Crystal Cove

 Here are some pictures from the middle of our fall break trip to California. We drove to Mesquite Wednesday at 3 and got there in time to try out the pool.and arcade. Nikki and Clint met up with us and we swapped out Tziporah for Freestone. I am so grateful they were willing to take an extra kid so we didn't have to fly anyone. Also grateful that they informed us that the mythical $27 hotel rooms you see billboards for...are real. We even got two rooms in Mesquite! That's almost enough beds for everyone!

 Thursday we left Mesquite at 5 am and spent the post-drive day at Oceanside with the cousins. Jeff and Richelle, Grandma and Grandpa and the Arizona Dopps were there. We all loved the family time, but since we hadn't planned this trip with the fam, we were staying 45 minutes away in Newport.

We spent Friday and Saturday at the beach and pools in Newport, then met the family for a beach bonfire in Oceanside Saturday night. That was so much fun. The cousins get along so well. I found out recently that they all have a chat going and text each other all the time. I love it!

Sunday, we got up early to relax. We didn't want to leave. The Marriott Villas were luxurious. The reason we stayed there was that I got roped into this timeshare presentation deal, where they give you the Newport Villas for $99 a night if you do the presentation. Scott and I had fun sting through the schpiel, but there's no way we would pay $20,000 plus $1500 a year to be part of a club. They don't understand how cheaply we travel. Speaking of which, we just booked flights to Amsterdam for Ruby, Scott and me for $330 Roundtrip on United. I think some fares are still available today to Europe. Search for them on Whichairline.com. I wish we could take the whole family.

And that's why Newport was so fun, because we were all together. We loved every minute. One great thing about the Villas is that there are fun activities for the kids. Their favorite thing about the trip was the arcade. Sad but oh well! As long as they're happy!