Summer California Trip

It's always nice to walk together in person. We walk while talking on the phone all the time. 

This is the best way to enjoy the beach

Look at all those birds. Kristen has never seen anything like it. 

This year's trip to California was a bit different because I couldn't go until early August and I had to be back by August 10th. Kristen and Doug had been on a 2 week trip to Africa for a safari and I had to get back for Houston Hjorth's wedding. 

So, I flew into San Francisco on a Friday afternoon and took BART to Pleasanton/Dublin, where Kristen picked me up. We mostly relaxed and watched the Olympics. We ate dinner and chatted. We hung out on Saturday, watching Olympics, and not doing much else. Sunday morning, Kristen took me to meet Maria in Tracy, where I hopped in the car to ride with her to Disneyland. We had a great drive. After 3 days at Disneyland, I spent the night at Maria's house, then met up with Kristen in Tracy on Thursday morning. I showered quickly and she and I headed to the beach. We set up her tent and just enjoyed the breezes and the waves. We were only there for about 2 hours before we had to head back to avoid traffic. Doug thought we were crazy to drive for close to 4 hours for only 2 hours at the beach. We told him we'd just be sitting at the house, talking, so we might as well be in the car, then enjoying the beach. Doug gave me a blessing Thursday night. 

Friday Kristen and I went to the outlet mall. I didn't buy anything and Kristen bought a pair of shoes. A very uneventful shopping trip. We then went back to their place. I changed the sheets on the bed and finished packing. We stopped at Kim Cassetti's house on our way to the San Francisco airport. Her daughter, Emily, was there, and we had a nice visit for about an hour. Rob's mom recently passed and we talked about that. Kim, Rob, and Michael were with her when she passed and Kim feels like her mother-in-law was reaching for something. We told her that it's very possible that she was reaching for loved ones. That's what Kim believes too. She has great faith and a love of the Savior and belief in God. She's like a sister. We love seeing each other, even if for just a short time. We always pick up where we left off.