Hello and happy October! We are back from our US family travel adventures.
Had a wonderful time, returning with stacks of great memories and a ton of photos to help remind us of all the fun. Just before I get back into sharing some crafty inspiration with you here at Madex Creations - I thought I'd share a few travel pics for those that have been asking about our trip.
It was the first overseas holiday for the kids so lots of excitement at the departure gate. (Really need the contrasting lots of hours in the plane and at the airport 'after' pic but we were too pooped to take one!)
Had a weekend in Los Angeles to explore and settle in. A highlight was seeing the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Then off to Anaheim for 3 days of Disneyland. I went to Euro Disney in my 20s and have been busting to go again ever since.
Next stop was Vegas. Not my favourite of the cities we visited - loud, lights, music, just a bit all too loud for me. Liked the shopping though, and afterwards we really loved seeing a Cirque Du Soleil show - Zarcana.
The kids were stoked with the 4 floor M and Ms shop.
All dolled up to head off to the show.
Hoover Dam and the impressive bridge near it was a stop off we all enjoyed too.
One of the stand out bits of fabulousness from our trip was a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. Spectacular. Well worth every cent. We went with Maverick Helicopters and they were terrific - 5 stars from me.
We spent the afternoon exploring (and discovering that along with a bit of a fear off heights, I have a massive "son going near cliff edges" phobia - slightly lessened if he held his dad's hand. Wink.)
What a breathtaking part of the world. Nature is just awe inspiring.
A couple of days of big drives later we arrived in San Francisco.
A highlight was a glorious day for a trip to Alcatraz.
While we were there we spotted this cute little hummingbird. That made it onto my highlights list as well. Isn't it adorable? It was small - would fit into the palm of your hand.
Every holiday has a 'that was a mistake' story. Ours was a result of not reading the menu carefully at a chocolate place in San Fran. We thought we'd ordered Choc Dipped Strawberries for the equivalent of about $8 Aussie. The waiter brought this. (I'd have loved a pic of our slightly surprised faces. Ha ha. Thought we better commemorate it with a photo.)
San Francisco was very scenic to drive or walk around - loved the architecture.
Muir Woods north of San Fran was another place we all loved. So tranquil with all the lovely tall redwoods. Something very soul soothing about wandering through a forest.
Hello Pacific Ocean ....
Off down the coast now for a few days.
Some stand outs were Monterey Aquarium ....
Hearst Castle ....
Snapped a few colour inspiration pics.
And soon enough it was time to jump back on the plane and head home, feeling thankful for a wonderful experience.
So counting my blessings this month for being able to go on a cool adventure and spend lots of time with my three loves.
Gradually settling back into post holiday real life and catching up on emails and messages (and washing!) Give a holler if I've missed a message - brain and house organisation not quite 100% in gear yet!
Thanks for joining me for a little travel tale time. I'll be back soon with something more of the crafts variety!
Cheers, Sue