A Quick Trip to Washington… A Day with Grandma and Grandpa

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Our one full day with my parents was pretty tame and very relaxing. We had breakfast at the hotel and then took off for a little more exploring. Most of the day was spent at Manito Park. The day before Abby had seen the entrance to Duncan Gardens which looked like a scene from Alice in Wonderland. So Grandma and Grandpa took her over to the “Alice Garden” to explore. After hours of exploring and lunch at the park, Abby headed to the play ground for a bit more play time. There she made another friend, this time a little boy. The two of them played until it was time to leave. From here we all took a bit of a drive together while Abby napped in the car. 

As the day started to wind down we headed back to the hotel. Abby played hard and desperately needed a bath, so we cleaned her up and then headed to dinner. For our last night together we headed to the Spaghetti Factory, a Taylor family favorite since I was a very young kid. We haven’t been there in quite some time, so it was a yummy treat!

Unwilling to throw in the towel, we went back to the hotel for just a bit and then hopped back into the car, ready for another adventure. We made our way out of Spokane and away from the city lights to watch the Perseid meteor shower. Driving out to complete darkness would have been too much and too far with Abby in the car but the spot we found was perfect. We saw hundreds of “shooting stars”, more then I think I have ever seen. Both my dad and Shaun tried to capture pictures of the meteors but to no avail. Still, we saw a lot with our own eyes and enjoyed some special time together. Abby even pointed out a few to us!

But soon, Abby was bored, the temperature was dropping and it was getting late. We finally threw in the towel, headed back to our rooms and settled in for the night. Our day wasn’t overly busy but the time spent together was so nice. Abby really enjoyed some one on one time with Grandpa and Grandma and she had the chance to see a lot. Its a quick trip but one we were enjoying a lot.

A Quick Trio to Washington… Finally in Spokane and Ready to Enjoy the Day!

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After some much deserved rest, we emerged from our hotel room around 11:30am refreshed and ready to start the day. We needed to eat so we headed to Frank’s Diner where breakfast is served all day and you get to eat in an old rail car right by the train tracks. Abby loved it and didn’t stop asking about the trains the entire time we sat there. Breakfast was also amazing too.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we decided to hop into the car and do some exploring before my parents arrived. We drove all over Spokane and some of the surrounding cities. We showed Abby the houses that Grandma Zoe lived in before she moved back to California. We drove through Manito Park and stopped to watch the ducks and the geese. It was a hot day, well over 90 so most of the birds stayed out of the water and sat in the shade, but a few of the geese were wandering around showing everyone who was boss.

Once the sun started to set and it cooled down a bit, we took Abby back to Manito Park so that she could stretch her legs and run off all of the time spent in the car. Abby certainly ran and she also made a friend at the park. She was a bit older then Abby but they still had a blast running, jumping and climbing together. Before we knew it, Grandma and Grandpa were calling to tell us that they had arrived and were at the hotel so we finished up our time at the park and headed back.

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet. We had dinner at Red Robin that night, which I know Abby approved of. Once our bellies were full, it was time to head back to the hotel and get some rest. It may have felt like a short, whirlwind of a day but we had a wonderful time. Now we had a full day with my parents ahead of us.

A Quick Trip to Washington… The First 31 Hours!

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The first 31 hours of our trip… yes, that number is very specific and important so keep on reading!

The day we left, Shaun still went into work to get some things done before our trip. I made any changes that I needed to make now that I knew some of our plans and I also dropped Ellie off at Grandpa and Nana’s. When Shaun came home, we finished up any of the last minute details and hit the road. It was a bit later then we had expected but still, we were on the road.

After stopping for gas and something to drink we were traveling on I-5 at 70 mph and glad to be on our way. Our destination for the night was Redding, California which is about eight hours away from our home. We hit the road at about 6:30pm which meant we would arrive in Redding around 2am. Not bad for us and that still gave us plenty of time to sleep and then drive to Spokane the next day.

