Back from Cali

We had a great time in Northern California last week! We started off the trip with a 6 hour flight to San Jose, where Tiff picked us up from the airport. We dropped the kids off at her house, and then met up with a bunch of other girlfriends for lunch. We then drove kids around, picking up Tiff's kids from school and taking my kids to play with friends, etc. We had dinner with our awesome across-the-street neighbor, Debbie, and her kids Marcus, Mia, and Matteo (who are all way too tall). Eric flew in that evening (he was on a business trip) and picked up our rental car and drove down. We stayed the night with Brandon and Tiff, then headed to the beach Thursday morning.

The beach was awesome! This is the perfect time of year for the beach in Northern California, really warm and mild. My kids had an absolute blast playing in the sand with Mercedes, Beau, and Reef.

We then headed back to Tiff and Brandon's for a barbecue which she had coordinated with all of our amazing Hollister friends. It was so fun to see everyone and pick up right where we had left off last summer at Trinity. Thanks, Tiff, for heading that up! You are the ultimate Activities Committee Chairperson!

Erin got to see her friend from down the street, Harleen, and I was so glad to get to see Harleen's mom, Paramjit, when I went to pick her up.

Well, this all made for a very late night driving up to Clayton where Eric's mom and dad live. The kid's all slept on the floor so they could play with their cousins in the morning, and Eric and I stayed at a hotel (it was a pretty full house, with John and Tina and their 5, and Dean and Andrea and their 3, plus our 4)

The next morning (Friday) we decided to take the kids to the beach because John and Tina's kids had never been. So we packed all 20 of us into 3 cars and drove the nearly 2 hours back to the beach we had been to the day before. There are beaches closer, but they are nearly always very cold, windy, and the waves are too big. The kids had so much fun burying each other in the sand and looking for seashells, but we only stayed for about 2 hours because we had to fight our way through traffic to get back for the family dinner that night.

The dinner was really fun. It was at a Mexican restaurant in Pleasant Hill called La Tapatia, the food was really good, and it was really fun to meet Justine's family.

The next day (Saturday) was hectic and crazy, running around making last minute preparations for the wedding, but we still managed to have a barbecue at the park and let the kids play.

The wedding was wonderful! Very simple and beautiful, and to the point! Justine looked so beautiful in her dress, and Paul looked so happy. What a perfect pair they make! Oh yeah, and Lucy (the dog) was quite lovely in her floral wreath!

The reception was across the street at Skipolini's Pizza, the perfect place! It was outdoors, there is a playground for the kids to play on, and the food was amazing, as usual! I LOVED catching up with Eric's Aunt MaryLou, Aunt Anne and Uncle Bob, and his cousins Angela and her 3 boys, and John and his wife Ginger and their 2 boys. (Jack Ellis and Jack Ritchie really hit it off, too!)

We went back to Mary and Jim's for a bit and then headed over to Paul and Justine's to see their new place. Now, normally, I wouldn't crash the honeymoon, but there were about 30 other people already there. That's where the after-reception party was being held.:) What a great investment they have made in their home! It's on a 1/2 acre, with a pool and mature trees, the floor plan is great, and it's in a fabulous neighborhood. Mary's favorite house that she's ever lived in is just down a few streets. They lived there when John and Eric were little, before they moved to Grand Junction.

We headed back to the hotel that night (with the kids this time) and woke up bright and early to head to the airport. Eric dropped us off, he had another business trip, and we flew home. It was pretty uneventful, and the kids were great the entire trip.

We are truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful family, and to have so many awesome friends! We miss and love you all so much!