Cherry Blossoms

Yes, I am once again attempting to keep up with blogging...at least for a week or so.  ;-)

We were able to make it into DC for cherry blossom season--something I have always wanted to do, and well worth the trip!  The trees are all along the rim of the Potomac Basin and it is quite a sight!

We also took quite a few pictures in the beautiful garden behind the Smithsonian Castle.

Family Beach Photos

We had beach photos done by a very talented young photographer, Alexia Sotelo, before we left LA. We were very happy with the results!

Sorry it's been so long since I blogged--time seems to get away from me since we got here.  We are hoping to start enjoying the area soon as we move into fall!

July 14th: Drive Complete

We are complete. Total mileage to Mom (aka Oma) from Redondo Beach to Hamilton, NJ is 3,424 miles, 57 hours and 17 minutes of road time (19.0 mpg for those interested).

Yesterday Oma and Erik got so fed-up w/traffic delays/detours,etc due to construction (or "fake construction") that we took a running tally today. Today we counted 13 times from Pittsburgh to Oma's house that we merged/slowed-down to 45 mph/detoured for construction on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Of those 13, which each threatened double-fines, loss of license, jail time were mostly false alarms (aka fakes). 7 actually had men working, the other 6...maybe there isn't room to store those thousands of cones and barriers and other signage- who knows?

Maybe that's why Matty left one last "gift" of the road trip 10 miles from the NJ border along the road--gotta love potty training!!!

Finally, the weather today?!? We should have brought California sunshine and beautiful, warm dry weather. But nooooo, you'd have thought Robert brought Seattle rain and gloom. I guess NJ misses me after being away for so long.

Can't believe I'm out of California, it's the first time in over 13 years that I don't live there...I'll be okay- - - I think!

Erik

July 12th--On The Road Again

As I flew back into LA today, I was hit with the strangest sense of melancholy. It was very strange. Even though we just left a week ago, it feels like it has been a lot longer. I can't even explain how strange it is to be back in our house without Erik, the boys and our cats--despite the boxes of our stuff piled everywhere, it doesn't feel like home anymore. I miss them terribly and can't wait to see Erik on Friday and the boys next week.

Speaking of Erik and the boys, they spent the day driving from Wisconsin to Indiana with Oma and the cats. After a rough start involving two separate cat throw-up incidents, they finally arrived and are theoretically sound asleep. I say "theoretically" because I am certain the boys are chattering up a storm while Daddy and Oma try to sleep. :-)

I spent a couple of hours prepping for the movers (they come tomorrow to pick up our stuff) and then went for a run on the beach. I paused for a few moments to watch the sun set over Malibu. It is very strange to think that we will soon become familiar with watching the sun set over trees!

Although it was necessary, I am ready for this convoluted move to be over and to be settled into our new home. We are very much looking forward to have some normalcy back in our lives. The lake vacation was a much needed break in the middle of this chaos, and we are already looking forward to our next (as yet unplanned) visit!

Hope you're all appreciating the fact that I have blogged more in the past week than in the past six months. I would post pictures too, but our USB camera cable is in a brown box somewhere. Since there are about 120 of them in my house, I wouldn't know where to begin looking...

Day 6: A perfect day!

Any day at the lake is a good day, but today was especially nice. A small thunderstorm to start the day, followed by Dutch pancakes made by Oma. Then some swimming from the boat; tubing; water trampoline (Erik & Alex); dinner with Larry and Carolann and marshmallows by the fire. A truly relaxing, peaceful day.

Erik and I are both exhausted since the boys were up most of the night last night, so let's hope they sleep better tonight! Somehow the lack of sleep doesn't seem to matter much here.

One more day of relaxation before I head back to California for final outprocessing and movers and Erik, Oma and the boys head east for the remainder of the trip.

Days 4 & 5

Day 4: More driving. We're all a little sick of the car at this point. But we did get to see many beautiful cornfields and windmills. Such is the beauty of America. At the end of today, we will arrive at the lakehouse in Wisconsin--hopefully in time for dinner!

Day 5: An amazing day at the lake. Exactly what we needed after 4 days in the car. It really is paradise here, and there is no where else I would rather be right now. The boys are having a wonderful time running around in the gardens and playing in the lake. Right now, I can hear them running outside with Erik and laughing--what more could a mom want to hear? Uncle Larry is lighting the bonfire and we are off to toast marshmallows. It is great to catch up with Uncle Larry and Aunt Carolann at their own home--usually we see them in the road! More tomorrow. :-)

Day 3: America

As we drove through Utah, Colorado and Nebraska over the past two days, I was reminded once again of what I love about this country. The red rocks in Utah; the Rockies of Colorado, and the cornfields of Nebraska have seemed so far away over the past five years that we lived in Los Angeles. It is so easy to forget the beauty of America when you are surrounded by concrete and traffic. I think everyone occasionally needs the reminder that there is a lot more to this country than the bustling cities. I wish we had more time to explore on this cross-country trip, and am definitely looking forward to doing that someday when the boys are a bit older.

After we tucked the boys in tonight, Alex whimpered. We asked what was wrong, and he said that he was sad that he was never going to see our house again. I guess I’m sad too—not to leave a house, but a home where we built many wonderful memories with family and friends. Although I know we will build many more memories in our new home, I still feel a little nostalgia at all we are leaving behind.

Traveling today went well, considering that it was our third day straight in the car. The boys watched a couple of movies, and the cats lounged in the back. Looking forward to seeing Uncle Larry and Aunt Carolann tomorrow. Next stop, Balsam Lake, Wisconsin!