My parents used to take my sister and I camping, every summer, at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park when we were growing up.  I have cherished memories of tall, gorgeous trees, stars in the sky that seemed fifteen times brighter than the stars I watched back from home, beach trips that resulted in some of the best sandcastles ever known to mankind and a sense of ‘magic’ in that land-in-the-middle-of-nowhere that used to set it apart from all other destinations that I have been to in my lifetime.  But most importantly, there was something about taking our family out of the city/suburbs/fast lane and plopping us into the middle of nowhere that seemed to have a reconnecting effect that was majestic in itself.

I wanted that same sense of 'disconnecting to reconnect' for my family this year, so I planned a trip up the California Redwood Coast with them.  I wanted to show them the beauty that I once experienced as a kid.  I wanted to show them that chicken and canned beans cooked on an open fire was far better than food from McDonalds and that ‘family time’ could be captured in an hour hike through the great outdoors instead of in front of a TV watching Spongebob.

(I can hear some of you gasping now! No, I do not normally let my children watch unlimited hours of TV, nor do I let them eat fast food numerous times during the week… but I am trying to make a specific point here…)   

Once we drove past the ‘Big Foot gift shop’ and up the road past about fifteen ‘smoked salmon’ shops… Starbucks no longer existed!  Restaurants in general were far and few… and chain restaurants ceased to exist.  There were no movie theaters, no mini-golf courses, and definitely no Build-A-Bear workshops.  Instead, there were redwood carving gift shops, lighthouses and places like ‘Trees of Mystery’ and ‘Ocean World’.

I could see the concern in my husband’s eyes… but I could tell he was amused at the same time.  ‘Ha!’ I thought to myself.  I’ve got them right where I want them!!!

We spent 5 days and 4 nights together without a schedule, without an agenda… just doing whatever we pleased at that moment.  ‘Trees of Mystery’ to visit tall Paul for the third time in two days?! Sure, why not.  Smoked salmon and cheese-- direct from the factory we visited-- for lunch, absolutely!  Making a new playground for my girls among piles of driftwood in front of the Crescent City Lighthouse—fabulous!  Letting my girls climb in and out of hollowed out redwood trees, among the bugs and banana slugs was priceless.  Carefree, yet connected…. just what I had hoped for.

We’re back to reality now.  My husband and I are back to work. The girls are back with their Gramma part time and their babysitter one day a week.  School starts next month and I am already shopping for uniforms for my oldest.  We had to take the dog in for surgery last week.  There is laundry and yard work to be done. The list goes on and on.

The hustle and bustle of ‘everyday’ has gone back into effect.  But, when I am feeling overwhelmed at my desk in front of the many press releases that need editing, invoices that I need to track and the mounds of emails that are piling up… I quickly peek over to my desktop screen, which is now a picture of my hubby and my girls… in the middle of the redwood forest…  with the best grins on their faces that I have ever seen.  I then get my own grin on my face and get back down to business.