Recent Trips

Over the last six weeks or so I have made three trips to California.  I grew up in northern CA and most of my family still lives there wondering why I ever left to live in frozen "Wesconson".

The first of these trips was a whirlwind.  I flew in on a Thursday night and drove out on Friday afternoon with my new truck.  My parents were getting rid of their truck and I needed a new vehicle so it worked out nicely.  I had a nice quiet drive across the US from CA to WI, making Twitter updates along the way from my phone. 

The second trip, Kelly and I took Charlie (our daughter) to meet Pops and Nana (my parents) at Disneyland in southern CA.  It was her first trip to Disney and she was so excited.

She got to meet Minnie, Mickey, Tigger, Pooh, and many more.  I think Minnie was her favorite.  She also got a fancy Snow White dress from Pops and Nana to wear to the parade on Main Street.

We got to spend about 6 days with my parents and it was the first time they had seen Charlie since last December.  It was one of the most relaxing weeks I’ve had in a few years and I’m so glad we got to do it.

About a week and a half after we got back home, I made my third trip out to CA for a reunion trip, meeting up with some old school buddies at Yosemite National Park.  Eight of us met, and some of us hadn’t seen each other in almost 15 years.

I would try to describe it, but I guess the trip wouldn’t really make sense to anyone that wasn’t there.  Lots of memories.  Lots of stories.  Lots of catching up.  Lots of laughing.

We golfed (I just drove the cart because I suck at golf), took a ride on lazy river rafts, hiked and hung out around the campfire.  I took a lot of pics and they are on Flickr.  (These are actually my first pics ever on Flickr, even though I’ve had an account for several years now.)  All in all, it was a blast and we are planning another trip for next year.

So there you have it — a short version of the ~13,000 miles I’ve logged in the last few weeks.  Each trip was a blast, but, for now, I’m glad to be home with Kelly and Charlie.  If the Disney trip could have lasted another 6 weeks, I would have been OK with that, but the two trips by myself were rough.