Vacation is great…no doubt! Last week was Fall Break in October where most of the kids are underfoot 24/7. Dave had a busy week of work and conferences in San Francisco, so Buzz and I tagged along on the adventure. We were "on our own" most of the time while "Dad" worked. The ONE good thing about a husband who travels is the one time a year you can take total and efficient advantage of his Hyatt status! We went from Fisherman's Wharf to Ghiradelli Square, Lombard Street to prison! What? Prison? We had never been to Alcatraz, so we decided to go for it together! All I had ever heard about it was from my sister and Dave. They had a vision of being locked in solitary confinement and how CRAZY it felt! YIKES!! It was a GREAT trip. If you ever want to go, plan ahead. Tickets sell out (even in October).
Will and I enjoyed the videos and the self guided headphone tour. When asked by several people about it later, he said "I would never want to live there!"…Well, that is one point for Mom! It is always a good thing when your teenage boy sees the dark side of prison! And YES…there was a solitary confinement which was extraordinarily creepy! The prisoner's primary memory was that of hearing voices from the city and knowing how close they were to freedom but not being able to achieve it.
We are so blessed in America. If you have a dream and you put in the hard work, you can achieve it. You don't need to just hear the sounds of the city, you can BE in the city!
After a few days, it was off to the Silicon Valley. I had never been there although Dave has worked from that location for a few years. Dotted with office buildings and "campus" frenzy! Most major business and engineering schools have a campus in this area for hiring purposes and to compete with Stanford. Will and I opted for a day at the movie, a trip to Santa Cruz, and some time with grad school friends. If you think you are not spending enough time with your teenager, take them on a trip! We had time to tackle every possible conversation and go on adventures together that we would never have done on our own.
Yesterday, we packed our bags and climbed back into the rental car for the last time to head to the airport. It dawned on me how much I have to be thankful for in Colorado. It is GREAT to vacation, but there is something about flying over the Rockies of Colorado and knowing you are almost home. The people in the airport looked different, the air smelled better, and the thought of sleeping in my own bed sounded AWESOME! That may be why I was late to choir this morning after getting ready in record time (6 minutes…thank God I had a shower before bed and laid out my clothes!). I know, I know…I will have to check in again with everyone on Wednesday when we are expecting our first snowfall in Denver. For now…bring it on! There is no place like home!
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