springdellgirl

20th Anniversary Trip to California: Day 1 and 2

For our 20th anniversary we bought plane tickets and planned a trip to California. This may surprise you...it does me...but I had never been to California before. I have been all over the US but somehow managed to skip this particular state. So the choice was pretty easy for a getaway vacay. Plus while we were there we could see some people that we adore.

We planned to leave the day after school got out but the teachers here went on strike and the school year got extended so that put a bit of a wrinkle into our plans but we got our bases covered and headed out of town as planned. It was DELIGHTFUL!! With all the past craziness of graduation and Farm Chicks and life in general it was down right thrilling and well deserved to board a plane all by ourselves and set off on our own adventure!!

See ya!!

We flew into San Diego and were picked up by Tyler's older sister Lori. It was great to see her and to catch up. She lives in a fun area right downtown. Her apartment complex looks just like the apartment complex on Melrose Place. Right down to the courtyard and fountain.

Lori lives in a bustling and colorful area. We walked all over. It was sunny and warm and it felt great. We walked to a fantastic Mexican restaurant in her neighborhood. We were dying for good Mexican food. (There is none to be found here in Spokane. Not remotely!!) After stuffing our faces full of fish tacos, carnitas, carne asada, chips, salsa, and the best guacamole; we talked the night away. It was fun to see Tyler and Lori together and to be reminded that Tyler is someone's little brother!! He is definitely the older brother in my extended family so it was entertaining to see that family dynamic manifested. After dinner we walked back to Lori's and jumped in her car and headed straight to the beach. She lives about 10 minutes away.

It was glorious!! It was dark and the tide was coming in. People were sitting around bonfires and music was playing. It was so pretty. Tyler and I were instantly in the water. It was a gorgeous and lush night. We could've stayed there forever. While we were out playing in the waves a big shooting star went right over our heads. It was pretty magical.

Lori thought we were a little bit crazy with our midnight romps in the ocean...but that's okay!! We stayed up talking and catching up into the wee hours of the morning. It was great fun to be together.

The next morning we were up bright and early and it looked like we were in Portland. What?! Nobody told me about "June Gloom". The fog had rolled in and San Diego looked completely different. We picked up our rental car and drove to Temecula to see our dear friends Naomi and Kevin. But by the time we got outside of San Diego, the fog was gone, and it was sunny and hot just like I thought CA would be!! It was fun to see the different areas as we drove towards the more desert part of Southern California. I LOVED Temecula. It is so pretty and such a great area to raise a family with all the walking trails and neighborhood pools. It reminded me so much of The Woodlands, Texas (where I used to live) but swap out all the pine trees for palm trees. I love a planned community. I could live in a place like that! I also loved the big ranches on the outskirts of town. It totally had a Parent Trap vibe to it!! Temecula's beautiful wine country was dazzling too.

It was so great to see Naomi and Kevin. We just love them so much!! It was so fun to see them in their element. We usually try to meet up when we are all going to be in Utah every few years. They have such a great family and it was so enjoyable to see where they live and watch them be all parenty. Then we quickly stole them away from their family and headed out for a day of fun. Usually when we travel we have a big list of things we want to see and do. We didn't for this trip. We just went with the flow and it turned out great!! Na and Kev were wonderful tour guides.

We had brunch at a stunningly beautiful winery in Temecula...The South Coast Winery Resort and Spa. Google it. It's gorgeous!! We plan to stay there on a return trip. It was dreamy. Yeah, that's right. Mormons can enjoy a winery too and stone cold sober...booyah!

Our brunch was sumptuous!! I am still dreaming about my Bananas Foster Pancakes drenched in Vanilla Sauce and my cottage potatoes with hollendaise sauce. Tyler had the California Eggs Benedict and has been talking about them ever since. (Yes, our lives do revolve around food... Clearly.)

