Thursday, August 23, 2012

Parents to Sherpas to Beach Bums

Let me speak frankly.

Traveling with children leaves a little something to be desired.

Gone are the days of hopping on an airplane and enjoying the opportunity to doze ad hoc... to comfortably sip a beverage of my choosing... to watch mindless television on a tiny screen.

Instead, all efforts to get myself, my husband and my baggage... no wait, I mean... CHILDREN (and then baggage) onto the plane, feels hasty, nerve wracking, and cumbersome. There is nothing smooth or awe inspiring about it; just my husband and I loaded up like poorly trained sherpas who have clearly brought too much stuff, and allowed novices (aka the kids) to attempt the proverbial climb.

Either way, traveling with a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old is a lot like traveling with... well, a 3.5 year old and a 10 month old. I can't complain. However, please note that Gravol does not work on all children... and babies who don't get their own seats only want to sleep when their "person"al pillow is in the most cramped and uncomfortable position of all time.

Fast forward to the good parts (where I shall skip the chaos of acquiring our condo key... and the first night where we only had 4 hours of sleep)... we are taking every advantage of the most beautiful heat and sunshine on earth.

Our Sherpa powers have been further put to the test with our daily trips to the beach (when in Maui right?) Laden to the nostrils with beach gear and blankets, towels and toys, sunblock and sunhats, we elegantly trudge our way across beautiful sandy beaches to the location of choice to sunbathe, sandcastle (that's right, just turned a noun into a verb), snorkel and soak in the rays.
Interesting point of note, although we almost arrive with 2 bags of stuff, our departure from our day at the beach results in having nothing in the bags... and every little item being somehow carried in our hands. The bags are meanwhile just as heavy as when we started... simply because they are entirely filled with sand. I wonder if that happens to real sherpas?

Well, all joking aside, this time with our family has been nothing but fun and joy. My kids are still adorable and my husband looks like a superhero in a swimsuit!!

Bring on the sunshine.



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