Senior Trip Day 1 - Trip to Newport Beach

Tyler and I were very lucky to go on June's Senior Trip. Joanna, Christina's mom, put it all together. She is a crazy planner. She got the villa reservation and planned all the meals. I think I helped out here and there, but for sure this was her deal. The plan was for two sets of parents, but at the last minute, Micah, Christina's dad, couldn't come, so Tyler was the main man. I'm so glad he could be there.

We all met at Christina's house early in the morning, so we could get on the road and make good time. The van was packed to the brim. It could hold 15, but don't forget that everyone brought gear. We were limited to a backpack each and everyone did a good job keeping stuff to a minimum.

Joanna is very serious about food. In the morning, there were tons of snacks on the counter and you were supposed to fill up a bag with whatever you like. It is hard to know what you are going to be in the mood for later. But there was no shortage of options.

Tyler started by driving, so I took the front seat with him. But I never moved. Driving went between Joanna and Tyler and I always just stayed in the front and chatted (or slept) next to the driver. I actually tried to stay awake with Joanna and chat with her because I felt bad sleeping when she was driving. Not the same for Tyler. I have slept while he has driven many a time.

We drove all the way through Vegas before we stopped for lunch. We tried to eat at Jack in the Box, but their lobby was closed. We didn’t want the kids to have to eat in the car, so we looked again and found In and Out Burger not far away. 

There was a long stint where I talked to Joanna about everything. I learned that she has hemophilia and about her struggle with pain and bleeding in her joints and how doctors wouldn’t give her medicine since she was a woman. Such tragic stories and so much pain. Most of her stories seem very dramatic, but in truth, I think most of them are. The kids spent time in the back making videos and taking selfies and having a pretty good time. They do a good job keeping each other entertained.

As we got closer to Los Angeles, we ordered pizza and worked on going the right way. I was often the navigator simply because I was up in the front seat. But I also helped order the pizza when Joanna’s phone didn’t work. I do feel like I was somewhat useful today, although i didn’t drive. We found the pizza place no problem. Then Tyler dropped off Joanna and I at the house and took the kids to the beach.

Our job was to scout the house and make sure they didn’t see us arrive with too many people. We are only 2 people over, but they have lots of strict rules and we didn’t want to get in trouble.

The house was beautiful. It was cozy and cute. There were four bedrooms and a huge kitchen and a nice dining area. The decor was beachy and I liked the roof area and the patio out front. The garage goes to a back alley which was super tight. It was crazy trying to get the van down that skinny thing. But Tyler made it work. 

When everything looked good, we had the kids come back from the beach. They picked rooms and decided where they were going to bunk. The boys didn’t want to share beds so two of them slept on a futon. I guess that is what they wanted. 

Joanna and I left to shop. The list was a mile long of stuff we needed. I kid you not. So much food to get. We had to alter the list just a bit because there was no grill on the premises. But we bought two grill pans while we were out. 

We went to Costo first. We filled two carts with so much food. We just kept loading it in. Wow, that woman can shop. I felt like I was on one of the grocery shows where you just keep putting stuff in the cart. It was crazy. I tried to be as helpful as possible, but I think Joanna just enjoyed having someone along. I did talk her out a lot of stuff. These kids don’t seem to be mowing through the food and we are going to have so many leftovers. I was trying to be the voice of reason. I guess we’ll see if I was needed or if I hurt the supplies. 

We got out of there just after they closed. Then it was on to walmart. There I was sent on more random errands to find different things. I was more of the cleanup crew and I was good at that. I found several items Joanna missed. Tyler called somewhere along the way asking where we were. I know...we were taking forever. They had enough time to walk down to the beach and play Spikeball. (Wah, without me) and they walked back in time for curfew. Good job. Looks like they also played some cards.

Finally we were done. We filled that 15 passenger van to the brim with food. We got the boys to unload and the kids to fill the fridge which was packed. We should eat well my friends. We should eat well. June did some Tetris magic and made everything fit in the fridge. Props!

All the kids were in their rooms by 11:30. Good for them. I learned that a good trip is better when you are prepared. Long gone are my days of showing up and just enjoying, but I don't mind being on this end either. These Seniors deserve a great time together.