Mamalang and I have known each other for a couple of years now.  We were first introduced when we did an Organizational Swap and we were paired together.  What kept us in contact is my love for the State of Delaware.  Mamalang lives in my favorite State and last summer we tried to meet up at the Beach, but missed each other in the crowds at Funland.  This year we were determined to make sure we would get that chance.

Mamalang sent me a text to let us know they were at Funland and we were thankfully on our way out for a walk which was to include a stop at the rides.  We easily met up and got to chatting right away.  We sent the men on the rides with the kids and got a chance to get to know each other without sending an email back and forth.  Our boys are the same age so they were instant friends daring each other to go on the more thrilling rides.

While we were letting Mamalang and her family head out for dinner, they mentioned that we should join them on their beach later that week.  I looked at Hubby being careful not to impose more visiting with others on our vacation and he jumped right in and said we would join them the next day.  He wanted to change up our beach routine a little bit.  The next day we headed out on our new adventure.

I have driven by this stretch of beach countless times in my lifetime, but have never stopped.  This is one of those beaches where you are allowed to drive up (with a permit of course) on the sand and park your vehicle.  Since we didn’t have any fishing poles and didn’t want to get a permit for just one day, we parked in the parking lot and walked over to where Mamalang and her family had parked their Jeep and were starting to set up.  These guys are professional beach goers.  They had the poles, the tent, the chairs, the sand buckets everything you need for a perfect day on the beach.  We joined in the fun and helped set up.

I just had to get a shot of the Jeep, I almost drapped my Canadian flag towel across the hood,but somehow it just didn’t seem right.

 The waves rolling in were the waves of my childhood.  You could ride these waves all day and not get tired.  In recent years they have had to replenish our regular beach so we have experienced some choppier waves in the last few years.  These ones just begged for you to come in and hang out.  The sand on your feet were filled with treasures and our Hubby’s were both bringing up handfuls of goodies to search through.  The boys played in the water and dug for sand crabs and the the bigger girls chatted and swam.  Apple got a bucket of her very own where she played for hours sitting in it, dunking her hair and just filling it with water.

I don’t think I could describe what a great day we had so instead I will leave you with a mosaic of our fabulous time.  If it weren’t for the fact that the kids were getting very tired and the heat was starting to melt us all I think we would have stayed all night.  The kids were asleep before we were on the highway back to our cottage and with only a brief nap were in bed by 9pm.  A day well spent by the seashore.  I don’t dare tell you the name of this fabulous beach for fear it will be packed next year.  I just don’t want to share it with anyone, well anyone except Mamalang and her family that it.  Thank you for taking us, we had the most wonderful time.

What do you say when someone you have only met in real life once, drives with her family for four hours after a long day of partying while pregnant to visit you while you are on vacation?  You say thank you Bethany Actually!  We couldn’t have asked for a better way to start off our vacation than to welcome Bethany and her family to our quaint little cottage to spend the day with us at our beach.

We had just enough time to unpack, grab some groceries and have our favourite pizza for dinner before The Actually’s arrived.  We all got a good night sleep and woke up refreshed for a day of sharing and fun on the beach.  The sun was strong, the temperatures were HOT (35C/104F) with high humidity and it was a glorious day.  Bethany and I even managed a little pottery painting while the kids and husbands napped.  The Actually’s packed it in after dinner for their long drive home.  We were so blessed to spend our first day with them, we hope that they enjoyed our beach as much as we do and hopefully we can do this again sometime soon.

To view more of our beach vacation head on over to my flickr page.

After a year of dreaming of this visit to California.  And then not knowing for sure if we were going to be able to go.  Then, being able to go.  Then getting there. Having the time of our lives.  And coming home.  Home is a little depressing today.

I mean, I love my home, but since I have dreamed of  living in California since I was in High School it is really hard for me to come home after experiencing all things California.  By the time we left even driving on the scary Highways weren’t so scary anymore.  We got home at 3:45 am Eastern time.  Hubby was a trooper and just kept driving last night.  I could barely keep my eyes open despite being on California time but he seemed determined to get us home.  We slept in this morning and awoke to what would normally be a gorgeous Fall day.  But, since we were just in the depths of summer it seems a little chilly and a lot less exciting.  Of course we can’t be on vacation all the time, but it sure felt like we just fit right in with Bethany and Brenda, so much so that it would be easy to imagine living close by and just hanging out.

Tuesday was our day to head down to visit with Bethany.  Brenda graciously offered to pick us up so I wouldn’t have to brave the Freeways by myself.  I would have made it but, I know it would have taken me about 30 minutes longer and I would have been sweating it out for sure.  Brenda just breezed through in the carpool lane (which I wouldn’t have thought about taking) and we got to chat some more.

Arriving at Bethany’s was such a treat.  Bethany quickly rushed off to shower and refused to hug me until she was clean.  I understand, but I also felt I knew her enough not to care if she was hot and sweaty, I was just so excited to see her.  Back in five minutes showered and dressed we all got out proper hugs and visits out of the way.  Within minutes J was joining Annalie and Bug in playtime.  Apple even got going in record time.  Brenda and I wondered if the girls were going to fight over who got to play with J, but they all seemed to just fit right in and play without any parental involvement at all.  The kids did their own thing while us Mom’s got to visiting.

