I don't even know where to start on this one.
In early spring, Derek asked if I could come out to watch the kids sometime in the summer. They would buy my plane ticket. I said of course. August is best for me. I asked Kristen if she'd want to come with me. I could buy a ticket to Oakland, spend time with her, we could drive down to Valencia and babysit, then return to the Bay Area together. It was to be a week or so trip.
In June Kristen asked if I'd bought my ticket yet. I hadn't. She suggested I come for a month. Well, no need to twist my arm. I love Southwest Airlines because you can make changes to flight plans without penalties. I had to make changes a couple of times because Kamiko and Bekki were coming in July and Allie was going to take an internship and start teaching in August. So the final plan was July 25-August 16. It was so much fun.
Thursday-Saturday: I flew in. Kris picked me up and we went to Livermore and packed our bags for a quick trip to Bass Lake/Yosemite, where Mike lives and where mom and dad were visiting. Sarah came with us and we HAD A BLAST. We hung out Thursday night, enjoying bbq chicken and just chatting. Friday Kris, Sarah, and I spent time at the lake. It was beautiful. It was the perfect day. The picture of me and Kris and Sarah on the lake perfectly captures how I felt about being back at Bass Lake and about my trip in genera. Clear skies, warm water, great fun. Saturday mom and dad flew home and Kris, Sarah, and I went into Yosemite to go on a hike. Mike suggested we hike from Glacier Point to Nevada Falls, then back to Glacier Point. Probably 8 miles round trip, kinda difficult the last 2 miles because it's uphill, all according to Mike's recollection. We figured we could handle 8 miles. When we got to the trail head at Glacier Point, it indicated that it was 5 miles to the falls. That meant a 10 mile hike. Well, if we were up to 8, we were up to 10, so we started. Yosemite is one of my favorite places. It's just so beautiful, from the valley floor to Glacier Point. We had great views of Half Dome, the valley, and much more along the trail. At some point we still weren't at the falls and the sign indicated we still had 1 mile to go. According to the watches and tracking stuff we had, we had already hiked 5 miles. That would mean 6 miles to the falls and a 12 mile hike. That's quite different from the 8 we anticipated. Good thing we had plenty of snacks and had water. Sarah had even grabbed one extra water bottle as we left. We could do it. But, did we want to? Did we want to head back or commit to 2 more miles. Kristen said she'd regret it if we didn't go all the way to the falls, so we went ahead. The falls were amazing. We got much needed rest, ate sandwiches, laid down and just talked and took pictures, then we headed back for another 6 miles.
Kristen really struggled the last 2 miles of the hike. I recalled the time I hiked the Manitou Incline with Karen. I wanted to walk more steps. I wanted to will myself to walk more steps. I just couldn't walk more steps. I had to keep resting. I think that made me more patient with Kris. At one point, we had Sarah go ahead for help. Kris and I stayed back and just took it slow. We did make it to the end just as Sarah was coming with some young men who were willing to help. Sarah said that when she got to the gift shop and found a ranger, she started crying when she explained that her mom needed help. We felt so great, but tired. We did it, though. It will always be a great memory. We got burgers at Burger King on our way out of town. That was a nice treat. Arrived back in Livermore Saturday night.
 |
| Half Dome and me |
 |
| Resting at Nevada Falls. |
 |
| We hiked over to those falls way over there. |
 |
| El Capitan. Never gets old. |
Sunday we went to church. It's always a relaxing time at Kris and Doug's. They stock the fridge with my favorites, we cook yummy food together, and we take time to relax and watch Netflix. I also took with me all my t-shirts to make a t-shirt quilt. I felt much better about taking a 3 week vacation if I got something productive done. That was fun to work on. I watched a tutorial on Monday and kinda made my plan.
Other things I did my first week at Kristen's:
Lunch with Kim Cassetti
Watched Kris and her designer, Rita, pick out colors for kitchen cabinets, island, and walls
Manrisa Beach for the day
Pure Barre with Sarah
Walks (Kris and Doug have named their walks. I prefer the "Roller Coaster" which is a walk around their neighborhood that has a bit of uphill and downhill)
Donut Wheel
Ice Cream with aunt Leigh Hicks
Netflix/Amazon Prime Video
Quilt
 |
| Hunter girls and Kim. Always a favorite. |
 |
| Thanks for a great workout, Sarah. Pure Barre. My ball is a d for Dana |
 |
| Beach after Pure Barre with Kristen and Sarah |
 |
| Baskin Robbins in Castro Valley on our way home from the Temple. We used to get ice cream here all the time when dad's office was right next door. |
 |
| More ice cream, this time with aunt Leigh |
On a Thursday night, Kris had a Relief Society activity. I decided to hang out with Kim instead. That was a wonderful evening. We walked up and down Main Street in Pleasanton, finding a place to have dinner. We finally settled on the Pleasanton Hotel because it's iconic and because they have a new restaurant. We had the BEST burger I've ever had. The fries were amazing, too. The chef makes his own blend of ground beef. It was just so fun to be together and to talk. Kim was in the midst of looking for a job. She had applied for a job with a closet company she had used to build her beautiful closet. She didn't pass the computer exam. Kris and I told her to reach out and to offer to ramp up her skills and take the test again. She enrolled in an online course. She did reach out to them and they hired her as a storeroom coordinator. They're hoping she'll learn the ropes and move her way up to a designer, which is the original job she applied for. We're so happy it worked out for her. She's a perfect fit and she should enjoy it. It was so special to be there from the beginning until the job offer.
