Day 2 - "Trust Me"
The short version . . . It's very difficult for me to summarize 19 packed hours in three sentences, but here is my best attempt for those who don't want the details.
We woke up too early, ate breakfast, picked strawberries, and waited in line. We enjoyed a full day in the park of riding, watching, playing, and shopping all things Lego. We travelled the 90 miles from Carlsbad to Los Angeles in fog and traffic, got separated from each other for an hour, waited for security, and boarded a double-decker plane.
More for those who want it (all times Pacific). All day long, we learned to trust each other, but most of all, to trust God. He brought us through nicely.
5:00 am We were clearly operating on Central Time, as the kids started waking up at their normal time (7:00 am), even after going to bed late the night before. We were a little afraid that their noise at 5:30 would not be appreciated by the other hotel guests, so we turned on Disney channel while getting ready. Funny how that quiets them right down.
6:30 am - One of the best continental breakfasts I've ever had, and we enjoyed a variety of food at the Fairfield Inn. I can't recommend the place more highly for anyone wanting to visit Legoland. It's a nice facility, good amenities (slightly small room), but very helpful staff.
7:30 am - We thought it would be a shame to be this close to the ocean (.5 mile) and not visit, so we looked for a good place to park and walk down on the beach. We found a state campground near our hotel and got a 15 minute visitor's pass. Unfortunately, it was cool and foggy, making it not as enjoyable as it could have been, but we still got to watch some surfers. Ask Sandy sometime how a wave almost washed her out to sea.
8:00 am - We knew we would be early to the park (it doesn't open until 10:00 am), but we drove there anyway. The gates were locked, so we decided to drive around and look at the town some. We were so glad we did. Less than 1/2 mile from the park was a huge "U-Pick Strawberry" field, with at least 120 acres of strawberries. All sorts of people were pulling off to pick, and we decided to have a morning snack of strawberries, so the whole family got involved picking them. Look at the picture and you'll see how much easier their field was than you might visualize picking strawberries to be.
8:45 am - Sandy was convinced that we needed to be one of the first cars in the park, so we drove and got in line. While waiting for the parking lot to open, the kids were watching a DVD on the van's system. I had recorded "That Darn Cat" from Disney channel a few weeks ago, and had it on a DVD for them to watch. It was funny to hear Alex try to say it. He kept calling the movie "That Barn Cat", which was fine with us. (Later that night, while leaving the restaurant, he ran outside, pointed to a guy, and yelled "That Barn Cat.")
9:30 am- So when we got in line to wait at Legoland, we were near the front. The kids were amazingly well-behaved and had fun just looking around at the decorations. virtually everything at the park is decorated or illustrated in Lego style. Even the Welcome sign was made completely out of Lego bricks.
I'm not going to give you the details of all we did in the park. I just suggest that you visit the website to get an idea of what it's like. (www.lego.com/legoland/california) I'm not a paid spokesman (in fact, I paid them royally for the ability to make this statement), but of all the theme parks I have visited, Legoland is the most beautiful, organized, safe, and functional. The cost wasn't even that prohibitive ($180 for a family of five, with nothing more to pay for other than food and souvenirs). The ride lines were ridiculously short; most of them we walked right into without even standing in line. People from all over the world were there, with so many beautiful children having the time of their lives. Here's a brief overview of some of the coolest things.
1. Lego driving school - All three kids got to drive their own electric vehicle through streets, with traffic signs and lights to obey. Puttering along at an amazing 3 mph, they had a blast.
2. The dragon roller coaster - No waiting at all, and the kids loved it.
3. Lego Mindstorms - Adam and dad played with robotic legos, programming them to do different sports events.
4. Knight's castle - a huge interactive playplace that Alex and Anna crawled all through.
5. Lego Racers 4D - A video show with amazing 3D effects and cool computer animated graphics.
6. Kidpower Tower - The children pull themselves up a tall tower with ropes (kind of complex to explain, but easy to learn).
This is just a small taste. The park kept us hopping from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, and I would estimate that we only did about 2/3 of what was available. After loading up on souvenirs at the shop, we walked away, but not before snapping this picture:
Sandy and I have been so pleased about how the kids have acted on this trip. Those of you who know our kids may or may not see them in whine and complain mode, but trust us, they can kick it into overdrive. But on this trip, nothing but positives and gratitude.
