A couple weekends ago Barry and I were sitting on the couch on Saturday morning looking out our windows watching the rain come down….again. Out of nowhere Barry said the very best words to me:
“Do you want to go somewhere?”
Without hesitation I answered with a fist-pump and a ‘Yes!’. Going somewhere – anywhere, really – sounded so much more appealing than sitting on the couch and watching the rain come down while Maggie ran circles around us for what might have felt like the millionth hour.
We quickly packed our bags with the essentials, a change of clothes, swimming suits, diapers and a few snacks, and we were on the road within minutes. (Reality Check: With a dog and a kid, we really weren’t on the road in minutes, but we bustled around and were pretty quick. Alright? Alright.)
We decided to head South and sent some quick texts to Brian and Darcy, only to determine that they were busy and not ready for visitors….which nixed our initial plan in the bud. Plan B turned into finding a hotel in the Olympia/Lacey area that was pet friendly.
And this is where I emote about La Quinta. Last summer we stayed at La Quintas on our ND road trip frequently because my grandparents have points and they know exactly what they’re getting. We also stayed at La Quintas on our road trip down to CA last fall.
As much as I love a hidden, off-the-beaten-track cabinish type of place, I really love La Quinta because we know exactly what we’re getting: fresh cookies at 7 pm, a pool, a place that likes pets, a pool, breakfast, a refrigerator in our room, and….a pool.
We used that pool until we didn’t have anymore swim diapers and we bounced on the beds as if we don’t have beds at home – we pretty much had the vacation that we didn’t have in San Diego at La Quinta in 24 hours. We also discovered nearby Saint Martin’s University and wandered the beautiful campus stopping to boogie on down to the church bells every half hour.
On Sunday morning we packed our bags and headed practically straight to Brian and Darcy’s, but not before we stopped and bought half a dozen donuts at a place called The Donut King or something awesomely creative like that. We were at Brian and Darcy’s before they were home from their morning walk with Dexter and we got to send one of the best text messages ever:
“We’re at your house with donuts.”
By the time we rolled into our driveway, the skies had cleared and our minds had as well and we were ready to get down to business and get some work done. I felt as refreshed as I had been hoping to feel upon our return from SD.
Here’s what I want to remember about our quick vacation trip to La Quinta: Sometimes just going anywhere can be enough to feel like you’re going somewhere.
