Thanksgiving In Sunny California

We had so much fun in California this Thanksgiving. It was perfect timing. I was NOT ready for cold and winter. I love fall, and I love mild November days. But I was not ready to face snow yet. So we got the perfect break. Although it kinda made me wonder why we ever moved back to Utah. California is so beautfiul and smells so good too. The air has a peppery smell from all the different trees. They even built a Trader Joes across from our old apartment. I'm jealous! No wonder 3 million people want to live in Orange County alone. If everyone would just leave already, we'd go back for sure. ;) I guess I can always visit. I love the beach, the radio stations, the diversity, the shopping, food, landscape, AND tons of family. I love it there.

The first day, we hit the beach. All the locals told us it was soooo cold. Tell that to my kids. Sun, sand, water--they were going swimming. No matter what the thermometer said. We had lunch on the Pier at Ruby's with Nana and Papa. It was a beautiful day at the beach, even if it was a little chilly.

We loved visiting the San Diego Zoo. The only Zoo I've ever been to is the Hogle Zoo. So it was really fun to see so many new animals. We loved seeing the pandas especially. Simone really liked the flamingos. There were tons of animals there. It was great to be there with Chandice and Cameron and their cute kids.

Thanksgiving was great! We ate so much, Jared gained 8 lbs. For real. All that good food was heavenly and worth every bite. And it was so fun to be with the family. Especially all the little girl cousins running around with Simone. Miles loved hanging out with Kobe--the cool "big" cousin.


The kids had a great time playing with Rocky Road, Nana and Papa's Shih tzu. And the player piano was super cool too. They've gotten a lot of mileage from that thing with the grandkids. My kids love their house because they get to swim, watch lots of tv on the BIG screen, eat yummy cereal, play with the dog, and they have TONS of toys for all the kids. They especially like this Crocodile Dentist (think Christmas). Here is Monet and Papa playing Sihlouette.

Friday morning the girls and moms all went to see Tangled, and Jared and Papa took the boys to Megamind.

We spent Saturday in Santa Barbara with my mom. She's remodeling a house for her friend there. Santa Barbara has to be the most beautiful city ever. You have mountains AND the beach. Even though it really was chilly, it was late November afterall. City Hall was just amazing. I love the Spanish influence. We got to see the fish hauled in from the pier, and have a great Mexican dinner with my mom and her friend Michael.





The long drive home got a lot better this trip. We sold our Expedition that we bought from Nana and Papa back in 2003, and bought their Escalade that they bought when they sold us their Expedition! We loved having four wheel drive in the blizzard we got caught in on the way home. The kids were SO excited to have a new car. Heck, we drove a rental car down there, and they even loved the rental car. Miles takes one look at the Sebring we rented and says, "It's a Ferrari!" I loved being able to read I am the Messenger the whole way home while Jared listened to basketball. Nothing beats a road trip.