The whole world is the oyster for this vacation paradise contest and I pick a beach house in Santa Cruz, California? Yep. One reason. Memories.I was raised in Southern California and every summer my parents rented a house in Newport Beach. One of my earliest memories was getting to sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag on our annual vacation. Wow, how cool! (yes, as a grown up I now know that the youngest kid got the worst sleeping conditions on vacation - dirty, sand covered carpet and an old army surplus sleeping bag - but to me it was an adventure).
I remember my siblings rolling me up in the sleeping bag when I was three-years-old and tossing me around. Disoriented they told me they had placed me on the top shelf of the closet, and if I moved I would fall. I cried. My mom found me rolled up sobbing in the bag on the floor of the living room while my brothers had gone out to play in the surf.
My older brothers were soon gone away to college and beyond (with that last story you probably think I did not miss them!), but those childhood memories of a week at the beach are burned into my brain.
We have not recreated the beach trip for our kids. A week of carefree exploring the coast with the sand between their toes, picking up treasures of rocks and seashells would be magic.
We live in Texas, so a week in California during the heat of the summer is a dream getaway. My brothers live nearby Santa Cruz and I might let them come visit us and enjoy the view.... if they apologize for that whole sleeping bag thing. But the cool part is that my 94-year-old Dad now lives 30 minutes away from the beach at Santa Cruz. Thus, I could drive him over the hill to enjoy the swanky house with his grandkids!! **************************
Click here to see the house I would rent if I won and go vote for me in the HomeAway contest.
