View of the flowing river rapids from my son's Villa Patio

We had a family reunion vacation at the Hyatt Grand Champion Resort in Indian Wells in the early Spring and it was wonderful.  Some of us had villas and others a suite and everyone was very pleased with the accommodations. 

My husband and I had a penthouse suite and the view was breathtaking as we were well above the top of the palm trees overlooking the pool and the mountains from our ample balcony; a perfect spot for meditating in the morning and taking in the view.

Our children with their families needed larger accommodations because of the kids, so they each stayed in the villas. The villas at the resort had large living rooms, kitchens and large beautifully designed private patios. Our grandchildren loved the spacious custom built-in Spa tubs in the patios, each with it’s own waterfall. Our son’s Villa was situated along a flowing river with the swirling rapids directly in front of their patio; all in all truly outstanding accommodations.

We loved our stay and we gave this resort a well deserved five-star rating.

Kerr Scott Reservoir Wilkesboro, NC

Wilkesboro and N.Wilkesboro are twin towns on the foothills of the Appalachians in North Carolina, about 30 miles south of Boone. The thought of this place warms my heart and energizes me because it’s where I spent the first few years of my life in the USA. It’s a lovely, scenic town with plenty of parks, creeks and nature trails and a silence about it that I just love. Every season leaves its signature touches on the town and I could spend hours just watching the trees from our windows and marvelling at how nature painted them shades of pink, green, brown and white, like clock work, year after year.

Anyway, we went back to visit friends in Mooresville, and just couldn’t return without driving to Wilkesboro. Nothing much has changed – if anything, it’s become even quieter and even more deserted, after a major home improvement moved its headquarters away from there. But, it still made us feel like we were back home. The Kerr Scott Resevoir, the Greenway trail, the scenic 421 highway were all the same, welcoming us in their silent way. Not many outsiders fell in love with Wilkesboro the way I did and not many of our friends understood what drew us to the town. Whatever it was, it’s very much real and still very powerful, for I can’t wait to go back there again.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Another example of the backyard variety – the Botanical Gardens in Atlanta are right next door to Piedmont Park and while we’ve visited the latter several times, somehow we never got around to stopping by the Gardens. Until last October. Usually, Fall in Atlanta isn’t much to write home about, but there couldn’t have been a more perfect time to visit the Botanical Gardens. (Except maybe spring…which we’ll have to wait and see!)

From rose gardens to cascading waterfalls to glass pumpkins and a greenhouse teeming with exotic plants – an afternoon here can work wonders for your inspiration and refresh you in wonderful ways.

Six Flags White Water Theme Park

Although we live just a few miles from Six Flags White Water in Atlanta, it’s taken us over 2 years to actually visit. Sometimes, the coolest attractions are in your backyard, but it takes you a while to get there.

250 Cobb Pkwy N # 100
Marietta, GA 30060
(770) 424-9283

Disney's Magic Kingdom

We took our daughter and my niece to Disney World – it was also our first trip to the world’s largest attraction and boy, were we amazed beyond words! It’s like entering a whole other universe – albeit an overpriced one – still, the magic (for you can never really tell how they pull it all off) is worth experiencing at least once. I’m glad my daughter and her cousin got to visit it together for the first time. We also toured Universal Studios, and although it has the cool rides and attractions found in LA, what’s missing is the Studio Tour which I consider the highlight.

Related Articles:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World’s Epcot
Walt Disney World – Off the Beaten Path
Finding Hidden Mickeys at Walt Disney World
Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Rainbow at Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, NY

Undoubtedly, one of the most spectacular vistas in the US. I’ve visited the Niagara Falls a handful of times and have felt more refreshed and enthralled each time. This year (2010) was special because we accompanied relatives visiting from Thailand. Two kids, five adults in a van on an unforgettable 15 hour road trip.

To learn more details read my article about Nostalgic Niagara Falls.

This is one of my favorite places to visit around Atlanta. In the summer, my family likes to go here for the many activities it has to offer including boating, biking, bird shows and more. In the winter, it features one of the most spectacular holiday light displays I’ve ever seen. It’s surprisingly affordable and entrance is actually free during some times of the year. We made multiple trips during various seasons, including one in Feb when entrance was Free!

For a more detailed account visit my post on Callaway Gardens Georgia.