After leaving the park, we were starving for some good food. The first place we found was Applebee's, and it was delicious. However, I have discovered in the last couple of weeks that Adam has a very strong conscience about alcohol. Unfortunately, they sat us very near the bar. Two minutes after sitting down, Adam says, "Dad, I don't feel safe here because so many people are drinking." Apparently, the public school really emphasizes to children that alcohol consumption is to be avoided at all costs. Since we don't drink, Adam just assumes that anyone who drinks is doing something bad and hurting themselves. So it was time for a little lesson on the difference between social drinking, binge drinking, and underage drinking. I think he listened, but he still traded places with me so he wouldn't have to look at the bar. I just hope his conscience wasn't permanently scarred. The other two kids were oblivious, but Adam was very observant and bothered.
We were told by several Southern Californians that a Sunday evening drive from San Diego to LA would have little traffic and be no problem. All I can say is if that was light traffic, I couldn't imagine commuting that I-5 corridor during the week. Four or five lanes of traffic each way (eight in some places), with so many cars (many out-of-towners like me). I don't know how anyone could fall asleep driving on the freeway with all of the people changing lanes and zooming around. We missed a great view of the city and the ocean because of the smog. Our drive to the rental car return was uneventful, but stressful.
(9:00 p.m.) I'm not going to fully describe my problems with Alamo on this trip, but suffice it to say, I would not rent again from Alamo in Los Angeles and I probably wouldn't rent from them anywhere. In sharp contrast to everything else we experienced (theme park, hotel, airport, American and EVA airlines), the customer service from Alamo was dreadful. They cost us far more money than we counted on, made us late, left Sandy and the kids on the side of the street with all of our stuff. Enough said.
(9:45 pm) There have been so many ways this trip that we knew people were praying for us. The next two hours illustrate it for me powerfully.
We had left a bag the day before that needed to be picked up in a separate terminal from the one we were flying out of. We talked about it and determined that Sandy and the kids would stay on the shuttle bus with our stuff while David went in to retrieve the bag. American had apparently lost a bunch of bags from Miami, so the line at baggage service was fairly long. I knew my bag was right back there, but I spent 30 minutes standing in line listening to the three people in front of me explain why their lost bags were crucial for them to retrieve and how they couldn't believe American would lose their luggage. Behind me stood 10 more people with the same complaint. Fortunately, mine was easy to solve (once they got to me). But the whole time I was waiting in line, I'm thinking "I wonder how Sandy and the kids are doing on the shuttle bus?" I kept seeing the Alamo shuttles drive through and wondered if they were worried about me. Turns out, I should have been worried about them. Apparently, the shuttle driver decided it wasn't legal for her to let Sandy and the kids wait on the bus (even though we had paid them $240 for a one day rental), so she made them get off the bus on the sidewalk. Thankfully, she helped them unload our 500 pounds of boxes and luggage onto a cart. Then the driver pulled away. Perhaps you can imagine Sandy and the three kids on the sidewalk in Los Angeles at 10:15 pm, guarding 17 different pieces of luggage. Fortunately, they were standing right where I was supposed to meet the bus. I didn't see them, but they saw me running to the spot. Adam said, "Where were you dad? What took you so long?"
Carrying 9 checked pieces and 10 carry-ons would be hard enough, but the baggage check for international flights at LAX has lots of problem. David loaded everything on a cart and waited an hour for the bags and boxes to go through security. Now, I appreciate the work that the TSA does to keep our flights safe, but something needs to change. We were told to be to the airport 3-4 hours early for an international flight. It took every bit of 3 hours for us to go through the hoops. The lady in line in front of me had a box opened because they thought they saw something in it. They unpacked everything out of her box, examining it. She was not happy. I started praying and told Sandy to pray for our 9 pieces to quickly be approved. It sort of reminded me of the people who travel to Mexico and pray for the green light so they don't have to wait at the border. Baggage security is the border, and you just hope they aren't predisposed to find something to meet a quota. Fortunately, our boxes came through great. So we waited in another line to check in.
The next picture was taken about 11:30 pm, after already being in the airport 2 1/2 hours.
We look tired, but everyone was doing great. One more trip through security (we got a short line because of the stroller! Praise God!) and we went to the gate. I can't really describe the gate there, because it's the smallest one I have ever seen, but about 400 people were waiting to board this flight.
Most flights I've taken have a tunnel connecting the gate to the aircraft. I have been in an airport where we had to walk to the plane. In this case, they drove us to the plane via shuttle buses. The EVA airways lets families with children and elderly go first (a policy I think should be implemented everywhere!) When we finally got the plane after a 10 minute bus ride, it was a long walk into the plane. However, we made it with plenty of time to spare.
The battery is about dead on my laptop, so I'll have to sign out for now.
