Cactus + Lights + Family Adventures

A couple Saturdays ago we went on a family adventure to the Desert Botanical Garden. It's been years since I last went there and I saw somewhere that they had a cool art exhibit going on and thought it might make for a fun weekend outing. I brought it up, David thought it sounded fun, we made plans...and then we followed through.

That seems like a foregone conclusion--that we decided to do something and then did it--but I'm quite proud of us for making it happen. And so glad we did. The desert at night is beautiful enough, but the added fiber optic art made it simply breathtaking.

It's easy to get busy around the house and let the weekend slip away from us without doing anything fun. Plus, with a baby, a toddler, and a preschooler in tow, a 30 minute drive followed by a very long walk through the desert at about dinner time could have been a recipe for multiple melt-downs. I was a little bit terrified.

Fortunately it worked out well. In spite of the crazy crowds of snowbirds, we had a remarkably lovely time.

We learned that M does not care for Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which is kind of hilarious, and that she wants to touch ALL THE THINGS, including cactus (NO) and fragile pottery (PLEASE CHILD NO), but otherwise she was great. Both girls thought everything was "be-yoo-tee-ful" and were perfectly content just to dance around the barrels of light. Baby boy slept in the stroller most of the evening. Score.

In fact, David and I enjoyed ourselves so much we are thinking about going back in a month or two for a date night. Just the two of us. It would be so romantic.

This little trip felt like a high-risk/high-reward situation: potentially awesome, but also potentially frustrating and exhausting. But really...what was the worst thing that could've happened? The kids might cry, the baby might want to nurse all night, the world might end. And so what? Those things might also happen at home. They probably will happen at home. And home is far less magical than a stroll through the desert lit by glowing multi-colored fairy lights.

Point is--and I know I sound like a Nike ad here but whatevs--sometimes you have to just do it. Make the choice. Take the plunge. Pull the trigger. Whatever "it" is, it's very likely worth it. For some reason I have to relearn this lesson frequently, but I'm always glad when I do.

Now that we've conquered one small family adventure, I'm confident we can make this a more regular thing. There are places to go and things to see. I'll pack a bag with diapers and snacks, strap everyone into tennis shoes and car seats, and we can go explore. Good or bad, we'll be making some memories. And I won't be a bit surprised if we see something beautiful.