We met up with our very good friends Jason & Lindsey and their 2 boys Landon & Logan. We let our kids do what they wanted at the park and then met at the hotel for dinner and swimming. It was awesome to have the time to catch up with them as well as let the kids catch up too!
With Legoland behind us, we traveled up north to our "hood." I was so excited to see my brother Jonathan, who recently exited a 14 month rehabilitation program. When I last saw him he was in a bad way...and I can't express how grateful I am that he not only had the courage to enter a long term program, but also the finess to work his way into an extended stay knowing that it was for the best. I am so proud of how far he has come and I am excited to see what the future holds for him and our relationship. He was able to join us at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose which was a childhood favorite of mine and the kids felt the same way!
Memorial Day weekend we spent in Calistoga to celebrate the wedding of Tony's cousin Andrew and his fiance Maggie. I had the absolute pleasure of seeing my favorite boss who made special time for Tony and I to drink, eat and watch the Warrior game! We had a blast reminiscing about the time that Tony showed up at Nordstrom while we were working in his camo gear and started to reach into his special "duck pouch" to show me all of the ducks he just killed on a hunt. It was a blast catching up with her and spending a weekend without the kids!
Memorial Day we spent at Tony's brother's "slough life house." It's hard to fully explain what slough life is. If you grew up in the Bay Area you definitely have an idea. For us it means sketchy water, sketchier people, family and lots of beer! We were blessed with so many friends and family who made the trip out to the house for a BBQ, fishing, floating, sports watching and drinking. One of my best friends from middle school, Lindsay, was able to join us and we had an impromptu baby shower for her and the twins she is expecting in October. It was a fantastic day. The only thing missing from the day were t-shirts that either said "Mazotti Family Reunion" or "All Star Camp Reunion!"
It is not often that I leave CA with sadness in my heart but this trip was especially difficult for me. It is hard returning to a place where you have a memory on every corner and the people who you grew up with know who you truly are without you having to say a word.
On our way back to ABQ we just had to stop by Disneyland. It is one of my favorite places to vacation and even with the kids getting older it is still a magical place. For instance, the kids got super lucky when we just happened to be in the right place at the right time...and they were asked to be in Star Wars show that parents wait in line days in advance to sign their kids up for. We didn't even know that the show existed, but after stumbling upon it and asking some questions, being told that we were the only people at Disneyland that did not know about it and being put on an eternal waiting list, we got a tap on the shoulder and asked "we have exactly 2 open spots this morning and you guys are here so if your kids want to...." Such luck!
As if having a one on one light saber battle with Darth Vader was not enough, they also got to meet their future nannies (also known as Storm Troopers.)
But my absolute favorite magical memory of all was when we were standing in line for California Soarin. A little quarrel transpired between the kids in line and I remember saying something to AJ about it to the effect of "did you think she did that intentionally? If not, did you really need to come over and tell us hoping that she got in trouble?" I can't quite remember exactly...but out of the blue one of the ride attendants says "You! Come here. Yea you! Come over here." He was so direct I thought that I was actually in trouble and it wasn't until he told me that I was not in trouble that I walked over to him. He opened up the barricade and told me that he was so impressed with the way that I handled the situation between my kids that he was going to let us go to the front of the line. I felt like I had won an Oscar! I even started to tear up! All these years I was absolutely convinced that I was doing it wrong and finally the validation that not only was I doing it right (in this very gruff man's eyes) but I was being rewarded for it in the best way possible! Not having to stand in a long hot line at Disneyland!
And we rewarded the kids for misbehaving and allowing me to have my moment of greatness with a trip down Splash Mountain!
Oh yea...and we also rewarded them for good grades with a trip to Downtown Disney and Build-A-Bear Workshop and Ride Makerz. Cha-Ching!
I still love watching the magic in my children's eyes when they see their favorite character or are amazed or terrified by a ride and although they are getting older they have not lost that innocent way of looking at the world as if anything is possible.
It was an epic 2000 mile road trip that I will never forget! Summer 2016 is off to a fantastic start!
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