EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
Single Parenthood
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Giddy-up Mini getaways put kick back into parenting One of the greatest pleasures in life is taking a vacation, wouldn’t you agree? It’s a chance for you to check out, regroup, step off, catch your breath, re-energize, refuel and at long last, connect with loved ones you haven’t paid much attention to lately. If you’re a single parent, think back to when you were married. You have to admit, even as dicey as the relationship might have been, vacations, miraculously, were always memorable – in a good way. At least with the ex and me, the baggage that was labeled anger, resentment and withholding never got packed for some reason whenever we hit the road. Oddly enough, two months before our marriage crashed and burned, we hauled our two daughters and a boat down to San Diego and enjoyed one of our best vacations ever, cruising around the bay. Since the divorce, vacations have been sparse. Something about having to work twice as hard to maintain half of what you once had manages to eat up all the fun – and funds – in life. In the last six years, my daughters and I have taken only two great escapes together: The Disney Cruise and Club Med in Florida. Out-of-the-ballpark trips, yes. But still, we haven’t spent nearly enough downtime, just us three. This new year, all that will change. I resolute (can that be used as a verb?) to get away more with my children. Not big trips. Little ones. Mini getaways of the memorable kind, like our recent escape to the Alisal Guest Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara. Michael Jackson built Neverland out there, and no wonder – the hilltop vistas overlooking the wine country are spec-TAC-ular. Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . . The Alisal is a 10,000-acre working cattle ranch and resort. The Old West meets the Westin. You can hop on a horse for a morning trail ride and get back in time for a tennis match or round of golf. In each private cottage-like room, there are no TVs and no phones. Just comfortable beds, clean bathrooms and a stack of wood to make a roaring fire every night. For three days, while the rest of civilization spun around us, we got in touch with our inner cowgirls and rode some of the ranch’s 135 horses, many of them older, but still with some trot left in them. “These horses would be on a dinner table in France if they weren’t at the Alisal,” says one cowboy. Some very hunky ranch hands matched us with horses suited to our personalities. They said that was important for a good ride. I got Comanche, the stubborn one. The wrangling sisters got Lucky and Newby. While their horses trotted, Comanche ate everything in sight. I guess he was my perfect match after all. When we weren’t on the trail, we splashed in the pool, went fishing and stuffed ourselves silly with chef-prepared food. Best of all, I relaxed. Really relaxed. It was just what this single mom needed to get back in the saddle again. For more details on taking a family trip to the Alisal Guest Ranch, log onto: alisal.com. |
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