We got to visit our beloved San Diego over Memorial Day weekend! Dan was asked to speak at his former high school (Calvary Christian Academy's) graduation ceremony, so we decided to make it a family vacation.
It was a long day of travel, I think 9-10 hours total including our layover. We landed at 7:30 pm San Diego time, which was 10:30 pm our time. We didn't get settled in or the kids to bed until about midnight our time, so everyone was exhausted that night.
The next morning, we hit the ground running seeing friends! Dan had to be at school early to prepare to speak, so I took the girls to my former office to meet my boss and coworkers. My coworkers Fatima (left) and Teri (right) were fighting over who got to hold Hallie. And I don't think they were kidding.
We also squeezed in a quick visit with my friend, Kat, and her kids.
Kat has 2-year-old twins (Alyssa and Mateo) and baby boy (Aiden). We joined them at their weekly garden club meeting.
Emma got to pick a fresh tomato and carrot from the garden, rinse them, and eat them right away. She thought that was so cool!
Next, we drove to CCA to hear Dan speak. As he walked up to the podium, two of the administrators put on sunglasses and followed him, pretending to be his bodyguards. Apparently, the minute Dan stepped on campus, he became a celebrity because everyone was so thrilled to see him again! :) He gave a great speech about holding onto the peace that God offers us while living in a world that has no true peace.
We got a nice family photo while we were all dressed up for graduation.
We stayed with our good friends, Paul and Ann, and their kids. Our mutual friends, Chris and Adessa, brought their family to town to visit with us for a day, also. Left to right: Dan, Paul, and Chris. The three of them used to work together at CCA, and became great friends.
Left to right: Adessa, me, and Ann. We got to know each other through our husbands and we're so thankful we did!
The six of us enjoyed spending time together for years before any of us had children. Now it's so fun to watch our kids play together!
Silly faces!
Since we were staying at their house each night, Emma and Hallie got to play the most with Paul and Ann's kids, Eli and Eva. Emma had lots of fun jumping on the trampoline and playing in the sandbox with Eli.
And she enjoyed taking baths and playing with doll houses with Eva.
Hallie was very happy playing with Eli and Eva's old baby toys, too!
We attended our former church, Barabbas Road Church on Sunday, and reconnected with the pastor and our friends there. Then we had a lunch reunion with other friends we had attended Kaleo Church with years ago. It was great to see them, and I love that we've maintained our friendship despite the time and distance. Left to right: Judy and Chris (with their sons Ian and Jon standing in front), Ray and Peggy, Dan holding Hallie, and me holding Emma.
Emma got to reunite with one of her best San Diego friends, Jemma! We attended Barabbas Road Church with Jemma's parents, Jackie and Jessie, and all lived in the same neighborhood. So Jackie and I would get the girls together for play dates at the beach, the library, and each other's houses.
Now two years have passed and we have new little ones who were born just a couple of weeks apart! I wish we lived close enough for Hallie and JJ to grow up together.
Emma's other best San Diego friend, Ellie, was in town with her mom, Stacy, for the CCA graduation. Emma absolutely loved getting to play with Ellie and her younger brother, Daniel, again!
We spent an afternoon with our friends, Dave and Cynthia, and their girls, Olivia (center) and Kailey (right). Their family will move to Virginia Beach very soon, and we can't wait to get together with them more often!
Besides his speaking engagement and seeing all our friends, this was Dan's top reason to fly all the way back to San Diego. The California Burrito. He still craves them at least once a week, after living in Virginia for two years where they don't exist.
Dan had to get back to work the Tuesday after Memorial Day, so he and Hallie flew back home on Monday morning.
Their flight wasn't full so Hallie got her own seat for a little while. She didn't get to keep it, however, since she kept grabbing at the poor guy sitting next to the window and trying to lick his watch. She has no concept of personal space.
Emma and I left together very early on Tuesday morning. She did a great job pulling her own suitcase through the rental car area and airport! Such a trooper!
We played with sticker books on the flight.
And found a store with stuffed animals to play with during our layover.
Back home at the LOVE sign in the Norfolk airport!
No comments:
Post a Comment