We had a much-needed vacation this past weekend. It was a relief in many ways. For one, we’ve been in the midst of a really busy season, and it was so nice to get out of our routine and have a break. But it was also the first vacation we have really taken since Kembe came home, aside from our trip to see my family at Christmas (which felt more like traveling than a vacation). Our holiday trip was rather stressful and difficult, and our month-long stay in a hotel during the flood last summer was pretty awful, so I was beginning to believe that old saying, “there is no such thing as a vacation with small children”.
Well, I am happy to report we managed to have one.
I think a big part of the success of this trip was the fact that we were in a rental home instead of a hotel, so there was none of the sitting-in-the-dark-waiting-for-kids-to-sleep hotel rage that we’ve experienced on previous trips. Everyone had their own room, and there was a pool in the back yard, so the non-nappers could enjoy themselves while the nappers were sleeping. It was great to be able to cook for ourselves and have the space to unpack and relax.
The trip was sort of a working trip in that I’m working on a story about family travel to Palm Springs for a local publication. Mark and I have always loved going to Palm Springs. I am a sucker for the modern homes and the furniture stores, and Mark is a sucker for golf. This was our first trip with kids, and it really is a great destination.
Our first night there, we ate at Matchbox, which provided a great view of the street fair. It also provide me with an amazing beet salad followed by some bourbon chicken with sweet potato fritters. YUM.
On Friday we took the aerial tram up the “mountain” in a rotating cable car and let the kids hike around at the top.
We found a little snow embankment and the kids had fun catapulting dirty snowballs at each other.
That night we had dinner at Las Casuelas, a great open-air Mexican restaurant with live music. Before the band started, we were all entertained by a very drunk and awkwardly sexual dancer. But once the band kicked in, the Howertons rocked the dance floor.
On Saturday, we hit The Living Dessert, where my animal-loving daughter India spent a half hour brushing the hair of a goat that she named Peyton and begged to take home.
We also got a great view of the giraffes.
We spent every afternoon by the pool. All of the kids had a blast, and we were all very sad to leave. Operation Family Vacation was a success. And now, it’s back to laundry and lecture notes.
