Our Family's Summer Vacation 2011

Our big family summer vacation this year was an extended weekend in the OC -

Down in Dana Point at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott.

We stayed there one night last year for my birthday and loved it so we decided to take the kids for a little vacation.

There are a lot of things to do and it's such a beautiful area, we were sure everyone would be happy.

First up, on the way down, we stopped at Knott's Berry Farm for a little amusement park fun.

We only stayed a few hours because it was pretty crowded, and compared to what it was like the last few times we went, we were spoiled. I'm not one for waiting in lines.

Then we went to the hotel. They were so nice there and showed us three different rooms from which to choose (which is very accommodating of them since we were using points).

It did not disappoint. We had a great room with plenty of space for all six of us.

It's right at Doheny Beach which is one of the top 5 beaches for beginner surfing. Also right there is the Dana Point harbor where one can rent any type of water craft to have a splashing good time.

And that was the plan.

And that is just what we did.

The first morning we hit the Jet Skis and that was a BLAST! The ocean was glassy, it was early enough that nobody else was out (10:00a.m.!) and we got up close with pelicans that would fly in formation right along with us speeding along the coast. It was fantastic and exhilarating!

The only downer was the nice waterproof HD camera/video that we used to take awesome photos and footage of everyone rippin' it up on the sea suddenly disappeared and was lost forever right as we pulled into the dock. Such a bummer! I'm hopeful that some good samaritan will find it and have it in their heart to turn it in. I told the staff that the reward can be they can keep the camera, just email me the photos! So these pictures were taken the next day when we went back to rent kayaks.

Another hit of the hotel was the kids' splash area at the pool. Very cute!

Kayaking!

That was a workout and super fun.

We took a break to climb the rocks to see the raging sea on the other side of the breaker.

Of course there was surfing. Lots of surfing.

The waves were teeny tiny which was great for the kids (nobody getting pummeled) but challenging for Madison (and of course John) to catch really good rides. She did super well and this was her first time that she just took off on her own and was catching nice long rides without any help or coaching. She spent hours out there in the lineup waiting patiently for the sets to come in.

Everyone had a chance to paddle around.

and QUACK!

And paddle.

Ashlyn was so cute. I called her little Nemo because her arms don't reach across the board so well which makes her paddling with her little hands so funny to watch.

She was totally awesome though! Atta Girl!

Hang Loose!

At night we walked down to the harbor to get ice cream and a really cool band was playing on this boat. Their sound was great and we enjoyed the free concert.

Breakfast (or any meals for that matter) at the hotels are really something else. Seriously, $115 for breakfast? Are you kidding me? We didn't even eat that much. Luckily we had four free kids' vouchers that we received from attending the kids movie night the previous evening or we would have been really feeling the pain.

Perhaps the cost of hotel food wouldn't be so extravagant if they didn't provide you with these. On our first night, John was trying to find something nearby to grab for dinner and it was getting late so we ordered from the hotel - very simple hot dogs for the kids (it was the cheapest!) and sandwiches for us. They gave us several bottles of darling ketchup, mayo, and mustard. No little one-use pouches here! Holy cow we had 18 cute little bottles of condiments. Seriously people, ease up on the sauce and lower your prices! ha!

The other thing we really wanted to make sure we did was paddle board. SUP (stand up paddle boarding) is all the rage now, thanks to Laird Hamilton, and Dana Point is a perfect place to try it out.

It was a lot of fun and we all got to try it.

It only takes a moment to find your balance and realize that the board is not going to tip over.

I was glad though for the calm bay, but Madison wanted to take it out to the ocean and try to ride the waves in.

Triumphant!

It's always fun to play in the sand while you await your turn.

Maddy and Brooke took a tandem turn and loved it.

Now it's my turn for a tandem turn, back to the dock.

Nobody fell in! I recently saw a photo of a bride and groom exit their wedding reception on SUPs - complete with gorgeous white gown - you don't even get wet, it's awesome.

The four-day summer vacation came quickly to a close.

Way too quickly.

Until next time!

Family Reunion Time

The Merrill Family Reunion was held July 5-9 camping at Leo Carrillo State Beach.

The cousins all had a blast getting reacquainted and playing non-stop on the beach or at the camp.

left to right: Madison, Spencer, Mikal, Uncle Matt

Maddy and Spencer collide.

I think every child was buried in the sand at one point or another.

Here are the ABC's of 2001.

Alyssa, Brooke, and Christa.

When they were just toddlers, we took a cute picture of them sitting on a sand dune at the beach, all wearing hats. Heather (Joe's) picked up some darling hats for them to wear for another history-making shot.

Then we used them on Becky, Miranda and Madison for fun.

Kids frolicking in the gorgeous surf.

Family picture time! Daniel designed these awesome family reunion t-shirts that we donned for the photos.

Here are the Heathers and me. Yes, they are all Heather Merrill. I am non-Heather.

Here's the whole Merrill clan. Grandma and Grandpa, 7 kids, 7 spouses, and 28 grandchildren.

Andy always wants to have an "outlaw" shot. We are the Merrill Outlaws.

S'more fun just about every night.

Uncle Andy brought this cool bottle rocket launcher (fashioned from an old Dish satellite).

The kids had a blast making that thing blast off.

We drove down to the far end of the beach. I had a dozen kids piled (literally) in my car along with 3 longboards and boogie boards, and Cole. They loved the unconventional way to travel.

I think Ashlyn here is not only enjoying the rays, but trying to breathe as it was pretty packed in the car!

Notice the kids playing happily in the sand . . . and the guy wiping out on the wave! So funny! I don't know who it is, but it was great timing.

Christian and Gavin goofing off.

On Friday night, John came back from work and went surfing. I brought the girls down to the beach after dinner so we could watch and take some pictures.

The pelicans were very active

dive bombing in the water

and making quite a splash.

Here John is coming in to say hi to us.

The setting sun put out such a beautiful light which made for some gorgeous photos.

Saturday morning we packed up camp and came home tired, hot, sweaty, dirty

to this . . .

Our neighborhood was completely closed off with

SWAT, a dozen sheriff cars and trucks, a hook-and-ladder, paramedic, 5th wheel, tents, trailers, K-9 units, battering ram, a chaplain and negotiators.

We had to park our loaded-to-the-ceiling-and-on-the-roof cars on the main street and have a police escort walk us to our house where we were to remain indoors the whole time.

John even got lightly reprimanded for trying to water the grass by our front door.

Turns out that a neighbor went berzerk and threatened his life (with a SWORD!?). His fiancee called 911 at 6am and she was outside the whole time with the police.

CRAZY!

For six hours our neighborhood was under house arrest (there's only one street to access) while the negotiators tried talking the guy out.

After about an hour of silence, they went through the unlocked front door and found him unconscious. Seriously, I'm hoping that law enforcement was using this opportunity for a DRILL as it was pretty over the top! There were no hostages, his fiancee was working with the police letting them know everything the guy owned. The man-power was pretty incredible and I don't even want to know how much it cost. Just goes to show how low-key this area is when something this benign can garner so much attention.

(the photos were taken from my balcony)

We were glad when it was over so we could unpack and go to the laundry mat!