"Calnafornia"

That's Aaron talk for California... just so you know.

Apparently I need to get my kids out more cause when they saw their first palm tree they asked if it was a "real Hawaii tree" and then they proceeded to run over and touch it saying in loud voices, "it really IS real!" yeah, it's a good thing we were at a restaurant during dinner time so one one heard them.

Why yes, the car with Idaho plates is ours, how did you Know??

But seriously. I love a good road trip. I would take driving over flying any day. I am amazed at how much there is to see in the world, and I want to see it all from the front seat of a car.


Sacramento was fantastic!

First off, dinner with my beautiful cousin, Carol. I haven't seen her since we were pretty young... maybe 12 years old?? It was so great to catch up with her. Last time I saw her we were a bunch of rowdy kids, now she's a college professor and so poised and beautiful.




After dinner we drove to the home of Erica and Izzy Young. They use to live across the street from us before Idaho kicked them out.

Yeah, I'm serious.

Okay, actually Izzy entered the Coast Guard, so they end up moving a lot. Boise, Alaska, Florida, Texas, and now California... and yeah, they have lived in all those states in just 5 yrs. We have so much fun together. Our kids are the same ages and get along very well. Noah and Aiden wasted no time...



To celebrate Aiden's birthday we went to the Scandia Amusement park.

This is the saddest picture I have ever enjoyed smiling at. Isabel was so dang mad that she didn't get to go in the water boats and go-carts.




Aaron got to go with me, and let me tell you, we freakin' rock. Soaked the heck out of everyone, including ourselves.


See:






I am so upset, every time we see the Young's we always forget to take pictures together. Always! This is the only picture I have of Erica. At least she's rockin' it in the go-cart.


This next ride is called "The Screamer" which is kind of ironic considering due to city noise violations you are not allowed to scream on the ride. I'm serious. I should have taken a picture of the sign and sent it to the "fail" blog.

See that little yellow and blue carriage at the end of the long arm... that's were you sit. It holds two people.



And then it spins end over end at blood curdling speeds.


Erica and I went first. It was stinking awesome. I loved it. Pure exhilaration. Blissful. I loved it.





And then after Erica and I went Jennica and Rudger went. Yeah, Jennica... my Jennica.

She's six years old and the bravest little girl in town. Rudger is 11, and he is more than welcome to come date Jennica as soon as she turns 16. He's such a great boy.

On to Bodega Bay.

It was cold. Well, it was cold if you stood up in the wind, but very nice laying on the warm sand. I had every intention of laying on the warm sand all day long.

Not so nice if you play in the water. brrrrrrrrr....


Perfect if you're a rambunctious four year old who likes to get down and dirty.

Sadly, I didn't get many pictures at the beach because I was too busy tanning and making sand cannons.. What, you don't know how to make sand cannons? I'll show you some time. All the kids loved them.

Before we knew it, it was time to set off on the drive home.

We made a stop in Fernley Nevada to visit with my cousin Melanie (Carol's sister). My kids loved their pug dogs. Melanie's husband, Justin offered to take the kids for rides on the dune buggy. Totally love her husband. He's such a cool guy it's easy to see how much he loves Melanie.

Radiates off him.

And get this.. he totally won her over with a mix tape.

(yes I'm sunburned from my tanning at the beach.)




Thanks so much guys, we had a blast!


This was by far the best vacation I've had in a long time. There is just something about relaxing with old friends and family without any stress or tension. Absolutely enjoyed ourselves.

And so thank you California. Thanks for having us, we'd like to come back and visit soon. Real soon. Hope we don't wear out our welcome. :)