We're back!

Back home and back to blogging...well, maybe not so much back to blogging, but I am going to be sure to at least get down some memories from our sweet trip to Cali this past week and a half! We got home this evening after a long drive, but I can say that this little get-away was sooo needed and we had the BEST time! It was one of those trip that was not so much about theme parks and visiting a gazillion places, though we have had plenty of trips like that and they are full of equally wonderful memories. This trip, though, for me, was about connecting and reconnecting. It was about a full 10 days of getting my fill in of my Chris and my Kaiya without so many of the usual day to day interruptions. It was about the long talks during the long car rides, laughing and just being together. It was about reconnecting with friends and family that we wish we could see every day, but usually only see a few times a year. It was just about being with people we love, honestly. And really, is there anything better than that? I really came home today, feeling so grateful for the special people that I have in my life and for the time I was able to spend with them this week.

First stop was Carpinteria, just outside of Santa Barbara, where we visited our great friends, Dean and Jeanette and their ADORABLE little brood! We ate at a fun place right by the beach and spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and watching some pretty sweet YouTube videos! The next day we had the most delish BBQ and hung out and played with the kids in the backyard, enjoying the PERFECT weather! Then we went to a really neat place that was full of beautiful gardens and ponds and had a fantastic park next door. We were sad to have to say good-bye, but had such a fun time with our friends! Thanks sooo much, guys!

Then it was on to Aaron (my brother) and Debbie's house! We could not WAIT to get there! I had to restrain myself from smooching my nephews faces off! I miss these sweet boys sooo much! We had a great dinner that night and of course had to spend several hours after that talking and talking and talking, because we just don't see each other nearly enough!

