The Young and the Restless

Best of New Zealand tour kicks off

Ya know, sometimes you wake up and the world just isn't your oyster. Today was one of those days. I knew I should be excited about our road trip, but I was in a funk. I get in these funks and no matter how hard I try to kick it, I just can't force myself to put on a happy face. I wanted to curl up against the car window and pretend that I didn't hear them fighting over chicken crackers and turbo granny. So I did just that. I checked out for a solid hour and a half and left Jason to man the wheel and the chaos and left Jessica wondering what in the world she had just signed up for. But we made it to our first stop and the sunshine and fresh air did wonders for my soul. I still struggled off and on throughout the weekend, losing my cool over grilled cheese sandwiches and long showers, but by the end I could feel myself breathing a little deeper and really appreciating the moments. All this to say, sometimes there's trouble in paradise.

This is the fifth time we've been to Castle Rock Hill, and while some might argue that's one time too many, the kids could spend all day here. We had the entire jungle gym all to ourselves and even discovered some new nooks and crannies. I told myself that I already had too many pictures of this place, but you know how that goes.

He struck this pose then requested a picture. Who am I to not oblige?

They found quite a few rock slides that did wonders for their imaginations, and the back sides of their jeans

Here's a Where's Waldo of sorts, can you spot Jayden...

Jayden's accidental recreation of Rio's Cristo Redentor

This was also a repeat visit to the Devil's Punch Bowl Falls, but some things in life are worth repeating. Jayden was a little alarmed that we were visiting a place that had both "devil" and "punch" in the same sentence. After our hike I hobbled around the grocery store in my one-size-too-small-but-they-were-only-seven-dollars-so-just-had-to tennis shoes collecting our weekend supply of food before heading off into the night while the Domino's pizza steamed up our windows. Two slices of extra cheese and one sleeping baby later and I decided that this trip was off to a good start after all.