Cali Adventures: Coffee, Candy, Planes, and Family Time!

We are in Cali! And I know I should have sat down last night after we picked up Ava and written a little recap of our first day. But honestly, I was EXHAUSTED. My day started at 4 a.m. Texas time, and by the time we finally got to bed, it felt like I had lived two extra hours of life. This momma was DONE!

But here I am, trying to get it all written down before the weekend flies by and the memories start blending together.

Day One: Welcome to Cali!

Yesterday, Zuriel and Marissa picked us up from the airport. We came home, dropped off our stuff, made a very important stop at the potty (because priorities!), and then headed out to lunch.

After lunch, we made a Costco run to pick up some alcohol for the weekend. After all, Ava just turned 21, and we had celebrating to do! I even bought the game Clue because I thought it would be fun for all of us to play together.

Have we played it yet? Nope! But it's sitting there waiting for us, so there's still hope.

We had about an hour to kill before we needed to get Ava from the airport, so, we decided to go to the driving range.

We all had a blast trying to hit the big metal tub. Some of us were better at it than others! Zuriel came the closest, but Anthony deserves a little shout-out. He never missed his target, even while recovering from surgery. That man still has a pretty great swing!

Apparently, surgery isn't going to stop him from showing off on the golf range.

After that, we hustled back to the airport to pick up Ava. Then we stopped at the grocery store to grab some things for dessert and pain medication for me.

Yes, I needed pain meds. And yes, lunch had already left me feeling a little hungover after ONE drink. One! I think my tequila days might officially be behind me. Either that, or my body is trying to tell me that I'm getting too old for this nonsense. 😂

Once we got home, Zuriel made Ava salmon for dinner. We were all still pretty full from lunch, so nobody was starving. Marissa made cookies, and Zuriel and Anthony polished off a pint of ice cream.

Meanwhile, I made myself a cup of coffee because I was determined to stay awake and spend time with everyone.

Big mistake.

When it was finally time for bed, everyone else fell asleep almost immediately. And there I was, lying awake, cursing myself for drinking coffee so late at night.

You would think that by now I would know better!

Day Two: Coffee, Hills, and San Francisco!

I was up at 4 a.m. Texas time, which meant my body was still operating on Texas hours. I managed to get some photography contracts written before the rest of the world started waking up.

At 6 a.m. California time, Aubrey FaceTimed me. We got to chat while she had Caleb, and he was having a great time! Will was awake, too, so I got to see him as well.

Between FaceTime and seeing everyone in person, I had managed to connect with all my kids yesterday except Sam. He was sleeping when I was awake and then headed off to work. Mom life doesn't stop just because you're on vacation!

About an hour later, Devun called with Jack, so I got another little dose of home.

Honestly, it was a pretty great morning. Being able to see and talk to my kids, even when we're miles apart, makes my heart happy.

Anthony and I decided to get some exercise and went for a one-mile walk through the Martinez hills. We walked uphill and then came back downhill. Let me tell you, it felt good to get outside and move a little.

When we got back, Marissa had made breakfast. We ate, drank coffee (I may have added a little whiskey to mine), and got ready for the day.

Next stop: Anthony's parents' house!

Kim looked great, and Mark was busy working on the front yard. The dogs immediately smelled us coming and were more than happy to give us some love. We visited for a bit, made small talk, exchanged hugs, and then headed out for our next adventure.

San Francisco During Fleet Week!

We decided to head into San Francisco, which just happened to be celebrating Fleet Week.

And if you've ever been to San Francisco during a big event, you probably know where this is going.

TRAFFIC.

So. Much. Traffic.

We finally parked the truck and walked about a mile and a half to the candy shop. Because apparently, when you're on vacation, walking miles for candy makes perfect sense!

Along the way, we stopped for coffee and then found somewhere to eat seafood. We all tried some new things, which is always fun when you're out exploring together.

And, of course, we got to watch the planes flying all over the place for Fleet Week. It was pretty cool seeing them zoom across the sky while we wandered around the city.

After all that walking, exploring, eating, and watching planes, we finally made our way back home.

And what did we do?

We ALL took a nap!

Apparently, our big adventure required a mandatory recharge session.

After our naps, we had dinner and then headed up to the rooftop bar. It was a nice way to wind down after a busy day of exploring and spending time together.

Eventually, we made it back home, and here I am, sitting down to write it all out before I forget the little details.

I've also been posting videos all over social media because, let's be honest, sometimes I need photographic and video evidence of my own life to remember everything we've done!

My Favorite Part? Being Together.

As much fun as we've had with the driving range, candy shops, seafood, planes, and rooftop bars, the best part of this trip is simply being with my family.

I love my kids so much. Getting to spend time with Marissa and Ava is especially precious because we don't get to see the girls nearly as often as we'd like.

Living so far away from our adult children is hard sometimes. I miss the everyday moments, the random visits, and just being able to pop in and see them. So when opportunities like this come along, I am incredibly grateful.

I'm grateful for the laughs, the conversations, the food, the adventures, and even the exhaustion that comes with trying to fit everything into a few days.

I'm grateful that we can travel, make memories, and celebrate these milestones together. And I'm grateful for the technology that lets me FaceTime the kids who aren't here with us.

Life gets busy, our family is spread out, and everyone has their own schedules and responsibilities. But somehow, we still find ways to connect.

And that is a blessing I don't take for granted.

God is good, and I am one very tired, very happy momma!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a game of Clue that still needs to happen, more memories to make, and hopefully a little less tequila in my future.

Let's see what the rest of this Cali adventure brings!