Seaside Vacation

Yesterday, we packed up the kids and a whole lotta stuff and headed south, south, south to Seaside, Oregon. Per Google, the trip was supposed to take us 3.5 hours. Google obviously didn't allow for a lunch stop, multiple potty stops, and the remnants of holiday weekend traffic. We did make it in 4.5 hours, which isn't all that bad, but the kids were more than ready to get out of the car once we arrived ... so were Eric and I (mostly because they kids were ready to burn off some energy and Conor hadn't napped.)

Our timeshare is right on the beach, which is absolutely ideal (in my humble opinion). From our condo, we can see the beach, the ocean, plenty of seagulls, the local hills, and lots of beautiful evergreen trees. What we can't see is the sun. Apparently, it (like us) is on vacation. Oh well! We are under cloudy skies that have yet to rain on us, so we can't complain too much (if at all). A plus to the weather is it is rather windy and Annika had been itching to try out the kite we bought a couple of months ago.

Last night, we unpacked, got settled, made a grocery store run (which was CRAZY busy), ate dinner (leftover schnitzel and spaetzel ala my awesome brother ... thanks, Troy!!), and enjoyed the fact that we were on vacation. Eric and I even opened a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate. Quite lovely!

This morning, we explored the resort (hmmm... is this place a resort? It has a pool, but no spa. Hmmm... Need to ponder this for a minute. Sure! I'll say that it is a resort.) and got a better idea of the lay of the land. The kids and I found the pool (fortunately, it is heated AND has fountain thingies) and the hot tubs, as well as the little coffee/deli place and the foot showers (very important when staying at the beach).

After our expedition (much like Lewis and Clark's, I'm sure) the four of us loaded our arms full of sand toys, mats, and our kite (again, JUST LIKE Lewis and Clark... minus the raccoon skin hats) and headed down to the beach for some fun in the great outdoors. The kids had a great time burying themselves in the sand (see note about the foot showers above) and digging for treasures. Eric and Conor build sand structures  ... moreover, Eric build them and Conor swooped in like Godzilla and smashed them to smithereens. Annika discovered a sizable hole left by another beach visitor and quickly adopted it as her own. She and Conor looked like they were playing in a sand bathtub while they were both in it ... it was mighty cute!

Currently, we're having a condo full of quiet time. Conor is sleeping, Annika is watching a DVD, and Eric is reading. Me thinks it is the perfect time for me to sneak off to the local outlet mall! :)

The view from our balcony

Chillin' by the pool

Conor after his sand snack
(he's saying "cheese")