InstaFriday

Sweet, simple, fun, filtered.

Everyday moments from your week captured with nothing but a cell phone.

It was a busy week around here, so get ready…

We headed down to Southern California as a family for my Toyota TWIN camp event.

My mom would be watching the kids for me while I was gone and Andy had some things to take care of.

A couple of nights before I had to head over to Hermosa Beach for the event, Andy and I were able to sneak out and have a much needed date night.

I couldn’t figure out why he really really really wanted to go to BJ’s until he ordered his drink…s.

Pretty convenient to have a sampler when your wife is 8 months pregnant.  Built in DD.

At the end of dinner, he suggested that we pop over to the car dealerships just a block away to check out a truck he’d seen online that was in our price range (we’ve been casually car shopping for easily 6 months now…).

I mean, sure, the kids are in bed, it’s 9:00 at night, what else do normal people do on a random Monday night?

Apparently you buy cars out of the blue after eating a Pizookie.

You know, a GMC two days before you head out to a Toyota sponsored event.

We’ll talk about this more soon…because if you’ve been around here for very long you know we are HUUUUUUGE Toyota enthusiasts.  Like, we’ve never ever ever ever EVAH owned anything but Toyotas and I’m sorta shocked my husband doesn’t have a huge Toyota symbol tattooed on himself somewhere.  (Probably because he doesn’t like tattoos…but if he did, I’m pretty sure it would be a Toyota symbol.)

I can’t quite explain to you how big of a deal this was for us to jump ship.  I think Andy’s still in mourning.

We decided to have some fun family time by taking the kids to a local theme park.

As you can see, it was PACKED.

The weather was perfect.  The crowds non existent.  It was really chill.

I didn’t go on a single ride given my “condition” and such.

So we got my little sister to come along and help with kids on rides.

This little school bus was Jilly’s favorite.  She would squeal and screech at the top of her little lungs.  People were just cracking up at her.

Lucy always looked like she was about to die of sheer boredom while waiting for the rides to get started…and then burst into the biggest grin while it went.  Like a lightswitch.

Girls are dramatic.  Help me when they are teens.  I’m terrified.  Terrified.

ALL of the kids went on the log ride…which is one of those gigs where the end of the ride results in a big drop…

There they goooo!!!

For the record, this “big kid” ride that made Henry’s tummy “feel funny” was everyone’s favorite.

Even bitty Jilly had a blast and none of them were scared at all.

I can’t wait for them to be big enough for roller coasters…and I’m not the size of a swollen wildebeest and can actually ride with them.

Speaking of squealing…my sister and I made a complete scene when the waitress brought our drinks at lunch and we saw that there was rabbit pellet ice.

BEST. STUFF. EVER.

For those of you with a Sonic, I secretly hate you.  You get this stuff all the time.  For the rest of us, it’s like the holy grail of frozen water.  And now I’m craving a cup full.  And can’t have any.

Perhaps I should buy this?  I mean, totally reasonable alternative right?

As if that weren’t enough for a week’s worth of activities, it was finally time for me to head to the Toyota TWIN camp event.

This was the view from my room.

As in, like 12 feet from my sliding door.

And every morning I sighed and drank in that salty fresh air and thought “Man…I could totally live on the beach…if we could just get rid of that pesky sand business.”

Look, I love my family.

I adore my husband.

But a giant bed with six pillows with ALL WHITE linens that I don’t have to share when I’m 8 overwhelming months pregnant?

A giant bed with six pillows with all white linens that I don’t have to share and that I DON’T HAVE TO MAKE IN THE MORNING...

crashing waves.  fresh sea air.

Delicious.

We ate like Queens at these fancy restaurants with fancy named dishes all decked out in fancy spreads.

Truthfully I didn’t even know what half of the menu items were.  So, when it said that there was Ratatouille on one of the menu items, I thought “I mean, I know that’s a Disney movie…”

I took special note of the fancy white plate.

But the truth is…these folks could have fed me Top Ramen so long as I wasn’t the one who had to cook it or clean up after it.

I’m a cheap date.  It doesn’t take much to impress me.

I wish you could really see how itty bitty teeny tiny these gummi bears were.

The package itself was bitty…but the bears inside were like 1/3 the size of normal gummis.

I almost felt bad eating their itty bitty baby selves.

Almost.

We got to do a Ride & Drive while we were there.

Look, I’m squarely planted in the Anti-Minivan League (I know, I know, y’all looooove your vans…I know, I’ve heard it all.  Spare me.)

But this Toyota Sienna…the Swagger Wagon…had a ginormous DVD screen.  It was like being at a drive in…without the heavy petting and such. ::cough cough::

That’s the adorable and sassy Jill of Diaper Diaries.  I kinda wanted to hate her cute self.  But she cracked me up so it worked out in the end.

As for the van…I mean, I will begrudgingly admit it was pretty rad.  It even had the plug in hole thingys for your Wii or Playstation or whatever built right into the center console.  I can see how that would be a total lifesaver on long road trips.

I still just can’t get over that screen though.

I need another tote bag like I need a hole in the head, but this one is pretty awesome.

I love that it’s unique and reuses what would normally be a HUGE amount of waste.  Kudos Toyota.

Plus it’s all rainbowy and fun.  That’s always exciting.

My fave, fave, fave, FAVE part of the camp was going to the Toyota museum.

I just about wet myself when I saw this old pickup truck.

Because it was my very FIRST car…well…mine wasn’t exactly all restored and shiny like this one, but a bunch of silly memories flooded me when I saw this.

Learning to drive…on a stick shift…with no power steering…stalling 16 times in a row at a stop sign on a hill.

Running over someone’s cat that first night out.  (I know, right?!  But what the heck was a cat doing bolting across the street when 16 year old me was learning to drive?!  Survival of the fittest.  Sorry random kid that found his dead cat the next morning.  I really do feel bad…15 years later.  Seriously.)

Blaring Jane Says at the most ridiculously high volume I could manage in the stereo system I had put in that cost more than the entire truck…while I was supposed to be in English class first period.

Good times my friends.  Good times.

Land Cruisers are Andy’s cult obsession.

So this ooooooold FJ in pristine condition is incredible.

You know how some people collect and restore old muscle cars?

Take a peek into my future ladies.  This is the kinda thing that will grace my garage someday.  No question.

They fed us more fancyness.

But I was delighted to see fried Mac & Cheese.

Because you know, I actually know what Mac & Cheese is…and everything tastes better when it’s fried.

Fat means flavor.

Pioneer Woman proved that.  Time and again.

Like I said, they didn’t hold back on the food.

Nor did I.

And finally it was time to head home.

In my Toyota.  Our final ride.  In Los Angeles traffic.

A swagger wagon, a Solara, and a Toyota billboard in the background.

I was exhausted.  I had a blast.  I have so much to share with you in the coming days.

(Andy drove home the GMC….which incidentally, I still haven’t driven since the test drive, and it’s been a week.)

Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of Drew’s UNmanual here!

Okay, so what did you do this week?

Grab a button, link up, and leave comment love on at least two other linker uppers!

<a href="http://liferearranged.com/"><img alt="life rearranged" height="120" width="200" border="0" src="//liferearranged.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/instafridaybutton.jpg" /></a>

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of Toyota.

• Bio
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Latest Posts

jeannett

I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.

@jeannettg

Follow @jeannettg

jeannett

Latest posts by jeannett (see all)

• Dirt in a Jar, Laundry Scientists, and Clean Water - October 20, 2015
• Because Cake. - October 11, 2015
• How to design a luxury bathroom for less - August 12, 2015