We had a great little vacation! It was filled with hiking, biking, drives up the coast, good food, stars, fires, reading and special time together. Instead of giving a rambling recap, I'll do my own personal "Top Ten" of our Costanoa vacation. But first some pictures...
10. The relief of getting back to the car. What we thought would be a leisurely stroll to see a natural elephant seal habitat turned into a 4 mile hike up and down sand dunes with very high winds. Ella was extremely grumpy and it kicked my pregnant butt.
9. Open air fire places. No campfires were allowed at our resort, but you'd find lit fireplaces every few steps you took (including the bathroom!). Ella had her first roasted marshmallow.
8. Breakfast included. Every morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast of quiches, scones and fresh fruit at the restaurant (for free!).
7. Falling asleep with fire, stars and Ella. Our cabin had a fireplace so every night we went to sleep with a fire crackling. Right above our bed was a skylight which we could see stars though. Ella had a hard time in her pack-n-play, so we slept "family style." It was fun to snuggle together in our big king bed.
6. Reading on the swing on our porch.
5. Sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.
4. Ella's cute sayings: "Nigh-night sun.", "I coming notion." (I'm hiking toward you, ocean), "Stars, all done." (in the morning).
3. Bike riding around the camp, with the ocean in view!
2. The perfect balance of camping and luxury. We still grilled our own brats and beans and ate at a picnic table, but we also went out to a fun restaurant in Santa Cruz. We had to walk to use the bathroom, but we were given plush robes to do it in. It was cold outside! We lived in warm fleeces and wool socks, but we had heat, down bedding and a hot tub to use.
1. Time together as a family!
While Ella could sum up our day and a half with the Girards in one word-- "SWINGS!" it will take me a few more. We had such a good time visiting with our friends Phil and Teri and their three kids. While the adults had the chance to visit and catch up, the kids had tons of fun playing together. And even though our weather is really heating up, we spent most of the time outside-- on their super cool swing set and new patio furniture, walking to the park and picking up trees at the nursery. I know I've said it before, but we are blessed to have such good friends, even if they are a little farther away than we would prefer them to be!
My rose bushes are looking great! There are about a million buds on them.
