California Vacation

In August we took a couple of weeks off for a much needed vacation to California. It's always nice to go "home" and spend time with loved ones! We've not lived in California for about 14 or 15 years. We're used to not being close to family now, but it can be hard at times. We really miss them.

We flew into San Francisco and were picked up by my wonderful sister in law, Gloria. We checked into our hotel by Fisherman's Wharf and decided to take the kids down to the Wharf for some local "touristy" culture. My wife and I have been to the Wharf many times and always enjoy the atmosphere. The kids has a blast watching the street entertainers and checking out the shops. My oldest son even bought a piece of "Spray Paint Art". We really enjoyed getting some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, a San Francisco specialty!

The following day we went to Japan Town. My daughters are really into anime and found some cute anime characters to add to their collection of stuff. They got to eat some Japanese pastries and had a grand time! We also spent some time at the Golden Gate Bridge. What a beautiful day it was!

We drove down to Visalia that afternoon (pit stop at In-N-Out Burger) and stayed with Gloria and her husband Richard. They treat us so well and we enjoy ourselves tremendously when we're with them. It's great to really relax and enjoy our time off from the stresses of everyday life. My youngest, Jill, really loves their cat Cosmo. The funny thing about Cosmo is that he's deaf as a post and will let Jill pester him for hours on end.

My oldest son, Jaren, has taken up golf recently and plays on his High School golf team. Uncle Richard is an avid golfer and took him and my son Brad out golfing a couple of times and the boys had a blast! Richard has a great sense of humor and a great head on his shoulders. As a result, my boys love being around him. One of the best parts about visiting is that my kids get to spend time with their cousin Taylor. Taylor is a very nice young man. He's super Smart and can basically pick up a musical instrument and start playing. It's amazing to see how much he's grown! Most day's were spent visiting, swimming, and just plain relaxing. I've been blessed with terrific in-laws and it's always a pleasure to spend time with them. John is the friendliest person I've ever met and has always set the perfect example of Christian manhood. Irene is a wonderful person with many talents, she's amazingly well read as well!

It was really nice to spend a couple of days with my family in Fresno. I'm the oldest of 10 (5 boys, 5 girls) and it's really hard to stay in contact with everyone, let alone maintain any "closeness". I mostly stay in touch with my dad and several of my brothers. They all have a great sense of humor and love sports and politics! I miss them and it's great to "yuk it up". There are now around 25 grandchildren (and counting).

We've been able to visit California the last couple of summers and I hope we can make the trip again next year!