Dan's Big 4-0!

Dan turned 40 this month and we decided to do a party/travel adventure combo to celebrate this special occasion.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  We loved celebrating as a family and with coworkers and friends and extended family.  We began early on a Sunday morning and took the Metrolink train down to Oceanside.  (Since the train was down for track work between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside my sister in law rescued us and drove us from San Juan to Oceanside.  Thanks Kristen!)  I packed lots of fun snacks for the train trip

Waiting with Daddy for our train!

Waiting with Mommy for our train!  Don't you love the sunglasses!?

Checking out the view from our seats.

Shack Family train selfie!

Snacks for everyone!

Once we got to Oceanside we checked into the Springhill Suites Marriott which is one block from the beach and the Oceanside Pier.  Our hotel was right next to the Oceanside train station and just opened one month before we arrived.  We spent lots of fun time on the sand.  Mommy relaxed in the sun while Daddy and Lena built sand castles and dug a wading pool.  The hotel had a neat rooftop pool and spa that overlooked the beach, pier, and train station.  Dan and Lena took a quick dip in the nice warm spa before bed.

Digging the wadding pool

Playing in the sun!

A quick dip in the spa during the sunset

When we walked into the new hotel room we noticed that it had a modern theme for decoration and thus had tons of BRAND NEW WHITE marble surfaces.  While we were relaxing Lena was coloring with what we thought was her washable crayons when we looked over an saw that she had gotten her hands on a hotel pen and colored all over the white marble coffee tables! YIKES!  I walked down to the local Walmart to get a Magic Eraser because what stain/mess doesn't the Magic Eraser get out!  Well apparently pen on unfinished white marble is beyond the limits of what the Magic Eraser could do.  We tried to discretely ask the hotel staff for some bleach or other stronger cleaning liquid and finally had to confess what had happened.  They acted like it was no big deal and a maid came up to clean the mess.  I was convinced at this point that we were going to be purchasing a lovely graffitied pair of coffee tables.  =(  She took one look at the tables and said, "no problem!"  She got out a bottle of cleaning solution and wiped. Nothing happened...she then said "let's try this stuff..it gets everything out!"  She sprayed the second cleaning solution and...."nothing happened.."  She then got on the radio with the "industrial cleaning team" to request that they come and clean the tables the next morning.  It don't know what miracle solution they used but when we got back from the beach the next morning the oh so talented "industrial cleaning team" had been there and the pen stain was gone!!!  Yea!

The guilty party with her "art work".

Before we caught our train we checked out of the hotel, stored our luggage, and took a fun walk on the pier to eat lunch at Ruby's.  Then we caught our train for the 90 minute ride north to the Fullerton train station where we were to meet friends and family for a fun birthday dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory!

Playing on the Oceanside Pier

Checking out the nice ocean views from the train.

At the Old Spaghetti Factory we had a blast eating delicious pasta, visiting, watching trains pass by, and celebrating Dan's birthday!

Dan's birthday invite

The restaurant manager and I had a good laugh that half the guests at a 40th birthday party were under the age of seven!

That night we caught a ride to my parent's house from the restaurant and had dessert at their house with everyone and then we just spent the night there since I had to work the next morning 5 minutes from where they live.  After I finished work we caught another train back to Corona to get our car.  We stopped by The Hot Dog Shoppe and had gourmet hot dogs before heading up to Rancho Cucamonga to the Farrel's Ice Cream Parlour there to meet a bunch of Dan's co-workers and friends for an ice cream party!  It was an experience...noisy and over-rated but super fun!  We finally headed home after an amazing three day birthday adventure.  

Work friends at Farrells

Happy 40th Birthday today to a true hero! Dan is a man who has not only devoted his life to serving the public but he has also greatly honored his parents, is such a loving and considerate husband, and a really fun and tender-hearted daddy. He is a born lover and a leader. I am so thankful for his life and that God brought him to me so I could be part of it!

Me and the birthday boy