Our family is taking it’s first official “family vacation”. One van rented, three children piled in, two parents rotating driving duties, snacks, boogie boards, towels, bathing suits, flip flops, cameras and chaos will be on a seven day family road trip up the California Coast. I am thrilled, so very excited and looking forward to the memories to come.

We have planned the adventure of a lifetime. Or so I think. This adventure fills my heart in all the right places. It fills the parts that long for a road trip. It fills the places that look forward to giggles and frustration and exhausted kids after a day in the car. It fills the parts that love the idea of simplicity in travel and grass roots entertainment and family adventures in our own back yard. It fills the parts that long to try everything once with the ones I love. It fills the parts that take me on a childhood journey, but as an adult. It fills the parts that long to never grow up. It fills the parts that only want to experience things that matter.

Seven days with my family, seven days in a car and I couldn’t be more thrilled. All of the details are still left to fate. We have decided to land in LA to start our adventure. We know we will be exploring one or two theme parks while we travel the coast (votes are in for Disneyland, Universal Studios and Knotts Berry Farm), we know we will be traveling the coast and making it as far north as Big Sur and we know we will be doing it all as a family.

There is something so achingly beautiful about our adventure. Yes, we will surely get sick of one another. Yes, we will surely have melt downs and moments. Yes, we will surely disagree and fight a little. But, we will also bond in a way only family can when on a road trip. We will bond by racing to the entrance of the theme park, we will bond over sand castles and boogie boarding the surf. We will bond over trading off Avery duty, we will bond over sun and salt water. We will bond over making decisions and exploring new sites and seeking new adventure. And we will bond over the simplicity of it all. A road trip to California, salt air, sea water, a van piled high with that which matters most.

No words can even begin to describe or explain how rewarding the little road trip is for my heart. Full, full to the brim.