Our Plan B Vacation
Since we were unable to travel to Maui for vacation, Andrew and I had to quickly research a Plan B for our vacations. We settled on renting a beach house on Newport Beach. We were able to find a relatively cheap option just one house off the sand with a beautiful ocean view from the top balcony (4804 Seashore Drive, unit B). It was spacious enough that we were able to invite more family to come experience it with us: Debbie flew in for the week, and my parents and little sister stayed for a few days.
It was a fabulous vacation, and it filled my cup in ways that I don’t think would have happened had we gone to Maui. Having all my kids with me and being able to play and explore with them was really enjoyable. We spent hours playing in the waves, digging holes, building sand castles, searching for sand crabs, walking along the water’s edge, and just relaxing in the sun. One day we went to Balboa and got ice cream and rode on the ferris wheel. Another day was dedicated to staying inside since Hurricane Hillary brought a tropical storm to California and it rained all day. But most days we lathered on the sunscreen and planted our beach chairs, umbrellas, and towels just a few feet from the water and enjoyed the feel on the sand on our bare feet. One evening, right before the tropical storm hit, I witnessed the most beautiful, vibrant sunset I have ever seen in my life. It truly brought me to tears, and I was so grateful I witnessed it with my mom and my kids (Andrew wasn’t feeling well that night).
Maddy loved picking up seashells and sand crabs. Grace loved jumping in the shallow waves. Harper enjoyed eating fistfulls of sand. Andrew and I would toss the football to each other or sit under the umbrella and talk with Debbie. It was relaxing. It was fun. It was just what I needed.
Now, that isn’t to say that it was perfect. The vacation actually started out with a visit to Urgent Care. My kids have passed around a cold for the last few weeks, and Harper had had a cold for about 7 days. The day we started our vacation, she woke up with a rash all over her body, and I wanted to take her to the doctor just to be sure she was ok. Luckily, it seemed to be a normal reaction to her common cold, but I was also made aware that she had an ear ache. So for the first 3 days of the trip, Harper wasn’t her fully smiley self. I let her take lots of naps and cuddles inside while the others went to the sand. And luckily after a few days she seemed as healthy as ever and was able to play with the rest of the family at the beach.
