A Year in the Life of Kids Go West

It was a good year for my me and my son. Here we are in the final days of 2009, and we are healthy, happy, and just a bit more well-traveled. Yes, I’d have to say it was a fantastic year. So as I sit here with my pom-pom slippers-pondering my good fortune-I think it’s appropriate to share my joy with the world. Today I’m going to my blogging mountaintop to post forth my travel blessings.

I searched the blog for some of my favorite posts. I have to admit that I’m proud of how I captured these travel moments, happy that I decided to dabble in the world of blogging, and looking forward to another year. (You’ve been warned!)

Sometimes they were blessings in disguise, otherwise known as the story of my life.

• Here’s a little story of an unexpected road trip moment: Red Dawn on I-5 I will always remember my sleepy kid in the back seat, waking up and uttering: “The sun is a big red ball, mami!”.
• And I found that sometimes I can come up with posts even when I’m swamped and under pressure. I wrote this one in a hotel room in February:  When Maps Fall Into the Wrong Hands.
• Being a travel blogger means that I need to get out there as much as possible. So you can imagine my frustration when a long awaited trip was detoured in: Surviving a Sickation.

Sometimes I got a bit sappy about it.

• In August we sat on the beach in Kaui and I was gifted a heart : The Fuzzy Moments.
• This Snorkel Dream is just one of the reasons why I travel with my kid, despite all the trouble.

And there was always adventure to be found.

• I proved that I can go anywhere in my flip flops in: Hiking (A Bit) of the Napapli Coast.
• Sometimes all you have to do is lay down and stare up at the sky in: The Monarchs Are Back.
• Even in the midst of the worst California traffic and crowds, you can find awesome beauty:  Postcard From Yosemite.

I have a video camera and I know how to use it. Apologies.

• You may not like burritos for dinner, but you’re sure to love this Maui Sunset in: Burritos on the Beach.
• Look it’s a little LEGO President Obama.

And now for one more appreciation: you. Thanks to all of you who have stopped by to visit, contributed with your comments, and gave me a reason to keep up with the challenging task of maintaining a blog. You’ve helped make this a memorable year for me.

Photo Friday: Snowball Fight

Please note that no grandpas were hurt in the taking of this photograph.

Wishing the happiest of holiday seasons to all the Photo Friday folks over at Delicious Baby.

Photo Friday: Samba From Neverland

There I am in downtown San Jose, waiting for my little guy to board the Samba Balloon Ride, when I see this sign. Unbeknown to me, we were standing next to a little piece of pop culture history. I was also unknowingly blocking the sign from a lady trying to take a picture of it. Apparently, the historical significance of these spinning hot-air balloons didn’t escape her either.

The Balloon Samba is just one of the rides that were bought from Michael Jackson by Butler Amusements in 2008, and  after being featured at the California State Fair this past summer, have been making their way across California. They are currently stationed outside the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose as part of Christmas in the Park.

I’m linking up this photo to Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday. Hopefully, that lady behind me wasn’t a travel blogger and going to post up this photo too.

Dreaming of the Money Tree

My vacation plans are always bigger then my pocketbook. Every week, I dream of places I’d like to visit. Soon. This year. How about for Spring Break? My list of dream destinations is long, but my savings account is very small.

And I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a job with a lot of vacation time and a salary that makes it possible to take myself and my son on at least two big trips a year. I think of all the people I know who have lost their job or are barely making enough money to make ends meet, and I feel blessed to travel as much as I do. So I’m not going to whine and pout too much this Monday. Just enough to get it out of my system. I promise.

It’s just that lately my wanderlust has been mighty strong. It has been a few months since our last big trip and I’m ready to hit the open road again. I get tempted to pull out that credit card. I search for online deals. I contemplate taking time off work, so I can score some of those better prices on hotels and flights. I see that darned Disney commercial, with all the happy kids and Christmas decorations, and I think: what if I just drive down to Anaheim for a couple of days? Then I take out my calculator, crunch those magical numbers and realize that a two-day trip will cost me at least $600 for two people. As a single mom, that’s six hundred dollars that I can’t afford to spend. Even when I take the amusement park out of the equation, the price of a long weekend getaway can easily drain my very tight travel budget. And believe me, I know how to be a frugal traveler.

So I have to save and be patient. Soon enough, I will be packing for a trip. In the meantime, my son and I sit around dreaming of places we’d like to visit. Some days we actually lay out a map at bedtime and plan out routes instead of reading a bedtime story. Truthfully, all the dreaming and planning is half the fun.

Who needs the money tree anyway? I have a couple of paper maps to keep me busy for now. I also have lots of great travel posts around the blogosphere to keep me dreaming, starting with Mother of all Trips’ Monday Dreaming.

Pictured: Creatures, Great but Small

It often happens that whenever we’re out and about, we’ll come across a little animal and my son will utter the following words: “Take a picture of it”. So we do. That’s why my photo library is littered with tiny animals. I don’t have the camera or photographic skill to even capture these little animals in any sort of interesting way. Well, I’ll admit that I don’t even try. I’m just taking the photos because I’m appeasing my son.

But whatever the reason, or the outcome, these photos capture some of the little moments on our trips. They also show that young kids will find something interesting wherever they go. You may be standing next to the most awesome of all natural wonders, but your kid will spend most of the time fascinated by the little gecko under the rock. So here are some of the truly fascinating creatures that have crossed our path (often literally) on our travels. Get out those magnifying glasses. Oh, and my favorite are the dung beetles.

We’re linking up to Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday. Go there to check out all the other travel photos.

The Fuzzy Moments

Life is not always in focus, and neither is this photo. I’ve gotten pretty good at snapping pictures of my quick-moving son, but there are times when I just can’t capture every moment in its perfect state. Photography with kids is sometimes challenging. I’m usually clicking away on my camera and also talking, walking or barking directions at the same time. Even so, I often find little photographic nuggets of awesome, amongst the hundreds of photo discards.

This is the heart-shaped piece of coral my son found, and gifted to me, on Anini Beach in Kaui. I don’t like to take the flora and fauna from the beach, if I can help it. This time, I couldn’t help it. I really wanted to bring that special coral home with me, but we ended leaving it behind. At least, I have this fuzzy photo of my heart-shaped coral, to remind me of that glorious moment with my son, on a quiet beach in Kaui.

I’m participating in Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday, click on over there for other travel moments captured in photo.

Postcard From Maui

This isn’t a scratch and sniff photo, but I sure wish it was. Then I’d be able to transport you to the Alii Kula Lavender Farm with me, and you would breathe in the lavender breezes high up in the mountains of Maui. I can’t do that, so you’ll just have to use your powers of imagination. After visiting this place, I was ready to quit my job and become a lavender farmer. This place was just that beautiful.

Until my next postcard, aloha.