Road Trippin'

somewhere on the I5

A road trip to Los Angeles, CA isn't unusual for the husband and me. But, a road trip to LA with a baby on board? That's news to us.

We made the trek to visit family two weekends ago. Baby B cried, slept, cried, slept and cried some more on the way to LA. By the time we reached our destination, we were more than ready to settle in for the day.

Thankfully, the Residence Inn by Marriott near LAX provided the kind of relaxation that worked perfectly for my newly expanded family. It's the first new hotel in the LAX area in the last 24 years and it showed. The accommodations were spot on. A welcoming lobby, a spacious room complete with kitchen and a LG TV (the husband appreciated that), and a friendly staff. Traveling with a baby means bringing lots of STUFF so to have a room filled with gear yet still feel comfortable AND spacious is saying somethin'. 

 Spacious welcome - this family loved it

Baby B loved the bed

No bed hogging here

Barefoot in the kitchen

 Plenty of space to do our own thang - husband working away // me + baby

 This mama loves a (decaf) iced latte as big as her baby

 Jersey Mike's inside the hotel? YES.

Mother Nature said there shall be thunderstorms and there were. So we didn't get to enjoy much pool time, but when the sun shined on our last day we managed to lounge a little bit before checking out. 

First road trip DONE

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here. I seriously could not have asked for anything better. With my expanded family, I appreciated having the convenience and accommodations that suited everyone. There's nothing like having a group of friendly people who can accommodate your needs while you're traveling - especially with a baby. 

As for Baby B, he not only survived this trip but he seemed to thrive in it. He loved meeting the family. And surprisingly, Baby B never slept better than while we were in LA at the hotel. And as for the drive home - he was like a different baby. He slept for most of the trip coming back home. What a champ! Can we do it all again, please? 

 

*This post is in collaboration with Residence Inn by Marriott - LAX. All opinions and photos are my own. Thanks for reading!

 

Love

 Pleated dress: H&M (sized five sizes up), Sandals: Cynthia Rowley x Target (old), Accessories: Karen Walker sunglasses, 3.1 Phillip Lim x Target bag

Thanks to everyone who shared their birthday wishes to the husband. It means a lot to a gal like me who is pretty quiet about the personal bits of life. I admire those of you who can be an open book with the world. It means you are unabashed about expressing yourselves. It has just taken me a bit longer to get to that point. 

It's only fitting that the Curtis Kulig "Love Me" wall is behind me in these photos. To be frank, it has not always been easy to express myself. It's been an internal struggle in showcasing my "authentic self" since I analyze everything to death. Growing up, I focused on what others thought instead of focusing on myself. Finally, when I reached adulthood, I realized how important and how revolutionary the impact of being yourself can be. You free yourself of unnecessary pressure of people's opinions and can finally feel...well, you feel free. And that is amazing.

Wednesday Whim - Abandoned Olympics

2004 Helliniko Olympic Softball Stadium, Athens, Greece, photos via Jamie McGregor Smith via It's Nice That 

Now that the 2012 Olympics are over...everyone has pretty much returned to their "regular" routine. No more long nights waiting for the Primetime events to air, no more waiting to see the Olympic medal count and no more records to break (for now). We've all moved on but have you ever wondered what happens to the venues after everyone leaves? 

I first spotted these images on Flavorwire and was stunned by what I saw. I have only thought about what happens to the venues for a second before I was distracted by other news. The most I thought was "I hope these places get used after so much money was spent on them." What used to represent so much athletic hopes and dreams have been reduced to practically nothing. The debilitated state of these past venues are depressing to see. Even the 2008 Beijing Olympic venues look feeble and that was only four years ago. 

I'm obviously intrigued by "abandoned spaces" (like my Wednesday Whim posts here and here) but these images take that thought to another level. What do you think?

2008 Beijing Beach Volleyball Venue, photos via David Gray via The Atlantic 

2008 Beijing Kayaking Venue 

1984 Olympic Ski Jump Venue, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina via the cloudlessness 

1972 Olympic Stadium Train Station, Munich, Germany via Twin City Photos 

1932 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA via futurecapetown