Next time: Day 3 - The shortest day of our lives
We woke up too early, ate breakfast, picked strawberries, and waited in line. We enjoyed a full day in the park of riding, watching, playing, and shopping all things Lego. We travelled the 90 miles from Carlsbad to Los Angeles in fog and traffic, got separated from each other for an hour, waited for security, and boarded a double-decker plane.
More for those who want it (all times Pacific). All day long, we learned to trust each other, but most of all, to trust God. He brought us through nicely.
5:00 am We were clearly operating on Central Time, as the kids started waking up at their normal time (7:00 am), even after going to bed late the night before. We were a little afraid that their noise at 5:30 would not be appreciated by the other hotel guests, so we turned on Disney channel while getting ready. Funny how that quiets them right down.
6:30 am - One of the best continental breakfasts I've ever had, and we enjoyed a variety of food at the Fairfield Inn. I can't recommend the place more highly for anyone wanting to visit Legoland. It's a nice facility, good amenities (slightly small room), but very helpful staff.
7:30 am - We thought it would be a shame to be this close to the ocean (.5 mile) and not visit, so we looked for a good place to park and walk down on the beach. We found a state campground near our hotel and got a 15 minute visitor's pass. Unfortunately, it was cool and foggy, making it not as enjoyable as it could have been, but we still got to watch some surfers. Ask Sandy sometime how a wave almost washed her out to sea.
8:00 am - We knew we would be early to the park (it doesn't open until 10:00 am), but we drove there anyway. The gates were locked, so we decided to drive around and look at the town some. We were so glad we did. Less than 1/2 mile from the park was a huge "U-Pick Strawberry" field, with at least 120 acres of strawberries. All sorts of people were pulling off to pick, and we decided to have a morning snack of strawberries, so the whole family got involved picking them. Look at the picture and you'll see how much easier their field was than you might visualize picking strawberries to be.
8:45 am - Sandy was convinced that we needed to be one of the first cars in the park, so we drove and got in line. While waiting for the parking lot to open, the kids were watching a DVD on the van's system. I had recorded "That Darn Cat" from Disney channel a few weeks ago, and had it on a DVD for them to watch. It was funny to hear Alex try to say it. He kept calling the movie "That Barn Cat", which was fine with us. (Later that night, while leaving the restaurant, he ran outside, pointed to a guy, and yelled "That Barn Cat.")
9:30 am- So when we got in line to wait at Legoland, we were near the front. The kids were amazingly well-behaved and had fun just looking around at the decorations. virtually everything at the park is decorated or illustrated in Lego style. Even the Welcome sign was made completely out of Lego bricks.
I'm not going to give you the details of all we did in the park. I just suggest that you visit the website to get an idea of what it's like. (www.lego.com/legoland/california) I'm not a paid spokesman (in fact, I paid them royally for the ability to make this statement), but of all the theme parks I have visited, Legoland is the most beautiful, organized, safe, and functional. The cost wasn't even that prohibitive ($180 for a family of five, with nothing more to pay for other than food and souvenirs). The ride lines were ridiculously short; most of them we walked right into without even standing in line. People from all over the world were there, with so many beautiful children having the time of their lives. Here's a brief overview of some of the coolest things.
1. Lego driving school - All three kids got to drive their own electric vehicle through streets, with traffic signs and lights to obey. Puttering along at an amazing 3 mph, they had a blast.
2. The dragon roller coaster - No waiting at all, and the kids loved it.
3. Lego Mindstorms - Adam and dad played with robotic legos, programming them to do different sports events.
4. Knight's castle - a huge interactive playplace that Alex and Anna crawled all through.
5. Lego Racers 4D - A video show with amazing 3D effects and cool computer animated graphics.
6. Kidpower Tower - The children pull themselves up a tall tower with ropes (kind of complex to explain, but easy to learn).
This is just a small taste. The park kept us hopping from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, and I would estimate that we only did about 2/3 of what was available. After loading up on souvenirs at the shop, we walked away, but not before snapping this picture:
Sandy and I have been so pleased about how the kids have acted on this trip. Those of you who know our kids may or may not see them in whine and complain mode, but trust us, they can kick it into overdrive. But on this trip, nothing but positives and gratitude.