We then headed out for lunch and a trip to Balboa Park.  It was lovely to visit the Botanical Gardens and a small Art Gallery, the kids were great even though they were roasting so we packed them back into the van and headed back to Bethany’s for some pool time.

We chatted, visited and stayed in for a homemade lasagna that I am going to try here for sure.  After eating in restaurants for three meals a day, I was thankful for the opportunity to relax and enjoy dinner with Bethany and Brenda.  We even fed the kids first and got them into their pj’s so that we could enjoy dinner without interruption.  It was fantastic.

After a good nights sleep and a quick trip to Snail Mountain for breakfast.  In which I faced a few more of my fears of heights.  Something I need to get over. Brenda and I headed back.

Meeting both Bethany and Brenda in person was more than I could ever ask for.  Both women are charming, fun, whitty and oh so creative.  In both cases I felt like we had always been friends and not just met for the first time.  Since we really have known each other for years, it really was a treat that we were able to come together with our kids and have a wonderful time.  Thank you to both ladies for showing me such a wonderful time and taking time in their busy schedules to visit with us Canadians. I am already looking forward to our next meeting and just hope that it is not too long of a wait.

Our trip is going very well.  We have toured Downtown Disney, multiple times.  Gone to visit Brenda at her fabulous beach.  And taken our first trip through the gates of Disneyland.  And I am overwhelmed by it all.

First, I need to say that we are extremely happy with out hotel.  Being that it was the original hotel we weren’t sure what to expect, but it is wonderful.  All I would ask for is a coffee maker in the room so I don’t have to go down to the lobby for my coffee.

Second, the music.  The music that is pumped all through Downtown Disney and the Park is just too much.  Sometimes you need to think and the shiny happy music all the time doesn’t help.  People end up yelling to be heard so you have loud music and loud people.  It’s craziness I tell you.

Third, meeting Brenda after almost five years of knowing her through her blog was one of the highlights of my year.  She is everything as wonderful as you would imagine her to be.  Brenda was such a wonderful hostess, taking me to her beach to lunch at a local Mexican food place and to Balboa Island.  We played, ate and walked our way around her neighbourhood and I have to say, it would be a lovely place to live.  In fact when we were almost at her house, J declared that he was going to move there when he was older and make enough money that Hubby and I could come for a visit any time we like.  And we hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet.

Today we are heading out to Bethany’s.  Another fun day is to be had I am sure.  J is so excited he is asking me every two minutes when we are leaving.

The trip West to California went quite well.

Driving to Syracuse the kids fell asleep only a half hour from the hotel but managed to fall asleep quickly once in bed.  Waking up to 8C (46F) was not so fun, but we persevered knowing we would be arriving in warm weather later that day.

Our first flight from Syracuse to Detroit was fun and uneventful, Hubby sat with J an I with Apple.  The second stretch from Detroit to LAX was a little more fun.  Apple fell asleep quickly, but woke up in an hour just screaming.  I think she was having a bad dream and couldn’t wake up.  I couldn’t get out of my seat and Hubby was with J in the washroom.  Finally, he came out and rescued me from the death stares of the rest of the cabin.  Thankfully, there was no turbulence so Hubby was able to walk around with her until she woke up and stopped crying.  The rest of the flight went well until I had to strap Apple back in the carseat for landing.  She did not enjoy that and cried until I saw another airplane coming in beside us and it was able to distract her.

Our drive to Disneyland from LAX was all I imagined with the crazy cars cutting across the highway and tailgating.  Hubby did great and only had to behave like a Californian once when we almost missed our exit.  Arriving at Disneyland 10 hours after leaving Syracuse felt like walking into a dream or something.  Happy, smiling people are everywhere and having never been big into the Disney theme, I can certainly see how people get drawn into it.  Don’t be surprised if I come home with a Mickey lamp or something crazy like that.

Hopefully, I will find my USB and can download some photos for my next post.

With my younger cousins here visiting we are playing tourists in our own city.  It has been wonderful and exciting and I feel very badly that they haven’t done it on previous visits.

Sorry that I missed the last two Wednesdays, but vacation just got in the way.

About two and a half weeks before I left for vacation I realized that although I was working out regularly and getting lots of exercise I just wasn’t dropping any weight.  It was time to get tough on me.  I gave up everything I love.  I severely cut back on all form of carbs, snacks and treats. I ate extra protein, lots of vegetables and plenty of fruit.  In two and a half weeks I dropped twelve pounds.  TWELVE! 12!  I was very impressed with myself as I had been trying to drop the weight since January.

However, I was also going to the Beach.  Land of cotton candy, salt water taffy, pizza, lemon ice, candy and all things delicious and not good for you.  First thing we do when we arrive is head to Grotto’s Pizza, it was delicious and decadent.  I was full after two pieces and did not feel well later that night.  Serves me right to over do it on the first day.  After Grotto’s we get our groceries.  We bought healthy choices for breakfast and lunch, which we were eating in, and tried our best to eat well at night.

