For our second family vacation, we went to Canyon Lake and rented a house on top of a hill. You guys, the view from our patio was breathtaking. You could see water, and hills for miles. Even the air smelled different. I wish I could live there on a permanent basis.
Even on a cloud day, the view was still rockin.
The first couple of days we were there, we caught up with our family and attempted to take a nice family photo. This was the last shot we took. Clearly, my husband and daughter were not interested. Story of my life.
Can I digress for a quick second to show you my wardrobe ensemble? You guys, the 90's are back. Birkenstocks are back. I'm in love. Hardcore. I love chunky sandals, bold mismatching prints and grunge in a clean way. Anyways, back to our vacation.
My dad bought a splash pad for Anabelle, and she was pretty hesitant to try it out. He didn't air it all the way so every time she tried to slide down the slide, it would topple over. Bless his heart, he sure tried. Anabelle had so much fun for about three minutes, then she was over it.
Actually, let me back track a bit. I didn't bring Anabelle on vacation. I brought her doppelganger, Anabella. Anabella thought vacation meant she could complain about nearly everything (oh, and so did her daddy), she didn't have to listen to a word I said and she could throw tantrums every half hour. We had several heart to heart talks about this issue, and she finally agreed to magically turn back into my beloved, sweet child on our last day there. No joke. More on that later.
I went on a solo hike while Anabelle and my husband took a nap. I have never taken a real hike, much less alone. I've lived in the city/in the suburbs all my life, so hiking areas around here are scarce. When I told my husband I wanted to take a hike around our property, he was like, "ok, then go." Just like that, no big deal. It is a big deal! I would be out in the wilderness alone. With just my thoughts. I'm so glad I overcame my fear, because it allowed me to mediate for a while and enjoy the scenery and nature without a toddler and husband in the background complaining it was too hot. There was no one to tell me they were ready to head back or sigh out of boredom. I hiked for a good hour and half. I took a lot of pictures and practiced my photography skills (or lack thereof).
The terrain was rough and rocky. I climbed this steep hill because at a dead end because it looked challenging. I walked along the top of the hill and I saw something out of the corner of my eye scurry out of this indentation in the rock. It looked like a fox. I stopped frozen in my tracks, heart pounding, thinking I was going to be mauled by a wild animal. I wasn't. I ascended further up the hill and continued my trek. I was pretty proud of my little city self.
When I got back to the house, I enjoyed a swinging session with my best girl. It was so lovely to be able to relax and watch nature's magic without the whir of a vehicle or bustling city life. So lovely. I took this picture with my phone that I posted on instagram. T-Mobile sent my replacement phone the night before we left for vacation. Thanks, T-Mobile! You saved me.
I'm thankful the house had a gigantic tub Anabelle could play around in with knobs that were too tempting not to experiment with. It's the only thing that made bed time at a strange house bearable for her.
My husband couldn't resist giving her a faux double mohawk. Her hair is growing so quickly. Soon, she'll be ready for double top knots. Oh yeah.
Stay tuned for Parts Two and Three!
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