I almost said no. It was Mother’s Day weekend. It started off easy enough. There were brunch reservations. Mimosas were had. Then my husband asked me what else I wanted to do. I was sleepy. I wanted to stay home and take a much needed nap. Instead, I opted to let him surprise me.
He loaded the kids in the car and promised me I could sleep on the way to wherever we were going. I guess that should have been my first hint. We took a drive. I like to think of it as a mystery drive. We live in the Los Angeles area and we drove up the coast. We cruised around Malibu with the ocean as far as you can see. As we drove further we were surrounded by mountains. There were animals grazing on the side of the mountain, there were rabbits happily hopping along. We eventually drove through Oxnard and saw lots of farm land with markets along the sides of the road. Our kids were getting a kick out of it all. They were really fascinated with the animals. My son wanted to know more about how a farm works. We took some time to take the scenic route and eventually got to the highway entrance. The signs were pointed south back to Los Angeles and north to Ojai. I assumed my husband would head back home. Instead he took the Ojai exit! Our adventure was going to continue!
We checked out the city a bit. After a while we found a family friendly restaurant for dinner. It was great to go take this impromptu trip with the kids. I always love experiencing things through them. One thing is for sure, my son is not a fan of road trips. He hasn’t been on a road trip in about two years. He kept asking my husband when he was going to park the car!
I’m happy I didn’t take that nap. Being open to whatever and having a why not attitude ended up being a wonderful surprise. I’m learning to do that more and more. It’s proving to be a great way to let new experiences happen.
What have you just said yes to lately?
42 Comments on I Almost Said No
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What an awesome and beautiful experience! In that case, saying no to the nap and yes to a surprise was great! Sometimes, though, we do need to say yes to the nap :).
“Yes” opens so many possibilities, especially those we don’t know 🙂
Thank you for this, beautiful read!
Lovely! That attitude of accepting what the present moment brings is beautiful. I said yes to a 4th workshop in a day of yoga and I’m happy that I did. Thanks for your post!
What a great day you had! And YES: it’s good to enjoy the moment and really be engaged with the people and the environment we’re in. Glad you had a good Mother’s Day! Happy belated!
Love this…I don’t think Ojai is too terribly far from me, so I might have to visit sometime too. I’ve said “yes” to motherhood in general a bit more lately…my children are growing so fast, and I’m finding it more difficult to resist the moments here and there where I can squeeze them, participate in their sporting events, and show them more love when they are feeling frustrated.
Well I’ve been saying “yes” a lot lately and less “no.” I really should say “no.”
It’s a good thing you didn’t say no! What an amazing day you guys ended up having – full of new memories.
What fun! We did an impromptu, get out of the house, have dinner out night yesterday. Something I generally say no to…except yday! 🙂
I love family adventures! Now that my son is almost 11 and pays attention in school, he is able to enjoy trips just like you had in Ojai. Fun for all ages! As long as he is fed on time of course!
Mitch
What else did you do? A 90 minute drive just for dinner should have been super special! i hope you get to see beautiful things.
Sounds like such an awesome day with family. I love going for drives with my family, too, but my kids are not such great fans.
sounds wonderful!
we’ve been doing a lot more “yes” to family together things and i’ts been absolutely wonderful
Such beautiful stories you tell!
That sounds like such a fun and spontaneous day! I am often the one planning things around here, so when they husband plans a surprise, I love it.
Sometimes it is hard to just let go of the reigns. It is nice when the hubby actually makes the plans!
That does sound like a fun impromptu trip. Sometimes those are the best kind. 🙂
What a fun surprise! I’m so glad you didn’t say no. You made so many wonderful memories on that road trip!
Good for you! Life is too short. Experience things while you can.
That sounds like a great place to spend Mother’s Day. I would have said yes that that too.
My “motto” this year is to go “all in!” And you definitely did. So glad you said yes!
What a great surprise! Last night, my son told me “I need ice cream treat” so instead of telling him we don’t have ice cream, I took him to the ice cream shop. He was so well behaved, had fun and we had a great 45 minutes together.
I’ve been trying to be more of a “YES” person lately but it’s hard. I have to admit I love to be in control and I am not one for surprises. I have learned though that it’s okay to take chances because exciting things end up happening as a result.
I love taking adventures! Isn’t it nice to just be along for the ride every once and a while? Sounds like a great day!
What a great attitude to have towards life in general! Just say yes 🙂 I’m a big adventure lover though, so I’d say yes to an adventure in a heartbeat <3
What a wonderful surprise. I love those type of trips.
I love to say just yes, and sometimes do. Life is too short to never take a chance.
That’s terrific that he wanted to surprise you. Aren’t you glad you said yes!
So glad you said yes!! What a great surprise!
Im glad you said yes! I said YES to the beach last weekend, very impromptu, so glad we did
Lovely! It’s stepping into your vulnerability – actually your strength! Takes courage. <3
Sounds like fun! Yesterday I had a miserable 3 year old and I didn’t want to take him to our last event of the day. We ended up going and we all had a great time. So glad I opted to go instead of sitting on the couch.
I love naps just as much as the next person, but I totally would have been glad I skipped one for that great day your guys had! Yay for surprises!
Impromptu adventures are the best! What a great reminder to “Just say yes.”
Camesha, reading this post was like sipping a warm cup of tea. Just so nice! You make such a simple, but often forgotten point. I will be reflecting on this all week. Thank you!!
Aw, I love this! Family adventures are the best!
It’s fun to say yes instead of no sometimes! I said yes to a boat ride this weekend instead of staying home and napping.
He’s really been surprising you lately. I love that you’re just going with it!
My husband wants to do those sort of things for me too. I just get car sick 🙂 I should suck it up and say yes more!
saying yes is scary sometimes. the outcome isn’t always what you expect
What an amazing experience! Sometimes it’s nice to just go with the flow – especially when someone you trust and love is behind the wheel 🙂
Love this,so glad you said yes! We haven’t done an spur of the moment road trip in a while, I think it may be time for one soon!
What a great experience! I love this- we’re so focused on saying no that sometimes we miss out on what happens when we say yes. Great article Camesha!