Hello! I have been off the grid, so to speak, for a little while on a family camping trip. We went up to Lake Tahoe for a few days to enjoy cooler temps and fresh air. It is always so much work to prepare for a camping trip (and so much laundry when we get home), but it is always worth it.

I love sleeping in a tent under the stars and waking up to the hushed voices and breakfast smells of a campground. Fellow campers are always so friendly- it is as if we have some unspoken bond because we are all "the kind of people who go camping". We can refer to things like "camp soap" or "deet" or a "rain fly" amongst ourselves knowing that there is no need for explanation.

Thursday night, we had quite an adventure! Sometime around 3am, we were awoken by the sound of a cooler being tossed around and bear locker doors being rattled. We listened for a little while before my husband looked out the tent window. He turned on his flashlight and scanned the area in the direction of the ruckus until, just one campsite over, he saw a GIANT black bear! The bear's eyes were glowing in the flashlight beam and he did not appear to enjoy the bright light in his face. We quickly shut the light off and looked at each other with wide eyes that silently said, "holy crap!" We sat for a moment before my son, not knowing that there was a humungous bear outside, woke up and said, "I have to go potty." Really? Now? Really?!

We waited until the bear lumbered off into the trees and it quieted down outside to take our bathroom trip. But, a little while later, the bear was back! He found something in another site and was making a bunch of noise again. One by one, the people around us began waking up and emerging from their tents to see what was going on. They whispered and pointed flashlights saying, "see him, over there?"

I know I'm crazy, but I LOVED seeing this big ol' bear! I so wish I had a picture of him! I also love the solidarity that this sort of encounter draws out. People who have never spoken before are suddenly sharing stories and flashlights and time.

Fortunately our food was stored safely away from the bear in our bear locker! Our camping menu was similar to last year. I also brought along some homemade soft pretzels and a container of Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style We Can't Say It's Cheese Spread, my quick and easy granola bars, instant oatmeal with Justin's Nut Butter packets, and a couple more things from my picnic food recipe round up.


My favorite meal on this trip was pasta with veggies and "meatballs" (I used Nate's Meatless Meatballs but Trader Joe's carries them under their label too). This is a meal that is easy to prepare and travels well. I plan to prep a bunch of veggies and freeze them in freezer bags for a quick at-home version of this that I can pull out on busy nights.

Pasta and Veggies To Go
Serves about 4

1 small eggplant, chopped
1 medium zucchini or other summer squash, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4-6 cups of raw spinach
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jar of marinara or other red sauce
1 package of whole wheat penne pasta
Sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, to taste
1 package vegetarian "meatballs"
Olive oil

There is something seriously fantastic about vacation that is so centering for me. It is like my nerves are reset and my brain is purged of all of the chatter that normally takes place in my head. I can focus. I can relax. I can breath. I am reminded not to wait for moments that are special to live in the moment. I soak up simple pleasures like a restaurant on the beach where birds land on the tables and the air smells like flowers.


Obviously this isn't unique to me- that's what vacations are for! I don't think that there is anything magical about the place either (other than the natural beauty of Hawaii, where we were on this most recent trip). Mostly I think that this kind of break takes away all of the have-to and hurry-up that feverishly plague my daily mind. It is a chill pill. A break from my to-do list, forced by distance and circumstance and welcomed with open arms.


I went for a run on Ka'anapali beach one quiet morning. It was interesting to me that the same beaches that lend themselves to family frolicking and sunset walks at different times of the day are the same places where people seem to prefer solitude in the early hours. The morning on the beach is a private time. Those hours are for running and walking and painting and reading and journaling and yoga. I love to see people nurturing themselves in those ways.


My running footprints had an organic swagger created by sneaky waves and my curious interest in beach creatures (there were little crabs running to hide as I passed by them)! This is a sunset photo, but the same is true of my footprints here!


Taking this kind of break together is also so important for us as a family. We bond, laugh, and experience first-times together. My kids' only jobs at this point in their lives are to grow and learn. We nurture them so that they might do this laughing and with good manners. Traveling as a family, I believe, is immeasurably valuable for little growing brains and for family bonds.

A nighttime hunt for bugs, frogs and lizards:







Now that I've been home for a couple of weeks, I'm trying hard to let go of the small naggy stuff and, instead, stay connected to the goodness.

Of course it isn't possible for us to jump on a plane every time we need a break. I actually wrote myself a list (don't laugh, I'm serious!) of little restorative things that I can do to kindle the warm-fuzzies when I need it. It is a long list! Here are some things that are resonating with me right now:

What would be on your list?

