Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Staycation

I miss blogging! It's true, I'm busy but I love having this little place of mine to write my thoughts and share this journey. I've been reading your posts and commenting a bit here and there but my head hasn't been here.

And now? It seems that life is returning to what passes for typical around here.

Pie and I just returned from a mini staycation. I took a long weekend from work and Pie took a few days off school and we went adventuring! We stayed close to home the first two days. We spent some time on a visit to her previous school and daycare. She was so happy to see her teachers from last year, especialy Mr. T! It was a really great day and reminded me just how far we've come. A LONG way baby!

Then on Friday we rented a car packed our gear (ok, I packed our gear and Pie packed her toys) and headed to the Coast for some off season fun. We stayed at our favorite KOA (host of the now famous pancake breakfast) and enjoyed the pace of the off season. No Crowds! We arrived late Friday night after driving through a snow storm to a warm welcoming cabin. The staff had turned the heat turned the heat on for us, so kind!

Saturday morning after breakfast (and coffee for Mama) we head into town and hit up the local aquarium. It's nothing like it's spectacular and impressive sister to the South, just a 1 room deal with a few tanks and a pool up front full of Harbor Seals. The best part about this place for us is that because of the layout Piper can just explore on her own and I can observe without having to hover (since I can see her no matter where she goes). Also this place really highlights her smarts. She runs from tank to tank describing the inhabitants and using vocabulary that makes her sound like a scientist instead of a 7 year old. She never needs to read the placards and recognizes all the creatures. It's awesome. After our tour of sea creatures we hit the gift shop for a couple of cuddly critters to take home. Yes, a couple. Piper must always have 2 of her selected stuffies, one for each hand. She has always liked having multiples of the same thing which pre dx  really used to make my NT head spin. Piper has inherited my love for gift shops and this delights me! After the Aquarium we take a  walk on the beach with our very patient pooch, Sadie.

Next we go back to the KOA for a swim. We enjoyed our time at the pool playing Mama and Baby Harbor seal. After our swim we are hungry so back to town we go for a late lunch at our favorite restaurant. It's right on the beach and there are huge windows so it's almost like eating outside.  Piper did so good at the restaurant, I didn't even need to offer her the iphone until the very end of the meal. What a trooper! Eating out a restaurants is a new skill of ours and this Mama is happy that we are finally able to dine out successfully at a locale other than a fast food joint. They certainly don't have fresh clam chowder on the menu at those places!

After our bellies are filled we are ready for more adventures and find them easily at a State Park near our campground that features a real wrecked ship. Piper, Sadie and I are amazed when we see the shipwreck! Piper is so excited and thinks we discovered it and refuses my explanations and it's cute to see her so excited and proud. By now it's nearly sunset so we leave our discovery and head to camp to settle in and build our fire. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We are lucky that it's a clear night and we see so many stars! Piper is ready for bed before I am and settles in to watch a movie while I enjoy the fire and a glass of wine. She falls asleep before too long and I settle in soon after.

The next day we pack up and have a leisurely breakfast on our way back home. I feel an enormous amount of pride for doing this all on my own and with out an unmanageable hiccup. Taking trips like this with my ex always resulted in a bad time for everyone. He has a short fuse so any unexpected hurdle and he would blow and spoil the mood. Looking back I never realized how very miserable that was. It was really nice to make some new memories and to prove to myself that I am capable. Piper our dog Sadie and I all enjoyed ourselves immensely! 

Staycation Success!!

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