I Found My New Favorite Animal in California

I thought about trying to put this post into the weekly post, but really, it deserves a post of its own. It isn't every day you get to go to CA and see family and take a break. Our cousin exchange program has been going strong for three years now. June and Ivory went out one summer, followed by Robyn and Daisy. Pearl was the only one who hadn't gone out. So I gladly took the spot of chaperone. Technically, I am the only true cousin, so I think I qualify.

Pearl had never been on a plane before. She was really excited. And pretty chill. She took everything in stride.

She did spend a lot of time looking out the window, but I didn't blame her. I was actually a very boring traveling companion because I needed to catch up on some reading. We sat by a sweet lady from Scottland. She was intrigued by Pearl and helped her open her pretzels. Who knew you could just stab it with your pen?

We arrived in sunny Santa Rosa and headed straight to a basketball game by way of lunch. It was great to see Tim and Erin.

Ethan had changed a bit from the last time we saw him. Tim didn't think I would recognize him, but it would take a lot more facial than he has to make him unrecognizable. Still, pretty good facial hair for a young man.

Ethan is a good player and fun to watch. His team won their game and Pearl only got bored for the last ten minutes or so. :)

Back at home (or the current base for the Kelly's) we discovered they have a lemon tree in their backyard. Pearl was in lemon heaven. Out of all my kids, she loves lemons the most. She eats them straight. Doesn't mean they aren't sour. She still makes great faces.

Pearl had a lemon every day. Some of them were huge...the size of grapefruits. 

Also at the house was Henry. We hadn't seen him for a while and Pearl loved to play with him. Now that we have Nova, who is the most playful dog we've ever had, Pearl appreciates a dog who fetches. Well, Henry only half fetches. He gets the ball, but he won't give it back.

One of the days we dedicated to the beach. Living in a land locked state, I always want my kids to experience the ocean if they get close to it. Even if it isn't Carribean crystal clear, the ocean is still an amazing part of the earth in all its forms and locations. We had a chilly day, but you just need a hoodie to face the elements.

Pearl ran down to the beach and immediately plunked herself in the sand. Guess we're taking it home with us. 

In fact, she decided to slither her way across the beach. Not my preferred method of traversing the shoreline, but to each her own.

Henry loves the beach. You have to choose a dog friendly beach, but then he runs around to his heart's content.

Pearl and I braved the water. Which means, we put only our feet in because it was way too cold to swim.

We spent some time writing in the sand. Does it say 'Tim' or 'T+M'? Guess it doesn't matter.

You may notice that Ethan is missing. He was at basketball practice. No rest for the sportsman, but we enjoyed the day with the rest of the Kelly's.

Tim and I took a nice walk down the beach. I may have distracted him into getting his feet wet. Oops.

Meanwhile, Pearl managed to get knocked down by a wave. She went from wet feet to wet everything. Oops again. She was a trooper. She didn't even cry, which I might of in her shoes. She plunked herself onto the sand to warm up. Sand stuck to everything on her wet body. She did end up with a pretty epic beard. She might rival Ethan in the facial hair department.

Lunch was at The BIRDS cafe. Alfred Hitchcock's movie was filmed near Bodega Bay. Recognize this church? (Me neither.)

But the food was amazing. Got me some fish tacos that hit the spot.

We had so much fun eating, playing, and buying salt water taffy. Must be done.

On the way home, we stopped by the Kelly's new build. Their house burned down almost two years ago. It was really cool to see the house mid build, although I think all the details and hiccups in the process are getting to them gradually.

They have changed some of the layout of the house and have made the kitchen much bigger. I'm so excited to see how it will all turn out. I love me a big kitchen.

On another day we ended up at the pool. If you come to CA, you have to go to the beach, but if you can't swim, you have to go to the pool. Check, check.

We had a lot of fun playing with floaty stuff. Ethan used two rings on his legs and three kick boards under him and he just managed to stay afloat with Pearl sitting on him.

I may have gotten a wicked sunburn even though I put on plenty of sunscreen. Guess it all washed off. Just my luck.

Pearl renamed Henry. She called him Murphy by accident and she liked it more. So she called him Murphy the rest of the time. He actually answered to it fairly well.

Pedicures should always be part of a vacation. Jeannie took us out and it was hilarious to watch Pearl. She didn't know what to make of the massage chair. She was a bit small for her so it shook her around a good bit.

We all left with pretty toes. And they even did flowers for free on Pearl.

That night Tim barbecued for us. It was so delicious. Pearl took a huge chunk of steak and I was worried she might waste some. Nope, she ate every single bite and then wanted a bit more after. Girl after my own heart. Tri tip was made to be grilled by Tim and eaten by us.

Our other big day was out at the San Francisco Academy of Sciences. Entering San Fran, we crossed over the Golden Gate. I still haven't walked across it, although Robyn and Daisy have.

The day was cool and misty. It felt like a mister was going as we stepped out of the car. Not quite rain, but still wet.

The Academy was super cool. It had it all. We went to the planetarium part first. Makes you feel a bit small and insignificant. From there, we went to the rainforest, where Ethan and I faced our fears. There were some yucky spiders for sure. And Ethan...well, he didn't really face his fear of snakes. He ran away from the Anaconda. Which to be fair...if there were spiders that big, I would not get near them.

Pearl stuck her arm in hole to feel the squeeze. How realistic do you think that is?? It only lasts 11 seconds, thankfully.

Pearl got some fun pictures of the huge fish swimming around. I think she'll be a good little photographer someday.

This is my best photo of the trip. This jellyfish is awesome.

I love this little hiding frog. When I first looked in the tank, I only saw plants. But later I discovered five frogs. It was like a picture find.

In one of the last large tanks, there were only some fish. I thought it was a bit boring, but as we were about to leave, both Pearl and I saw a strange thing in the back of the tank. Is that what I think it is??

From up above, we got a better look. Where do you find white alligators? So cool.

You'd think that might be my new favorite animal, but no. I found a friend in another tank. Check out this guy. I believe he is a Leopard Whipray. Leopard print on a ray. That is the best.

And he is big. Look at him in comparison. Definitely my new favorite.

Our last stop at the Academy was the roof. (Oh, we had a delicious lunch before. We had ice cream that tasted exactly like pudding.) Up on top, they have planted an entire garden to keep the temperature regulated and it does all this cool stuff like absorbing rain water and other economical purposes.

It was a really fun day. Our back seat crew slept on the way home. I don't usually get a nap since I am more often the driver, so I'll enjoy a quick snooze here and there. And Ethan can't get in a car without falling asleep.

We were able to go to one more basketball game before we left. They won again. I guess this is a normal occurrence for them.

We had such a great time in CA. There were many games played, including the Wii, which Pearl discovered and adored. Jeannie was our big winner at Scotch Bridge. (At least it wasn't Tim.) Family, food, fun, and finally farewells. It is always sad to leave, but good to know we'll see these great people again. And you too Murphy.

One more plane ride which happened to be very turbulent at the end. Pearl didn't seem to notice. She wasn't any wiser to how it is supposed to be. When we had a bumpy landing, she turned to me and said, "That was a bit sketchy." You can say that again.

We were picked up by a familiar face and it was great to see all the kids again. It was time to jump right back into life and finish up the week with a bang. I'm so glad we took the time to see the Kelly's. You can't pick your family, but I sure got a good batch.