We made good time, stopping for a bite to eat in Castaic and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over Grapevine. In the middle of nowhere (Harris Ranch area of California’s Central Valley) we stopped for gas and Shaun and I switched for a bit. The plan was to have me drive until we reached Sacramento and then we would switch again.

Sunset Over Grapevine

I was driving along, listening to my iPod while Shaun slept and Abby watched a movie on our portable DVD player when traffic suddenly came to a halt. We were between Patterson and Modesto, so I thought that maybe we were hitting a slow down as we came into civilization again but alas that was not the case. Traffic came to a dead stop and from that point did not move. Five minutes went by, nothing. Ten minutes, still no movement. The moment the fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars came flying past us on the left shoulder was the point at which I knew this wasn’t good. People began to get out of their cars. I-5 Northbound was now a parking lot. Whatever was going on wasn’t that far from us. Cell service was spotty. We were stuck with a hill to our left, steep enough that you could only walk up it and to our right was the California Aqueduct. We were stuck with no hope of CHP even making an effort to turn us around. When I finally had decent cell service I was able to look up the CHP road incident website and found out that a big rig had overturned and was now blocking all lanes.

We knew we were in for a wait. An hour passed, then two, then three. This whole time Abby sat quietly in the car watching movies, eating snacks and singing songs with us. We were lucky to have just stopped for gas before running into this mess, which allowed us to keep the car running, the AC going (at 1am it was still 85 degrees out) and the DVD player on so that Abby could occupy her time. Abby was an amazing little trooper. I think she thought it was fun and more of a game. Shaun and I tried to look at it that way but it was hard. As the clocked ticked over to about 3am, I couldnt help but think that we should have been asleep in our beds in Redding. I also couldnt stop thinking about a bathroom. Finally I became desperate. Let’s just say I was glad that Shaun bought a large drink, but I will never look at a Taco Bell cup the same way again.

At about 3:45am, we started moving again. Shaun and I couldn’t help but giggle as we moved slowly and could see all of the “puddles” from the other cars in front of us. The big rig that over turned had been carrying tomatoes.  CHP and the other crews had done a good job cleaning up but you could see the tomato carnage  off to the side. From there we attempted to march on but eventually had to stop in Woodland, California just North of Sacramento. There was no way we would make it to Redding by a decent time and wouldn’t even attempt the drive to Spokane without any sleep. So we stopped and tried to get as much sleep as we could.

After about 4 or 5 hours of sleep we were back up and on the road. I actually didn’t feel as bad as I thought I would but then again, we were just starting a 12 hour trip to Spokane. Ask me how I am feeling halfway through the trip and the outlook might change. Coffee, soda and a few naps along the way can fix anything.

The trip from Woodland, California to Bend, Oregon was pretty uneventful. The day was hot but pretty. There were several fires burning in California so the skies were a bit hazy through Redding but it wasn’t horrible. Abby enjoyed seeing Mt. Shasta and all of the lakes and trees along the way. She also crossed over into Oregon for the very first time. Because of the highway we were on, Shaun and I had the chance to stop and take a picture of this very occasion in front of the Oregon sign. It was a great photo op as well as chance to stretch our legs a bit.

Refreshed and ready to hit the road again. Abby is a real road warrior!!

“Please, no pictures.” I have a picture like this of Shaun on just about every trip we have been on together. It’s fun to harass him while he is driving.

Mt. Shasta on a beautiful, cloudless and blue sky kind of day!

Abby is about to cross into Oregon for the very first time!

All of this traveling can really tucker a girl out!

Once we hit the cutoff to Crater Lake, the road to Bend and the Columbia River was new territory for all of us. The road was tree lined and very pretty. It was my kind of place and even though the trees were not Lodge pole pines, they were still pine trees. We stopped in Bend for a bathroom break and some food and then continued on our way.

