Dorrel and Stephanie: Spring Break 2012

It's our 11th year visiting Ocean Shores for Spring Break. The first year we went, I was pregnant with Elizabeth. We've only missed once, the year Miriam was born. That year Spring Break was just a few weeks after our little preemie joined us and there was no way a recovering c-section mom was going to pack her tiny baby, pump, and all other baby items to the beach. If you do the math, you'll realize that means my mom and I were bringing two kids with us to the ocean when we started. Over the years, we've grown to eight kids. This year, we're down to seven because Jacob has a job and didn't join us.

It was with equal parts anticipation and dread that spring break approached. I can't stand to come home to a messy house and use the getting ready time to tackle some projects around the house. Pack for everyone, deal with day to day life, why not clean both ovens, wash all the sheets in the house the same day, etc. By the time it was time to go, I was pretty beat. Here's part of an email I sent Dode Tuesday morning, "I just had the fun of trying to dig things out of the wooden bin, untangle kite strings, etc. while Miriam hollers from the house, "Mom, I need you to come tie my balloon!" Life is a big chaotic here." (We have a large wooden cabinet we keep all our outdoor toys in. When the kids are sent to put things away, they just do a big shove and push and things are always piled up inside and in front of it. I had to wade through a mess, shoving things out of the way, just to get to the bin! And Miriam hollering from the house? The distance between the house and the garage is about 150 feet and the wooden bin is way back in the garage. Trying to communicate back and forth is not easy! But at least what she was trying to get my attention about was really important!)

We left on Tuesday morning, stopping at Elizabeth's favorite restaurant for lunch, Taco Bell. As we were about 20 miles from Ocean Shores, we drove through brilliant sunshine. I couldn't wait to get to the beach. Then, we turned and started driving into a dark menacing cloud. By the time we pulled into Ocean Shores, we were driving in a hail storm. After about an hour, the clouds moved on and we were treated to a beautiful sunny day.

one of our traditions is to have pizza in town the day we arrive. There are three pizza places in Ocean Shores and none of them are stellar. Miriam used the time waiting for the pizza to arrive to watch a movie. Seeing her standing in a shaft of sunlight, she looked like a little angel.

Fluffy skirt + high heels = perfect beach attire

In Washington, being at the ocean teaches you to live in the moment. Whenever the sun is out, it's time to hit the beach. We headed down to the beach and the kids started playing in the sand. Pretty soon, all three kites were out and flying. I try new kites each year and usually spend a lot of time fighting them. This year, I tried to buy "easy fly" kites and they actually work. Priceless! The kids had great fun sending a little parachute guy up the kite string, shaking him off near the top, and chasing him down the beach. I gave catching him a try and it is strangely rewarding to snatch that parachute out of the air.

All the Isaacs had to do was let go of the kite and it'd fly

our hotel, viewed from the beach

sending up the paratrooper

Miriam and Gabriel are good buddies

starting a sand castle

a kite kept William occupied for almost an hour, priceless!

the bigger kids spent a lot of time jumping off this log, trying to clear a pit they'd dug

Isaac has some pretty good aerial moves

The kids got to ride horses down the beach again this year. It was Miriam's first time and she was so serious about the job that she had a difficult time smiling for a photo. They went at the perfect time. It was raining, the sun came out, we seized the day and we hurried to the beach. They went on their hour ride, once they were done the rain started up again. When he heard that the minimum age is 6 she said to me, "You mean I could have ridden a horse last year!?" She was not happy. I'm not a horse person and last year I would have had to go with her. I'd much rather hunker down on the beach and wait for her to return.

They were pretty cold from riding horses in the wind that preceded the rain, but not cold enough to forgo ice cream! I don't let being a vegan effect what the kids get to do. We still made our yearly pilgrimage to Murphy's Ice Cream in town. Everyone got their favorite kind but some of the kids had some interesting combinations. My nephew Gabriel chose 1/2 root beer, 1/2 peppermint. I didn't feel like I missed out too much on that one!

What do teenagers do during down time? Play on their grandma's ipads (yes she has three!)

the patio outside the room was a great place for morning play

We always visit the bumper boats. Our group of kids took up all but two boats.

One of the children's favorite "beach" activities is spending time in the hotel pool. We try to bring them down twice each day. Miriam and Gabriel got really comfortable in the water. Too comfortable. Anastaya would stand in the pool and let them swim to her. A few times, they jumped in at the deep end without letting her know they were coming. Anastaya would have to tread water while trying to save the little ones from drowning. That is pretty impressive for a girl who literally had never been in a swimming pool before she was nine. Once, Miriam jumped in and while Anastaya was fishing her out, Gabriel jumped in behind her. Thankfully Anastaya was able to talk to them and convince them that they needed to be more careful before diving in!

Las Vegas
While the children, my mom, and I were having a few days relaxing at the beach, Dode was at a work conference in Sin City, Las Vegas. Dode thought the nickname was quite appropriate and has no desire to ever return. Everywhere he turned he found pornography, drunkenness and gambling. He was there for a work conference about Indian Land Laws. Since most Indian Reservations make most of their revenue off casinos, I guess it's appropriate that they hold the conference in a gambling mecca.

Dode flew down on a Monday. He left our house at 7:00 am in case there was bad traffic on the way to the airport, normally an hour drive. He had to park off site and take a shuttle to the terminal. Then, with the worries about security waits, he'd allowed plenty of time for his 11:10 departure. He got to Vegas, took a shuttle to his hotel and after spending 1 1/2 hours standing in line to check into his hotel, he was finally able to get to his room at the Flamingo and put his bags down. He was under instructions from me that if he was going to get several days by himself, he needed to be a tourist and enjoy it. Monday evening he explored the strip on foot and went on the roller coaster at the New York, New York hotel. Tuesday when the conference was done he did a bit of walking around the strip, 6 1/2 miles! Wednesday he ventured out on the monorail to the Stratosphere where he road the X-Scream.

"Ever played on a giant teeter-totter, 866 feet above the ground? With the X-Scream, you can! Its space age, yet simplistic design resembles a massive teeter-totter or a Vegas roller coaster unlike any other ever seen. X-Scream propels you and several other riders headfirst, 27 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower. Try not to scream when you go over the edge — you don't want to scare the other riders! After being shot over the edge, you'll dangle weightlessly above the Las Vegas Strip before being pulled back and propelled over again for more."

Dode thought the ride was fun but he didn't enjoy the walk back to the monorail after dark through a rough part of town. He wondered if he'd make it there without a mugging. Thursday night was much more to Dode's taste. He went over and spent the evening with his cousin Wendy and her family.

Dode says that if he wasn't under my instructions to be out having fun that after the first night on the strip he would have been huddled up in his room with some light reading (a technical manual). He found that Vegas truly is "a city that never sleeps". The nights were not peaceful. People were partying down the halls all night long. He didn't like that he had to walk through a casino to get anywhere he wanted to go. He especially didn't enjoy walking down the street and having a dozen people on each block trying to hand him small cards with pornographic photos on them. He could not look down (the sidewalk was covered in pornography), he could not look up (billboards with soft porn) and he couldn't get off the street without having to go through casinos. There are no laws against public drinking, so everywhere he walked he was surrounded by alcohol. He said that he will never be bringing his family or wife to Vegas.