Every since I joined the Riley family, I have really learned a lot about vacationing and getting away. My husband and in-laws take vacationing very serious. They live by the phrase, “work hard, play harder”, and it didn’t take long for Ayva and me to adopt their way of living. I have to admit, I was pretty tense leading up to our first family vacation a couple of years ago. I didn’t really know how to turn off and just chill. I quickly learned, though, and I gleefully look forward to our annual summer vacations. My in-laws are retired now so they often take mini-trips. I mean, why not, right?

Since last week was Memorial Day, their anniversary, and my mother-in-law’s birthday, they decided to head up to Tahoe for a week. They invited Terrence, Ayva and me to join them for the long weekend, and with the offer to review a Lexus RX450H in my inbox, the stars were aligned in our favor, so we headed up the road to spend some quality time together.

Both Terrence and I have good, solid cars, but riding up the gorgeous Highway 50 in the luxury crossover SUV was a special treat. Because it’s a hybrid, our ride was nice and quiet, and it only took one tank of gas to drive from Oakland to Lake Tahoe and back (over 400 miles). On the way up, we listened to Kidz Bop thanks to Terrence’s phone and the easy to connect bluetooth function in the Lexus RX450H, and later a few podcasts. At one point, once Ayva went to sleep, Terrence and I turned off all electronics and really just took in the beautiful scenery in our super quiet ride. It was a perfect drive, there and back.

When we got to Tahoe, since it was my first time, I got over the desire to try to do everything in 3 short days. Instead, I decided to just go with the flow without trying to make anything happen. We never did get to go to the famous lake, but it was okay, because the #1 goal was to relax. Nevada Beach was a short walk in the woods from where we staying, so we took trekked over there for a bit one day. It was cold and rainy, but that wasn’t going to stop us from getting out there and experiencing Tahoe.

It was still pretty chilly the next day, but Ayva wanted to go to a pool and since I’m all about more yes and less no now, I got in with her. I’ll admit, I only stayed in the pool for a few minutes before getting into the hot tub, but still, we were outside! The cool air coupled with the warm water from the jacuzzi was just lovely. As Ayva splashed around in the pool, I was able to release the stress of home life to just enjoy being.

When it was time to go home, we loaded up the Lexus RX405H with all of our things, and headed back up the highway. The ride home was just as smooth as our trip there. Ayva talked for an hour and a half until she finally conked out. Since we didn’t have to stop for gas, she was able to get a really good nap. Terrence and I didn’t have to compete with the sound of the engine in the hybrid, so we were able to have a relaxing conversation all the way up the road. It was a nice ride, and the perfect getaway.