Back to California!

When I went to California in March I asked a couple of my siblings if they would want to go with me.  It didn't work for any of them to go on grandma's birthday so I went ahead and booked my trip.  I mentioned to all of them that it would be fun to go together, but I didn't think it would really happen.  Everyone was really excited about it and all of our spouses thought it would be great and encouraged us to do it.  I love that we all have such wonderful, supportive spouses that talked us all into going!  I still didn't think we would be able to find a date that would work for everyone.  While I was in California in March we were e-mailing back and forth and picked a date pretty easily.  I was kicking myself for going in March because I was stressed about paying for another plane ticket.  In the end I think it was worth the money both times.  Family and memories are definitely worth the money!  Matt took this selfie and it turned out great. 

We all flew into Oakland on Thursday night except for Gary.  He came in Friday morning.  Matt got in an hour or so before us so he rented a car and was ready to pick us girls up when we got off the plane.  He rented a Lincoln Navigator that he insisted was only a little bit more than a car.  Thanks again Matt!  It was great that we could all ride in one car together.  We stopped off at Jack-in-the-Box on the way in.  I love that place. 

We were all talking about how the smells at grandma's house bring back a lot of childhood memories.  It was great to be there together.

On Friday we walked up to 7-11 like we used to when we were little. We went and picked up Gary from the train station and then headed back to grandma's for lunch.  It was so exciting that we were all finally together.  That afternoon we decided to go see a movie.  It felt a little weird to just go to the movie in the middle of the day.  We saw "Million Dollar Arm."  It was a really good movie.  I even stayed awake for the whole thing.

After that we went to Chipotle for dinner. 

We were going to surprise mom with the trip on Mother's Day, but dad said they are too old for surprises.  We told her about it a couple of months ago and she was so excited.  Dad was great and stayed home with Alexys and Dante.  I wish he could have been there too.

Wendy, Josh, Diane, Jason and Hailey came over to visit on Friday night.  It was fun to visit with everyone, but it was really fun when it was just our family visiting and laughing together. Friday night we stayed up late and visited.  It was so great to just sit and talk without worrying about taking care of kids.  I don't think that has happened since we all started having kids.  We laughed so much and everything was funny because it was really late and we were all tired. 

On Saturday we went up to see grandpa's grave.  It was cool outside and it felt so good!  Mom got emotional and told us she knew that grandpa has been helping Jen on the other side.  I agree!  It is hard to believe that grandpa has been gone for 12 years. 

It was so nice to just take it easy and make plans as we went along.  I love the feeling of not being rushed and just taking your time and enjoying things. 

After the cemetery we headed over to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch.  It was getting late and I was so hungry!  After that we went back to grandma's and were able to visit for a while before everyone came over to visit.  Since we ate a late lunch we ended up eating a late dinner and we left everyone at grandma's and went and ate at Jack-in-the-Box together.  It was nice to have some time with just our family to visit. 

Later that night after everyone left we visited with grandma for a while until she was ready for bed.  Mom was exhausted too so she went to bed.  Around midnight we went to Jack-in-the-Box for shakes.  We ended up staying up and visiting for a couple more hours after that.  None of us wanted to go to bed because it was our last night together.  Mel was hilarious because she was so tired.  I love nighttime Mel!  We all laughed so much.  We finally went to bed even though Tiff was sure we were secretly planning to get up after she went to bed!

On Sunday Mel and Tiff went to the airport for an earlier flight while the rest of us went to church with grandma.  I probably should have taken the earlier flight, but I just couldn't miss out on those last few hours with my brothers!  After church Eric, Sandi and Heidi came over.  Later Ron, Jason and Hailey came over.  It was fun to visit with everyone.  Around 4 PM we headed to the airport.  We all had flights that left around the same time.  Mine and mom's flight ended up being late and I didn't get home until 11:30 PM.  The weekend went by so fast.  It was so great.  I am so grateful for my family.  I'm so glad that we all enjoy each other so much and love spending time together.  It was definitely a memorable trip! I think Jen dying brought us all closer together, but I think it also taught us that we have to make the most out of the time we have together.  Family really is the most important thing and it is worth some sacrifices to keep the relationships strong!