Well, we’re back from Fantasyland, AKA, vacation and it was marvelous. We all decided that we should’ve stayed a day or two longer because it felt just a tad bit rushed and we were not quite ready to return to Oklahoma reality. Which is hot hot hot and humid. But the good news is that we are now compensated from our insurance for the hail storm and we can get to repairing our windows and roof. So that’s something to look forward to, I suppose.

I’m going to try and space out a few posts on what we did in LA and the surrounding areas so it’s not all “Come watch the slides of our family vacation!” Plus, I want to get some photos from my parents, too. I’m planning on combining all of them and designing a Blurb book for us to have. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a real, old-fashioned “scrapbook” of your vacation photos, isn’t it?

Traveling with a toddler is HARD. Just getting in and out of the airport is hard. But then throw in a two-hour time delay and some jet lag, and whoo, it’s fun for EVERYBODY! Getting up at 5am? YES! Passing out at 7:30pm b/c you’re bone tired from a jet-lagged toddler? YES! I think both Simon and I felt like,”Ok when does the vacation start?!” No rest for the weary on a vacation with a small child. But despite the exhaustion, we had so much fun and made a lot of memories. My awesome parents flew out the day after us and we all enjoyed our vacation rental in Santa Monica.

The great thing about traveling is that you get out of your normal rut, your normal routine, and you see the way other people live. There’s so many different lifestyles and so many different standards/ways of living. We rented a 3-bedroom condo in the middle of Santa Monica. I was amazed to see all the extremely expensive cars in the parking garage (Maseratis and the like) and yet these people were still living in large apartments. Don’t get me wrong, nice apartments. Undoubtedly expensive apartments. But it’s not like what you could buy here in Oklahoma for the same price. Then again, we’re not looking at the ocean here exactly! Everytime I go back to Southern California, I think to myself, “And why do we live in Oklahoma again?” And then reality hits me – OH yeah, that whole cost of living thing.
Above: front door of our neighbor at our vacay rental.
Here’s what total nerds we are: one night as we were going up the elevator to our rental, Tim Daly (one of the actors/doctors on the show Private Practice) got on the elevator with us and then got off on the same floor where we were. He was super nice (and super good looking!). I saw a lot of celebs when I went to Pepperdine, but somehow it’s still a little funny when you bump into somebody in real life. “Hey, I see you on TV every week!!” Ok, we didn’t actually say that, but we were thinking it!

We found our rental through GOSVH.com, Signature Vacation Homes. Sandy with SVH could not have been nicer. She went above and beyond and even stocked our fridge with goodies for us and for Jude. There was an enormous bundle of peonies on the table. Every bedroom was fully appointed with nice linens and plush towels (think Restoration Hardware towels – super nice). The place itself had every imaginable amenity – 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, an enormous kitchen and 2 outdoor patios. Filled with light, it was like a photographer’s dream. I will say, though, I am now fully convinced that I never want all white floors. They got dirty really easily. But in general, the place was spotless. I would highly recommend SVH to anyone who is looking for a rental in the area.

Here’s the bathroom in my parents’ room – that pebble floor was incredible. And there was a rain showerhead – so nice.

It was all very industrial and very open.

Funky (yet comfy) couches in the living area

I am IN LOVE with the beachy feel of our bathroom. That siding was so pretty. Restoration Hardware fixtures everywhere, including one of those train towel racks with hooks. It was gorgeous. Marble-topped vanity.

All in all, an excellent experience. We had private parking in the garage below, and it was just a great experience. The location was perfect with it being just a few blocks to the beach or to a ton of cute shops & restaurants on Main Street. We would definitely use them again if/when we go back.