Summer Adventures...

Growing up as a child, my family did not take summer vacations. My mom was a single mother of 3, raising us on her own. She would work from dawn until night fall so for us, vacations were something we did not know. Going to the mall on a Sunday afternoon or watching a new movie was a special treat for us. Now as an adult and a mom of 3 myself, my husband and I, have made it a point to take at least one vacation during the summer. Even if its for 3 days, we break away from our daily mundane routines and leave them behind us as we hit the road. Now my husband being a dirt bike rider, he made sure we picked a place that we could all enjoy. I love the water and sand between my toes and he loves to ride sand dunes,which is why Pismo Beach has become our summer getaway for the last 3 years.

During these trips, I take a step back and look around. I see my children playing in the sand or getting ready to ride their quad. I get to see the interaction the boys have with their dad, something I am so grateful for and blessed with as my dad was not in our lives growing up. My boys get to learn about riding, get to play in the water, find sand crabs and bury each other in the sand. We get to set up tents, camp on the beach, build bon fires and our favorite part are of course the s'mores!!! While we do have the beach so close to us at home, there is something different about being away. We take in the hills and mountains as we drive along the road with the never ending potty breaks. Waking up to the sound of the waves is my favorite part of the trip. If you get up early enough you get to take peaceful walks in the cold morning dew. You find some of the best pieces of art work the ocean has to share with you. Our trips to Pismo have always been with our friends, the Arrendando family. My husband enjoys riding with his bud Mike, while we stay at camp and go swimming. I love to watch my husband do what he enjoys the most. This year I was desperately looking forward to our getaway. I was able to pray, read my @WifeafterGod devotional and @MendingTomorrow by Alyssa Quilala, both needed during this time of healing for me. Below is a picture of my family, including my niece who I love like my own. We were so excited we were able to bring her along this trip with us. And despite a fire that seem to cloud most of our days, I managed to burn and turn a few shades red! Dark colored people not being able to burn is a myth!!

This year my husband and I were also able to have a little getaway to Morro Bay. Along the way we camped in our car under the stars at a beach my husband loves to visit. We don't know the name of this beach, we do have to hike down it though. It's always such a beautiful experience. We also got a chance to go to Cave Landing which is located north of Pismo and have a delicious breakfast in Pismo. Now because we left on a Friday evening, I was busy booking our hotel and my husband forgot to get me my hiking shoes. Let me tell you that when he took me to the caves, it was rather interesting. We had to go through puddles of natural oil, hike down with a rope, climb over a huge rock to be able to reach these caves. By the end of that little adventure, I can say my feet were sore from doing all of that in Berkinstocks! When we finally made it to Morro Bay, we showered and crashed for a few hours before we explored the town. One thing that I truly enjoy from our little getaways is being able to nap! There is nothing more relaxing than being able to nap without a little person waking you up or hearing boys constantly fighting. Our trip to Morro Bay was a way for us. to spend some quality time together. Before school started for both the boys and myself, my husband wanted to have some time for us, which I was so grateful for. Morro Bay is peaceful, even the sound of the lazy seals grow on you. Walking around town and enjoying a nice dinner together is always an enjoyable time and even better when its in a lovely little town like Morro Bay. Definitely a place we will visit again!

Below are some pictures from our trips. I'm thankful that I have this many because I realized as I was blogging this that I had deleted most of the pictures when I accidentally reformatted my memory card, go me :( But luckily I had downloaded a lot of them on my phone and by sharing some of these moments with you, I hope you get to know a little bit more about me, the real person behind the lens. Enjoy!