creativity with family events...

                             Our Fourth of July Adventure...( part 1 )
    A last minute adventure up to the bay area to attend great grandparents 70th wedding anniversary, where we joined over 50 family members. This , being last minute, with deciding the day of .With no car of our own, our family decided to be daring and race to book our trip ~ we left Morro Bay on a taxi ( bus was not running at 6am) then from SLO, departed on amtrak bus, arrived in San Jose and caught a taxi to our hotel,quickly dropped off our bags and luggage. From there walked to catch a city bus and walked the rest to the event. ~ what a day, a 12 hour day of traveling, oh my ~
We were not only greeted as we arrived but also were looked upon with admiration ~ we were not expected to attend because we did not have transportation and with three children all under the age of 4, using public transportation is typically unheard of...well we did...we used all public transportation and gave our children the value and importance of family, no matter what it takes. Even though this trip was one of the craziest things I have done as a mother, as far as straining every little last part of my mind body and soul, to gather enough strength to get through this. I will say that it was worth every minute ~ going green, saving the enviornment ~ teaching our children to be aware, of strangers and travels, the dangers and growth of the experience led to bonding our family for life...the time spent during the actual "travel" was the most bonding and special time, that I have ever spent with my children. The remainder of the trip was spent in the city, walking, talking and finding directions to grocery stores, meanwhile our " home" was the Fairmont Resort, I know right, well just so you know, any "corporate hotel" usually has amazing rates on holidays because the hotel/resort is not being utilized, so the rate we got, for the place we stayed was amazing....kids, and families everywhere, swimming pools and activities:you can even get a pool room with a balcony for just at a $100 dollars a night...wow what an adventure....for most the return home travel is one that we never look forward to...well we took a "train" home, the coastline amtrak train offers a great rate and an especially good time...going through tunnels and marsh lands, flat lands and mountains, our four hour journey home was the perfect end to our perfect "green" travels. Once we arrived home, the three bus ride home was not going to happen, it was the forth of July, so the buses and most public transit was not available....so we sucked it up, emptied our pockets and opted for a taxi home to Morro Bay - a $50 dollar taxi home that is...so as we arrive on our drive way, with all of our luggage items, three kids, back packs, cameras and purses...we really meant the saying  "it's good to be home".....we rolled our luggage and dragged ourseves up to the door step to realize we were then locked out........ugh, good thing I am a little person, climbed through the window and finally sighed with relief.....I turned the sprinkler on and put shorts on for myself and kids and awaited the fireworks that were about to begin...put up a tent and some lawn chairs and literally ended our trip with a "BANG",  what a trip, what an experience, what a great  traveling experience ~ ( we ventured on amtrak buses, trains, city buses, taxi and by foot)  so for those of you , do not freight , travel with your children, experience and introduce them to life and they way things work , you just might really enjoy the time spent "traveling", and here are a few more good reasons why:

by doing this you will be ~

~ saving the environment

~ eliminating wear and tear on your car

~ cost the same as gas money these days

~ teaching your children  the way of the world

~avoiding the traveling stress of getting lost or even breaking down...

~actually having time to enjoy your family and bond with your children and your mate

~helping the economy - keeping and making more jobs

~living life, experiencing life and staying green.....

  Meanwhile, always take a few shots here and there.....you may not get everyone in that "group" photo or even get them to look at the camera...but you can always come home with a few shots....and even if you don't get the "greatest" shots, take a little time, have a little fun and experiment with photoshop or what ever type of technique you may use........have fun, be creative and make it memorable...that is the moral of this here story...keep it real and it enjoy every minute...and do not be detoured by difficult challenges, you might just find it enjoyable....

                       " Live the Life you Love, Love the Life you Live "
                                                                       ~bob marley ( amber marley too:)

Here I have posted the REASON for our travels, Celebrating Audrey and Ken Marley's 70th Wedding Anniversary .......The sweetest couple, the most loving people ,gathered to celebrate, the love and admiration of this amazing couple and family....I hope to and strive to follow in their footsteps..  I will post the rest of our vacation later this weekend....
This why we did what we did and will always make a point to put our family first !

"Train" yourself too!
Great Grandma Marley says so  

(PART  2) Of OUR GREEN FAMILY EVENT ~ 
                                                        

All smiles before we realized we were in fact "locked out" hahah...