Fishing in Canada

Eli got to go fishing with Ben and Grandpa in Canada!  This was his first time out of the country and I believe they had a really fun time.  I know it will be a trip that Eli will always remember.

 

Venture to Yuma

Believe it our not, we trekked over to Yuma for the day.  The boys have Facetimed each other almost daily in the years that we've been in New York and they have been begging to see each other in real life.  What better time to do that than when you're just sitting in an empty house.  They picked up right where they left off and it was like no time apart ever happened.  It was amazing to see them play together all day and I was not complaining about a day with Laurel.

We went to Get Air for a few hours.

Colin has definitely had a growth spurt!

Then they jumped on the trampoline with a hose.  Laurel said this has been the hottest summer since the 70's and this is literally the first time they've been outside since May.  It was a cool 106...

We had Chili Peppers for dinner and the boys kept on playing.

It's exciting that day trips to see each other can be in our life!

 

Our first week in Cali

We've been to the store a million times.  Moving is expensive! But also fun to refresh things.  We've had delicious food and tried to get all our favorites...although I was bummed to find that some of them are only up in Camarillo.  Guess we'll have to make a trip soon.  I've gone on several runs and am quickly humbled by all the hills here, but also excited be able to run in this beautiful place.  Alison had her job transferred here and started at the new location the day after she got here!  That called for a celebration, so picked up crumble afterwards.

Work is no longer across the street, which means I get to drive her for a short season while we work on her getting a license and car.  I treated myself to a little beach time one day after dropping her off.  I can get my toes in the sand just 15 minutes from our house!

Coffee and the ocean might be a theme in our life.  Alison asked if I wanted to try Dutch Bros with her and bummer, the location was right by the water and we just had to stop by for a little bit.  We sat on these rocks and watched the crabs scamper around and agreed that we would be okay with making this part of our routine.

 

We made it!!!

Our last day of driving, we stopped in Utah for Swig to see what all the hype is about.  I was not impressed, but thankful I can say I tried it.

Our whole trip went smoothly and I really enjoyed the time with Eli.  I was a little done with Maya by the end, but the memories we made this week will stay forever.  

A heat wave hit, well probably everywhere, right at the time we were arriving in California.  Our landlord texted me to let me know of the heat (the house doesn't have central air) and let me know that he was bringing over a super fan.  He also put some water and oranges in the fridge and left toilet paper and paper towels for us...and brought in all the mattresses from the front porch for me.  I felt bad about that one, but also really appreciated it.  We set up camp in the living room and opened all the windows. 

I went to Walmart and Target and bought the last 3 little fans in the store.  It was like toilet paper during Covid all over again.  I channeled my previous Yuma living life and we made it through a couple of days of 100 degree weather.  To our advantage, it actually cools down in the evenings here and made sleeping very comfortable.

For a few days, our family was spread out across the country.

I tested my moving theory this move and I think I proved it correct.  I have suggested to people, if possible, to have one person go before everyone and set up "camp" at the new house.  Get things functional so that the family can do all the basic things right away.  If you have things set so that everyone can eat, sleep and shower right away, it takes away a layer of initial stress.  I was able to do that in the few days before everyone else arrived and I think it really helped.  It also helped that I'm somewhat familiar with Oceanside and getting to the store was not a huge stressful thing.

Ben, Alison and Colin all flew in to San Diego at the same time.  I picked them up, we got tacos for dinner at the world's best taco place in downtown and then headed up to the house.  It felt amazing to all be together again!

Ben was here for a couple of days for work and then had to go back to New York.  We're both camping out in empty houses at the moment.  I actually haven't minded it too much, but Maya would argue with me...she would like her bed...she just doesn't know what to do with herself.

trying to nap on the new bathmats

This is our dinner table situation right now :)

 

2nd half of the country

While Eli and I hit the road to finish the trip, Alison and Colin stayed at my parent's house for a week.  Ben was in New York, supervising the house being packed up.  Grandpa took Colin fishing and to the farm several times.  I hear it was good fishing and they caught 20+ fish!

Eli and I stopped for lunch in Salina for burgers Granddaddy recommended.  It was fun little spot and perfect for eating with a dog.

We had a very long day driving through Kansas because of a road closure.  I will always find the prairie beautiful, but we were ready to be out of the car by the time we got to Colorado.

We made the next day a short, fun one.  We drove to Vail for lunch.  I could have stayed there for a week, but Eli was not as wowed.

We made a stop to walk Maya along this trail.  I again had to peel myself away.

           

We stopped at Grand Junction Colorado for the night and had a fun evening.  First, we went to 'Bananas of Fun' and played mini-golf and rode go-carts.

Then we got sushi for dinner.

This dinner was one for the books.  The place looked abandoned and I was going to turn around and find somewhere else to eat, but Eli convinced me to try it.  The food was delicious, but we were the only people in the giant restaurant.  I think we made their night coming in for dinner.

The next day, we drove to Zion National Park!

Our hotel was right at the entrance of the park.

Eli was not excited about hiking, probably because it was 100, so he stayed at the hotel with Maya and I went into the park for a little adventure.  I just did a 2 mile hike from the visitors center, but I loved every minute.

I put my feet in the stream at the end of the hike, thinking it would be so refreshing and then I remembered what it was like living in Yuma...the water is luke warm and not refreshing.  

We walked across the street for a Mexican dinner and then swam in this amazing pool.

Third times the charm

This is our third cross-country move and though it seems complicated how we did it, it has been the smoothest move so far.  Eli, Maya and I left New York first.  We said goodbye to Mint house and hit the road with a carload of stuff.

We made it smoothly through the city and made it to our stop in Pennsylvania in time for dinner.  We were all ready to swim after dinner, but the pool was closed :(

The next day was a long day to St. Louis.  We stopped in Ohio for lunch and a spontaneous treat of Crumble (we've never been before).

After a long day, bbq hit the spot.  And win!  We were able to swim in the hotel pool that night!

Maya is the whole reason we made the drive.  I just couldn't bare the thought of putting her on a plane.  However, she turns into a diva while traveling and refuses to eat her dry food.  Just her luck, we stayed at Hampton Inns and their breakfasts are just suitable for a pup.

The next day was a short drive over to Kansas!

It was nice to have a few days in Kansas to catch up on some rest, do some laundry and visit friends and family.

The next day, I had breakfast with Lyd.  We spent the morning walking around downtown and it made us feel like we were back in college and not in our 40's :)

These posts could easily be titled "The Food We Ate Across the Country".  Papa Kenos pizza still reigns supreme.

That afternoon, Alison and Colin flew to Kansas.  We picked them up from the airport and stopped by Sonic for dinner.  You can't go to Kansas without Sonic.  Then we spent the evening at Aunt Beth's.

The next day, we met Nana and Granddaddy for lunch.  It was so nice to catch up for a bit.

The rest of the day was spent playing with the cousins.