A nurturing read: I read a few books on my trip and I really enjoyed this one:

Getting ready to go on vacation is never really easy. Packing always takes significantly longer than I ever imagine that it will. For our latest adventure, we traveled by airplane (yes, another trip right after our California RV adventure!) and that makes all of the preparing and packing and whatnot just that much harder. I can never find decent food in an airport for myself (let alone something that my kids will like and that I'll feel good giving to them). This time, I wanted to be prepared instead of starving a few hours into our flight!

Breakfast:

Our flight was at 10am, so we had a chance to have breakfast before boarding. My husband and I had breakfast at home but, since we had to get the kids up and ready early, I made a portable breakfast for them. Super pancakes (in the mix: whole wheat and all-purpose flour mix, hemp seeds, almond milk, banana, canola oil, vanilla, baking powder) and fresh blueberries. Because these pancakes are sweet from the banana, the kids love them without any toppings and that makes them extra portable and great for in-car breakfasts.

Lunch:

Instead of purchasing an airline meal (that may or may not be something that we can eat), I packed a snack bag for each of us. Our bags contained sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwiches (I didn't want to break any "no peanut" rules that we may have encountered so I avoided peanut butter), edamame (soy beans), snack bars (Clif ZBars, Nu Go bars, etc.), Snapea Crisps, sliced apples, and Snackimals cookies.

More on our latest excursion soon!

What kind of foods do you like to bring with you when you travel? Any grab-and-go favorites?

Over the past couple of weeks I have been on a road trip in an RV through all kinds of places in my home state of California. We've been to the desert and to the beach. In hot places (surprisingly the coast!) and cold (nighttime near Mono Lake). We've soaked in mineral springs, climbed sand dunes, toured a ghost town, visited family, built with Legos, boarded Air Force One, and high-fived Mickey Mouse. My kids are wiped out but we're all having a great adventure.

A few highlights:

Along Hwy 395 in the Eastern Sierra:

I went for a run here one morning- that is Mt. Whitney in the background (the highest mountain in the contiguous US):

My little gardeners:

Sand dunes in Death Valley:

Badwater Basin salt flats (it looks like snow, but it is salt!):

 

 

Desert sunset:

Crazy hot spring resort just south of Death Valley. This place had private mineral baths- so neat!

Schoolhouse at the Calico ghost town:

Carlsbad State Beach:

 

Fun!

 

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (this place made me cry- very moving!):

"Let's squish our faces together!":

Vacation is awesome. Not only do I temporarily escape the must-do routine of daily life, but I find myself repeatedly shocked out of the numbness of normal. A family of big horn sheep on the side of the road. Laying in bed and having a conversation with a toddler in a moonlit RV. A crazy hot spring resort in the middle of the desert. All things unusual. All things special. All things with lasting impact beyond their tangible contact.

Vacation provides opportunities for us to learn more about each other too. Such as when we heard a song on the radio that my husband dislikes so much that it almost makes him mad. Normally we don't listen to the radio together. Especially the one odd (and crummy) station that we found when we were in the middle of the desert. In the context of our routine, we might not have known things like this about each other. Vacation affords room to make exceptions. To bedtimes. To having dessert before dinner. We try new foods that aren't a part of our usual spread. Some may be added to the rotation at home, some are "I-have-to-try-____-while-I'm-in-_____" foods.

I was born in Southern California and lived there until I was 8 1/2. I have mentioned before my love affair with all of the magical things that grow in the Southern California climate. I so love the warm salty air, avocado and citrus groves, brightly colored flowers, and jacaranda trees. I even saw cherimoyas at a roadside produce stand, swoon!

Even though our road trip schedule has been crazy (think 5 consecutive theme park days!), I feel decompressed. I'm tired but content. I'm unwound. My left brain has relaxed enough to allow my stress-averse creative side to emerge from hibernation. I love that I've had moments that call for the notebook that I carry around in my bag or even my iPhone note app because I simply must capture a passing thought before it gets away. I am pleasantly surprised to learn this about myself: inspiration to be creative or to write doesn't come from quiet. It comes when my mind is un-numb. Thank you vacation for this!

Last week, my husband and I took our kids tent camping in Lake Tahoe. This might sound like a crazy idea, considering that both of our kids are under five years old, but it was great! The weather was perfect and, with a little planning, we were able to eat well and have fun. The kids, of course, got really, REALLY dirty...