Tropical Lifestyle

Today was another beach day for my dad, his favorite kind of day around here. He has noticed that he doesn’t actually get much reading done when he is with other folks, but he seems ok with that. 😉 Today Kevin and I and my mom all joined him at the beach and had a nice, relaxing morning. We chatted and watched the waves and the wildlife and generally lazed about which is one of the things vacations is all about. We walked down the beach a bit, dipping our feet in the water and acting as ballast so my mom could do the same. Tucked under some trees with the breeze blowing off the water, it was pleasantly cool and completely enjoyable. 

For lunch, he visited a little spot called Eggs n’ Things, a restaurant that offers brunch items. It is only open for breakfast and lunch and the majority of the menu is composed of traditional breakfast items with an island flare. I enjoyed the perfect trifecta of tropical pancakes-pineapple, coconut and macadamia with real nuts this time! Kevin had the fresh fruit rainbow pancakes, and the tower of whipped cream was just right for him, whose love of enormous amounts of whipped cream is well known, and often joked about, within my own little posse. We both chose fried spam as our protein, something we wouldn’t normally do at home, but which is a must around here! 

It was a slow, calm, laid back kind of a day. And I got to eat pancakes for lunch which always feels like a treat to me!

No Nuts!

I was right. Falling asleep last night was not a problem. Waking up far too early happened, but at least I was able to go back to sleep until it was a fairly reasonable time to head out to eat breakfast. We did have to wait a few minutes for the café to open though. 😉

One of the perks of the hotel we chose was its proximity to the Ala Moana Shopping Center. There is a walk-through from the hotel to the shopping center which boasts a fairly large selection of restaurants, both fast food and sit-down establishments. There is one bakery/café that opens bright and early and since we were awake and ready to go bright and early, it was an easy decision. As such, the Liliha Bakery was our first breakfast spot. And I was super excited when I saw mac nut waffles on the menu. I love waffles and I love macadamia nuts (and I don’t get to eat them at home very often because of my food allergy kiddos) so eating a healthy amount of mac nuts on this trip is definitely on my to do list. Unfortunately, I was bitterly disappointed with my mac nut waffles because there were no actual nuts in the waffles. Just flavor. The waffle itself was nice and crisp, but without the nuts it just felt like another waffle. So disappointing. But this is only our first full day on the island, so there are still plenty of opportunities for me to fulfill my need for nuts!

After traveling all day yesterday, today was a rest and recover day. For my mom, that meant plenty of rest. For me, that meant plenty of yoga. For my dad, that meant plenty of time sitting on the beach reading. Kevin opted to join my dad since the beach is far more picturesque than staring at my yoga mat. The funny thing is my dad didn’t actually do much reading. He spent the entire time talking about his time in Hawaii. Funny how being in a certain location brings to mind things that you haven’t thought about in years. It ended up being story time on the beach and Kev recorded as many of the stories as he could, so technically it was family history time too. 😉

When lunchtime rolled around, Kevin and my dad came and collected me from the hotel. We headed to the food court at the shopping center and had some decent Asian food. It wasn’t five-star food or anything, but for a food court, it was pretty good. And it was something that you just can’t get at the food courts in Utah. We spent the afternoon much as we had spent the morning, with a nap for me instead of yoga. 

In the evening, Kevin and I found a yummy ramen spot for dinner. My ramen came in a bowl that was bigger than my head, literally, but the contents were so tasty! Kevin ate some Japanese style curry and takoyaki, a Japanese dish he learned to love on his mission and one that is difficult to find in Utah. I think I’m going to enjoy the food options out here! Bedtime will be nice and early since our bodies are still on Utah time, but tomorrow we have more activities planned. Taking a lazy day after our long travel day yesterday was definitely nice though!

An Advantageous Change of Plans

Our original itinerary had us driving back down to San Diego today to go to the zoo and the natural history museum. But after the marathon drive to get here on Wednesday, the gridlock traffic we encountered after SeaWorld yesterday, and the thought of the long drive back to Utah tomorrow, Kevin, Malia and I were all in agreement that we wanted to stay a bit closer to home base today. Google gave us some entertainment options closer to the hotel, and we settled on a 10-minute drive to visit Mission San Capistrano, an old Spanish mission that was established in the 1700’s and still exists as a museum, gardens, and operating church today. The historic nature of the mission made it just the kind of thing I really enjoy. The buildings, which were built over a span of several hundred years, were fascinating. The gardens are absolutely spectacular, and we spent far longer wandering the grounds than I had originally anticipated. It was a photographer’s paradise and Malia and Kev took full advantage of that. While the pictures don’t do justice to the brilliant colors of the garden, they do show the diversity of the plant life and the variation in the architecture. I think we all enjoyed taking things at a slower pace and enjoying something a bit less hectic than the amusement parks. 

