Saturday, August 1, 2009

BHM - PDX - SFO - BHM

Whew what a trip! Eric, Sydney and I returned from our west coast trip on Monday and we are finally recovered except our bumps and bruises (will explain later).

First our sweet, sweet, sweet neighbor Nikki drove us and our loot to the airport on Sunday afternoon, did I mention she is sweet. Sydney did exceptionally well on the plane considering she is a budding walker and does not want to sit in anyone's lap for more than 10 seconds. Our legs were glad to reach our first stop in Phoenix, where we all ate and ran around. Sydney is a huge fan of watching airplanes now, thanks to the great big window at the terminal in Phoenix. She would bang on the window and point as the plane approached and then she would bounce up and down, shouting something, that we assume was airplane!!! She gave everybody something to laugh at and pass the time.

On to our next leg of the flight Sydney was so exhausted because she didn't want to take a nap so she was screaming a little more on this flight. The flight attendant seemed to be the most bothered by it and kept asking if we could get her a drink, I was almost tempted to say sure "vodka straight up." She finally fell asleep in the most akward position on my shoulder, but she was quiet. We spent the night in Portland and had breakfast and then we were off in our rental car (Nissan Rogue, Great car!), to my Grandma's house in Sutherlin.

Three hours later we were there and ready for some lunch. Sydney hit it off with Great-Grandma Kay and Great-Great Grandma C right away. She even sat in GGG-C's lap for several minutes and rocked while we lowered the mattress to the crib. It was amazing how they connected and this broke my heart, knowing that Sydney would never really know this amazing women. We had a great visit with them and they were very hospitable.

We also are so lucky to have my Grandma Knox that lives about a mile down the road in the same town, so we had lunch with her and my Uncle Knox who drove down from Springfield, so very kind of him. The next day we went swimming at Cooper Creek where I use to swim on our visits and we had a great time, except for all of the yellow jackets. We didn't stay long, but we met up with my family for a picnic and we all enjoyed the great weather. Later that night Grandma Knox joined us all for a nice supper and visit. It was so sad to leave my relatives behind, not knowing when I would see them again. It had been 4 years since our last visit.

Back in the car we traveled about 3 hours to Crescent City, California for one night, and we stayed in a great vacation rental. The family was so sweet and even gave us fresh produce from their farm. They let us stay the night and also most of the day so that Sydney could take a nap after our hike in the Redwood Forest. You can look at the pictures we took, but it really does not do these magnificent trees justice. You must go visit them and stand next to these giants to truly see God's glorious work. We left at 7pm on our way toward San Francisco. Are you tired yet? We were ;)

We had a great drive and Sydney slept most of the way. We arrived in SF at 2 am and fell right asleep. The next day we woke up and were so happy to visit with Stephanie and Justin. They live in San Luis Obispo on the coast and drove up to spend a few days with us. We had breakfast and discussed our options for the day. We ended up taking the BART (train system) into the city and we walked from Market Street up through Chinatown, all the way to Pier 39. Quite the trek but it was such a pretty day we didn't mind a bit. Sydney was so tired though, she started to fall asleep on top of Eric's shoulders. She is some trooper. We had a great day at the pier with lunch and a carousel ride. We couldn't leave without a trolley ride, so we waited in line and it was well worth it. Oooops!! We forgot the sunscreen. Ouchhhh!!!

The guys grilled a great meal for us and Sydney fell asleep at 7pm after her bath and was out all night. We woke up had breakfast and went to church. Stephanie and Justin left after church and I cried, I wish we all lived closer. We were also able to visit one other relative, my cousin Chris and his family in Sacramento. We had the best sushi and had a great time visiting. Hope your kids are feeling better now.

Our flight left SF at 10 am and Sydney slept a lot more on these flights which was so nice. I was surprised of the number of children flying, maybe I just never noticed before. So we rode a plane, automobile, train and a trolley and we all had a wonderful vacation full of memories for a lifetime.

Oh, I almost for the the ailment list.
1. I fell down the stairs with Sydney in my arms before we left on Sunday. We are okay but I think the chiropractor will have some fun with my neck and back, still hurting after 2 weeks.
2. Sydney fell down a few stairs at my Grandma's house and almost gave G-Kay a heart attack.
3. Same day Sydney fell and busted her lip open at the house in Crescent City.
4. Same day we went to the light house at night and it was super windy. I put Sydney in the car seat and the door slammed on my knee.
5. A few days later I was putting lotion on my leg and slammed my knee into the corner of the vanity.
6. I mentioned the sunburns.

I think that about wraps it up. We were just determined to leave parts of us behind. Take a look at all the pictures on our Picasa site. We can't wait for our next adventure!