Last weekend, we finally got a change of scenery. We took Peyton on her first road trip/weekend vacation. We are lucky enough that my grandparents have a cabin in the Sierras that we can use whenever. We thought it would be the perfect place to get away. Nothing but the woods for the weekend sounded like the perfect thing.
We headed up on Thursday evening. Unfortunately, we didn't think about it being a holiday weekend. 4th of July fell on a Wednesday, so it just didn't even become a thought in my head. So, our drive took a bit longer than expected. We had to stop 3 times (I think...) to tend to Sweet Pea. The drive took 4 hours. She was NOT a happy camper during the last hour or so of the trip. Broke my heart. It probably didn't help that it was getting late and she was in the car. I had hoped she would just fall asleep, but to no avail. She did eventually fall asleep, which let Paul and I relax a little more for the last bit of the ride.
We arrived at the cabin around 9:30 PM and still had to eat dinner! Luckily, we had thought a little ahead and made a lasagna to throw in the oven. It tasted so good after our hours spent on the road. And, as Paul says, "everything tastes better in the mountains". Not sure how it works, but everything we ate that weekend was absolutely delicious.
Our friends came up Friday to spend the weekend with us. Brandon, Shannon, Elena, and Brett headed up Friday afternoon and also fell victim to that pesky holiday traffic. But, once everyone was up there, it was good times! While we waited for their arrival, we spent the day enjoying the perfect weather and the peace and quiet that the woods provide. We walked down to the lake where I spent so many summers as a kid. It was nice and quiet there too! Maybe there aren't as many kids living up there anymore... Who knows. I can't wait until Peyton is a little older to spend evenings at the lake fishing and the days swimming around and lounging in the sun. I have fun memories up there and I can't wait to make some with my own family now. On the way back from the lake, I got to pick a little bouquet of wild sweet peas. Sweet peas for my Sweet Pea. Perfect.
That night, it was taco night. Something easy and quick with everyone just getting there sounded perfect. And, they were delicious. It was a fun night with drinks (Whipped cream vodka and root beer? AMAZING!), games (Apples to Apples is always fun), and pie. Peach pie. Delicious. Overall, a super fun night and a great way to kick off our weekend.
Saturday morning started out with Paul's very berry pancakes, one of my all time favorites. Then we decided to head to Columbia. It is a small historic state park influenced much by the gold rush. The little town is super cute. Paul was super excited to pan for gold... Until he found out that the gold panning troughs were stocked. The boys still did the gold panning, and even found some treasures! Though they didn't find much gold, it was definitely fun. In town, we stopped for some handmade candy and a refreshing sarsaparilla. Traditions that I get to continue with my little family definitely make me smile.
Back at the cabin, Saturday night (our last up there for the trip) was going to be grillin night. The menu called for some surf 'n' turf. YUM! We grilled up lobster tails (yes, they were amazing!), steaks and some scalloped potatoes. We had fruit salad, normal salad, and bread. Overall way too much food. But an amazing meal. We played Scatagories and ate S'mores. A perfect evening.
The weekend went by way too fast. We had a great time, and Peyton was so good. I can't wait to go more places with her. Next time we head up there, I definitely want to go longer, and go for a swim in the lake!