One of Malia’s must dos for this trip was to watch the sunset from the beach. So, after a mellow afternoon hanging out and napping at the hotel, we headed to Laguna Beach to find a good spot. I’m not hugely familiar with southern California and while I have definitely heard of Laguna Beach, I had no idea that it is a wildly popular beach which means…more traffic. We had factored in some extra time for driving and lucked out finding a parking place, so we didn’t have too many issues and arrived with a bit of time to spare. 

We started off walking right down to the beach, but because of the exact spot we were in, there would have been an outcropping blocking our view of the sunset. In addition, because she has grown up in a landlocked desert, Malia has had very little exposure to the ocean, and she is appropriately cautious where the beach is concerned. That meant that as the tide began to come in and crept closer to the rock we were standing on, she started to get nervous. With two strikes against us, we opted to walk back up to street level where there is a paved walkway/park area all the way along the beach. We found a great spot and settled in (with about 60 gazillion other folks) to watch the sunset.

For those who have never seen a sunset from a beach in a sunny locale (think California, Hawaii, etc.), there is a huge difference between what we see from our little valley and what you see when you are right on the water. I knew Malia had never seen such a sunset, but I didn’t realize that Kevin hadn’t either. With all the traveling I did with my folks as a kid, I saw many such sunsets so although it has been years, I knew just what an amazing display we were in for. For me, half the fun was seeing the wonder in Malia’s eyes and watching her get all excited about something that I suspect many people take for granted. It was a beautiful sunset. And just in case you’ve never seen a beach sunset, it really is worth your time.

We head home tomorrow, but I think this little whirlwind of a vacation has been great. The family dynamic is different when it is just the three of us, and it is going to be just our little trio more and more often over the next few years. Although I’m sure she thinks we are old and boring sometimes (or many times), I do love that Malia is not opposed to hanging out with her parents. 

The Weirdest Manicure I’ve Ever Gotten

Malia is our animal lover. When we plan trips, she is usually the one who wants to go to zoos, aquariums, and other animal focused attractions. It’s not that the rest of us don’t enjoy those things because we do, but they are generally her first-choice options while the boys often opt for airplane and space themed stops and I have a tendency to love historical houses and the like. And when we travel, she is usually the one who takes pictures of wildlife. As such, we knew that to get her excited enough about this trip to make missing school ok, there would need to be some wildlife. And no, Mickey Mouse does not count. 😉 So, with Malia in mind, and because both Kev and I have been in the past and think it’s great fun, today’s adventure was SeaWorld. 

When we first entered the park, we were met by shallow “petting” pools containing large numbers of small fish. We were able to stick our hands in the water and not necessarily pet the inhabitants, but the fish would swarm around our hands and nibble on them, removing dead skin and dirt and such. It was a weird feeling. Seriously weird. But it was also kind of cool! It felt like a ton of tiny little suction cups tickling our skin.

After some serious hand washing, we wandered the park and arrived at the giant octopus exhibit just in time to hear the keeper presentation. We learned some very interesting facts about octopi, things like the fact that they have nine brains-one for each tentacle and one for everything else. That explains perfectly why each tentacle can work so independently. They can also regrow tentacles if they are lost in an injury or something and can actually choose to let a tentacle detach, if necessary, like a gecko does with its tail. Octopus are also great problem solvers, and the keeper actually has to work hard to stump this particular octopus when it comes to her enrichment activities. The octopus was sleeping while the keeper was talking to us, but when she was done, she woke him up so we could see him in action. I’ve seen octopi in aquariums before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one this big. He was more than 6 feet from tentacle to tentacle. Lots of people just walked past during the keeper presentation, but I’m really glad we heard the whole thing. Octopi are fascinating!

