ca travelogue part four: the original ca family

When we moved to CA in 2007, Ryan and I were both stepping into new territory. Neither of us had never lived far away from home before (other than Ryan on his mission in Hong Kong) and we were just unsure of what was in store for us. 

Luckily, great things were in store in the form of incredible friends who, over the course of the next nearly five years, became family. Our first family away from family. Families who we spent Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years Eve with. Families who let us cry on their shoulders when we had no idea what was going on with Leah. Friends who got me through my first marathon (and so so many training miles before). Families and friends we went to church with, taught piano to, had girls nights out with.

And to be honest, two and a half years is way too long to go without seeing some of these incredible people. It makes my heart hurt sometimes to think that things can't just be the same as they once were. But, although things have changed, it was so wonderful to walk into a room full of people I know and love like no time has passed at all. 

I got to Jeff and Sarah's house late Saturday night. Like really late. And they still stayed up even later to chat the night away. They're the best.

Sunday morning, we got dressed and ready for church. As I entered the chapel I used to frequent every Sunday, I was overwhelmed with love for this California family of mine. I received such a warm welcome and even a "welcome home" from a number of people. And that's what it felt like! Home! It happened to be a stake conference, so the actual Sunday services were a bit different than usual, but it was an incredible meeting and I was so glad to see so many wonderful faces all at once. Little Mr. Tyler McPhie walked down the aisle to get a drink at one point about an hour into the meeting (I hadn't seen him yet) and I nearly jumped out of my seat to give him a giant hug. I abstained, don't worry. 

After church, we had a delicious dinner with Jeff and Sarah, Scott and Rachel McPhie and Ben Thomander and all their kids. We were all laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face. At one point, I was so incredibly happy inside that I just had to call Ryan so he could be a small part of it. I think it made him even more sad to be missing out, but that was definitely not my intention! It was just a perfect afternoon with some truly incredible friends. 

Monday morning I decided to head out on my beloved Stevens Creek Trail for a long run. I had avoided 14 miles a few days prior, but felt like this was a great opportunity to get a long run in on a great trail. I ran from Sarah's house 3 miles to the trail where I met up with Jaimi, a dear friend and one of my old running partners. A lot has changed for Jaimi in the few years I've been gone, but it was so wonderful to talk with her just like we used to. Four miles flew right by and she had to go to work, so I finished the final six by myself. The weather was glorious. And the trees were flowering. And I was in a tank top.

I met three lovely piano moms (including one piano mom/student!) for lunch at a local restaurant and had a great hour catching up with all of them. They sure know how to make a girl feel good! They are incredible ladies and I'm so blessed to know each of them.

After lunch, I walked to a nail salon to get a pedicure with Sarah, which, by the way, is a perfect thing to do after a long run. The massage was incredible and my impending headache waned a bit. It didn't do much to settle my stomach ache, but it did wonders for the muscles.

After pedicures, I still wasn't feeling so well. We headed to Kathy's house where I saw Kathy and Tawni and their good lookin' kids. As I got out of Sarah's car, I really wasn't feeling well. So, I hung back for a moment, lost my cookies on the street outside of Kathy's house and then went in and had a great afternoon. Seriously, I felt so much better. I even got to buy some girl scout cookies!

After Kathy's, Sarah took me to BevMo to pick up some local "root brews" for Ryan. His favorite root beer is only sold in California, so I lovingly purchased, wrapped and packed six of them and brought them home to him in my luggage. I'm so nice. After my BevMo pitstop, I spent a few hours at my Tuck friend Andrea's house. It was fun to catch up with her after a few months away and see her new home...in my old city! I love that our lives are intertwined like that now.

For dinner, Rachel organized a fabulous girl's night out at BJs (mmmm, pizookies!) where I was able to see so many dear friends! It was so great to eat, chat and catch up with all of these beautiful women! 

A few of them couldn't make it to dinner, but were able to come to Sarah's house after and I had so much fun spending my last few hours with them. 

Tuesday morning Sarah drove me to SFO, where I soon learned my flight was delayed. I spent some more quality time in the terminal and missed my connection in Chicago by seriously one minute. I ran to the gate and they had just closed the doors. So, I spent some more quality time in Chicago. They booked me on the flight leaving the next morning (um, no thanks!), but Ryan looked and said there was a flight later that night. So, I went back to check and sure enough, there was a spot! 

Though it was so great to see Ryan's face again, it was not great to see it holding my down NorthFace coat in frigid temperatures. I missed California already, rain and all. 

All in all, my California trip was amazingly perfect. I still can't believe I was lucky enough to escape for nearly a week and reconnect with so many dear friends from so many parts of my life. As I was on my final leg of the flight home, the flight attendant said, "Make sure your mask is secure before you assist others." Though there were no little ones by my side to assist, this particular trip gave me just what I needed to continue to assist those littles at home. It oxygenated me, gave me strength and filled my cup. I think I'll do it again soon.

ca travelogue part three: Tuck family

Mother Nature tried her very best to ruin the second part of my trip. Really, she did. But does she really think she even holds a candle to my Tuck family? Dartmouth is in New Hampshire, after all. California rain has NOTHING on New Hampshire weather. Give us some credit!

I spent the next few days at the Holbrook's house in the east bay. I planned to run a 14 miler on some trails near her house Friday morning, but with the rain, logistics of shuttling kids around, not knowing the area and (honestly) just not wanting to spend a few hours of my precious time running solo in a strange place, I opted for five miles on a beautifully rainy trail with Michelle instead. 

