Well, the July 4th weekend has come and gone and we are still on vacation...and sleeping on the floor. The movers have now had our stuff for a total of 12 days, which is still, believe it or not, in their 4-15 day window that they quoted us. Wednesday is the "rumored" day for delivery, but we will see. I am actually hoping they are late, so that we get money back. I am actually enjoying this vacation.
As for an update....
Thursday, the van came!!! Yeah! The kids finally had some toys and we had a remote part of home back. Mike was able to take his car to work and Alyssa was no longer in the backseat sandwiched between the car seats. Alyssa and I ran some errands and checked out the Camarillo Premium Outlets. They are FABULOUS!!! We're talking 6 Jcrew tank tops for $30, a pair of Jcrew flip flops for $10, an UGGs Outlet, a Barneys Outlet, a Restoration Hardware Outlet, etc, etc, etc. It was great. We also took the kids to Target where they both spent some birthday money.... Peter picking out a Ryan's Room Knight Costume for $10, which was all the rave. I also ran to Costco, it being my closest grocery store, and stocked up on food for the weekend.
Friday the 4th was a relaxing day for us. We sauntered down to the clubhouse, a mere 100 yards from our front door for a leisurely (and cheap!) breakfast on the course. From there we packed up and headed out for the beach. We headed north towards Santa Barbara and ended up at a beach in Carpenteria. It was fun seeing that kids play in the waves for the first time. Heck, I had only swam in the ocean once before myself. The weather was great, the water surprisingly warm and beach was very clean. The kids and I did the normal beach things...we dug to China (which here, I think you actually dig to Europe or something), we built a sand fort, they buried me in the sand, and Lily collected rocks. Those kids must have spent an hour and a half just jumping the waves, riding the waves and such. We were there for four hours!!! Needless to say the kids were exhausted. We headed back for a shower, a bite to eat and a little rest. Then we ventured out for fireworks in Camarillo, only to find out that they relocated them, so we missed out. But I'm sure we'll catch more later in the year. I have a feeling fireworks are year-round here.
Saturday continued in much of the same manner. We took the kids 4 miles out to the Underwood Family Farms to pick blueberries! Lily was in heaven. She LOVES blueberries. It reminded me of the book Blueberries for Sal. I love that book. After picking, we went into their produce market, which was absolutely my favorite place in the world!!! There they sell all their locally grown, just off the farm, pesticide free produce for dirt cheap prices. I bought 3 carton of strawberries, 3lbs of blueberries, 2 lemons, 2 limes, and a mango all for $19!!!! Unheard of in Minnesota! I can't begin to describe how heavenly they tasted!!! You have to be here to understand. We came home, took naps and headed off the library. The kids got some library books, we came home for dinner and the kids swam in their "pool." Then we sat out in the hot tub and looked out the stars....
Today, we took a drive out to Malibu in hopes of spotting some dolphins or pelicans on the ocean. It was pretty cloudy/foggy on our drive south, but the views of the sea cliffs were still just as awespiring. We ate at Duke's Surf Restaurant and experienced a bit of sticker shock...you've got to be careful out here....brunch is very different from lunch. We headed back, just in time to meet Mike's Aunt Julie & Uncle Tommy. We showed them around for a bit before having dinner at Cafe Fiore's in Ventura. The food was great, the conversation good, and I couldn't have paid the kids to behave better!!! I really like downtown Ventura, it has a old Spanish village feel to it. We got some Starbucks and retired for the evening.
Tomorrow, Mike heads back to work for the week and Alyssa and I are going to head to Hollywood for some touristy stuff. I think we are going to go to the Chinese Theater to walk the stars and then maybe to Whole Foods to see if we can spot some real stars. Mike said he's glad I'm going without him... Girly stuff.
The kids have really been enjoying themselves out here. Peter goes into the closets and says, "Goodbye Mom, I'm going downstairs," and he will pretend to go downstairs. They also really like the hippo fountain on the side of the house. They keep delivering baby hippos to me that are apparently from the Mama Hippo. And Lily for the first time EVER, said, "Mom, I really like being outside." They also have really enjoyed sleeping in the same "bed" (on the floor) with us. We never have done the family bed, so they are enjoying that.
I am feeling very relaxed out here. As I was telling Mike, I don't think God thinks we can handled much, because he has placed us in the most stress free place on the planet. I know some of that will change, as time passes, but I feel very secure where we are at right now.
Wak (a.k.a. Alyssa) leaves Tuesday, right before the moving truck comes on Wednesday, so the unpacking will begin. But at least I have had time to think about where I want things and such. I am definitely looking forward to getting the kids back on a schedule and resuming some normalcy in the family. Then begins the task of finding some friends... We will definitely be hosting some lemonade stands in the near future.
That's all from CA tonight!!! Sweet dreams.
posted by Jenny at 9:28 PM |
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