About half an hour in we received a phone call from our friend who was taking care of Jack. There were problems so for about thirty minutes we were occupied trying to resolve them. Once things were taken care of, we settled in and enjoyed the view. Mt. Hood was getting closer to us and the forest around us was becoming more dense. The sun was setting and our scenery was beautiful. So beautiful that I couldn’t remember if this road took us close to Mt. Hood or not.

Pretty soon I became suspicious of our location and then I noticed the signs stopped telling us the mileage to The Dalles and only mentioned Portland. I hopped on to my GPS and sure enough, WE WERE HEADING TO PORTLAND! Having to drive to Portland, which meant heading West instead of East, would have added over 75 miles to our trip and we would have lost another hour or so. I just wanted to get to Spokane and get to bed! I was starting to feel like this trip was cursed! But my GPS saved the day and we got lucky, very lucky. We were only a mile from the one and only cutoff that would lead us back in the right direction and only a few miles off course. It would drop us in the town of Hood River and less then 20 miles off our original destination of the Dalles.

From that point on, things ran smoothly. We checked in about Jack oce we had cell service again, gassed up and just drove. Abby, during all of this, was amazing. She watched movies, read books, napped, listened to the radio with us, colored and stayed pretty happy. We arrived in Spokane at about 2:30am ready to pass out. Abby was excited to have her own bed (a rather cozy roll away) and loved that we were staying in a hotel with a lion (the Red Lion). After a full day of travel on only 4 or 5 hours of sleep, Shaun and I slept well. My parents wouldn’t be in to Spokane until about 6pm the next day so we slept in. We slept in and enjoyed every wonderful moment of it in our very comfortable beds.

A Quick Trip to Washington… The Big Surprise!

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When I say a quick trip to Washington, I mean quick! There and back again in 5 days but it was a blast. The destinations were a surprise to me. All Shaun would tell me is that we were hitting the road to get away for a bit. I didn’t find out until the day we left as to where we were going and the only reason he told me was because I needed to plan accordingly. Our itinerary was as follows:

  • Wednesday August 8th: Home to Redding, California
  • Thursday August 9th: Redding, California to Spokane, Washington
  • Friday August 10th and Saturday August 11th: Spokane, Washington
  • Sunday August 12th: Spokane, Washington to Seattle, Washington
  • Monday August 13th: Seattle, Washington to Redding, California
  • Tuesday August 14th: Redding California to Home
OK, I know that sounds nuts but the Wharton Family loves their road trips! I also know some of you might be asking why Spokane and not just Seattle for the whole trip because of our previous time spent living there. Well, Shaun also surprised me with MY PARENTS! They can easily make the drive from Bozeman to Spokane and spend a short weekend with us. Adding the 4 hours to Seattle would have made it a bit too difficult to do in three days. So, we met in Spokane and enjoyed the time we had with one another.
As a last minute decision, Shaun also decided to leave Ellie here at home and Abby came with us. Ellie is still little enough that the long hours in the car are difficult. Abby is our little road warrior and can handle the trip with grace now that she is a bit older. Dont worry we didn’t leave Ellie alone! She actually spent the time with Grandpa, Nana and Aunt Brittany. This was their first chance to watch one of the girls for more then just the weekend and I have a feeling they enjoyed it. We certainly missed Ellie and it didn’t quite feel like a vacation without her there but after all the experiences we had, it was good that she wasn’t. 
What experiences you ask? Well stay tuned for pictures and stories from our crazy trip!

Tips For Packing…

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Ever since I was a teen, I have been mercilessly teased about how much I pack and take with me on trips. What can I say? I am indecisive and I like to have options, therefore I generally over pack. When we go places I know I can do laundry its a little bit better but I still like my options.