Here is the thing I love the most about hanging out with Naomi and Kevin. They have known us since we were kids so there is no need for pretension or trying to be cool because they know we aren't. They knew us back when Tyler had a red mullet and I had braces and played the french horn. We can be our dorky inner 12 year olds and love every single minute. The years just fall away and we are back to being those goofy kids once more. We laughed our guts out all.day.long. You just can't beat that!!

I wish I had a picture of these two as kids. To think that these delinquents were up to no good in Orem while...

...These two babes were up the canyon playing, swinging on swings, and having carnivals blissfully dreaming of marrying two hot brothers and living next door to each other forever...all the while...our future husbands were building a make out loft in Kevin's garage to lure chicks too. Nice. Unfortunately neither of them got much action as only Kevin's older brother Steve managed to lure the ladies to the love loft. Ha Ha!! Just when I think that the Ty and Kevin stories can't get any better...THEY DO!! The Kris and Na stories are a bit tamer in comparison but don't forget that we became friends by being scarred for life by an unexpected cat penis sighting. So there...*mic drop*.

But this bad boy can thank Naomi who told me to practice making out on my hand when I was 12 so that I wouldn't embarrass myself when I finally made out with someone. Oh yeah...he has been reaping the benefits of my kissing skills for years. Look at the smile on his face. Thanks Na!! ;)

On a holier note...admiring the vineyards...and thinking about Jesus and stuff.

The Johnsons

The Yocums

Then it was off to see more of the countryside...like citrus groves. I'm sorry but it really is crazy to see oranges, lemons, and grapefruit growing on trees. I didn't get to see an avocado tree. Bummer. It's on my list for next time. Oh, and an olive tree with olives on it.

Lovely Citrus Grove

Impressive!!

I appreciate Naomi following me into the grove and documenting my joy at seeing how grapefruits grow on trees.

There may have been some mockers in this vehicle...and a grapefruit thief.

When we got back into the car the most delicious aroma came from the front seat where a freshly plucked grapefruit was being snarfed down. Luckily Kevin shared. I'm not going to lie...it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. Wow. Yep, there really is a difference just like people always say.

So succulent!! Who knew that it was possible to eat a grapefruit like an orange and without sugar. It was divine!!

And so JUICY!!

Then we stopped to look at some weird cows... worth it!! They were crazy. Check these bad boys out:

Their horns are so enormous that they can't even hold their heads up. They walk dragging their horns on the ground like that. Bizarre.

We were fascinated!!

Then it was back to San Diego!! First stop...Old Town San Diego. While there we stopped in and took the tour of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. It was pretty cool and interactive. I vaguely remembered the story about this...and I vaguely recalled that this might be the part of the Trek when Reilly said that the army took away her pa and some of her brothers and that the women left behind actually cried on the trek. Don't you just love the pioneer trek? You get a taste of what it might have been like for those amazing pioneers and an appreciation for what they went through and sacrificed.

Speaking of pioneers...

It really is a good thing that I came to earth farther down the family line because there is no way I could've hacked being a pioneer woman. I crawled right into that covered wagon and then climbed up by Tyler and tried to imagine what that might have been like. Yep. I would've laid down and died. Bless their hearts.

But that did not mean that I did not enjoy doing some pioneery things there. I loved watching Little House on the Prairie as a kid and always wanted to do some of the things that were depicted on the show and I got my chance at the Mormon Battalion place.

Yes, there really is something quite satisfying about pumping water into a trough (my personal fav), bringing up a bucket from a well, and panning for gold. Tyler would've made our fortune this way. He was a gold panning champ. I was a gold panning dud.

Oh I'm sorry small child...did you want a turn? Can't you see the adults are busy here trying to get some gold rocks? Move along.

Please say hello to our residents, Pedro and his wife Inez.... And Pedro is working on an "adobe." Can you say that with me? "Adobe".

Making bricks from ADOBE... Name that movie? If you can you probably grew up in Springdell because we watched it like 10 thousand times.