And, because we had extra time, we made a pit stop at Johnny's donuts (I promise, I usually eat 1-2 donuts a YEAR, not two in two days) and Trader Joe's. I think we made the right choice. 

Friday night we ordered in Chinese food and watched the athletes from the USA enter the stadium in Sochi in their horrific sweaters. I was wearing some pretty crazy pants that day, and I still think those sweaters were ridiculous. 

Saturday the lovely Andrea drove up from Mountain View and we all drove into the city together for a fabulous girl's day. Though, we made sure to invite sweet little Beau, who I was so excited to meet! 

We didn't get to do everything on our wish list (which was way too ambitious to begin with), but we did get in some serious shopping (even down to the matching cardigans -  how did we not get a picture?), serious walking (as in probably 10 miles) and serious eating (um, a LOT of eating). 

This picture is as close to the Golden Gate Bridge as we got - the rain forbade us from seeing even a corner. 

Our boots were soaked through, our umbrellas bent skyward and we even lost a hat or two. But, we filled our bellies with sourdough bread, our faces were sore from smiling and laughing and I even completed my donut trifecta for the weekend at Trish's Mini Donuts at Fisherman's Wharf. Why not, right? 

 

 

 

A fabulous few days with some ladies who became my family during our stint as north easterners. Can't wait to see them and their families in Boston! 

CA travelogue part two: my Rett family

The first stop on my California adventure was, sadly, cut short due to my flight delays. But, trusty Colleen was willing to change up all of her plans for the day to come and get me later that night. It was such a good feeling to see her pull up to the curb at the airport, smiling ear to ear. Two and a half years is just too long to go without seeing certain faces in person. And hers is one of them.

On our way south to her house, we drove right through my old neighborhood, stopping at IKEA right across the road from Ryan's old office and then at In-N-Out a half mile from my old apartment(s). When we got to her house, her two littles were sound asleep, but I had a great time chatting with Colleen and Jared (her husband and Ryan's Rett-dad-partner-in-crime). I slept on their lovely new couch and woke in the morning to the sound of Chloe's feet tip toeing across the floor so as to not wake me. I spent the morning watching their routine and it was perfect. That foursome works hard together, and they do it well. 

It was good for my soul to see Claire again and to see how far she has come since I last saw her. She has so much light in her eyes and she just filled me with so much joy. 

I had a blast with Chloe imagining my future with Kate. These little Rett siblings are something else. 

After Jared left for work and the girls were dropped off at school, Colleen and I hit up her favorite coffee spot where I enjoyed a delicious cup of hot cocoa, which was perfect for the drizzly morning. 

And then we went to the beach. I didn't even have to tell Colleen to drive there. She knew I wanted to go. And she knew that the rain wouldn't stop that desire. I took off my boots (she politely asked if she could keep her shoes on!) and I enjoyed every moment of the sand between my toes. Sun or not, there's something therapeutic about the waves and the cliffs and the tide pools there. 

After our quick walk on the beach, we drove north again, this time to Oakland to meet up with Erica (another fabulous Rett mom) for lunch at the Mixing Bowl. It was delicious. It was like no time had passed since we all did this last. And it was much, much too short. 

So, we lengthened it out a bit by stopping off at a wickedly delicious donut shop in a back alley around the corner. If you ever find yourself in Oakland, take a pit stop at Donut Dolly. You will NOT be disappointed. Made fresh daily, and seriously injected with the goodness of your choosing right before your very eyes. 

After lunch, Colleen had to head back home to pick up her girls, so I hung out at Erica's office until I was picked up for part two. So yes, part one was far too short and a little colder than I had anticipated, but at the same time, it was exactly what I needed.   

ca travelogue part 1 (of 4): flying

February 5th came and I could not have been more excited or ready to flee the frozen tundra that was Iowa. The weather in California was a mere 50 degrees, which is freezing to them, but since it was 60 degrees warmer than home, I was willing to let it slide. 

I woke up, got ready, shoveled the driveway, and left my little ladies with a bag full of surprises - one for each of them each day. 

Of course the roads hadn't been plowed from the snowstorm the night before, so it took us nearly twice as long as we anticipated to get to the airport. I was so nervous I was going to miss my flight, but we made it. 

I got through security in no time and found myself sitting at the gate with time to spare. As my flight departure time grew closer, I noticed there was no plane waiting for me. Shortly after my realization, an employee said the plane was on its way, running about 20 minutes behind schedule. I had a quick connection in Chicago, but 20 minutes wouldn't be a problem. 

Twenty minutes turned into 40 and the plane finally arrived. But they didn't let anyone board because of an "unidentified liquid" literally spilling out of the plane. They had to call the mechanic (who wasn't at the airport already because it's so small). He arrived an hour later and then spent some time figuring out what said unidentified liquid was. 

Turns out it was just some extra coolant spilling over, NBD. 

But, this little delay required almost every single person on my flight to rebook their connections in Chicago. Luckily I was third in line of about 50 and got a seat on the next flight to SFO, later that night. And luckily I was flying west, not east - far fewer options and way more delays for those folks. I felt so bad for the solo employee working the United counter that day. She deserves a high five. 

I boarded the flight in Moline and this was my view. Never have I seen a plane iced over like that before!

So, long story short, I spent four hours waiting in Moline for a 45 minute flight (I could have driven to Chicago in less time, even in a snowstorm). Then, four hours waiting in Chicago for a 4.5 hour flight. I was so glad I was flying solo. I had a book, a few magazines and my trusty notebook to keep me company, in addition to my stack of gummy bears and goldfish. And the extra 8 hours gave my migraine medicine a chance to kick in. Win, win. 

Finally, I was CA bound.