Disneyland.
That’s how it all started.
Much smaller than Disney World (where we are multi-trip veterans), Disneyland felt like a fun, yet manageable option for our first summer traveling as a party of 5.
Party of 5, traveling across the country….with a 6 month old.
“You. Are. CRAZY”, everyone told us.
We thought, “OMG. *Are* we crazy?”….
“We’re crazy!”
“Pftsssh! … Crazy–awesome.”
The adrenaline took over and it wasn’t long before we were thinking– we would only truly be insane if we did not make the most of this!!
My husband’s cousin who lives in San Francisco had recently had her first baby, whom we were dying to meet… and just like that, our small manageable trip to Disneyland turned into a 10-day road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles!
Exciting. Scary… and all the emotions in between.
YOLO!
(Are people still saying that?)
Today, we are still asked about that trip. The cities and stops we made, and how did we do it?
The answer in short is– we just did.
We made a decision and rode out the highs and lows.
Yes. I stressed the hell out prior to the flight, playing a game of Tetris with clothes for 5, baby gear and various other entertainment-y things to occupy– and only 3 duffle bags (but we did it!! … and found suitcase packing secrets, my friends!)
Yes. The baby’s sleep was thrown off a bit…
Yes, this adorable photo of Laina dancing like no one is watching along the PCH, might have actually been us pulled over on the road after Ryan had a *slight* panic attack that he left his iPod back at the previous town ….about 25 minutes back (he didn’t).
And sure, these pictures of Avery happy as a clam on the beaches of Malibu *may* not tell the tale of how we novice road-trippers decided to pass on multiple “fun stops” so that the baby could nap. Ending up with cranky, disappointed kids at a beach that sounded fancy, but in reality was barely a beach at all.
But all of those stressful moments were overshadowed by the fun ones.
Like baby’s first plane ride.
And Fro-Yo 30,000 feet in the air.
{Shout out to Delta Airlines!}
Packing and un-packing a car every few days in new cities.
/ Read more about stay at the Diva Hotel /
Waking up to breakfast with family who live across the country from us.
Meeting new cousins and taking pictures at the park where the Full House gang picnicked.
Hiking through the Muir Woods, inhaling the scent of the Redwood trees,
and being photobombed by a seagull at the Golden Gate Bridge
/ Read more about our San Francisco favorites /
Sleeping in a jungle and ordering pink champagne cake– way past their bedtime.
/ Read more about our stay at San Louis Obispo’s Madonna Inn with kids /
Stopping to see the dolphins play along the Pacific Coast Highway
/ Read more about our Stops Along The PCH /
Sending postcards to family at various stops along the way…
Taking selfies by landmarks…
and selfies in the cute town of Tiburon.
Touring Hollywood and Rodeo Drive
and of course that amazing feeling, finally arriving at Disneyland.
/ Read more about our Disneyland Must-Dos /
I’d be lying if I said every time we plan a trip, I don’t pause for a second and question “Are we going to pull this off?” James will back that up.
But we always power through it, because if we let those doubts take over, we would be missing out on so many amazing memories…. and in the end?
That always outweighs the stresses of travel.
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