Is that the beach I see??

So we've been experiencing a bit of vacation let down these past couple of weeks. It has been hard to get back in the swing of our daily routines after having so much fun. We gladly jumped at the invite that Ken extended to us to go out to the beach with Jeff's Uncle Norm and Aunt Barb.

After a bit of a long car drive we arrived at the Ocean Shores beach. The fog was so thick we almost didn't believe there was any water except for the noise we could hear of the surf. The kids of course wasted no time getting right into the sand and water to play.


We had some yummy sandwiches and just hung out. It was nice and relaxing to just be at the beach and watch the waves come in. As we stood watching the kids the tide started coming in closer and closer. Our watch line continued to move back each time the waved would surge in. We spend a solid 2 hours of play and as it began to get a bit colder and the kids were soaked we called it a day.

After a quick pack up we headed home and the kids took some little cat naps. It was a nice outing and I'm glad we got the chance to go. It was nice to meet Uncle Norm and Aunt Barb as I've never had the opportunity to meet them so that was a bonus. We didn't get much of a chance to chat as the kids required attention but it was still nice to be together. All things considered it was a relaxing day.

CA Vacation 2009

After almost 14 hours of driving we finally arrived at Laurie's house for our vacation. The kids were super excited to see each other and we were glad to be there. Here is the cliff notes version of our days.

Day 1
Our first official day of vacation. We dropped into Laurie's gymnastics academy, had a fun lunch in the park, headed off to visit my Dad, took a trip out to see my brother and his animals, visited my Grandma in the hospital and had some yummy grub.



Day 2
This was our day to visit Dan and Roxanne. We headed to their place in the morning and the kids instantly started playing. We went out to see Ice Age 3 in 3-D, the older kids went out golfing with the men, Alex accidentally helped Megan lose her two front teeth, we ate some more good grub and then I got to go out for a little girls night out to visit some old friends.

Day 3

Our day at the Water park for a little fun in the sun. Laurie has a nice little hot spot in the Morgan Hill aquatic center. We headed out in the morning and let the fun begin. We spent a big chunk of the day out playing in the water, eating some snack shack food, snow cones, water slides, and sun burns. By the end of the day everyone was nice and exhausted.

Day 4

Our 4th day of vacation just happened to by the 4th of July. MarGene bought all the kids matching outfits for the day and they were worn with style. The ladies started the day with a 7am family 5k run/walk. We headed out to Spreckels for a parade and shopping, and family fun fireworks. Of course don't forget the more good grub. Pulled pork sandwiches a first for me and I have to say very tasty :}

Day 5
The Sabbath and our day to visit all our old friends from the Salinas 1st Ward. I think they knew we were coming cuz practically no one was there. They all had the same idea and went on vacation as well. We did get to see a few of our friends and that was nice. We just had a nice restful day and ended it with an awesome family dinner and celebration of Scouts 1st birthday.



Day 6

Our split day. I went to work for most of the day since I was in town and it helped me catch up on all that I had been missing. I also got to visit with old co-workers. While I was out Jeff and the men went out golfing 18 holes at Laguna Seca. Jeff golfed his best round in at least 5 years. He's a bit rusty so that was really nice for him. Laurie and MarGene graciously watched our kids for us that day so we could do our own separate stuff and we really appreciated it alot. Once we were done with the bulk of our day we got this crazy idea to hit the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for 75 cent night. Call us crazy but we had to pack it all in.



Day 7

From the beach to the mountains. This was a final day and we wanted to play it a little low key. We took the kids out to the beach for a quick hour trip, I went back to my Dad's for another final visit by myself, and then the ladies went on a hike up a small Toro park mountain. While we were out Dan gave Jeff a tutorial on the new computer he built for us. Fun times!!

If you couldn't tell from all the pictures we had an awesome time. We packed in as much as we possible could. These are just a few of the highlights. I've got tons more to talk about and tons more pictures but I didn't think I could get it all to fit.

A huge thank you to Laurie for hosting us at her place. Another thank you to Dan for our awesome computer. More thank yous to the rest of the friends and family that made our vacation so much fun. It was nice to see everyone and just relax. Can't wait till our next trip.