Still in CA

Sadly, Wednesday morning we had to get packed up and head back to Tulare.  We did a little bit of shopping and because I took too long to shop we just had to eat at a diner famous for its clam chowder.  It's a shame I don't like clam chowder, but everyone else does so we were all happy.  After that Hubby took the kids back to the beach for a few minutes to allow them to collect some shells.  #2 was really upset that we left the beach so soon the day before because she had spent all her time in the water and then didn't get to look for shells because we left early.  So Hubby, being the good Daddy that he is, took them all down there and let her gather some shells.  Mom and I went to a couple more stores trying to find t-shirts for all of us and some salt-water taffy.  We all met back up, grabbed some amazing cinnamon rolls to go, and hit the road.  We made it back in enough time to take a shower before going to church.

All our family at the coast

Once again, it was great to spend time with all our church family there.  We said good bye to D and Auntie M and their kids and Papa and Gran-Jan who were all leaving the next day to go on vacation and then went back to P and Aunt K's house.

At this point we had worn every article of clothing I had packed for the trip.  This was how I planned, but still, getting all that laundry sorted from the last week and a half was a bit daunting.  Remember this picture?

Now think of it all being dirty!  So Thursday was laundry day.  Instead of taking all day trying to do laundry at the house I just took everything to a laundry mat.  12 washes later and how ever many cycles in however many dryers to dry it all, it was done.  I threw it all semi-folded into a couple of suitcases until I could get back to the house and sort it all for our trip home.

See, I was in a bit of a rush because we had to make it to a certain bakery in Porterville to eat a torta for lunch.  Hubby and I both worked in Porterville for a while when we lived there, and Hubby and his family had known about this little hole in the wall Mexican bakery for a while, and they make the most amazing mexican food.  We really wanted to sample everything, but settled for a torta.  So good!

The rest of the day was spent re-packing all of our things for the trip home and trying to cram 2 years worth of talking into just a few short hours.  You guessed it--we stayed up way too late again, but it was worth it.  We miss seeing our CA family!

Hubby wrangles children while I pack

And so began our trip home.  Pretty much the same thing as the trip out, only in reverse!  A lot of endless miles that have all blurred together.  One thing that did stand out because it was so funny was that when we started this whole trip I was perfectly happy being in the car with everyone and would talk and engage with everyone, especially Hubby, and it was just another adventure we were on.  When I got in the car to start the trip home I just remember looking over at Hubby and thinking, "Ooo, I already don't like you!"  He hadn't done a single thing, but I didn't want to have anything to do with him!  I don't think I talked much that day.  Again, it's a good thing my Mom was along!

We got to Canyon Saturday evening and got to spend some more time with my Sis and BIL and our friends who live there.  We decided to stay in Canyon on Sunday to give us some time to recover and to enjoy a little extra time with our family there.  It was just what we needed!  We went to see a movie and just enjoyed being together.  My BIL fits into our family quite nicely!

Aunt S let them do her hair!

Monday morning we traveled back to The Farm (my brother D and Aunt A's place), stayed the night and then headed home on Tuesday.  We were very thankful to only have a 5 hour drive on Tuesday.  We weren't complete zombies when we rolled in to town!

And so ends the saga of our trip to California.  While the drive to and from was not the most fun I've ever had, the time we got to spend with friends and family while we were there made it worth it.  However, the next time we go I'm going to make sure I find flights for cheaper than we would pay in gas to get out there!