One night while aimlessly clicking my way through Pinterest, I came across a pin that piqued my interest. It was about packing for a ten day trip and making it all fit into a carry-on suitcase. I laughed hysterically, thinking to myself that surely this cant be done. Well, according to this flight attendant its possible and she does it all of the time. SO I saved the pin, her blog and decided I would test it out the next time we traveled. Fast forward a month or two and now we set to leave in just a few hours for a good six day trip. And the verdict??…

I didn’t quite accomplish it but I came very close. We will be gone for about six days, so being me I packed enough for 8 (you just never know what you might need and what might happen while you are away). All of my clothes fit into the carry-on which includes the following:

  • 2 pairs of pants 
  • 1 pair of shorts
  • 1 pair of cargo capris
  • 3 camisoles
  • 8 shirts/tanks
  • 3 layering pieces (ie cardigan, wrap, etc.)
  • 2 pairs of pajamas (tank and comfy pants)
  • 8 pairs of underwear and 2 bras
  • 3 pairs of socks
  • 1 pair of ballet flats
  • 1 pair of flip flops
  • 1 pair of tennis shoes
  • Toiletry bags which include my skin care treatments, haircare products, flat iron and blowdryer.
  • Makeup

SO I broke one of her rules and insisted on packing my blow dryer. Therefore, not all of this fit into my carry-on.  Also, because of my Rosacea I have a pretty intensive skincare treatment that does take up a lot of space and I cant transfer to smaller containers. Had I not brought my hair dryer and had a simple skincare routine, it would have all fit. Oh well, I only needed a small bag for the cosmetics, blow dryer, etc. for what didn’t. It does work though and if I could let go of my need for extra outfits and my hair dryer, packing for ten days into a carry-on is a breeze! Give it a try!

Packing

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Everyone loves to go on vacation. I don’t think I have met anyone who doesn’t! The relaxation, the adventure… the packing? Wait, packing is definitely not on that list of things I love about vacation but unfortunately its necessary. You have to have clothes and the needed items to keep you from looking like a slob. I just hate it with a passion. The only thing I dislike more then packing, is unpacking.

Before children packing was a breeze. Some pants, shorts, shirts, shoes, make up, etc. all tossed into a bag and thrown into the car. My purse only contained my wallet, sunglasses, phone and a camera. Maybe a book or game like Sudoku. That was all. Now I have to pack for children and while I try to be a minimalist everything adds up fast. Aside from the clothes there are diapers, wipes, blankies, stuffed animals, toys, books, crayons, whatever is needed to keep them occupied in the car. There is now a large bag and cooler for snacks, drinks and food that isn’t fast food but can be eaten in the car if need be. After all that packing and planning for only a weeks trip you sometimes end up feeling like you will need a vacation from this vacation. Its a viscious cycle.

I complain but at the same time I feel blessed that we can take a vacation and get away for a bit. Its a lot of work but I am happy we have the ability and the means to do it. I love being able to give our girls the experience of riding in the car, seeing new places and creating adventures and memories. I just wish there was a magic wand that I could use, even if only for these moments, to do all of the things I don’t like doing. But for now I will keep wishing, get my butt off the couch and continue the packing process.

First Color Photo from Curiosity

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Today JPL/NASA posted the first color photo from the Mars surface. I know you can see all of these things on your own, but it has me in awe. To think that we have the ability to see such clear pictures and in color too, from a planet over 150 million miles away is very impressive. Curiosity is also capable of creating 3-D images. Can’t wait to see those when the time comes!

Curiosity Lands On Mars

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Tonight we took some time away from the Olympics to watch yet another remarkable moment in our history and the exploration of space. The anticipated landing of Curiosity on to the surface of Mars had a lot of people holding their breaths especially the men and women at JPL who put in countless hours of work to make this possible. So when the news came over the headsets that Curiosity had landed, you couldn’t help but feel just as excited. To see it land and then moments later start receiving pictures is incredible. Yet another step forward in space exploration and if all goes as planned the ability to learn even more about the red planet. What an exciting moment and I am so glad we were able to see it! Here is the video footage from JPL’s control room as well as a few of the first photo’s from Curiosity.  You can also follow and check for updates of pictures and footage on the JPL/NASA website by clicking here.

Mars surface and one of Curiosity’s wheels.

This image was captured by the Mars Orbitor as Curiosity began its dissent to the Mars surface.

