Uncle Chris Visits

Uncle Chris flew all the way from New Jersey to see us.  Caitlin could not take her nap as she waited for him to arrive.  We had a great time at the park, zoo and around the house.  We celebrated Grandma Gizmo's birthday with a dinner for 21 at Delgado's on Sunday.  Sadly, Uncle Chris had to head to work on Sunday night.  The kids received a train set and a picnic basket from Grandma and Albie.  We are excited for the next time he or Grandma or Albie can come and visit. 

In California

We are now in California.  We arrived on a Wednesday, Kim had an interview on Friday morning and was offered a job later in the afternoon.  Grandma and Albie spent several days with us.  We spent a fun day in Santa Barbara on "Little Toot".  We also went to Thousand Oaks to look at houses and see where Kim and I will work.  We also had a large get together of all the kids.  We were sad that Chris, James and Tracey were not able to be with us. 

The drive

    We have completed the drive from Spokane to Carpinteria.  I will recap most of the trip.  Grandma Gizmo arrived in Spokane on Tuesday.  We finished packing the car and Grandma Gizmo, Kim and the kids left from Spokane to Portland on Thursday.  Grandma and Albie arrived in Portland on Thursday and were waiting at the hotel.  On Friday, they all went to the Oregon Zoo and the Rose Garden.  I taught my last class at Gonzaga, observed the packing of the house, and drove to Portland.  On Saturday we drove from Portland to Florence.  In Florence we went to mass and had a very tasty dinner. 
   The next day was a long drive from Florence, Oregon to Fortuna, California and through a redwood tree.  We left around 9:00 am and finished around 4:30 pm.  After the drive we went to Grizzly Creek State Park for dinner, where David, Betsy, Nathan and Matthew had driven to over the weekend for a camping trip.  The kids played in the river and had smores while the adults attempted to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew.  We arrived back at the hotel after dark.
   The next day was a shorter drive from Fortuna to Sonoma.  The trip took longer than expected and we just made it to one vineyard before closing.  We had a nice relaxing evening in Sonoma with good food and a swim in the pool.  On Tuesday we drove from Sonoma to Monterey.  In Monterey we went to the Aquarium.  In fact, a women approached Kim and gave her tickets for the two of us and the kids to get in for free.  That was a very nice surprise.  The aquarium was great, I especially enjoyed the jelly fish and the tank with tunas and a hammer head shark.  We finished the trip by driving from Monterey to Carpinteria On July 4th.  It was a long drive, but went very smoothly.
   In all it was an amazing trip, and one we will remember forever and talk about frequently.  Thank you to Grandma, Albie and Grandma Gizmo for sharing such a wonderful trip.