Spring Break Getaway

I am interrupting “Riley’s Social Success Puzzle” series for this brief post about our recent spring break getaway.

Since discovering that R’s passport had expired just the week before spring break, a driving trip to the US was not going to happen.  Try having to explain THAT one to Riley.  OK since I know you’re dying to hear what that sounded like…it went like this:

Me:       We can’t go to Tulalip (name of a hotel R likes) because your passport expired. 

            (yea like he knows all about his passport)

R:         We can go to the Skagit? (another hotel)

Me:       No we can’t go to the United States.

R: (thinking)  We can go to the Silver Reef? (yet another hotel in the States)

Me:       No we have to stay in Canada.

R:         Alberta?  (gotta give him credit…that’s not the US)

Me:       Uh…no, that’s too far.

R: (in his sad voice)  I should just stay home.

Not to disappoint, we decided to take R for an overnight to another of his favourite hotels, the River Rock.  It’s a “short drive” and we don’t have to cross any borders.

Whether we are going away for 2 weeks or 2 days or less than 24 hours…we must pack the same “necessities”. It is a given and normally I don’t think anything of it but somehow leaving the house on Monday, looking at the amount we were taking and knowing we would be gone for less than 24 hours had G and me shaking our heads. What were we thinking??? Ah yes…it’s spring break, R thinks a hotel should be involved so what the hell.

Now in the past our van looked like this:

OK...so I'm exaggerating a little.  Our van wasn't red, the boys never rode bicycles and we only traveled with those port-a-cot thingies not the entire bed.  I mean c'mon even we wouldn't get THAT carried away! Still...not toooo far off when we took to the road for a couple of weeks.  :D

In no particular order here are our "necessities" for ANY trip with R:  

Number 1:  Keeping in mind what a “particular” eater Riley is…first there’s the cooking paraphernalia. 

Number 2:  Since this was a "road" trip, food could be transported which involved the cooler on wheels (much easier on our aging backs) filled to the brim...OK I added a bottle of wine.  

The cooler on wheels is a little more discreet (ever so slightly) when having to cart up all sorts of food/cooking items to your hotel room than the previous "green" buckets used:

Number 3:  Riley World "Necessities"

R has his “must haves” (moshi pillow, assorted stuffies, portable DVD player, headphones, multitude of DVD’s and of course what’s left of “puppy”). Of course there is no room for clean underwear, toothbrush and deodorant so these must go in "our" bag.

And finally Our Overnight Bag:

Probably the one and only thing most people need to take. This fit a change of clothes, swim suits (of course) and PJ's for the three of us as well as all our toiletries with some room to spare.  Yes...we ARE crazy!!!

What do you take for an overnight stay?