Fall Escape

Last week, we had the awesome opportunity to run away. . . really! It was so very nice to get away and do absolutely nothing (except watch the entire season of Man vs. Food) before things get crazy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and moving. We even got to go with our friends, Josh and Steph.
Jon, Ethan, and I took off Friday morning (Jon had the day off. . . Yeah for saving the air!) and we headed up early to spend a couple of days just the three of us before Josh and Steph joined us. It was so nice just to have some uninterrupted, quality family time. We took that opportunity to walk around and do some geo-caching. Our geo-sense is improving because we found some Awesome caches (hence. . . me holding a screw . . . it really serves no purpose!). We walked around Morro Bay, Cambria, and the neighborhood around Morro Strand. We even took a night walk out to the beach. The stars were so bright! Unfortunately, after searching for a lost flip flop (Ethan's), our flashlight almost going dead, and an unexpected mouse, we headed back home for bed. Josh and Stephanie joined us on Sunday. Monday morning we all woke up, packed a picnic and headed our for our BIG adventure of the week (this is literally the most any of us did the whole time. . so nice!). We headed out to Pismo to see the beginnings of the Monarch Grove season. There were so many there in November. . . but even more later on. It really is amazing to see all these monarch butterflies in one spot. Rumor has it that it's the largest grove of monarchs in the country.

From there, we headed up a steep hill (driving, of course!) for a picnic lunch overlooking the town of Pismo. It was a beautiful view along with a great park. Jon attempted to do some caching, but due to safety issues, decided not to dig through trash to find it. The kids had some time to roll down the hill, swing, and play. We spent the rest of the day at Avila Valley Farm and San Luis, before heading home to continue vegging out.

Tuesday, we did absolutely nothing for most of the day. It was so wonderful! We took naps and rested up before heading for a walk to a nearby neighborhood park at the Cloisters (a Morro Bay beach community). We all had fun playing and geocaching before we split up. Steph and I took the kids for a walk into town to the quilt shop, while Josh and Jon headed back home to get the cars to pick us up. It ended up being a LONG walk, including a rather steep hill. We had a blast, especially since the guys beat us to the Cotton Ball.

Wednesday came far too soon (Sniff sniff) and although I was ready to sleep in my own bed and sew up my new fabric, I was sad to leave the peacefulness of the beach behind. Before leaving, we went to the beach for some fun play time and an attempt to get our Christmas picture taken. Ethan was very hard to contain in his nice clothes that it wasn't long before we stripped him down and he darted for the water. He didn't have the patience to wait for his swim shorts . . . he wanted to play! He had so much fun frolicking in the sand and water! He loved feeling the sand between his fingers, throwing it, and in fact, tasting it.

The week was great! I can't wait til' our next adventure (which. . . just may be moving! We'll keep you posted!)