When I Am With You, I Am Home

Wednesday we packed up the kids and car and drove a couple of hours north to Santa Barbara to visit Kristy and Jeremy. We didn't know what awaited us but we did know that no matter what, we'd have fun. The drive was a smooth one but not because I am one of those amazing mothers who can entertain their children with a piece of paper and the magic of origami. I am instead one of those mother's who borrow the neighbor's DVD player and rent movies from Blockbuster to keep her kids happy. The good news? It works.

We went on a hike our first day there and had so much fun walking on the rocks and seeing the stream and Mommy especially loved keeping her eyes peeled for poison oak. I am an expert on what it looks like by now.

Here are a couple of the pictures.....









Nathan took this one...












Nature called and my boys answered!






Life is not always grins and giggles...even for the Goose.


I made them wait till the camera was ready so I could get the great shot of David and Nathan falling into the water. Darn it, they made the jump.





The next day Kristy and I did more hiking but this time we were hiking on State Street spending all kinds of money. I like that kind of hiking a lot.

Kristy always cries when it is time for her to leave when she is visiting San Diego but I don't usually cry like she does. (The family joke: I am dead inside. I kind of am :) ) But leaving HER was hard. She was crying, I was crying and even David teared up. It was perfection being there with her. Seeing her life, her apartment, her table at the coffee joint she always sends me camera phone pictures from. Everything was as it should be and leaving only messed it all up.

Being with my sister is like being home.