The big draw for today were the dolphin and orca shows. Let’s face it. Those shows are what set SeaWorld apart from all the other aquariums. We have been to a number of aquariums and while they each have something unique to offer, the shows and “splash zones” that you experience at SeaWorld are pretty spectacular. Malia was completely enthralled, and I have to say that even though I had seen the shows in the past and knew what to expect, it was still so fun! I won’t try to describe them, just know that if you have never been to SeaWorld, the shows are worth the ticket price!

While we were experiencing SeaWorld, Matthew was at Huntington Beach. He and his band cronies had a great time digging a giant hole in the sand and basically just being kids at one of nature’s great playgrounds. One of these days we are going to get our kids to a beach when they can actually don their swimming gear and take a dip in the ocean. But for now, shorts and sand were the ticket for today. 

Whenever we are planning a trip, one of the things I always do is search for allergy friendly restaurants in the area we will be visiting. Often, bigger cities have options our own little town doesn’t, so I always check to see if we can create a neat experience for my food allergy kids. Disneyland had some of that for both of my younger kiddos, but honestly, it is a rare thing for Matthew. Malia has a number of popular chain restaurants that we can visit from coast to coast and while she isn’t usually brave enough to try, there are generally other sit-down restaurants that can accommodate nut allergies. But finding safe food that we don’t prepare ourselves is a rarity for Matthew. 

As we were planning this excursion, I did my normal internet search for possible options for safe food for my kids and discovered an allergy friendly bakery about fifteen minutes from our hotel. As all really good allergen free establishments do, they have all the ingredients for each item listed right on their website. And as I looked, I realized that I wasn’t seeing anything that Matthew can’t have. I started to get a little bit excited and as I looked further, learned that the bakery had been started by a mom whose son has allergies very similar to Matthew’s. That made me even a little bit more excited because someone caring for an allergic individual is honestly going to know exactly what precautions to take to keep their loved one safe. I tried not to get my hopes up too high though, because Matthew is allergic to chickpeas and peas which are common ingredients in egg free and dairy free foods. Because they are not on the top allergens list, they are usually not included in the “we avoid these ingredients” lists. I didn’t see them on any ingredient lists, but cross contact is an issue for us, so I sent an email requesting additional information. I had my fingers crossed, but honestly didn’t hold much hope. 

When I received a response to my email the following day, I cheered and did a happy dance, literally, and shed a few tears because for the first time ever, I had found a bakery where Matthew could safely eat every single thing they make. I don’t ever tell my kids about any near misses as I don’t want to get their hopes up and then dash them, so when I went public with the knowledge that I had found a little miracle in the form of a small bakery in Southern California called “Sensitive Sweets,” there was a good dose of skepticism immediately followed by wonder and then gleeful enthusiasm. In the weeks that followed, there was a good amount of time spent perusing their menu, deciding what to try.

Just before we left for Cali, we submitted an online order for bakery pickup this afternoon. Since we knew we would be in San Diego and the bakery is in Fountain Valley, we selected the latest pickup time available which was 5:00 p.m. They also close at 5, so our plan was to arrive before closing to make sure we could pick up our order. It took us just over an hour to get down to SeaWorld in the morning, so we allowed ourselves double the time to get back in the afternoon knowing traffic in southern Cali can be a beast and thinking that would give us an appropriate time buffer zone. We hit the expected headed north and despite our well-laid plans, we were down to the wire. The Google maps estimated time of arrival kept getting later and later and as we crawled ever more slowly towards the bakery, I was starting to think we might not make it. But we lucked out and arrived in the Sensitive Sweets parking lot at 4:53 p.m. 

Baked goods in hand, we divided everything into separate boxes and dropped off a deliciously sweet package at Matthew’s hotel after which we ate dinner and then sampled some goodies ourselves. The miniature apple pies had a totally weird crust which was more like an unsweetened crumb crust with nothing wet to hold it together, but the filling was tasty, so we ate that part. The cinnamon crumble bread was good but the blueberry citrus one felt like it needed a bit more baking time. The cookie dough truffles, however, were a winner and would be super simple to recreate at home. Our overall assessment was that some things were tasty, although not quite as good as homemade. But as far as being able to buy bakery goods away from home, it was a success! Once Matthew arrived back at his hotel, he shared with us his inaugural taste tests. He was a huge fan of the truffles as well!

