Hi Friends! Well, we made it to Aruba! It was a long 24 hours of traveling. If you missed my last post about our travel snag, you can read about it here. Suffice to say that direct flights are always best, one connection is do-able, but any more than one connection becomes barbaric. Especially with a 3 year old!
She did amazing though. This is a picture taken about midnight in Salt Lake City, a mere 8 hours into our journey.
Skylar really didn’t sleep too terribly much on the flights, and no, we didn’t load her up with tons of dvds (didn’t even bring a dvd player with) or entice her with candy as bribes to “be good”.
This is a sampling of what I brought for snacks: Bars, carrots, broccoli, green beans, apples, and a random tomato I had to bring with to use up.
Skylar was just a great little traveler and was curious about every leg of the journey, how long we’d be in the air, what the next airport would be, and so forth. Much more tuned in than many adult travelers, if I do say so. What is with so many adult travelers being so aimless and clueless in airports? But I digress.
We made it to Aruba, it’s a desert and they get 17 inches of rain a year. Today they got about 5 inches and everything was flooded, some roads closed, everything took twice as long getting around the island to and from various destinations.
That didn’t stop us from hitting up the grocery store and stocking up, though. After the 24 hours that I had had, they were handing out free samples of Bailey’s Irish Creme blended with ice and they were the best two free samples of my life I think. It’s not like in the US where alcohol free samples would be a bit taboo. And Scott drove, of course, after my two shots.
I have posted about my love of Bailey’s in the form of Buttery Nipples, here.
After I downed two shots of Bailey’s at the grocery store, the crowded grocery store, flooded streets, the fact that I had been awake 30 hours with very little food, no shower, and tons of work that still was ahead of me, well, none of that mattered. I was happy! Scott said it just helped get the vacation off to a proper start. I agree!
Thanks for all the well-wishes on my trip that you all extended to me on my last post and for understanding about tech breaks and downramping my posting time, blogging time, commenting time, and that this next month is about family time and R & R time.
Breakfast/Dessert with a tropical twist: Overnight Chia Seed-Coconut-Mango Soaked Oats
Tip of the Day: $25 Oh Nuts Gift Certificate Give Away!
Questions
1. Do you need a lot of sleep? Do you think you can “train” your body to require less?
I used to need far more. Or I thought I did. As a mom, and with a crazy life, I have learned to live on less. Far less. Not sure if this is necessarily a good thing or not, but it’s the way life has changed for me the past 5 years or so.
In my teens and early 20s, I was Miss Eight to Nine Hours. Now, 8-9 hours comprises two nights of sleep. I always say, well, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
If I couldn’t work, couldn’t work out, couldn’t parent, I would say, oh this is a terrible thing not getting 8 hours a night, but since I am functioning pretty darn well in all those aspects of life, I figure I have simply adapted.
What do you think about sleep? How much do you need?
2. Best Grocery Store Free Samples You’ve had?
I don’t know if it’s the “best” but shots of Baileys are fun!
And Whole Foods does sample some great stuff on the rare occasion I set foot into the store. But I never buy what they’re sampling since I am cheap and would just rather make things on my own, anyway.
3. Best thing you’ve done or ate so far this weekend?
Simply getting here is the best!
I hope you have a great weekend and I’ll have beach and trip pictures to post, soon, I’m sure.
Tomorrow my 20 minute at-home workout will be a few yoga and core/ab moves. And I also plan to walk on the beach but I don’t know if I’d call that a “workout”. I’d call that a stroll.
