happy travels

Oh boy! Why is it so hard to ease back in to real life the week after vacation? And even harder after coming back from the happiest place on earth? It's driving me CRAZY! You'd think we'd feel spoiled and pampered and rested and grateful for the great vacation we just had but NO! We just crave more. Well...I do at least. Thank goodness for our upcoming trip to Powell...I think I'd lose my mind if I didn't have that little adventure to look forward to. SO excited!

So yes, we're back and ready to share a few of the highlights from our trip.

Driving to Southern California is quite the feat...10-11 hours through desert, crowded interstates, and more crazy drivers than I could count. Joy! Parker was a trooper and took the brunt of it...I only drove the last 3 or so on the way home when his contact decided to jump ship.

10-11 hours with yuck scenery meant we needed to find a way to pass the time. SO...despite my husband's hater ways, I somehow convinced him to listen to the seventh Harry Potter on CD. I'll be honest...I HATE books on tape/CD. It bothers me that one person does all the voices and I feel like I get distracted easily. But this was actually pretty sweet. And I think Parker may even be looking forward to finishing it on our drive to Powell this weekend. I'm not sure that counts as a full conversion to the HP circuit, but it's a start! And he'll like the movie so much more when I drag him to it this November J yay! can't wait...

We got into town around 6 on Wednesday and met my parents at our not-so-3 ½ star hotel. I guess they'd spent the a few hours trying to change it, but after 120 minutes trying to decipher the operators broken English they gave up (Parker about lost his mind trying to plan our honeymoon back in April...thanks for saving the day Amber!). And so we stayed in our cozy little hotel with a of Hooters. My mom just loved that...hahaha.

We visited with my family for a bit, laughed at my sister's atrophied leg from her knee surgery, then headed out to meet my brother Jason & his wife Ashlee for dinner at Gyu-Kaku (we asked the waiter 3 times how to pronounce it and I still have no idea, so don't ask). It's this way cool Japanese BBQ place that's almost Benihana style minus the personal chef.

Ashlee and I laughed at our American approach to eating...we liked the grille minus the fact that we A. had to make it ourselves, B. had to wait for it to cook, and C. never had that feeling of instant gratification that comes from shoveling it in all at once. It's no wonder I've been the latest victim of the love chubb!

Despite our few hesitancies, we all enjoyed our dinner. The garlic noodles were so yummy! Ashlee and I learned to brave the raw factor of the seared Ahi and really liked it in the end. And we laughed and laughed as Jason described their trip to buy Ashlee's new Honda Crosstour (I guess Ash's resolve to follow through with Jay's "play-it-cool" plan crumbled the minute she got behind the wheel...leaving Jason with very little leverage during the negotiations). While the boys commiserated with each other at their wives' impulsiveness/poor haggling skills Ashlee and I ooed & awed over her shiny black Honda with heated seats & that beloved new-car-smell. It's way cool. So happy for you sister!

Because it's my family we of course ended the night with a trip to Yogurtland. YUM! I'm not sure what I'd do if it weren't for my dad's sweet tooth. I hope they really do follow through with plans to open a shop of their own. (side note: Parker & I are now in love with coconut frozen yogurt. you have to try it.)

By the time we arrived back at the hotel we had just a few minutes to plan for our day at Disneyland, pump up the air mattress, and tuck in for the night. Parker and I marveled at how far we'd come in one day, how great it was to be reunited with my family, how much they made us laugh, how much I loved them, and how much he loved them too. I loved hearing that the most...

After a few thoughts on what it must be like for my parents to see their little girl snuggled up with a boy (gasp!) I smiled at my sweet sleeping husband and finally fell asleep.