We did it. And it was a lot of work. A lot of driving. A lot of fun.
We had our FIRST family vacation. Yes, we’ve gone to Mexico, and camped here and there, and we did Palm Springs, but this was the very first Family vacation. Just me, Alex, Celia, and Effie. I’m happy for us ☺
But camping – is work. A lot of work. Definitely worth the work but work nonetheless. And the entire time we were gone – I thought about everything in two categories. Fun. And Not so Fun. I can’t say Not Fun because nothing is really Not Fun to me, but Not So Fun worked better. So are you ready – here’s a quick run down of the camping trip in the way I thought about it the entire time.
LEAVING:
Fun: having everything packed, and knowing you didn’t forget anything.
Not So Fun: Getting on the wrong freeway and not realizing till half an hour into the trip.
Fun: Finding another quick route.
Not So Fun: Effie losing her cowboy hat to the wind on the freeway gods.
Fun: Stopping at Starbucks for a big iced coffee and giving the girls rice krispie treats.
Not So Fun: Having to pee too much from drinking the big iced coffee.
Fun: Driving up the coast.
Not So Fun: Driving up the coast with screaming children.
Fun: Singing in the car, and listening to Effie tell jokes like “knock knock, who’s there, mad- mad who – mad cat eats chok-a-lot”
Not So Fun: Singing in the car but having a little perfectionist cry because she doesn’t exactly get harmonies yet.
GETTING TO CAMP! (Limekiln State Park – Big Sur, California)
Fun: Getting a space in the beautiful redwoods when the day before the campground was full.
Not So Fun: Having to pitch a tent when it’s freezing, almost dark, your kids are hungry, and they are fighting over which chair to sit in.
Fun: Getting the tent up, and getting the air mattresses filled up, and your children fed even though it’s 9:30 pm and very dark and cold.
Not So Fun: When one of your air mattresses is dead.
Fun: Sleeping next to two cozy cute children who are so excited to be sleeping outside next to a sweet sounding creek.
Not So Fun: Sleeping next to two cozy cute children who are so excited to be sleeping outside next to a sweet sounding creek when it’s 45 degrees outside.
Fun: Dreaming crazy camping dreams every single night.
Not So Fun: Waking up every 2 hours because its so cold.
Fun: Going back to sleep next to the most wonderful family.
Not So Fun: Holding your pee so you don’t have to leave a freezing tent to go out into the freezing dark wilderness.
Fun: Waking up at 8:30 to happy campers.
Not So Fun: Having to walk down a big hill to take the happy campers to pee, and always having to carry the littlest happy camper back up the big hill.
BEING AT CAMP!
Fun: Taking a hike through an amazing green, lush, forest, alongside a beautiful rocky creek, and eating jelly bellies.
Not So Fun: Taking a hike through an amazing green, lush forest, alongside a beautiful rock creeck when you ate your littlest happy camper’s last favorite color of jelly bellies.
Fun: Finishing a hike.
Not So Fun: Having to carry the little happy camper.
Fun: When your big kid walks everywhere by herself and doesn’t need to be carried anymore.
Not So Fun: Realizing your big kid is too big to be carried anymore. ☹
Fun: Putting your feet in the creek.
Not So Fun: Putting your feet in the creek when it’s like ice.
Fun: Eating at camp.
Not So Fun: Dropping a skillet of the food you made at camp on the floor. (no 3 second rules when it comes to plant waste and dirt)
Fun: Having strange camp neighbors ask you for butter.
Not So Fun: Having other strange camp neighbors who smoke cigars.
TRIP TO THE AQUARIUM
Fun: Going to the Aquarium.
Not So Fun: Finding parking that is not $20, paying almost $30 to get in to the aquarium, and not being able to see much cuz a zillion other people paid almost $30 to go to the aquarium on the same day.
Fun: Watching the littlest happy camper fall in love with jelly fish.
Fun: Watching the two little happy campers sit in front of a huge piece of glass and scream each time the fattest fish in California swam above them for 45 minutes.
Fun: Going to a grocery store in Monterey and having the littlest happy camper put food on the “elevator”.
