Spring Break 2022 - California

 Mom is always up for a last minute get away. She asked Grandma and Grandpa Pikus and Noelle and Janson if they wanted to join the Yates for a quick Spring Beak Retreat. There was enough room in the car for Grandma and Grandpa so we planned to meet the Pace's in Oceanside

DAY 1

We knew a 10 hour drive would be difficult for grandpa. He had a wound on the bottom of his foot that he was told not to walk on and with a bad back, long car rides are hard for him. So we left mid morning and headed South. We were able to share the same State with Jayden (AKA Elder Yates) for a about 15 minutes. On our way down our SUV with 150,000 miles started to struggle and sputter. We had been waiting for 5 months for a new SUV we ordered to arrive but unfortunately everything takes much too long to buy since Covid. We were told it would be 6 months at most, but we know it will be longer. So we didn't have a choice and prayed we would make it there and back. We just recently got it out of the shop after being fixed, but it was short lived. So we stopped in St. George and had it looked at by a mechanic who said it was a cylinder but we had 3 others working and we would be fine on our trip even though the shudder seemed like we would break down at any minute. We definitely needed a miracle and we prayed for our SUV in every prayer. So we moved on and made it to Las Vegas where we were going to hang out for the evening before moving on the next morning to California. We checked into our hotel and then headed out to visit the Coca-Cola and M&M factory. Unfortunately by the time we Ubered from the Parking lot to the front entrance of the MGM grand because Grandpa couldn't walk on his foot the Coca-Cola factory closed. So we enjoyed the M&M factory where Grandma bought the kids $60 worth of M&M's (very over priced) and then we headed out to dinner at Denny's. We weren't done with our fun so we headed over to the Stratosphere where we bought unlimited ride wristbands for the kids while Grandma and Grandpa and Mom watched and enjoyed the view from the top. Auri has always been nervous of heights so she definitely didn't want to ride the rides and was very cautious when outside walking around the track and even sat down a few times when she got really nervous. The kids loved the rides and the views, it was worth the stop.

DAY 2

We traveled to Oceanside where we rented condos at the North Coast Village. We took our time getting there and once we arrived we invited the Pace family over for games and dinner. We decided to head out the hot tub later that evening where mom ran into her high school friend, Brittney King and her family there. Small World.  We headed to bed early knowing we would need our energy for the next day running around Knott's Berry Farm.

DAY 3

We woke up early and headed to Knott's Berry Farm where we met the Paces. Grandpa stayed behind since he didn't want to walk on his foot so he relaxed back at the Hotel. We made sure to get there in plenty of time to beat the crowds for the first few rides. Our first and most favorite ride of the day was Ghost Rider. Even Makai was brave enough and tall enough to ride it. His pictures definitely showed fear, but at the end he was ready to ride it for a second time. Traycen was a little nervous on a few of the rides but he was brave and endured most of them until the Excelerator. We loved the Western Village and especially the rapids where Grandma definitely won the prize for being the wettest. We also came across a turtle which made us think of Jayden and his turtle, Tommy. She was a great sport. Since the lines weren't too long we were able to get in all of the rides we wanted and leave at a reasonable time.

DAY 4

It was off to San Diego for the Day. We hit old town San Diego where we walked around the town and the shops and bought a few souvenirs. We had an incredible Mexican Lunch before heading out to go to La Jolla Beach for the tide pools. Noelle and Lacee had to leave for a Speaking engagement so Janson and the boys stayed back to play. We loved the tide pools where we saw sea lions, birds, crabs, clams and sea urchins. 

DAY 5

We wanted a lazy day before heading back to Utah so we hung out at our condo and the beach in Oceanside. The kids Body Boarded, made sandcastles, played soccer, walked the pier and threw a frisbee. We all grabbed beach chairs from the condo and Grandma realized her beach chair was actually a high chair, haha.We were sad Grandpa couldn't join us, but we made it back in time for dinner. We decided to splurge and go to the local seafood restaurant where Skyler was the most brave with his seafood soup. It was a perfect way to end a perfect trip. AND our SUV actually survived the entire trip. We realized once we got it into the shop when we got home that we were very lucky that it made it. $3500 later we were running good as new... For now!