Cousins, Coronado…and a Cold

We loaded up the van and headed down to Orange County to visit some very important people.  Ben and Clara have been waiting for time with their cousins, Nick and Noah, ever since we told them about our West Coast move. After a soccer-skill park excursion with them, we now have some avid little soccer players (and are the proud owners of two new soccer balls).  After lots of playtime, a visit from the ice cream truck (thanks, Uncle Adam!) and the thrill of a house filled with “cool” toys, the kids left happy and exhausted.

The next stop on our weekend getaway— which still feels very strange after years of having to be home by Saturday night— was to the enchanting seaside island of Coronado to visit Ashlee (we missed Doug, who was away for the weekend).  We had never visited Coronado before and were charmed by it’s quaint, quirky charm and the gorgeous Hotel Del Coronado property.  It was wonderful to spend time with Ashlee (on the ride home Ben gazed out the window and sighed happily, “I’m in love with Ashlee.”) and stay at her cute cottage.  The bummer was that Clara came down with a cold and fever, making her rather miserable and cranky and making us hit the road back to Santa Barbara earlier than expected.

It was a family road trip kind of weekend— catching up with Leah’s brother, watching cousins bond, munching on kettle corn while stuck in traffic, time with a friend that by God’s grace is family, discovering a new place together, extending a little extra love and care when needed and ending it all with milkshakes for dinner on the drive home. Returning thankful for the home, thankful for the family, not so thankful for the piles of laundry— two out of three ain’t so bad.