Our First Night

So far the California trip has exceeded my relatively low expectations. I was planning on Robby Rotten running amok, but that has not been the case. Robby has been both well behaved and flexible. I could not be more pleased.

I envisioned the airplane ride being the most taxing part of our journey to California. I was mistaken. It turns out that I felt the most anxiety with my experience with the rental car. By this point, Robby was exhausted and was not keen on being strapped into another seat for even more traveling.

I brought my GPS from home and even thought ahead and programed the hotel address. All I had to do was hit one button and we would be routed to our hotel. I thought of everything, except that the rental cars would be stored a multi-story parking where garage satellite reception was impossible.

My plan was to drive out of the parking garage, pull off at he first exit, and wait for the GPS to route me to the hotel. Needless to say, my plan backfired. I ended up driving on a large highway (I-5) with cars zooming past me in all directions while I was frantically searching for a place to pull over. I drove 10 miles before the GPS figured out where I was and politely requested that I "make a U-turn when possible." Finally, after driving around Orange County for nearly 45 minutes, I found our hotel which is "conveniently located 10 miles from the airport."

Robby is thrilled with the hotel and all of the amenities. He loves looking out the window, proclaiming proudly that he can "see the whole wide world." (We are on the third floor.) He is fascinated with the ice machine, insisting that we need more "tiny baby ice cubes" about every hour or so. Two people, with no beverages, simply don't need that much ice!

Scott, unfortunately, has not had an easy time since we left yesterday morning. Virginia experienced torrential rains all day which apparently caused a leak through a sky light in our bedroom. It will be a relatively easy fix; all we have to do caulk around the skylight on the roof.

Unfortunately, he cut another hole in the ceiling to let the area dry out forgetting that we don't know how to repair the holes once they have been cut. We are close to fashioning polka dot ceilings with all of the holes that now need to be fixed. Yes, I leave Virginia and within 24 hours the house is literally falling apart.

Rob and I are getting ready to go downstairs for breakfast. He is eager to try "California pancakes." After breakfast, I anticipate spending the day in the pool and perhaps going to the ocean this afternoon. Of course, you never know what adventures might befall us today!

** Just a quick note. I typically post a blog every morning, at about the same time. I will continue to write daily, perhaps more should our adventures become "blog worthy." However, I am not confident that I will be posting at the same time every day. Too many variables make it impossible for me to remain on a schedule while out here... Sorry for the inconvenience!**