Trip to Point Mugu

We went up to Ventura County, CA to check out the area.  Ben got off work earlier than expected, so we threw everything in the car and hurried to get on the road, in hopes that we would miss LA traffic. We were unsuccessful.  How people live in LA I do not know.  The area we will be living is just north of LA and the coolest part of the trip for me, was when we got out of LA and came down this beautiful mountain and you can see miles of strawberry patches.

First stop was Jimmy Johns.  Ben made the mistake of mentioning there might be one because then I had to have it.  We got to sit outside and enjoy a beautiful evening.  I wonder if we'll actually ever be inside when we move there.

In my hast to pack, I did a terrible job.  Worst to date.  Ben only had 1 shirt, I didn't have any running socks, Colin's pj's were packed for Eli and Alison didn't have any underwear.  We were also missing some toiletries, but nothing the hotel couldn't supply.  Lucky for us, anything you could possibly need was right there.  We made a stop by Target the next morning.  It was the nicest Target I have ever been in.

There were chandeliers in every dressing room, that's how fancy this place was.

Across the street, there was an outlet mall.  I told Ben that I am never leaving this place and may have to get a job to support all the shopping and eating that is available here.  Ben found a shirt at one of our favorite stores, Prana.

Eli got a pretzel...we had a debate whether Wetzel Pretzel was just as good as Auntie Anne's and there was only one way to solve the case.  Conclusion: they are a little crispier but just as good.

Ben and I went for a run (i.e. the best way to explore a new place) and ran along a raspberry grove. It was SO tempting to stop and gobble some up.

We went to Point Mugu, the base that Ben will be working at.  We drove around base, checked out housing and stopped in the NEX to get a little snack.  Then it was time to hit the beach.  Base has it's own private beach, with a camping area, bathrooms, and lots of things available to rent.  And there were seals!  Or sea lions, that's still up for debate. 

They just look like logs in the water, but there were a gathering of seals right on base!

The boys jumped right into playing and getting dirty and not thinking twice about how cold the water was.

Alison preferred to stay clean and just walked along the beach.

My favorite:

When your kid is almost as big as you but still wants to be a kid:

We drove around Camarillo after that, checking out different neighborhoods, and finished the day in the heated pool at the hotel.  It was a great feeling to be chilly and want to be in a heated pool.

The next morning, we went to a church that has been recommended to us by several people.  Then we got some lunch at Whole Foods in Oxnard and Ben declared that we need to live as far away as possible to that store or we will be broke :).

We let the kids play at a park for a little bit before hitting the road again.  It was hard to leave the fresh air.

Overall, the trip was a success.  I think we got a good feel for the area, so now when we look at a map we have a frame of reference.  Base housing at Mugu was better than we thought, but the base itself felt abandoned and run down, with nothing to do and a decent drive away from anything you would need.  Oxnard was just as "ghetto" as we were told, but with a surprisingly nice mall.  Base housing in Camarillo gave us the heebie jeebies, so we are hoping to find a house to rent in Camarillo. It's only 15 minutes away from base and is smaller/quieter than other areas, yet has nice stores and restaurants and great parks.  It might take a miracle.  If you are reading this, we would love your prayers over this; a decent house in our budget that can fit 5 people and a dog and have some kind of space for homeschooling.  We will most likely have to make some compromises, but I am hopeful that we can find something that works great for our family.