On Thursday, August 8, we headed down to Derek and Rachel's, via Hearst Castle. We toured the kitchen and the "cottages" (one of the guest cottages is 5,000 square feet). Their kitchen was state of the art for the 1930's. There were only 3 of us on the tour: me and Kris and a woman whose husband was at a conference, so she joined him and was doing tours during the day to keep busy. After the tour, we drove to the Hunter's house. We got our instructions before Derek and Rachel left on Friday for a long weekend.
 |
| Pressure cooker |
 |
| Such beautiful skies. The Central Coast really is a special place. |
I'm now wishing I'd written a report WHILE I was in California instead of a month later. At any rate, we had a great time. Keenan and the girls drove in Friday night from Utah. The 4 of us went to Disneyland on Saturday while Kris watched all the kids - and very successfully. We enjoyed the pool, watched movies, helped Rose clear out her drawers. That girl is very particular about how her clothes "feel." If she doesn't like them, she won't wear them. We made a big good will pile for Rachel to approve of. We also dog sat a couple of dogs that Rachel had committed to. It really wasn't bad, but we were glad when the dogs were both gone by Sunday night. We could just focus on the kids. We had the kids from Friday morning until Wednesday night. They were really good. It was kinda difficult to get them all to bed. The boys are kinda like having twin toddler boys that sleep in separate rooms. Rose was a huge help. As a reward, Kris took her to see Toy Story 4.
Derek and Rachel came back from their trip to Napa on Tuesday night and we headed back to Kristen's on Wednesday morning. Kim came over on Thursday morning for a walk. We got to see each other 4 times while I was there. That was definitely a highlight. I would sure love to live near her. She got emotional when she left and said she's much happier when I'm nearby. She is a true friend. Thursday Kris and I went to the Oakland Temple to do a session. Then we stopped at the Baskin Robbins Ice Cream that was next to dad's dental office. Dad paid for each of us to get an ice cream cone, just like old times.
Another highlight happened in Southern California. While walking back to Disneyland from McDonald's with Keenan, we talked to a young college aged woman who was carrying a small box of nuggets. I jokingly commented on how small her lunch was. She kinda joked that on a college budget, she can't afford much. Then as we walked by one of the many homeless people on Harbor Blvd, she handed the chicken nuggets to a homeless person. I asked her if she bought them just to give to someone and she said yes, she likes to buy something if she can. We talked a bit more and I thanked her for her example. I also told her I plan to follow her example soon.
Fast forward to time with the Hunter kids. One day we took them to the library. While leaving the library, Rose clung to me a little tightly. I asked her if she was scared. She asked how I knew. I told her I noticed her hold me a little tighter when we walked past the homeless man that was sleeping on a bench. Then we talked a bit about how homeless people are just like us. That someday when she's bigger, she can volunteer at the homeless shelter and talk with them. She then asked if she could tell me something. I said "sure."
Rose: Once my dad and I walked past a homeless person and I wanted to ask my dad if we could give him something, but I was too scared.
Me: Would you like to take something to that man? I then told her my Disneyland story.
She liked that idea. We went to McDonald's and got happy meals for all the kids and a $2 nuggets for the homeless man. Then we went back to the library and Kristen waited in the car with the boys while Rose and I delivered the snack. I'll tell you, Rose was skipping back to the car after we gave him the nuggets. I asked her how she felt. We talked about how good it feels to help other people. It was a good afternoon. While we ate our lunch, I told her that I would always remember that day and that she probably would, too.
 |
| Milo Hunter |
 |
| Rose Hunter |
 |
| Charlie Hunter |
It was hard to come back to reality, but it was time to get back. Allie was about to start the school year as a teacher and I wanted to be there for her last free weekend in case she needed any help setting things up. It was a great time. I love going home to California.