Other than the longer than anticipated afternoon commute, today was a success. And honestly, we have lucked out traffic wise thus far, as we always seem to be headed in the opposite direction from the bulk of the other travelers. So, I guess a bit of gridlock just allowed us to experience yet another quintessential aspect of life in California. 😂

Cheese, Seas, and Balconies

I know I’ve already mentioned the fact that the roads around here are not on a grid system. Let me add to that the fact that because the land is not one big flat desert, the roads wind up, down, and all around as they work their way over mountains and hills and up the coast. There is only so much you can do to make the road straight when it is climbing a mountain or following the coastline. It’s not like you can straighten out the edge of the Pacific to make your road more linear. Having said that, just know that Malia and I will be rocking the Dramamine for the remainder of our travels so that we aren’t car sick the entire time. This is one of those times when I feel like the boys all lucked out as they seem to have avoided the motion sickness gene. Seriously, I’m not sure they realized just how lucky they are. They get to actually view the scenery as we drive by while even with the Dramamine, I have to keep my eyes on the road so I don’t end up queasy. Oh, well. Such is my life. 

With that preface in place, we left Albany this morning and headed to the coast. Our first stop was in Tillamook which we were all super excited about. We are kind of cheese snobs over here, preferring Tillamook to the other brands. The Tillamook is just more flavorful, creamier and melts more smoothly than many other brands, particularly the cheaper ones. And we all give high marks to the Tillamook yogurt and sour cream. The ice cream is also delicious, although we don’t purchase it often since it isn’t safe for Malia. Even Matthew, who can’t eat any of those things, was excited about stopping to tour the Tillamook factory. He was there in April with the high school band but was out of money by then and he has been looking forward to buying a Tillamook t-shirt. 

Ok. Now we need to talk a bit about being a food allergy mom. It is an all-day everyday kind of a thing. And being away from home is an increased challenge because the world at large is one giant allergen. So, I have to admit that walking into a cheese factory with a son who is allergic to milk was kind of a stressful experience. I honestly had to stop for a minute and remind myself not to panic. As I was fighting with the overwhelming need to tell Matthew not to touch anything and to hold his breath while he was at it so he didn’t accidentally breathe in any milk particles, Matthew could see my anxiety and reminded me that he was not a first timer, and he was just fine. I knew that of course, but the rational mind sometimes has a difficult time overcoming the mama bear gene. 

Once I had my mini panic attack under control, we made our way through the self-guided tour that shows how cheese is made in the factory. It was pretty interesting to see how mechanization has made cheese making in the modern world very fast and incredibly efficient. It only takes a few hours to actually make the cheese although the aging process takes much longer. And the amount of cheese that can be made in a day is impressive. Like I said, it was pretty interesting. And the free cheese samples at the end of the tour were tasty. I tried some sharp white cheddar and I have a feeling that sharp white will be making its way into my shopping cart on a fairly regular basis. We ate lunch in the Tillamook café where cheese of assorted varieties was on the menu and finished our visit with some delightful ice cream. Of the flavors we sampled, the white chocolate raspberry was my favorite. Once we get home, it might just become one of my occasional guilty pleasures. While neither Matthew nor Malia could safely eat fare offered at the factory, we did promise them some allergen safe ice cream once we arrived at our next rental house as well as some yummy dinner choices-homemade mac and cheese featuring a goodly amount of Tillamook cheese for Malia and potstickers for Matthew, one of his favorites.

Once we left Tillamook, it was not long before we reached the coast. And while Malia and I pretty much had to keep our eyes on the road, the boys enjoyed the amazing views, and we made a variety of stops so we could all enjoy the grandeur of the Pacific Ocean. We stopped to see Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, but honestly, there were so many people there that we really only stopped for a couple of minutes so we could say that we did and then kept on rolling. 

But those tantalizing glimpses of the beach had my crew super excited. And once we arrived at our temporary abode, they were even more jazzed up. You see, we selected a condo that not only had the number of beds and other amenities we need, but an absolutely fantastic view. In fact, there is only a small stretch of trees between the condos and the beach, and we are on the third floor so the view is uninhibited. Once we arrived, the first thing the kids wanted to do was head out to the beach. So we dumped all our stuff, ate dinner, and headed out to the water.

