Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Vacation Part 2

So, while I was off enjoying a bachelorette weekend in the hills of Santa Barbara, I left behind all my boys (both the little ones and my husband) and they missed me so much there was absolutely no possibility of them enjoying themselves.

Yeah right…….




While I know (hope?) they all missed me to pieces, they seemed to find plenty of way to keep themselves busy. Papa put the little boys to work in the horse stables, a job they enjoyed to no end. I'm not totally sure what the appeal of moving hay and shoveling horse poop is over picking up toys and not dumping cheerios on the floor, but whatever.





They also spent two full days at the beach, where they dug holes, built sandcastles, boogie boarded and chased waves. L2 and R have always been slightly apprehensive of the water, but S told me they both ventured in this trip and had a great time. I'm sad I missed it, but glad that they had such a fun time.





Over the weekend they hit two different beaches and the boys had a blast at both of them. And their papa is the best and loves taking them to experience the same things he did with his kids.


















And finally the pier. They took the boys fishing off the pier, and I have to admit I may be mildly glad I wasn't there for this adventure. While the boys had fun, S and papa both told me they were getting a little nervous by how curios the boys were to peer over the edge, and that they both were prepared to dive in after them if need be!




Thankfully no one went in the water, but they also caught no fish! S and his dad were disappointed, but the little guys could have cared less!






I had such an amazing time with my ladies, but I'm always sad to miss these moments with my boys. I'm glad they enjoyed the weekend so much though, and I know next time I'll be there with them to experience it all! 

Monday, July 25, 2016

Vacation Part 1

We took a vacation this past weekend to California, and I'm going to make it a two part post, because it was a two part vacation. We arrived on Wednesday night, but on Thursday evening I took off to head out to one of my best friends bachelorette party in wine country, while the boys stayed behind and hung out with their grandparents!

Before I left I spent the day watching the boys revel in the freedom they have in their grandparents huge yard, and take advantage of all the extra cuddles and love they get from papa and grandma!




I got picked up on Thursday night by another best friend from high school and we headed to the airport to pick up another friend. We spent the night at my friends moms house and the next morning did all the shopping for the party before heading up to our rented house.

Our trip ended up starting out with a lot of excitement, when we came across a fire that had started on the side of the road. Several cars were pulled of to the side of the road and about 15 people were trying to stomp out the flames, but it was windy and super dry and the fire was spreading fast. We pulled over and grabbed the water we had just bought and hopped the barrier to help. It was scary and exhilarating, and also very beautiful to see so many people come together for a common cause. We stayed until the firefighters showed up, and when we left it looked like with all of our efforts it was pretty contained and going to be easy for them to put out!





Anyway, after that excitement, we finally arrived at the house. It was absolutely gorgeous with some of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen, and I didn't take nearly enough pictures!

(You can see the gorgeous scenery out the window behind our mimosa bar!)

Once everyone showed up we spent quality time lounging by the pool,  both catching up and getting to know each other. The bride had brought together about three different groups of friends, and while that can sometimes be tricky, I have to say everyone was absolutely amazing.



After the pool we headed out to dinner and an amazing restaurant in the small town we were in. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere and views of everything were really to die for.




After dinner we asked our server if there was anywhere we could go for some drinks and dancing. Like  I said, we were in a pretty small town so we didn't have high hopes. Our waiter directed us to a bar called Mavericks, and although we were skeptical at first it ended up being an absolute blast. The bar was local and a country bar that happened to be playing hip hop music that night… pretty much the perfect combination! We danced the night away and acted silly in way that's only acceptable when your with a huge group of girlfriends.



Despite a late night out we all had to get up fairly early the next morning because we had a wine tasting tour scheduled, and the bride wanted everyone to make and wear flower crowns. (I admit this wasn't my favorite part, only because despite four years in a sorority I am not the most crafty person in the world!)




(It looks like I'm wearing a garden on my head!)

We went to four different wineries and each one was beautiful and the wine was delicious. It was a long day, but so much fun.







After wine tasting we head home and enjoyed more wine and a delicious home cooked meal. We ate and drank and played games and talked late into the night. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.