Christmas Break in California

WARNING: This is going to be long. I mentioned that I have stories to tell and I do. Because our vacation was a full two weeks there were bound to be some mishaps. And there were. I was a bit wishy-washy about going to California in the first place. Traveling with the kids during peak holiday travel made me nervous. One of my concerns was getting stuck somewhere, the other that he would have to work too much and we wouldn't see much of him. I had a change of heart a couple days after Jason left. We missed him. So I decided to take a chance. I bought tickets and took the kids out of school a couple of days early and off we went.

Mishaps started early.

#1-We flew into San Diego late and were told we were being escorted to our connection in order to make it in time. 15 of us were given priority to get off the plane first. Problem was we had to wait for our stroller which was under the plane and by the time it was brought up to us the plane was empty. Went to find our escort. Told to wait by emergency doors. On accident someone who will remain nameless. . . (Kelsey) pushed through them and set off the ALARM. With all eyes staring at us you'd think they'd notice we were still there and not at our plane.

With the alarm taken care of we were still waiting and then they informed us that though they escorted the 11 other passengers we wouldn't be and instead would have to go out and through security AGAIN! I was not happy. How could you leave a mom with 5 kids behind? We were the ones that needed the help the most! Do you know how difficult it is to go through security with having to take shoes, coats, backpacks and everything off of 6 people, not to mention the 2 heavy car seats we were dragging behind us. It's a nightmare especially to those unlucky enough to be in line behind us. Get to our gate, missed our plane and end up waiting for 4 hours. Not too bad when all the flights on the Southwest board are blinking DELAYED! At least we didn't have to spend the night. We were compensated so I won't hold a grudge too much longer.

Mishap #2-The very next morning while I am unpacking Jenna is playing with a ball. It rolls over to the neighbors porch. (We are staying in base housing-TLF-like an apartment) She walks outside to get it and ends up unable to find her way back. I notice her missing and go out looking for her. PANIC sets in when she is no where to be found. Then the front desk of the base hotel calls (about 1/2 mile away) and says they have Jenna. It turns out our neighbor had turned her in but the police have been called and statements are taken. The police assures me with , "No one is in trouble" or "You're not going to jail." Something along those lines. I was just RELIEVED she was okay. And this was just our first day.

First tourist type activity-Jelly Belly Factory Tour. Jenna was in candy heaven. We then traveled to Old Sacramento where we window shopped and took a horse drawn carriage ride. Result-Ryan's first allergic reaction. Major facial swelling. Jason ended up working that weekend while the kids and I relaxed and played around in the TLF. When you don't have toys-pots and pans, telephones and swivel chairs will do. The kids also enjoyed CABLE T.V. They were in heaven. We didn't go out and sight see because we couldn't get a rental van. For some reason they were all sold out. Something about it being the holidays and ski slopes nearby. Who would have thought? Fortunately,we got one just in time for Christmas. Traci, you think Allison is bad about climbing. Notice Jenna is in the cupboard ABOVE the refrigerator. That girl has no fears.I love this picture of Eric. He checking to see if we notice that he's about to do something he's not supposed to do which is play with the phone. So funny and cute!We spent Christmas Eve in Yuba City with our friends the Riopels. They were a family we knew at our first base in Mtn. Home. It was great seeing them again and catching up. We are especially grateful to them for sharing their Christmas Eve dinner with us. Much better than the Hot Pockets I had planned back at our TLF. Christmas morning we opened presents, ate orange rolls and then ventured out, spending the afternoon in San Francisco. It was blustery and COLD! A few street performers were out and at one such act Kate and Ryan were called up to help out. They were compensated a $1 each for their participation. I have never been to Northern California before and was pleasantly surprised. I loved the rolling hills but could live without the traffic and tolls. San Francisco was beautiful. We had such fun exploring the city. We hit most of the tourist type activities-Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge the first day.
Since two of our friends live in Monterey we couldn't pass up the chance to go visit them. The Kisbys we knew in Guam and the Perezs were a family from Illinois. We have been blessed to be surrounded by such great people. With the Kisbys we visited Old Fisherman's Wharf. The best thing about this was the free clam chowder samples outside each restaurant on the pier. Forget Costco, if we lived here this would be date night. We spent the night with the Kisbys and after a pancake breakfast the next morning traveled down the road to the Perezs.

Mishap#3 After about 10 minutes inside the Perezs Ryan has a serious allergic reaction to something. Within 10 minutes he is struggling to breath. Jason rushes him to the local emergency room and they give him a breathing treatment. He has never had a reaction this serious before. We still don't know the cause. Once we know he is okay we decide to go for a hike in the Redwoods. Because you know hiking uphill is the best cure to anyone who has trouble breathing.

While Jason worked the first few days we were in town the Perezs came up to visit. It was great to see them and helped pass the time since I was vanless and stuck in the TLF. They are always helping me out! Seriously, well, except for when Mario tried to poison Ryan. (Just kidding Mario!) We got in a game of Settlers and played at a nearby park and then they made me dinner. Because of that and because he later carried Jenna on the hike I decided to forgive him.

As we drove to the Redwoods and back into Monterey we were treated to beautiful views of the coast. Seeing the ocean again brought back memories of Guam and I wanted the kids to have a chance to play on the beach. They ran in the waves and despite rolled up pants they still got soaked.

Mishap #4-Time to head home. Sun is going down so we are taking last minute pictures of the coast. I have Jason pull in one last pullout and 3 cars block us in. The one behind us finally leaves and Jason backs up a little fast and backs into a boulder (similar to the one I'm sitting on) which results in cracked bumper on the rental. We both looked at each other and thought, "GREAT!" Fortunately it sounded worse than it actually was. It really sounded like the whole back end was gone.

It was because of this picture of me that we got this.
We hit San Francisco one last time before we left. We rode the cable car and walked through China Town.

Our last night in town we were treated to a surprise visit from Jason's Aunt Sandra. It was great to sit and visit with her! We hadn't seen her in years.

Despite a few obstacles we loved California and especially being able to spend Christmas with Jason. Seeing him made it all worth it!! We definitely left our hearts (with Jason) in San Francisco!