Because I visited the beach often when I was a tiny child, sometimes I forget that my kids have grown up in a land locked state and have only really seen the ocean once or twice before. For most of them that was at Rialto Beach (which is a rock beach, not a sandy one) in the pouring rain during our Seattle trip some years ago. Matthew was also at Cannon Beach in April, but it was freezing cold and raining like crazy when he was there, so the experience was much the same. So, while they have seen the ocean, none of them have had the opportunity to walk barefoot in the sand and play in the surf. It was not raining today and while it was chilly, it wasn’t downright freezing, so it seemed like an ideal time to give them a chance to experience something brand new.

As a parent, one of my joys has been seeing my children experience new and exciting things. You might think that all my boys are too old to be carefree and playful, but you would be wrong there. All four of my children were absolutely giddy. Their faces were beaming, and it reminded me that we are never too old to find joy in the wonders of nature and the amazing experiences that life has to offer. As I watched them wade into the waves and discover how the sand shifts with the water, my mama bear actually had to call them back and give them a spur of the moment crash course in “the ocean is a huge and powerful force, here some guidelines, don’t be stupid.” It might seem like a topic we should have discussed long ago but remember that these are landlubbers and there has just never been a need. We have had talks about earthquakes and wildfires and mountains and deserts and all that, but the ocean is just not a big enough presence in our lives to have made me think to talk to them about sea safety. But they are quick learners and smart to start off with, so they were all just fine and gave the appropriate amount of respect to the water while still enjoying their experience. At some point I need to get these kids of mine to a beach where it is warm enough for them to actually swim in the water. Because that is another indescribable experience. 

As the daylight faded, my crew returned to the condo and took advantage of the amazing view from the balcony of our condo while the sun set. It was overcast so the sunset itself was not the most glorious we’ve seen, nevertheless, it was exactly what a summer evening on vacation should be-relaxing, peaceful, calm. Great end to a day of driving.

A (Much Needed) Day of Rest

After yesterday’s lengthy trek through the forest and our later than planned return to the townhouse, we were all tired. We found a sacrament meeting that met at 10 a.m. so we had a bit of a sleep in and then went to church. Anyone who know me well musically knows that I hate singing hymns too slow. It is one of my pet peeves. Reverent is not the same as slow, but I think most people equate one with the other. As a result, we spend far too many meetings plodding through ten minutes long hymns that have us snoring by the end. The opening song in the ward we attended today was “Let Us All Press On.” The recommended tempo marking on this hymn is 92-108 beats per minute with a note stating “With vigor.” This particular hymn is almost always sung slower than that and definitely without vigor, so imagine my glee when the chorister took off at a dead run. When I counted, we were singing at about 220 beats per minute. I was a bit breathless by the end, but I liked it!

The enthusiastic opening hymn was not enough to keep all the weary travelers awake for the entire meeting, however. Except for my parents (who did not take the insane drive with us), I think Malia was the only one who stayed awake the entire time. And after lunch, we all took another nap. When we had all snoozed a bit, I felt like getting out and actually walking around a bit would do us all good. There was a nearby park that was supposedly full of running and walking paths, but when we drove down there, we could not find a way into the park. I’m sure it was there, but the streets in Seattle don’t all go straight, they don’t all go through, they don’t all go both directions, and they don’t all make sense. Luckily for us, our attempts to get to the park eventually led us to the shore of Lake Washington and a small stretch of sandy beach. I assume the sand was not native to the location since most of the shoreline was rocky, but it still gave us a chance to take off our shoes and wade in the water.

Matthew and Malia were shoeless immediately, but it took the big boys longer to decide it was worth a try. Daniel stood and watched for a good half hour before he was ready to take the toes only plunge, and Nathan was about ten minutes behind him. Malia loved the sand and water but hated the algae. Once she learned to avoid it, she was perfectly content and was thrilled to find a few small seashells. Since we had not planned on being in the water, I had to keep reminding Matthew not to get too wet as we had no towels, no changes of clothes and no water friendly footwear. Otherwise, I think he would have been pretty soaked by the time we were done. Daniel and Nathan were less enthusiastic than the younger kids, but they were both glad they had experienced the beach and seemed to enjoy it.

Today was a calm, relaxing day and after yesterday’s adventures, it was a welcome one.