After an incredible day at Disneyland, we got up and on the road the next morning headed south on the 5. It was a bit nostalgic for the grown ups as we passed our old stomping grounds in both Costa Mesa and Dana Point on our way to Carlsbad. Neva perked up a bit once she recognized the giant Lego letters on the drive into Legoland and immediately asked if I had brought her bathing suit.

She got reacquainted with the life-sized Lego family out front (next to the real Volvo, of course), and went into the park with a pretty serious agenda. She is now tall enough to go on many of the rides that were off-limits to her when we were regulars there and we started right in with the Aquazone Wave Racers. Fortunately (to my mind anyway), only our shoes got wet and we headed off to the Bionicle Blasters. Neva and Chris went spinning around...and around...and around as Louisa took videos and photos from the sidelines because "I don't like...those spinny rides" (-Barenaked Ladies). Once Neva and Chris were good and dizzy, we headed over to the Lego Technic Coaster thinking that after Disneyland, she would love this one. As much as she inherited her father's love of roller coasters, she also inherited her mothers dislike of long, steep drops that make your heart stop. So, for now, this is not her favorite ride, but we'll try again in a few years.

Ancient Egypt was next on the agenda and after a quick stop at the Pharoah's Revenge, we went on a Lost Kingdom Adventure to shoot up as many targets we could in the pyramid (The Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland definitely wins the battle of the laser guns over this one, and had a much shorter line by the way). Two rides down the Magic-Carpet-slide-thingy-that-is-so-new-it's-not-even-on-the-online-map-yet later, it was on to the Royal Joust so she could ride the horses. After securing the desired white horse for her ride, we convinced her that the Dragon was a coaster that she would like. She was a bit hesitant after the belly dropping experience on the Technic Coaster, but Mom and Dad are always right, of course, and she loved it so much we got straight back into line for a second ride.

After a quick burger break, she finally got to put on her bathing suit and get soaked. The Soak-N-Sail area has traditionally been her favorite area, and this trip was no exception. She rode the water slide too many times to count, waited not-so-patiently for the giant bucket of water to dump down on her head, and generally just ran around in the water for at least an hour.

At this point, Louisa headed over to Carl Strauss to meet up with some old friends from GIA while Chris and Neva continued riding until the park finally kicked them out at closing time. It was great to catch up with everyone from work and hear the news since I'm a terrible penpal and haven't been very good about keeping up via e-mail.

Saturday was spent in Pacific Beach with the Hubers and friends and our California girl got her beach fix for the trip. We're still not sure how she manages to stay in the frigid water so long and still have a good time, but we're glad she can. Our friends Michelle and Miles rode their bikes over to play with the "critter" and build sandcastles decorated with seashells. We had a super yummy dinner at the Hubers that night and got a chance to catch up with our adopted San Diego family. Neva and the other kids had a sleepover under the pool table while the adults chatted and traded news.

Sunday morning sent us north to St. Gregory's for Mass where we surprised the choir group with our visit. After devouring her "good behavior doughnut," she and her friend Katie ran all over the grounds while the adults got a chance to catch up. Sadly, it was then time to say goodbye to Chris and he headed back to Boston while Neva and Louisa headed West. About 2 hours into the trip, Neva guessed that were were going to Aunt Anne's house because we were in the desert. Having passed Dateland without stopping more times than we could count on previous trips, we decided that the time was right to finally try the World Famous Dateshake and were not disappointed (of course, Neva stuck with strawberry, but it was still yummy).

Two days of non-stop fun in Phoenix with Aunt Anne rounded out the rest of our week. She even got to go on her very first horse ride, complete with boots, chaps and a cowgirl hat. Oaky the horse was very obliging giving her two rides up the little hill and definitely earned her apple treats which Neva got to feed her. Neva was looking for more rides, but we convinced her that when she was older, she would be able to go on a real trail ride and although she really didn't want to leave the horses, the offer of another adventure finally got her back in the car. Lunch at the Horny Toad in Cave Creek was as good as always, and the margaritas did not disappoint the adults either. The rest of the afternoon and the next morning were spent at the water park up the street at the Squaw Peak resort. Once she hits the water, she seems to sprout gills and never wants to get out. The water slide was a huge hit and although Aunt Anne enjoyed the lazy river tube ride, Neva pronounced it "boring." She seems to enjoy the hot tub almost as much as the pool and can really swim now, which works great for the adults since we can watch from the sidelines! Our last evening of the trip was spent at CrackerJax, which included riding the racecars and bumper boats and her first round of golf (minigolf, that is). She also got to have a turn in the bungee jump dome bouncing on a trampoline in a harness attached to bungee cords on each side. Although she wasn't able to achieve a flip, she still had a great time bouncing around and asked several times to go again. Alas, that was not meant to be since it was closed by the time we finished our other activities.

If you have made it all the way to the end of this post, I applaud your patience and thank you for your interest. We packed a lot into a one week trip and wanted both to share the adventure with our friends and family as well as record it for posterity. Keep checking back, as there are many more adventures to come...