In CA

We have been visiting in CA for the last week (and escaping the horrible, horrible heat!). Luke has gotten very tan and enjoyed many hours of outdoor time with Grammy. We have had visits from good friends, and my dad even drove down from Stockton to see us.

Here are some pictures:

Texas

We had a great time in Texas this past week. It was our first true family vacation since having Luke. Here are some stories and pictures from our journey.

Tues 3/17- We left for airport at about 9am and traveled all day. Luke was his usual jolly self throughout the plane ride, and made friends with several fellow passengers. It actually took us a little while to check our bags too, because the Southwest agent couldn't get over how cute and friendly he was. :)

Luke with Aunt Bethany:

Wed 3/18- We settled in and just spent the day with the Getz's. Bethany and I took Clara to the park while Nathan and Evan went over to work on Evan and Bethany's new house. While we were there, Nathan helped remove old carpet and install a kitchen sink and water filter. Here is Luke in the stroller:

3/19- Drove around Houston a bit and more hang out time. Spent some time outside too- the weather was actually gorgeous!

3/20- During the night, my cold (which had already dragged on for a week and a half) turned into a sinus infection. I spent much of the day with salt water.

Cousins playing together (Notice how well Luke sits up!):

3/21- Luke and I went yard-saleing/ thrift store shopping with the Getz's while Nathan enjoyed a quiet morning at home. We found some great deals and saw some of the Houston suburbs. That evening, we had a fun dinner at BJ's with some of Evan and Bethany's friends.

3/22- We went to church at St. George Orthodox Church in Houston. I had been there last November, but it was Nathan's first time. We enjoyed our time immensely and were overwhelmed with the hospitality of the parish. One thing that I love about Southerner's is how well they understand the art of hospitality.

Later we went out for some old-fashioned, authentic Texas Barbeque at the Swinging Door restaurant. It was a grand little place in the country. We were not disappointed:

3/23- We visited Houston Baptist University (Evan teaches in the Honor's College) and rested up for our journey home. HBU is a great campus. The buildings are beautiful and the campus is very green. The weather was again nearly ideal (I saw nearly, because living in Huntington Beach shows you what ideal weather is) and Luke spent some time swinging outside. He loves swinging, especially when he has people around to tickle his toes.

3/24- Our journey was at an end. We said goodbye to the Getz's and boarded the plane.

We had a great time, but were very excited to be at home in our own beds again. Yesterday I spent all day cleaning, doing laundry, grocery shopping, etc.. to catch up from our trip.

Thanks for hosting us Evan and Bethany!

Katie and Little Boy on a Trip to Disneyland

Part #2 in the "trip" series:

Today, Katie and little boy went to Disneyland. Wow, what a lucky kid! A trip to Disneyland and not even born yet!

We woke up a wee bit later than usual and had a nice workout before hitting the road. Feeling nice and relaxed, we parked and entered the park to meet some of Katie's friends from work.

For a few hours, we wandered around the park. It was a busy day because all of the local elementary schools were on Spring Break.

The first ride we went on was Pirates of the Caribbean. This was very fun and Baby slept most of the time. The we went to the Haunted Mansion. The shrieks and screams may have been a bit too much for Baby, but it was all over in no time. Later Katie got to practice being mommy and held everyones belongings when they rode on Big Thunder Mountain (not a good ride for Katie and Baby- or so the sign said).

After the park, we went to the ESPN zone to play games and eat. Katie showed everyone that she was still in pretty good shape, when she won a round of basketball in the Game Center. :)

All in all, it was just a lovely, stress-free day outside in the park. 75 degrees and perfectly clear. And, best of all, FREE!

In love :)

Yes, I am very much in love with the second trimester! I feel like I am five years old. I have energy! I want to do things and go places! I get giddy about eating yummy foods (strawberries, frozen yogurt, Trader Joe's sharp cheeses) and beautiful, sunny California days. If this is what the next couple of months will be like, I would like more of them! In about two weeks, I have gone from feeling sick, tired and generally blah, to happy and feeling like I have more energy than I can manage. Well, I will enjoy it while it lasts, and take the opportunity to get some things done before it goes away.

One of my favorite things lately has been to plan trips. In April (after Pascha- the Orthodox Easter on April 27th- read the Wikipedia article for more info on why it is different from the Western March 23rd date if you want), I will drive up to Northern CA to see my family for a few days. I have made it a tradition of taking off the week after Pascha for vacation.

Next, for Memorial Day Weekend, Nathan and I took off an extra day and will stay in a B&B up in Julian, CA. Julian is a little mountain town famous for apples and local arts. It is very quaint in the best sort of way and Nathan spent a lot of time there when he was growing up.

I also like thinking about fun day trips for the weekends. If anyone has any suggestions for the LA/Orange Co. area, let me know. Preferably something outdoors. :)