After leaving the park, we were starving for some good food. The first place we found was Applebee's, and it was delicious. However, I have discovered in the last couple of weeks that Adam has a very strong conscience about alcohol. Unfortunately, they sat us very near the bar. Two minutes after sitting down, Adam says, "Dad, I don't feel safe here because so many people are drinking." Apparently, the public school really emphasizes to children that alcohol consumption is to be avoided at all costs. Since we don't drink, Adam just assumes that anyone who drinks is doing something bad and hurting themselves. So it was time for a little lesson on the difference between social drinking, binge drinking, and underage drinking. I think he listened, but he still traded places with me so he wouldn't have to look at the bar. I just hope his conscience wasn't permanently scarred. The other two kids were oblivious, but Adam was very observant and bothered.
We were told by several Southern Californians that a Sunday evening drive from San Diego to LA would have little traffic and be no problem. All I can say is if that was light traffic, I couldn't imagine commuting that I-5 corridor during the week. Four or five lanes of traffic each way (eight in some places), with so many cars (many out-of-towners like me). I don't know how anyone could fall asleep driving on the freeway with all of the people changing lanes and zooming around. We missed a great view of the city and the ocean because of the smog. Our drive to the rental car return was uneventful, but stressful.
(9:00 p.m.) I'm not going to fully describe my problems with Alamo on this trip, but suffice it to say, I would not rent again from Alamo in Los Angeles and I probably wouldn't rent from them anywhere. In sharp contrast to everything else we experienced (theme park, hotel, airport, American and EVA airlines), the customer service from Alamo was dreadful. They cost us far more money than we counted on, made us late, left Sandy and the kids on the side of the street with all of our stuff. Enough said.
(9:45 pm) There have been so many ways this trip that we knew people were praying for us. The next two hours illustrate it for me powerfully.
We had left a bag the day before that needed to be picked up in a separate terminal from the one we were flying out of. We talked about it and determined that Sandy and the kids would stay on the shuttle bus with our stuff while David went in to retrieve the bag. American had apparently lost a bunch of bags from Miami, so the line at baggage service was fairly long. I knew my bag was right back there, but I spent 30 minutes standing in line listening to the three people in front of me explain why their lost bags were crucial for them to retrieve and how they couldn't believe American would lose their luggage. Behind me stood 10 more people with the same complaint. Fortunately, mine was easy to solve (once they got to me). But the whole time I was waiting in line, I'm thinking "I wonder how Sandy and the kids are doing on the shuttle bus?" I kept seeing the Alamo shuttles drive through and wondered if they were worried about me. Turns out, I should have been worried about them. Apparently, the shuttle driver decided it wasn't legal for her to let Sandy and the kids wait on the bus (even though we had paid them $240 for a one day rental), so she made them get off the bus on the sidewalk. Thankfully, she helped them unload our 500 pounds of boxes and luggage onto a cart. Then the driver pulled away. Perhaps you can imagine Sandy and the three kids on the sidewalk in Los Angeles at 10:15 pm, guarding 17 different pieces of luggage. Fortunately, they were standing right where I was supposed to meet the bus. I didn't see them, but they saw me running to the spot. Adam said, "Where were you dad? What took you so long?"
Carrying 9 checked pieces and 10 carry-ons would be hard enough, but the baggage check for international flights at LAX has lots of problem. David loaded everything on a cart and waited an hour for the bags and boxes to go through security. Now, I appreciate the work that the TSA does to keep our flights safe, but something needs to change. We were told to be to the airport 3-4 hours early for an international flight. It took every bit of 3 hours for us to go through the hoops. The lady in line in front of me had a box opened because they thought they saw something in it. They unpacked everything out of her box, examining it. She was not happy. I started praying and told Sandy to pray for our 9 pieces to quickly be approved. It sort of reminded me of the people who travel to Mexico and pray for the green light so they don't have to wait at the border. Baggage security is the border, and you just hope they aren't predisposed to find something to meet a quota. Fortunately, our boxes came through great. So we waited in another line to check in.
The next picture was taken about 11:30 pm, after already being in the airport 2 1/2 hours.
We look tired, but everyone was doing great. One more trip through security (we got a short line because of the stroller! Praise God!) and we went to the gate. I can't really describe the gate there, because it's the smallest one I have ever seen, but about 400 people were waiting to board this flight.
Most flights I've taken have a tunnel connecting the gate to the aircraft. I have been in an airport where we had to walk to the plane. In this case, they drove us to the plane via shuttle buses. The EVA airways lets families with children and elderly go first (a policy I think should be implemented everywhere!) When we finally got the plane after a 10 minute bus ride, it was a long walk into the plane. However, we made it with plenty of time to spare.
The battery is about dead on my laptop, so I'll have to sign out for now.
Next time: Day 3 - The shortest day of our lives
posted by Central Christian College of the Bible at
7:42 PM
