Vacation!

And we're back!

The Blanck Family arrived home last night at 2:00 in the morning after a fun-filled, whirlwind vacation through the Great Southwest. Where did we go? What did we do?

In twelve short days, we visited Los Angeles, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Tucson, Puerto Penasco (Mexico), San Diego and back to L.A. We managed to spend time & money at: Mandalay Bay, M&M World, Sponge Bob 4-D Movie, a Mexican market, The Midway (aircraft carrier museum), Sea World, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Coronado Island, and the Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium. We flew to L.A. & back, drove 1,775 miles in our rental car, and listened to all forty-four chapters of "The Swiss Family Robinson" on CD.

A few highlights and words of wisdom:

If you take your kids to Vegas, be prepared to do some 'splaining. "Mom, what's a brothel?"

If you pick up a jelly fish, it will sting you.

Sometimes jelly fish cleverly disguise themselves as water balloons.

The Grand Canyon is kind of dangerous -- I would not recommend it for small children.

The desert is hot in July.

California is cold, especially at night.

If you allow your child to eat whatever she wants on vacation, it only takes a week's worth of candy & doughnuts to give her a stomachache.

Books on CD are a gift from God when you're driving 1,775 miles with four kids.

The Border Patrol is not fooling around.

You really shouldn't allow your 8-year-old son to eat a banana split in the car, even if you're in a big hurry to get to San Diego.

If you do allow your 8-year-old son to eat a banana split in the car, the chocolate syrup which drips out the passenger door becomes a very useful way to identify your otherwise nondescript rental car.

And finally, always feed your kids before 11:30 at night, even if you're having a really good time and nobody wants to stop and eat. It's just a good idea.