As hard as this trip was I am so, so glad I went and took the kids to see their great-grandparents. The sad reality is, that was possibly the last visit I will ever get with my grandparents. Oh no, I'm getting emotional. That's why I didn't want to do this...
The kids and I had to leave on Sunday to get to my mom's so we could leave butt crack early Monday morning. I was having a hard time leaving my home again. I had just been to St. George for a couple of days. When I got home from that trip we went straight to the party. Sunday morning we went to church where I had to teach. I felt like I was just go go going.
I've said it before but I'm saying it again. I need days here and there with nothing on the schedule or I get crazy anxious. Couple that with the fact that there was too much unknown, I was a mess. I was nervous and unsure about the long drive with the kids. How would they do? Would they try to kill each other in the car? I was nervous about leaving Paul again. How much fast food can one man eat? I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to unpack from St. George and repack for California. I knew it wasn't in my best interest, I had a lot of things that had to be done, but Sunday I checked out. I took a nap. I had to.
When I woke up I decided to tackle the task at hand. I had to pack the kids and me. It was hard. I felt scattered. I kept looking at Paul saying I don't want to do this. I don't want to leave. In my head I was thinking once I go and have this visit my grandma doesn’t have to stay on this earth anymore. See, I was promised in a blessing that I would have another opportunity to visit with her but once I went and had that visit there were no more promises. I like knowing she’s here and I want to her to be here longer. If I never went maybe she could be around forever.
Anyway Paul went outside with the kids so I could work. I heard him call me from outside. "Honey, come here, quick!" I went outside and there was a beautiful rainbow. He said "look it's a good omen. Everything is going to be okay." All I could do was cry. I thanked him for loving me and knowing me so well. He knew that would make me feel better, and it did.
I couldn't stand the thought of driving to my mom's. There was too much in my head, I couldn't add that stress too. I asked Paul to drive us half way and asked my mom to meet us. They both agreed. On the way to our meeting spot we saw another rainbow. This one was a double. It was gorgeous and lasted a long time. I was starting to feel better.
I said good-bye to Paul under this amazing sky. It was truly gorgeous.
The next morning we got up at 5:30 am and hit the road at 6:30 am. Both kids were groggy but excited.
The Salt Flats
We had all sorts of travel essentials.
We took our sweet time getting to California. We stopped several times along the way. The kids were fantastic. They never slept. They never fought. They hardly ever asked when we were going to get there. It was a tender mercy. They were wonderfully perfect. I couldn't have asked for more.
On our way into town we stopped off at my aunt's house. The kids were able to run around a bit and play with her dogs. It's always fun to visit with my aunt. After our visit with Becky we grabbed some food and headed to my grandma and grandpa's. After we had eaten the kids went straight for the pool.
That night as soon as their heads hit their pillows they were out. They had to have been exhausted! The next morning Andrew got up and got right in the pool. He stayed there for hours. He did front flips, back flips and twist flips.
I got to watch my grandpa do what he does best. Work. He's a hard worker and is always looking for a reason to use his tractor or play with his Model T or Model A. I sort of regret not letting him take the kids for a ride in is old cars.
We all enjoyed the water.
After swimming we went to the railroad tracks to put down some change. It wasn't long after we got back to grandma's that we heard the train. I think we missed it by 15 minutes. Dang it!
We only found four pennies and one nickel.
I made the kids pose for a silly picture on the tracks. They didn't appreciate that.
Here they are showing off the goods.
That night I wanted to go to Burger Hut. I ate there all the time in high school. I even made them go to the old grungy one that was further away from grandma's because that was the only one that existed back in the day. They had to go to the original!
I'm so excited to eat my burger. It was even better than I remembered it!
We drove by my old high school.
I went to show Emma where my locker was and they were GONE! This was all lockers before.
She was totally shocked that they had been outside. I explained that you can have outside lockers in California since the weather is much better than Utah's. She was still shocked.
After the tour down memory lane we went to Schubert's for ice cream. It didn't disappoint. YUM! It had been five years since our last trip to Chico. Look at my little boogers back then.
Not much has changed, except us.
After the tour down memory lane we went to Schubert's for ice cream. It didn't disappoint. YUM!
I got to take some pictures of local landmarks while the kids ate their ice cream. Incase you didn't know I am an extremely fast eater. ; )
We drove by the junior high I went to on the way home. Emma also couldn't believe so much of it was exposed to the elements. All her classroom doors are inside buildings. Not in California.
It was time for more swimming.
Hipsta print time!
The kids were in total awe and amazement at my grandparent's retro light fixtures.
They loved them.
My swiss burger.
Memories...
Did you know that the Adventures of Robin Hood staring Errol Flynn (1938) was filmed in Chico's Bidwell park? True story.
We also went to the used book store that we used to go to in the early 90's. The same guy still works there. Fun stuff!
I've got a lot more pictures that I took over the next few days but I'm done for now. It feels good to know that I've started documenting this special trip.