Splashing away with glee!

My son had a blast today in our mommy and me class at the South Bay Adult School in Manhattan Beach, California. We meet there every Tuesday morning from 9:30am to 11:30am. When we first get there, we all sing songs together welcoming each child, then teaching sign language or showing pictures of animals etc. After that, we have an art project we work on. Today, we were having our children draw on paper for their first piece of artwork! Most of the toddlers are walking already and a bit older. Our son Christian is almost 1 year old, so he hasn’t quite grasped the concept of drawing yet as he only wants to eat the chalk. Christian is going to have to wait longer before we can try to draw, but some of the older children created some real Picassos!

After snack, we all went outside for playtime.   We’ve had a heat wave here lately, so I thought Christian might really love playing at the water table they have outside.  I took off his clothes except his diaper and lead him to it.  I couldn’t believe how much fun he had!  He was spashing like crazy, yelling with laughter and getting soaked in the process.  I took a ton of pictures and video as this was his first encounter with a water table.  I wish we could buy him one for his birthday because I know that Step 2 has one that small children love that’s not too expensive, but we are heading into the cooler season here. 

If it’s hot next week, I’m going to let him dive in again!

Mexican food was our choice for this evening. One of the best Mexican food places around is El Torito on the Redondo Beach Pier in Redondo Beach, California. They have a great Mexican Caesar salad, wonderful fajitas, and I really love their chicken and sour cream enchiladas. My husband always raves about their crunchy tacos and can’t get enough of the chips and salsa. For some reason the salsa was really spicy this time!

Beach View from table at El Torito Restaurant

El Torito is just a short walk from our home here in Redondo Beach. It’s always more appealing to walk to a nice sit-down dinner as opposed to driving. Not only do we get some exercise, but we get to take our son on a nice walk, and we are lucky enough sometimes to catch a beautiful sunset on the way! Tonight was no exception. As the sun crept toward the water’s edge, we were mesmerized by the hues of pink and purple painted across the sky. We were so moved by the scene, that we took several pictures to capture the moment.

All in all, our walk was perfect, our meal was delicious, and we can’t wait to do it again! I’m sure this will be a regular outing for us.

Sunset beyond the Redondo Beach Pier

5 Level Play Structure AdventurePlex at Marine

The AdventurePlex at Marine in Manhattan Beach California is where we took our 11 month old son Christian this afternoon for some family fun!  The address is 1701 Marine Ave. Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, only about 10 minutes away from our house in Redondo Beach.  We arrived at 2pm this afternoon and enrolled our son in a 90 minute interactive tumble class called “The Best Playdate Ever” which also included food and playtime in their 3 story high play structure. That thing was massive!  

During the first half of the class we spent time singing and dancing to songs like the “hokey pokey” with other parents and their toddlers.  Christian can’t walk yet, so we just propped him up and tried to go through all the motions and keep up with the others.  We did everything from playing catch and passing big foam balls back and forth to walking on balance beams (a few inches off the ground), to blowing bubbles and encouraging the kids to jump and burst the bubbles as they floated in the air.  

Christian having the time of his life in the pool of balls at the AdventurePlex!

After about 45 minutes of interacting with the other toddlers and young children in this musical forum, we left the class room and walked downstairs to the Courtside Cafe.  We sat down at one of the tables where our program director brought fruit, cheese and crackers for Christian to eat.  There were several other choices of food, but this is what we had selected for him when we first registered.  The Courtside Cafe is right next to the registration desk, and that giant play structure that I mentioned before was in the room next door just a few feet away.  I’m 42 years old (today is in fact my birthday), and I was eyeing that 5 level multi colored jungle gym with the same kind of anticipation and excitement that the kids around me were!    

Christian had the time of his life in that play structure.  It reminded me of a life sized hamster maze but on a much larger scale and on 5 different levels! Thankfully there was a section that was designated for children 3 and under, so we didn’t have to worry about Christian getting tramped on by some of the older kids.  We still had to keep a close eye on him, but all the padding everywhere made this a very safe place for him to play.  If you’re looking for a good place for your children to consume some of their energy, look no further.  This monumental play structure at the AdventurePlex at Marine is the place to do it!  

Christian playing in a tub filled with soft objects of different sizes and shapes

Courtside Cafe in AdventurePlex where Christian ate lunch