Christmas 2014

I sit here thinking that the list of chores will never end. Ben is currently taking a nap and therefore my opportunity to get several things done around the house. But today is different. Today I will sit down, update my blog and finally post the pictures from our Christmas trip to California. So for once, the chores will have to wait.

Christmas was one huge exhausting trip with plenty of driving mixed with fun in the sun. Traci had to work on Christmas Eve so we got a late start on our 16 hour road trip. We took the Pendleton route to I-84 for a change of scenery and began our vacation with plenty of snow although fortunately that was the only snow we encountered. We spent Christmas Eve at the Shilo Inn at Klamath Falls and wish we were surrounded by family rather than being on the road. We got to bed around 1 am and were back on the road at around 6 am. Once again we were reminded of how strange it is to spend Christmas on our own. There was no Christmas Tree, no wrapped gifts, no lights, decorations, music or the smell of mom making a huge feast for the family. However the hotel did have a Christmas Tree beside the main entrance with empty wrapped boxes and since this was Christmas morning, we tucked away a small unwrapped box near the front for Ben to find as he made his way to the car. Last year he was surrounded by a fortress of toys, this year it was just one box with Clifford "The Big Red Dog".

Driving in California reminds me of other occasions when I have said, "I never want to do this again." People will speed, drive recklessly and aggressively simply to celebrate the Holiday. But regardless of our driving adventures, we arrived to Fresno and briefly saw the family before everyone dispersed back to their own homes. Although we spent most of our time at my grandma's, we also had the opportunity to spend two nights in southern California and some quality time at the beach while visiting more family. It felt nostalgic with a certain level of satisfaction to arrive back with my son and wife to the beach where I spent countless hours as a kid. Somehow there's something about the beach that makes me feel at ease. Venice undoubtedly has the best weather all year round with it's light breeze during summer days and warm winters. But anyhow, it had been 19 years since my grandma had been to the beach and my uncle was determined that she would see the beach once again. Apparently the cities along the coast have special wheel chairs for traversing the sand and they actually work quite well. It's pretty impressive I must say.

Unfortunately I am blanking out most of the trip because it has been 4 months. I do recall spending just about every day attempting to visit various family members since who knows when we will be down there again. We were exhausted by the time arrived back home yet once again, we had a great time. We got to see Sutter Buttes (The worlds smallest mountain range) from a distance, Ben got play with a Labrador on Christmas morning and I even got a chance to visit the small elementary school where I began my scholastic years. It was great to see the family and I only wish I could have spent more time with them. It's interesting how I never stop missing them, it's simply that seeing them reminds me how much I miss them.

8 States at 8 Weeks

Before Ben was born we didn't decide on extensive traveling during Traci's maternity leave. In fact, we planned on not planning anything. It's been great for the grandparents to see Ben at such an early stage of his life, but what about his great grandma? She deserves to see him more than anyone. No offense... none taken. With her living in California and Ben in Washington, somebody had to travel. Since Ben had never been to Nevada or California, he was anxious to see more states. So we packed up our stuff rented a Chrysler Town & Country and headed south towards the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

We left Walla Walla on Thursday evening and slept in the car at the rest area just past the Oregon and Idaho border. We arrived there a little bit before midnight and got back on the road by 5 am. Friday was the biggest killer drive ever as we made our way to Lancaster to visit our friend Amy and her two kids (Taya & Dillon), then drive 3 hours north to Fresno. We only spent about an hour in Lancaster but it was just enough time for Taya to teach me how to swim, see all of Dillon's new toys and eat spaghetti with cupcakes. So by the time we arrived in Fresno it was around 11:00pm.

The agenda for Saturday included much more driving. However with my grandma in the car, that meant Traci could take naps and I would have someone to talk to. So we left Fresno at 9 am and headed towards the Bay Area. Why? You may ask? Well, California is a state we rarely visit and we figured why not kill several stones with one Angry Bird. Since my family in the bay area wanted to see the new family member, why not make the detour? We spent almost two hours there before realizing that our reserved hotel room at Medford, OR was not getting any closer. We left my uncle's home around 3pm and arrived at Medford at around 10pm.

On Sunday morning after having breakfast we ended up at the local Toys R Us while being briefly lost. It was at the moment that I knew I couldn't let an opportunity like this go to waste and I bought two 1958 Plymouth Belvedere Hotwheels, one for Ben and one for me. Since this would be the first time Ben was traveling through Traci's stomping grounds, we made sure we would document the moment as we pulled to the side of the freeway and entered Douglas County. Further on our drive we figured why not visit my sister-in-law (Ashley) in Salem. She hadn't had the chance to hold Ben yet and we hadn't seen her since Ben was born. Although we didn't delayed ourselves too much on Sunday, we ended up getting back to our home around 9pm.

The Trip to California was tiresome. A lot of driving, visiting with friends and family and heavy eyelids. They say that what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, but I digress because I was hurting upon returning to work. Nevertheless, we got to see Lake Mono, enjoy a scenic drive on the eastern part of the Sierra Nevada and catch a 4 car Ferry across the Willamette River. On top of that, Ben can say that at 8 weeks old he had been to 8 states.