Holiday Roo...oooooo...oooooo...oooad,
Holiday Roo...ooooo...ooooooo...oooad!!!
If your familiar (or can quote most of the lines in the entire movie like me) with the Chevy Chase classic National Lampoons European Vacation you'll recognize the song! I love that song!
Our family preparing for a vacation more resembles the Beverly Hillbillies though. Yes, that's right folks...when you've got 2 kids and 2 adults the sheer volume of vacation "stuff" is astronomically HUGE. Our little minivan was stuffed to the roof! We literally had everything, but the kitchen sink, even Granny in her rocker. (okay, so it was Gracyn in her car seat, but pretty close)
So on Thursday of last week, Steve held his official honorable discharge papers in his hands, Sonic drinks were keeping our cup holders cool and we hit the road headed to Corpus to visit our longtime friends Chad & Amy along with their sweet girls AnnMarie and Allie! The trip down wasn't a bad drive at all we made it there in about 4 hours and 15 minutes with the help of our nifty GPS system once again. Upon arriving we spent a little time catching up with The Allens and then enjoyed one of Amy's delicious pot roasts!!! She's a supermom I tell ya...because she's got a 2 1/2 year old, a 7 week old and she's cooking up supper for all of us INCLUDING dessert! Amy...your the best!After heading toward our hotel and checking in we all settled in for the night...or so we thought! Now, we have 4 people on THREE different sleeping schedules all cramming into ONE 15X15 hotel room for a 3 day stay....hmmm....now that we look back it was a recipe for disaster. Gracyn usually goes down for the night around 6:30, Cade at 8:45 and Mom & Dad at 11:30. So we ALL hit the hay around 8:30...Cade was not the least bit interested in sleeping and sang "Jesus songs" and talked to himself about the trip for about another half an hour while Gracyn listened to him in her pack-n-play and chimed in every few minutes. I think everyone finally went to sleep around 9:30! So the next morning rolls around and we're up and at 'em at 7 A.M. on the button. Headed to the beach with the Allens, which was really a lot of fun for AnnMarie and Cade. They built sandcastles, played in the ocean, dug holes and examined the seaweed. Amy and I had the little ones on shore and tried to stay in the shade to keep cool, while talking it up about mamahood! It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves with their dad's though :)
That night we enjoyed a delicious meal at Niko's Steakhouse with only the babies in tow! Chad's parents were angels and volunteered to babysit the preschoolers for us! Chad and Amy also picked up on the trouble we were having all sharing one room and graciously asked his parents if we could spend the rest of the trip at their home! What a treat! In typical grandparent form, they had one room already set up with a crib, one with a bed for Cade and a large bedroom for Steve and I to share! Oh the heaven!!! Everyone got to bed at the right times, in their own spaces for the remainder of the trip! THANK YOU DR. & MRS. ALLEN.
The next day the dads hit the aquarium with Cade and AnnMarie in tow! I think they were most impressed with the dolphin show! You could even see the S.S. Lexington in the background.
Following a round of awesome naps, parents included, we had another delicious meal at Waterstreet Restaurant! If your headed to Corpus anytime soon, mark this place in your meal guide because it's definitely worth a stop! I tried the Mexican caldo soup & the seafood quesadillas which were both delicious and Steve said the Caesar salad was the best he's ever eaten...this coming from a man who ALWAYS orders the Caesar salad. His grilled mahi mahi with crawfish cream sauce looked amazing as well. As if this feast wasn't enough we followed up with ice cream at Marble Slab for the young'ins!It is another family trip for the record books and worth the drive to see such wonderful friends! Chad and Amy thank you for all your wonderful hospitality and warm hearts! We enjoyed every second with the Allen family of 4! We are already looking forward to YOUR visit to the heart of Texas hill country!
6 comments:
It sounds like you had a blast. I'm glad you got to get away and congrats to Steve!
Glad you had fun! We'll never go anywhere and stay in ONE hotel room! Well, at least not until the kids are older! Cute pics - thanks for sharing.
Ah yes, the Griswalds are on the road again. Sounds like a blast. Try it on an airplane to California some time. Glad you all got to see Chad,Amy,and the little ones. See you soon!!!!
PaPa
Ok...now I have this picture in my head of Steve behind the wheel, everybody is napping and he has the Honda on cruse controll with his eyes shut, head back and mouth open just like Chevy Chase. That is a funny movie. You guys can't be that bad! I'm glad you were able to go before Dolly came to town! Say hi to all!!
Charlie
Glad you guys had a fun time...despite the first rough night! Looks like everyone really enjoyed themselves! Great pics, Becky!
Glad you guys missed Dolly!
We were so happy to have y'all down. Whenever we are with you guys it feels just like old times, just with lots of kids! We'll be up there again in September - you have been warned. :)
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