After enjoying a relaxing flight and then exploring Old Town, my family picked me up in front of the Mormon Battalion. The Battalion was an amazing experience. Sister missionaries run it and give tours. They tell stories about the men and women involved in the batallion, focusing on their faith, obedience and unique stories of a Mormon military unit. After the tour, I went up to look at little houses that are kept in their original historic condition. They were lovely. There was a gorgeous big tree on the top of the hill. I sat on a bench by it reading Taking Flight. It was sunny and warm. A little slice of heaven.
California was a much needed break to spend time with my family, relax and slow down. Granted, when I came back school was intense, but now I'm done! More on that later.
The weather was great and I just loved the simple, fun, familiar things we do in Imperial Beach. I had the best chocolate cake of my life and went to a super yummy Mexican restaurant in Old Town. And of course, we ate tons of IB giant pizza. So the food was awesome.
I loved having the Fifes and Whites (for a minute :) ) there too, their families are awesome!
Thanks mom and dad for a wonderful trip!
On the 27th, at 2:18 AM, we left Christmas behind. Didn't even clean up, really. It was great!
Below is my mom's account of what went down on their drive to CA....
First stop, the 99 cent store in Imperial Beach. Well. OK, we did make a couple of stops before that. Breakfast in St. George at 7, then oh yeah, I almost forgot: a two hour delay in St. George when our emergency check engine light started flashing literally blocks away from the Honda dealer. We pulled up to the service center 5 minutes before they opened. It took awhile to fix the dealio (Scott and I aren't sure what it was...spark plug censor something or other.) But it could not have been better timing. Can you imagine if this had happened in the Mojave desert? The waiting room had a Christmas tree, a play area and snacks and drinks, all of which we consumed. The only concern was that Golda had flown to San Diego that morning and was already there! I was so thankful they could fix our car in St. George. I had visions of our daughter being stranded in San Diego. Angels watching over us, huh? Golda did have a plan in place, so our delay was fine. She grabbed breakfast at the airport then hopped in a cab to Old Town. She had never been to the Mormon Battalion site, or any of the cute shops. We picked her up around 2, called Seacoast Pizza and had our first giant pizza of the trip ready for us upon arrival in our favorite beach town. It felt heavenly to be there.
Instant party! Just add pizza!
This is the only shark picture we got the whole week! By the time they realized, I was on a plane!
The pier, our friendly little place for popsicles and sundry treats.
Someone balanced these rocks.
Naomi, Araceli and Emma
Adorable.
Bentley
Tyler
Muscle man, AKA Penny Loafer Man
Happy Anniversary to the most energetic, selfless, fun, and perfect couple I know!
Beach tree
More boogie boarding! Too cold for me!
Ruby and Bentley, so gorg!
Xanthe and Evie were fast friends
Cute outfit mom
Jameson, up for the action!
Naomi
Ruby trying (and failing) to be authentically Spanish by eating 12 grapes in 12 seconds at 12 am. My mom also hit a streamer into her face which didn't help. I was actually worried she'd choke from laughing so hard and die.
The moon at 5 am as my mom was taking me to the airport was breathtaking.
Ruby
First stop, the 99 cent store in Imperial Beach. Well. OK, we did make a couple of stops before that. Breakfast in St. George at 7, then oh yeah, I almost forgot: a two hour delay in St. George when our emergency check engine light started flashing literally blocks away from the Honda dealer. We pulled up to the service center 5 minutes before they opened. It took awhile to fix the dealio (Scott and I aren't sure what it was...spark plug censor something or other.) But it could not have been better timing. Can you imagine if this had happened in the Mojave desert? The waiting room had a Christmas tree, a play area and snacks and drinks, all of which we consumed. The only concern was that Golda had flown to San Diego that morning and was already there! I was so thankful they could fix our car in St. George. I had visions of our daughter being stranded in San Diego. Angels watching over us, huh? Golda did have a plan in place, so our delay was fine. She grabbed breakfast at the airport then hopped in a cab to Old Town. She had never been to the Mormon Battalion site, or any of the cute shops. We picked her up around 2, called Seacoast Pizza and had our first giant pizza of the trip ready for us upon arrival in our favorite beach town. It felt heavenly to be there.
Friends since they were 5 years old.
Araceli has the baby touch.
Our friends in Spain ringing in 2015 :) Love and miss them!
This is what my family was up to as I was boarding a plane for home....
Throw kids in with other kids and madness ensues. It doesn't matter that they only play together once a year!
!
And now we're safely home. One day, we're carefree and relaxed, eating pizza and gazing endlessly out over the Pacific Ocean. The very next day, we have 7 violin lessons, 8 dance classes, 2 orchestras, a full day of school and no groceries in the fridge. Brutal! In fact, when we got home at 7 pm Sunday, all the kids started pulling out homework! Araceli had to make a 3-D replica of a cell! Ruby had so much to do that she didn't ever go to bed that night. She worked through the night and then left for school.
Welcome back! Saddle up. It's going to be a long ride!
Welcome back! Saddle up. It's going to be a long ride!
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