The Canfield Cross Country Road Trip 2016
Day 1: Lake Charles
On May 21, the day after Andrew got released from the 2015 - 2016 school year, we set out for our second annual cross country road trip, and Matthew's first long trip!
Matthew met his great grandmother, Alee for the first time. It was so special!!
He also got to meet my cousin Laura, pregnant with her first baby, Camille!
He was all smiles as we rode around the city of Lake Charles with his Lolli.
We relaxed after going to a delicious dinner, and Lolli sang Matthew songs from my childhood.
Day 2: Houston, Texas
Bright and early on Sunday morning, we headed out to go see my sisters!
It was almost funny how many oil refineries we passed as we left the Louisiana lands for Texas. We stopped at a really cool coffee shop on the way out of town, and got some coffee and muffins.
Matthew met his cousin, Reid for the first time in Houston, Texas.
They were so cute together. Reid is a month and a half older than Matthew, though you wouldn't think it putting them next to each other!
After hanging out with his cousin for a while, we drove through Houston towards Katy, Texas, where Matthew met his cousins, Boston and Blake, as well as his newest cousin, Anna Lee.
Anna Lee is exactly forty hours younger than Matthew, and they were so funny to see next to one another. They can't quite sit up on their own yet.
Boston and Blake were being such sweet big cousins, and making Matthew smile a lot.
Day 3: Katy, Texas
We spent the next day in Katy, relaxing with the cousins before venturing on our long drive through Texas.
Anna Lee is such a little sweetie pie.
Matthew was tired after two days of driving. Little cutie pie.
Day 4: El Paso, Texas
We left really early to head towards El Paso on the other side of Texas. It took us about 11 hours total, but we made it.
Matthew slept most of the time, and Andrew and I enjoyed spending our quality time together as a family.
We drove through San Antonio traffic, decided not to stop, and passed some hilly and flat lands.
It was so nice to get to our hotel and relax for a while before heading out to dinner. We arrived in the early afternoon, so it was nice to see the city before the sun set.
We went to an awesome authentic mexican restaurant, and I had my first margarita since Matthew was born... it was so good!
After dinner, we saw a sign for a scenic route. It was scary to drive on, and I was terrified we were going to go over the edge because it rounded up a mountain side. At the top, however, we discovered a lookout point where we parked and got to see the United States and the Mexican border. It was really cool, and the view was breathtaking.
Day 5: Palm Springs, California
Once again, bright and early, Andrew and I filled up our cups and headed towards our final destination: Palm Springs!
Matthew did so well in the car, and was a little sleepyhead for the most part.
We got to Arizona, a state I never passed into until then.
We stopped at this awesome cafe in Tucson where orange trees hung over our heads, and we enjoyed delicious local coffee and scones.
Right before we hit California, we stopped for gas and snapped a picture. Matthew was in such a good mood, and was smiling every time I popped my head around to look at him.
We got to Palm Springs in the afternoon, and were able to relax and enjoy the evening as a family. It was so nice to be out of the car, and we walked to a local restaurant not too far away. It was really windy, and we had to hold a cover over his stroller to keep the wind out of his eyes.
Day 6-7: Palm Springs, California
Andrew and I went to breakfast the next day at this amazing local breakfast place called Rick's Diner. I am still dreaming of their biscuits and gravy. They seriously melted in my mouth, yum!
Of course I had to dress Matthew up to go explore the town!
It was so nice to sit around and relax for a few days. Andrew and I read, laid out, swam, and cooked some delicious homemade meals.
Day 8: Los Angeles, California
We took a day trip to Los Angeles, about two and a half hours away. We woke up so early, and beat traffic in order to get there to enjoy the full day. We got some coffee in Echo Park before heading off to do the 'tourist' stuff.
After getting some coffee, we went to find the Lost Bookstore in Downtown, LA. That bookstore was really cool, and I wish I had gotten some better pictures, but I forgot to take them.
We bought a couple of books, and practiced restraint as we left to use our precious daylight hours.
We stopped at Mann's Theatre, and after searching tirelessly, I sadly realized Lucille Ball's handprint was not there. I did find Batman's handprint though, and Julie Andrew's!! Thank goodness for hand sanitizer. It was so bright there, but the weather was so nice!
We saw the Hollywood sign too, after driving to the top of the hill, and deciding not to wait in the long line of traffic driving to see the sign, we found it further away at the mall.
We needed to print our baseball tickets out, so we stopped at the University of Southern California, and walked around their library. Matthew's first college visit!
There was a rose garden on the way to the museum! Love the rose gardens!!
Across the street was the LA Museum of Natural History, so we spent the afternoon walking around it.
Instead, he started telling Matthew all about the history.
After visiting the museum, we drove to Anaheim, where we watched the Astros beat the Angels. The ballpark was pretty cool, but we only made it to the 5th inning.