Naomi has entitled this: The Chortlers. (Keep reading...you haven't seen anything yet.)

Official Mormon Battalion Photo

Then we were off to the one place that WAS on my list of to-sees: The Hotel Del Coronado.

Oh.My.Gosh. I absolutely love this place. It is perfection. I really wanted to stay there this trip but the price for a room during peak season was as much as our mortgage. No joke. But I definitely want to stay there during the off season sometime. It is amazing!! Beyond amazing. We walked all around the hotel and grounds and checked the place out. It really had a Galveston, Texas seashore vibe to it. I loved it. They also have the world's best ice cream. Seriously. Probably the best I have ever had in my life...loaded with cream, sugar, and fat. It was divine.

It was sheer perfection. I could have stayed here forever.

It was so much fun!! I loved Coronado Island. It is definitely a place I want to return to as well.

After that we were off to La Jolla to see the gorgeous San Diego Temple. Too bad Reilly wasn't there as she has a gorgeous collection of photos of LDS temples that she has taken from her travels. She has a great eye and this temple is particularly stunning.

This guy isn't too bad either...especially since he is all mine.

Trying to be more serious and spiritual...

It didn't last long...cue the Saturday's Warrior music...

THAT my friends is a CHORTLER!! That was me all day...not a pretty sight but definitely fun!!

It really was absolutely beautiful. Next time we come we definitely want to go inside and do a session.

Then it was back to Temecula for more Mexican food. We seriously couldn't get enough of it. The avocados in California are out of this world!! We had a late dinner at a place near their house that we heard that Jim Gaffigan eats at. Sold. Of course we would want to eat there!! I can't remember what it was called but they are famous for their Cali Burritos...and rightly so. It is a monster burrito stuffed with carne asada, guacamole, and FRENCH FRIES. And if Jim Gaffigan eats it...you know it's good. It was!!

My mouth is watering just looking at that!!

Late that night we finally returned our friends to their family who had been busy packing up for their family vacation to Lake Powell. They were all leaving the next day at 5am. Those are some good friends!!

A big huge thank you to Naomi and Kevin, tour guides extraordinaire, for an incredible day!! We packed a ton of fun into one glorious day and we loved every minute!!

Graduation: Class of 2015

The big day finally arrived. I had been dreading and worrying about this day for years and guess what? It turned out to be not so bad. It was pretty fun and exciting. Our oldest child has graduated from high school. Momentous. Weird.

We had a family luncheon at Chaps, our favorite restaurant here in Spokane. It is owned by our friend Celeste and it is amazing. (It's also been featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives in case you want to check it out! ) It was the perfect place to celebrate this special day.

These two will be the next graduates. Grace right after Kameron.

It just doesn't seem very long ago when we were just a little family of three...

We have taught each other a lot over the past 18 years.

We were pretty happy and thrilled and thankful that this day finally arrived!!

I love this picture!

Then we gathered back at our house for hot fudge sundaes and visited out on our deck until it was time load up and head to the Spokane Arena for the commencement ceremony.

Waiting for the ceremony to begin...proud parents!! We may have had our doubts a time a two this year that we would actually get here!! Let's just say that senioritis kicked in very early.

(Not pictured: My mom, Reilly's boyfriend Justin, my cousin Justin, his wife Hannah and their daughter Paige.)

It was really fun to see friends of ours, and people from church, and people that we've known for years, and to hear the names called of kids that we have known since they were babies. That is the beauty of raising your kids in one place. I love the sense of community that we have living here.

Blurry but still cool!! How is it 2015 already?

Our bishop and his wife came to cheer on and support the kids graduating from our ward. They were sitting right in front of us and I think we nearly deafened them. Ha ha!!

There was laughing and crying all going on at the same time for me. It really is pretty emotional having your child graduate. It's a huge milestone. I got pretty choked up when Pomp and Circumstance began to play and all the graduates entered the arena. It was very surreal. We have gotten here...to this point...so very very quickly.