Curiosities shadow on the Mars surface

High Resolution pictures from Curiosity on the Mars surface. Just incredible!

Ellie’s First Unofficial Hair Cut

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It was Monday morning and everything about it was normal for Monday. I woke up however, with a splitting headache and after one attempt to get the girls dressed I took some Advil and laid across my bed, hoping it would kick in soon. The girls were in their playroom singing, dancing and talking. As usual they were enjoying their playtime together. As I started to relax a bit and the headache subsided I noticed that it had become very quiet in the house. Too quiet. So I called on Abby to see what she was up to.

She quickly responded and I could hear her little footsteps as she started to walk into our room.  Before I could see anything I hear her sweet little voice say to me, “Look mommy I cut Ellie’s hair!” The minute she uttered these words I bolted straight up to make sure I heard her corretly. Before I can say anything I look at Abby and in one hand she has my scissors (which I had a huge brain fart and forgot to put back up the night before and this memory was just coming to me now) and in the other she had a large clump of hair. Then, as I am about to utter a shriek of terror Ellie comes bounding in looking like this…

 Oh yes, at this point the shriek erupted from my mouth and the sobbing began.  Abby had cut off most of Ellie’s hair and pretty much all of her untouched baby girls. Abby had also taken the scissors to her hair but luckily it wasn’t too noticeable. She basically gave herself some long bangs. I called Shaun in a hysterical mess but eventually calmed down.

Before I knew it I was laughing about the situation. Abby gave Ellie her first haircut and soon it will grow back. Until then, Ellie will have a short pixie cut and hopefully I can get her in to Christina soon to at least even out what we can. Oh, I could kill myself for leaving out the scissors that are normally in a box way up high in my closet but I cant dwell on it. I am just thankful no one was hurt. Hopefully Ellie’s hair will grow fast and we will have those cute pigtails back soon!

Quick Trips to the Zoo

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Today we make a quick decision to head to the zoo. We needed to get out of the house, get out of the heat of the Valley and head to Santa Barbara for the day. I had also read in our Zoo News emails that there was a new Channel Islands fox (the fox that formerly lived there passed away about a month before) and a new armadillo for the public to come and see. In the end, we didn’t get to see either but I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Unfortunately a few things came up on our way out of the door so we were pretty delayed but still made it up there with about two hours to spend at the zoo.

This trip was also the first since Ellie started wearing her glasses and what a difference they make. She could see so many things that she couldn’t before, including her favorite animal… the giraffe. When she saw them eating  and wandering around she was so excited. I was so happy that she now could enjoy life a bit more.

Watching the elephants from atop her favorite perch!

“Love Birds”… these two kept kissing and nuzzling one another. Its probably not an act of love at all and most likely they were cleaning each other but I think its fun and cute to imagine that they are a couple of penguins in love.

Ellie could see the Griaffes and was so happy! Nothing like watching your favorite animal!

“Whatcha lookin’ at?”

The day was short and pretty uneventful but we had a great time as always. I think the Giraffes were interested in the shirt I was wearing because they kept staring at me and following me when I moved. We also had the chance to watch a wedding; one of the shortest ceremonies I think I have ever witnessed! Smart bride there! We took a longer detour on the way home, enjoying the summer sun and the beautiful evening. It may not have been much but it was a great day out for our family.

Friends That Are Meant to Be…

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I have been meaning to post something about this since February, but life became busy and I was finding it hard to just keep up with the blog posts I did have. However this was something special that I didn’t want to be over looked. Erika discovered this in February and sent me a text while we were away in San Francisco. I remember getting the text, seeing the picture and completely freaking out. It was so strange but an obvious sign of things to come and what was meant to be. Sorry to be so vague. I had planned on writing about it myself, but Erika put it to words on her blog and did an amazing job. So instead of writing about it on this blog, please click here and enjoy Erika’s wonderful post. It makes me laugh and smile every time I read it! Hope you enjoy!