40. A friend was trying to be funny and put up “Over the Hill” signs on her birthday.…
Bodega Bay is known for it’s beautiful cliffs and hills, leading to stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. Bodega Head in particular had a beautiful, relatively flat hike where one saw hills, beach, seals, and if you were lucky even a few whales. But hidden in the trail, sometimes just right off the trail, are…
The first time we went to Legoland last year, we set on a tight budget, making sure to cut out on extras that we didn’t need to spend on. On this trip, since Disney is a trip we put off for a long time, we splurged, doing a lot of the extras we were excited…
This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, A Face in the Crowd, encourages photographers to post unique photos of crowds or members of crowds. For this, my husband and I collaborated to highlight some of his favorite street photography from our travels around the world. Below are my husband’s photography’s and his thoughts on why they were…
Last year, on January 21st, 2017, my family and I joined 100,000 in Oakland, and 4M people worldwide in taking to the streets and saying we are here, we want our rights, and we will not go quietly into the night. Being part of the Woman’s March was one of the most exciting and proudest…
As you book your Legoland vacation online you are always offered enticing add-ons to your stay. Once such add-on caught my eye. I could book dinner at the Bricks Family Restaurant in the Legoland hotel for 20% off. The dinner advertised “being entertained by the Legoland Hotel heroes” and called it the “Dinner and Dance…
One of my favorite parts about traveling near and far is trying new food. Having a sweet tooth, dessert is always the course I am most looking forward to. This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge let me look at and review some of my favorites. This has been a part of the WordPress Photo Challenge: Sweet
Bins of legos so big you can climb into them. Dance parties in every elevator ride. Lego models all over the hotel and in the rooms. A separate kid bunk bed area in each room. A bar located right next to the kid play area. Why would you ever want to stay at any other…
Unlike Disney World, where everyone knows there are multiple parks spread out over miles and miles, the Disneyland resort is actually in a very small, contained area. Many don’t even realize that there are two parks, not just Disneyland. Disney California Adventure Park was opened in 2001, and meant to highlight the beauty and diversity…
Ever since I knew it existed, I wanted to take my kids to have breakfast with Disney Characters. And not just any Disney characters, I wanted to take them to have breakfast with princesses. Apparently, Ariel’s Grotto was THE place to have breakfast with princesses. It cost a king’s ransom, but you are guaranteed one…
Disneyland, the happiest place on the earth. We had wanted to go for many years. But one circumstance or another prevented us. Finally, we had the vacation time and the money. We were ready. Disneyland, here we come! After breakfast and a little shopping at Downtown Disney, we entered the park at open and started…
On our last day in San Diego, we spent a lazy morning packing up our AirBnB and making a picnic lunch. We were headed north next, and thought on our way out of town, at the suggestion of a friend, we decided to check out Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. My friend promised beautiful views…
