D-I-isney-Y

Whew, our California adventure is done... we're back in Eugene. We had a really good time visiting lots of our family members and doing tons of fun things!

June 1st we flew into LAX where my aunt Nancy picked us up. We drove through Bel Aire and Beverly Hills into Hollywood. We walked around the walk of fame and outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre. We had lunch at Mel's Drive-In. We went to Huntington Beach and met Mal and Dick for drinks and walked on the beach.

June 2nd we drove with Nancy down through Newport Beach to have lunch in Laguna Beach. We went back to Huntington Beach and had dinner with Harlin.

June 3rd we went to Disneyland and California Adventure with Mallory and Harlin. We were there from 9am til 11pm. It was a long, fun day! We went on Space Mountain, Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Tower of Terror, California Screamin', Bear Mountain Water Ride, Soaring Over California, The Tower of Terror again, Soaring Over California again then Indiana Jones again. We even found wine in California Adventure! It was a long day, but so much fun with Mal and Harlin.

June 4th we went back to Disneyland by ourselves. We didn't get there until 10, but we still got a lot of good stuff in! We went on Snow White, Pinocchio, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan, Small World, Buzz Lightyear, and the Jungle Cruise! We left at about 3 and took the long way home, through Long Beach. When we got home, we looked at Micheal's photos from his time in Peace Corps in Chad. He was really helpful with advice and positive words for us. It was good that he was so positive and supportive about us going, having already done it himself.

June 5th we flew up to Concord to spend time with Jesse's grandma. We had lunch at In-n-Out Burger then drove up to Mt. Diablo. It was a beautiful day, so it was nice to drive through a park and get out and look around at the top of the mountain. Jesse made spaghetti for dinner with his grandma and his aunt Mary.

June 6th we drove to Bodega Bay to have lunch with Jesse's aunt Liz. Then we drove up the coast to Fort Ross, an old Russian trade port. Then we drove back though Bodega Bay down to San Francisco by way of the Golden Gate Bridge. We had dinner in the city at Scoma's on the wharf. It was excellent seafood! On the way back to Concord we stopped to see Jesse's aunt Rose. It was a long day with lots of driving, but lots of great sites along the way!

June 7th we hung around Jesse's grandma's house, Jesse helped her with some things around the house and spent some good time with her. Then we took BART to Oakland where we went to sushi with Annie and her brothers John and Richard. Good times and good food! We flew home the next morning, thus ending our California adventure!!

Now we're in Oregon, counting down the days until we leave. We're down to 12 days now. It feels very crazy. I'm anxious and excited. Part of me wants to stay here longer and part of me is so excited to get on with it!! I'm sure this is how I'll feel until we leave, with the emotions exponentially growing!

Thanks for reading!
Carolyn