The biggest thing we did that made a difference was walk.  We were farther from the beach this year, so we had a two and a half block walk to the beach and back every morning, twice, once for coffee and then for swimming.  Then we would head out for an afternoon stroll, back to the cottage, then out for supper, then walking the boardwalk every night.  The boardwalk is a mile long so we would go to one end and back and up and down many of the streets.  Hubby and I figured we burned at least an extra 1000 calories a day walking, at least.  This does not take into account the walks up and down the beach, running after Apple and the dips in the Ocean.

Upon our return, I was nervous.  Despite buying two pairs of pants a size smaller, I thought I might have gained it all back, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was only up a couple of pounds which came right back off after a day at home.  So, I blame those pounds on the drive home and the salty snacks we had for the last couple of hours of the ride.

Now that we are home, I will need to get back into my routine of working out.  So far, we have had three days of walking, but I fear it is not enough.  Hubby (who joined me in the cutting back) has already hit the gym, hopefully I will join him tomorrow.

And for now, my best recommendation to keep it off while on vacation is to walk, walk everywhere you can to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of your vacation adventure.

**disclaimer: I am in no way a Doctor or Physical Trainer. I am going to share with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get into shape again. I strongly advise consulting a medical professional prior to starting any workout routine as well as a professional trainer. I am in no way responsible for any injury you may sustain from trying any of my suggestions.

This was also Apple’s year to move about the Beach.  It meant that it wasn’t our old fashioned (read before kids) lounge on the beach reading, snoozing and sunning it type vacation.  Instead it was how fast can you run after your little girl on the hot sand.  Hubby did a lot of the running, I will admit.  Partly because my bathing suit was a little big and when I would run after her I would have to hold on to my trunks and the other because I do it every single day, he figured it was his turn.

On the way down, it was cool and rainy, but we stopped at a rest stop to let the kids run anyway.  Apple had to have her glasses on, she was ready for the beach.  The funniest part is that she wouldn’t wear them at the beach, just in the car.

This one day, some younger ladies (teenagers) were set up beside us and Apple just kept trying to lie on the blanket to soak up the sun.  We kept trying to move her under the umbrella, but she insisted on having her face in the Sun.

Apple and J also decided that they beach chairs were for them and them alone.  Next year we will have to invest in two more chairs.

Another self-portrait (I took a few of these this year with my Point and Shoot).  Apple and I were watching J and his Dad on the rides.  Oh how she wanted to go on them.  We didn’t put her in the little rides this year as we figured she would be climbing out before it was over.

Apparently, I was wrong… see next photo…

I am laughing so hard because she just wouldn’t let go after I took her on a ride on the carousel.  She originally had a two handed grip and was squealing through her soother at me that she wanted to stay.  Hubby finally caught this photo as I had just got her one hand free.  I think that next year she will be on all the rides, all the time.

Although we were a bit nervous that Apple would not like her time at the beach, we were very surprised at how much she actually loved it! The car ride home was not the easiest and it was partly because she wasn’t running all over the beach but, strapped in the car.  I think we have many years of fun beach times ahead.  Boogie boards and surf boards are next, I think.

This year was J’s year.  He went from being terrified of the Ocean a year ago to wanting to ride the waves.  Unfortunately jelly fish and then five foot swells kept him on the beach side, but next year I think he will be ready for the boogie board.

We were a little worried about our evenings at Funland.  We knew J was going to be too big for the kiddie rides and figured he would not want to go on the medium rides.  To our shock and amazement he asked to go on some of the more scary rides starting with the one that raises you up and drops you down.

By the end of the week he was riding it alone and lovin’ every moment.  I think that we will be able to go to a few fairs this summer and enjoy more than just the corn dogs.

These spinning cars were enough to make me sick just watching!  J and Hubby both had a riot, laughing the whole way along.

And last of all J wanted to win a prize for his Sister, so he played the caterpillar game (a winner every time) and won her a caterpillar, twice.  And see me sneak into a shot, Hubby doesn’t grab the camera very often, so I needed to be in the picture.

And that was pretty much how our week went at the Beach with J, lots of new adventures and much to look forward to next year.

As I spent the day doing five loads of washing and going grocery shopping, I have been hit hard in the face with reality.  I am not on vacation anymore.

Every single year the day after we get back from The Beach, I am sad.  I miss the smell of the ocean and the way that everything is hot warm and has sand in it. I get home and the grass it ten feet tall, it is cold and rainy and all I can smell is home.  As much as home is great and I love it, I miss the beach.  As I wash all the bedding and empty the suitcases I take in the smells of the ocean, cottage and all things beach until I can see it again.

Thankfully, I have my photos and memories to keep me company.  Apple ran the beach like she was a lifeguard and J not only rode the waves, but rode all sorts of big rides that we never dreamed he would go on.  Hubby took on the Ocean for the last two days and I dug my fingers and toes in the sand as much as I could.

Until we meet again, here is a little self-portrait.  I just had to take one to prove to myself that I was really there.