More Summer Updating...California

You know how it goes. You promise yourself you will write it down before you forget and then you forget. That's how I am feeling with the summer. It was REALLY long and pretty eventful and then BOOM! It was over and now I am knee-deep in preschool teaching, young womens, soccer games and homework. I am already longing for those carefree days. BUT, life is good! I think it is necessary to be pushed a little bit to make us grow. Well, back in July, we took a fabulous trip to California. I was so grateful for 2 full weeks of vacation. It allowed us to fully kick back, relax and enjoy our family. We started our stay with my mom and dad, Brandon and the Hills at my mom and dad's house. We swam, played, ate good food and just enjoyed our time. This stop was too short, I thought, but I will take what I can get. We stayed from Saturday (Lucia's baptism) to Wednesday, when we headed south to Henry Cowell (in the mountains above Santa Cruz) to camp with family friends from my childhood. My mom's best friends and their families drove from all over to camp and reunite! What used to be four families with four kids each (all matching up to me and my sibblings) is now a HUGE group with spouses and grandchildren. Again, this stop was really short, but I loved it. Oh, and I forgot to mention that this group is called the COWS. You know, four women friends, like a four-legged cow when they went walking together. The cows were a big part of my childhood! We camped with all of my siblings and families. The kids played and played. We enjoyed rides on the boardwalk, played at the beach, celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks in Scotts Valley and went to frozen yogurt for my mom's birthday. We also visited the Seymour UC Santa Cruz Marine Center. This was all crammed into week one of our vacation and as always, it was hard to say goodbye. This time was especially difficult as my sister Callie and her family headed off to Chicago this month for school. Sigh...being away from family is hands down my least favorite part of being an adult.

Our trip continues below the pictures!

As week one came to a close, the stinky campers (us) made our way over to Deb and Richard's beautiful new condo. They have spent the last year renovating the space and we were really excited to see it and to enjoy that part of Santa Cruz. Dan's sister Gina and her husband Josh came for the week too. Seriously, this week was a blast! We relaxed like we haven't relaxed in a long time. We watched movies, took walks, went to the beach, took family pictures and at A LOT! We also spent my birthday in Monterey. We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and ate at Bubba Gump's. YUM! We got to hear Josh's fabulous Bubba impressions. We also spent time down at the Boardwalk. They are SO close. A highlight for me was going back later in the evening with Josh and Gina to ride the rides without kids. Um, so fun! We don't get out much and those two are such good company. After spending most of the week at the condo, we headed back to Orangevale. Dan and I attempted to go to the Oakland Temple, where we were married 10 years ago. We had a Wally World experience. A wild goose chase to find a mall to buy Dan socks or a tie, (I can't remember) and when we arrived, the temple was closed for cleaning. Wow. Nothing like a let down. We headed back to Deb and Richard's to BBQ with family for Richard's birthday. The kids swam and played. PHEW... this brings us to the close of our stay. We also got to meet up with dear friends for yogurt and a short visit. It is never enough time. This trip was priceless. It has been four years and I am still homesick. I don't think that longing for family ever goes away. I was so grateful for memories made and bonds made stronger. If anyone remembers something I left out, let me know. My memory is already fading! Anyhow, enjoy the pictures!