Statistics don't tell the whole story

• 1,600 miles
• 78 gallons of petrol
• 14 hours travel time
• 10 slepless nights
• 3 sick kids
• 1 Lord of Catan

We recenlty took a road trip to Santa Cruz, Ca to visit Eric and Lynn Ingram and their family. During the drive up I was reminded of that song by Alanis Morrisette called " Isn't it ironic? " In light of the expensive petrol prices we decided to pack light and squezze into Mike's car which gives about 7-9 miles more to the gallon than my car. As irony would have it, Mike's car did not perform as expected and we found ourselves getting the same mileage as mine, yet we had about half the room to spread out and a lot less of a smooth ride... In any event, we made it to Santa Cruz on a beautiful and sunny Friday afternoon. Eric plays beach volleyball on Fridays so they we were waiting for us at the beach... what a treat it was after such a long drive to let our shoes loose and run in the sand!

Our vacation was less than smooth because the kids fell ill, consequently we (I) suffered from lack of sleep. I had big plans to do running and mountain-biking galore, yet every morning I found myself running to Lynn's pot of hot coffee and only desiring to go back to bed.

In spite of this, it (this vacation) was a solace from the hot and weary desert! We were able to spend a lot of time outside: at the beach, the boardwalk, the park and Mike was fortunate to do several "epic rides" aboard the "green hornet".

In addition to giving ourselves a break from the heat, we were privileged to spend a lot of quality time with the Ingrams.Eric and Mike went to gradschool together and we have always made an effort to visit each other. Last time we saw them was nearly three years ago when they were living in Atlanta. In three years our family lives have changed considerably. We now have two kids per family so we were re-learning who we are as friends, as parents and spouses.

When Gabriel was a newborn we asked Eric and Lynn to become our children's guardians in the event something was to happen to both of us and it was such a blessing to witness that we have the same desires for our children and that Gabriel and Doménica would be in great hands under their care...

Emory (3) and Gabriel became instant buddies, they were super silly around each other and the little ones just trailed behind them. Most mornings Mike rode his bike, most days we went to the beach, most afternoons the kids napped and EVERY night Eric and Mike played any game (horse shoes, video games, cards, Settlers of Catan) in which they would try to beat each other at. Most nights Lynn baked cookies from scratch and made Java-Lava floats (coffee ice cream, vanilla ice cream, one banana and one secret indredient). They were so hospitable !

As you can see, statistics barely tell the story! Truth is, we came home filled with great memories (Mike's epic ride, Java-Lava floats and Eric becoming the reigning Lord of Catan are top three) and with the desire to promptly see them again. To view more pictures of our trip click my facebook link below:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34594&l=61eaa&id=620636568

Lynn made special pancakes for Gabriel's birthday

We celebrated both Mike's and Gabriel's birthday

Gabriel and Emory, instant buds

The guys with the kids

Mike and Eric, hauling the kids around at the Santa Cruz boardwalk