Not So Fun: Having to eat Carls Jr.
Fun: Listening to the happy campers talk to eachother:
Celia: Effie are you pooped?
Effie: No
Celia: Pooped means tired – are you tired?
Effie: Yes
Celia: Then you are pooped. Are you pooped?
Effie: No
Celia: when you are pooped out it means you are very very tired. Aren’t you tired?
Effie: Yes.
Celia: Then you are pooped out. Aren’t you pooped out Effie?
Effie: (no response) (she fell asleep)
Celia: Effie was pooped.
Fun: Driving for an hour down the beautiful coast when your loudest kid is asleep, your husband is asleep, and your big kid is entertained with Calvin and Hobbs.
Fun: Getting back to camp safe and hanging out at the beach and the creek for hours with your happy campers.
Not So Fun: Having to sleep in the cold. Again.
LEAVING LIMEKILN
Fun: Running up and down the hill to the bathroom with a little happy camper that got used to it.
Not So Fun: Having to pack up a campsite.
Fun: Driving somewhere new.
Not So Fun: Not knowing where to go.
Fun: Finding a hike to a waterfall and watching your kids become expert rock climbers in 20 minutes.
Not So Fun: Having to watch your expert rock climbers think they are expert rock climbers. Scary.
Fun: Getting to the big waterfall and wishing we could swim under it.
Not So Fun: Having to leave.
Fun: Eating pizza in San Luis Obispo and letting the girls play too many video games.
Not So Fun: Running out of quarters.
Fun: Finding an open campsite at a beautiful lake.
Not So Fun: Finding an open campsite at a beautiful lake full of a million not so great people.
Fun: watching your big kid slide down a hill of dry brush on a piece of raggedy cardboard with a bunch of kids you would never want your kid to associate with.
Not So Fun: Watching the mom of those kids you would never want your kids to associate with call her child Satan and scream at him as if she were Satan’s Mother.
Fun: Seeing deer, wild turkeys, strange rodents, quail, and blue jays.
Not So Fun: Seeing all of the above in a camp full of people who ruin all of the above.
Fun: Watching your happy campers learn how to go down a fire pole.
Not So Fun: Watching the above around a bunch of people you do not want your kids around. (I don't even want to give details)
Fun: Getting your kids to sleep in a noisy camp by 8pm.
Not So Fun: Having your camp neighbors scream at their kids and walk by your tent, and rummage through recycling bins while banging on them, and talking to their friend “Ro Ro” on the phone too loud to discuss the behavior of little “Satan”, and driving their cars too close to your tent with head lights shining on your tent as if they were gonna ram into your tent.
Fun: Seeing a zillion zillion stars in the sky.
Not So Fun: Having to be at that janky campsite for the night, even though your kids think that those crazy children are the most amazing humans to ever walk the earth.
Fun: Being woken up at 6am by little Satan’s mother talking on the phone to little Satan’s Dad so he could pick up little Satan. (fun because it got us up early enough to get the heck out of there before 7am)
Fun: Packing up camp in one hour with children asleep.
Fun: Eating Chocolate cake for breakfast.
Fun: Getting out of the beautiful lake campsite with crazy people.
Fun: Singing harmonies. Effie telling more jokes like: knock knock, who’s there? Chi chi man. Chi chi man who? Chi chi man forgot his underwear.
THE BEACH – LAST DAY
Fun: Getting to Jalama Beach.
Fun: Watching your happy campers at their favorite place. The Beach.
Fun: Collecting rocks and watching the big kid find sea creatures.
Fun: Making Sand houses with doors and bridges with Effie.
Fun: Sleeping on the sand while Alex plays in the water with the girls.
Fun: Reading the newspaper and LA Weekly while Alex plays with the girls.
Fun: Not getting sun burnt.
Fun: Watching your happy campers at the beach. (it really is the best)
Not fun: Sand in little happy camper butts.
So we got home safe today – cuz there were no campsites left at the beautiful Jalama Beach Campsite. But we’ll just have to go back.
Have a great week everyone. More pics on facebook.
