Adventure is in the air around here! When we sat down on New Year's Eve to write down hopes and dreams for the coming year, we were surprised to discover that every single participant (me, Ben, Zosia, Lily) dreamed of travel. Zosia dreamed of a special trip just on her own, similar to one that Lily took with us last fall to a friend's wedding. Lily dreamed of going to Disney Land. I dreamed of seeing new places.
When we found out that Ben needed to travel to the San Francisco area for work over spring break, right away we decided to use it as an opportunity for a family trip. And so, after dropping off Hugo and Lily at my parent's house for their own special grandparents week, we loaded into the car and headed for the airport. Zosia would get her special trip, I would get to see a new part of the country, and the babies would get to come along for the ride.
It was my first time west of the Mississippi, and even though I'm sure people have told me how beautiful California is a thousand times, it still felt like a huge surprise. Cool in the morning, but warm in the sun, with beautiful breezes, and flowers blooming all around. We stayed in the south bay, close to where Ben was working, and basically did a lot of the same stuff we do around here: going to parks, getting coffee, going to the library. But out there there just happens to be an apricot orchard outside the doors of one library, and a magnificent rose garden in full bloom outside another. We talked to moms and kids (and discovered that people are incredibly warm and friendly on the West coast, as promised) and played and ran around and, oh, did I mention we were staying in an amazingly beautiful hotel? Basically, we had an amazing time. I am already planning our next trip out there, including some time in the city and maybe even the beach. If Lily has her way, we will be taking a detour to Disney Land, I'm sure.
Seeing new places has a way of shifting ones perception, and I have felt so joyful and full of life in these few days that we've been back home, aided by the fact that I am reunited under one roof with all of my favorite people. I'm excited to see where the coming year will take us!
2 comments:
"It was my first time west of the Mississippi"-- not entirely true, since Austin is west of the Mississippi. ;) But, I know you didn't get much time to site-see while you were here. I am also dreaming of travel this year!!! =)
You are totally right! Ben and I actually did a big brainstorm to see if I was right in making this claim, and neither of us thought of Austin. Don't you think Texas is sort of a country unto itself, though? ;-) For what it's worth, California reminded me a lot of Austin!
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