The next day, we made a trip out to Santa Maria, where we were able to spend the afternoon with Chris' grandparents. They had never met Kaiya and it had been a few years since we had seen them too, so it was a very special treat to be able to spend time with them! I have to mention the ENORMOUS amount of respect and love we have for these two. Over the years, they have been very diligent in sending us letters and correspondence, documenting such important family history. Chris' grandpa has even written a book about his experiences in the war. They are wise and they are kind and we are grateful for the heritage they are leaving for us and for their examles. We spent the afternoon talking with them and then got a special treat of going out into their beautiful backyard to pick some California produce! As a California girl through and through, I can tell you there is nothing quite like fruit from trees in Cali! We came away with bags full of oranges, apples, limes and lemons! Mmmm! It was a fun and very special visit for us!The next few days, we spent with Aaron and Deb and their family. We went to the beach and the boys surfed, of course! I thought Chris might literally run from the car right into the ocean, he was so excited! If only we lived closer for him to be able to do that more often! I love to see him so excited about it and Aaron is always the best surfing host, going to just the right spots and making sure he knows exactly what the conditions will be like! Deb and I enjoyed hanging out, relaxing on the beach, talking away, while the kids ran around having fun! Kaiya ate a TON of sand and we found the remainder of the beach in her diaper when we got home, but hey, that's what going to the beach is all about! She loved it! My next stop was a trip back to the Central Valley where I grew up. Man, was that nostolgic! I hadn't been there for several years and there is just something that feels like home to me. Soooo many memories in that area! It was great to return, but even more great that I was returning so I could visit one of my favorite people in the world! I spent the day with one of my best friends, Jamie, and had the entire day to just talk and laugh and catch up! One might think that an entire day of talking would surely be enough, but I could have spent about 20 more days and still not feel entirely caught up! But you take what you can get, right? We had fun playing with her beautiful girls and when I left, I missed Jamie instantly! There is nothing like a friend who you have like 20 years of history with, who you can not see for months and months, but instantly you feel reconnected and like not a moment has gone by. Those are the special kind of friends and I'm grateful that Jamie is one of mine! The rest of the week was spent with Aaron and Deb, seeing all around the cute new town they live in, playing with the boys, more talking and laughing, surfing, and just enjoying our time with them! One night, we went to San Luis Obispo to the farmer's market, which is HUGE there and spent the evening walking around the booths and shops. It was sooo fun and such a neat atmosphere! One sidenote: it was interesting to me, the entire time we were in Cali, no matter what city we were in, to see the great attention being given to Prop 8, on both sides. At the farmer's market there were tons and tons of people walking around with their signs and stickers. It is such an IMPORTANT issue, whether you live there or not and I could not help but feel very passionate about it, especially for the way it effects so many things besides just marriage. To think that even adoption would literally change for SOOO many people depending on which way this goes is a very real and very scary thing. Anyway, I couldn't help but offer my little inkling of a voice, even though I won't be voting on it. It will be very interesting to see what happens. Anyway, enough of that. The farmer's market was GREAT and we had a really fun time! Another special treat for me was being able to go help out in my little nephew, Evan's, classroom. He was so surprised to see his mom and I and we had such a good time making Halloween treats with all the kids! Ev is such a special little guy to me and I was glad to be able to visit him and see him at school! We also got to spend Halloween with Aaron and Deb and their kids! Jessika and her parents sent Kaiya the cutest Halloween outfit and hair things -- thanks so much, guys! The rest of the evening went pretty much exactly how I envisioned. We put Kaiya's costume on, she cried, would NOT leave her witch hat on, but obliged us a few pictures! She was a trooper during the trick-or-treating, though, and walked through some of it, but mostly rested safely in dad's arms for the majority of the time. She did get a bucket full of goodies that she can't really eat, though, so of course mom and dad helped her out with that! We sooo loved her costume, even if she didn't, our cute little witch! Our nephews were pretty dang cute, too! Debbie made an ingenious costume for her youngest, Luke, out of glowsticks and he was a walking stick figure! I didn't get any good pics of it, but honestly, it was a winner of a costume! It was so fun that Kaiya got to have her first trick or treating experience with her cute cousins! That night, we put the kids to bed and Debbie busted out the best treat of the night: battered, deep-fried candy bars! Ok, I am very PASSIONATE about this special treat. It is a Scottish delicacy, found at all of the fish and chips shops there. I had MORE than my share of these heavenly treats as a missionary in Scotland, but I justified it with all the walking we did! You dip your favorite candy bar in a thick batter, then simply fry it up, and it comes out crispy on the outside and gooey and melted in the middle! Ohhhh my gosh, you have no idea! Thanks so much, Deb, for bringing me back to those good ole' days! Mmmm! Then the adults all sat down for a scary Halloween movie to end the night off! Fun times!

Our last day there, we politely made our demands of needing to visit Pismo Beach, the beach I went to all growing up. You see it has been far too long since I have visited the famous Splash Cafe, and I NEEDED a fix of their clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl. So, after the guys spent one last morning surfing, we headed to that special blue building on main street in Pismo and ordered up the goodness! I literally was salivating and had been waiting for this all week. Yes, it IS that good! Don't judge me until you've tried it! Oh man, it was worth the wait! I heard a rumor that they sell it at Costco down there, and I would sure appreciate it if they would ship some up this way, dang it! Yum-eee! We spent the rest of the day, walking the shops, going down the pier, and seeing all those old familiar sites that I grew up with! It was so fun! We finished off the day with a trip to another old, favorite restaurant (yes, sometimes trips need to revolve around good food, too --hehe) that my family went to all growing up -- McClintock's! It was EXACTLY how I remembered it, even down to the server's uniforms, and I was glad for that! DELICIOUS food, funnest atmosphere, and a trip down memory lane for me! So, that was how our week went! It's nice to be home. I thought Chase would jump through the ceiling when we walked in the door (we have never left him alone for that long), and we sure were excited to see him too! Our nephews took such good care of him while we were gone! I am sad our trip is over, but we have so many lasting memories from this week and with the people we were able to visit. Again, it just has been so special for me this week to be able to spend time with people we love and together as a family. I could not ask for a better get-away than what we had! Now, time for unpacking -- YUCK!