After leaving the game, and saying by to Mickey Mouse, we headed home.
We spent the week relaxing back in Palm Springs, visiting the local areas, and spending time together as a family.
We took a road trip to Irvine, California as well, and visited my aunt and uncle. I wish I had remembered to take pictures, but I totally forgot. Matthew was a little doll that night, and it was so awesome to catch up with them, and enjoy a relaxing evening.
Day 15 - 16: San Diego, California
We woke up really early, and headed to San Diego the following Saturday, ready to explore the city we had heard so much about!We stopped for lunch at this awesome brunch restaurant on the sidewalk. It was beautiful, agh!
Matthew shot us the 'Blue Steel' look with those pretty blue eyes. We went to the marathon expo before heading to explore the Gaslamp District. The weather was so incredible. It dropped from 105 to 70 degrees as we drove towards San Diego, and it was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.
After visiting the city, we headed to La Jolla Beach where we had a hard time finding parking. That place was crowded, especially since it was the day after school let out.
Matthew and I saw the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. It was so cold and refreshing, of course I didn't let Matthew feel the water because it was so cold.
The next morning, at around 3:30am, we woke up and got ready to go to the marathon. We drove to the local transit, and took the metro into the city, where all the crazy runners were headed. It was so cool to meet all of the other marathoners, and everyone was so friendly.
We walked a mile and a half up a hill to drop Andrew off at his starting point, then walked back down towards the finish line to wait, and get some coffee at a local coffee shop of course.
Andrew finished the race in 3 hours and 30 minutes, and we are so proud of him. It was his 8th marathon! My handsome husband and baby boy.
After the race, we went to get some food, then explored the city before heading to the San Diego Padres game.
Matthew did much better at this game, and we stayed for the entire thing. They even let me visit their 'nursing mother's lounge' to feed Matthew! It was awesome, complete with rocking chairs, a TV to watch the game, and quiet.
We went back to the beach the next day, and Matthew enjoyed it a little more this round.
Happy baby boy.
Day 17: Los Angeles, California
On our way back to Palm Springs, we decided to go to an LA Dodgers game! We stopped at this awesome hidden restaurant, the Farmer and the Seahorse, then drove up the coast towards downtown LA.
By far my favorite stadium so far, it was so completely classic.
They had Frank Sinatra playing in the background, Palm Trees surrounding the stadium, along with mountains, and a beautiful sunset.
We ate endless dodger dogs, peanuts, and drank some delicious craft beer.
After the game, we drove back to Palm Springs.
Day 18: Palm Springs, California
We went to find Lucille Ball's bench statue after eating breakfast, and I was so excited to finally 'meet' my childhood hero.
After meeting Lucille Ball, we drove to the biggest outlet mall ever! It probably had over a hundred stores, and it seemed to have every store. I went shopping for a bit, while Andrew went to the food cart and read with Matthew.
We ended the day by visiting LuLu's and enjoying a fantastic meal together. We took our time, and really took in the last moments we would have in California.
Day 19: Las Cruces, New Mexico
We didn't leave Palm Springs as early as we had, and we could already tell the trip had taken a toll on us, leaving us much more tired than on the way there.
At least Andrew and I were tired. Matthew was happy as a clam. We arrived in Las Cruces pretty late, and had dinner at another authentic mexican restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
Day 20 - 21: Richardson, Texas
We woke up early, early, and headed to Richardson.
Matthew got to be with all of his cousins for the first time ever! His newest cousins were all born within 4 months, how special!
I was so ecstatic to meet my newest niece, Lila, at two weeks old.
I didn't get a picture of just Matthew and her, but she is a little sweetie pie.
It was so nice to hold all of these precious babies.
My sisters and I holding our little ones.
Lolli meeting all six of her grandchildren.
A mother, her four daughters, and their children, together :-)
The last day of our trip, we went to dinner with some very dear friends of ours, a groomsmen in our wedding, and our flowergirl. Matthew got to meet them for the first time, and it was so fun to meet Hartley who was born a month before Matthew!
Leaving California was much different than leaving Louisiana. The distance was filled with wind turbines, while Louisiana's was filled with oil refineries. We hope that one day the world will get on board with creating a more environmentally friendly energy source, but until then, these will be a distant memory to us.
With heavy hearts, we headed home to Louisiana, where we were relieved to greet our little cat once again. My in laws were nice enough to watch Mr. Bojangles the entire time we were gone.
Vacations are so nice, but sometimes, coming home is nicer. It is a relief to be home, in our own bed, back to our own routine.
Now, I go back to work, and Andrew gets some very special daddy-son bonding time! I know Matthew will be in good hands while I work.
Now, I go back to work, and Andrew gets some very special daddy-son bonding time! I know Matthew will be in good hands while I work.
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