Stop #1 - Los Angeles. We went to the Los Angeles Temple with my cousin J for the first time in preparation for his upcoming mission to Baltimore Maryland. The following day I got to go to church for my friend's farewell that is going to Chile on her mission. That evening we played Hand and Foot with my cousins (try it and you'll get hooked). It's always fun to have game night with the Potter Family. However, the fun was not to last long...
Stop #2 - San Diego. During my stay in San Diego I managed to go to Home Depot and Walmart about 10 times in a 3 day stay as well as help clean out my Grandma's old house so there was nothing left and clean the new house. On the plus side we had ice cream with fresh blackberries for dessert most days :) My parents and I also managed to get to the temple and do a session. Talk about an amazingly beautiful temple!
Stop #3 - Los Banos/ San Francisco. I have an aunt and uncle that live in Los Banos which has to be the hottest place I have ever been. Stepping out of the car at around 5 pm it was a sweltering 112 degrees. After visiting with family we went to San Fransisco for the day to do a little sight seeing. All the classics were visited: Lombard Street, the Victorian town houses, the cable cars, the Golden Gate Bridge etc. (My only sunburn from the entire trip came from waiting in line for the cable cars, my head burned right where my hair was parted!)
Stop #4 - Oakland. To end our day in San Fransisco, we drove to Oakland to do a session at the temple. While here, my dad gave me a tour of the grounds and showed me the bench that my sister T fell on and cracked her chin open. Ah, family memories...
Stop #5 - Sacramento. We visited more family (my mom's brother) and enjoyed a 7:30 am session at the temple where I was so tired I couldn't even get my contacts in. Ah the rigors of a vacation! It was nice to see some cousins that I hadn't seen in awhile though :) The greatest part was going to church on Father's day with my cousin and his family where we sat in the front row (since we were late) and spent the whole time trying to keep their little boy off the stairs that lead to the pulpit. Never a dull moment with children around...
Stop #6 - Seattle. After driving an entire day to get to Seattle I had the pleasure of helping my brother and his wife clean the house that they just bought, followed by two full days of going from quilt shop to quilt shop along the coast. Quilt Shop Hopping - you should try it some time (in moderation of course)... My brother J is starting a job at Microsoft in July so they just moved from Utah to Washington and we already miss them. So it was good to see them. Isn't my nephew A so cute?!?! I certainly think so!
Stop #7 - Portland. This was our last and final stop before returning home. We spent the day with my brother N going to a huge Rose Garden, watching Ocean's 13 and going to a bazaar in downtown Portland. It was good to see everyone but it was nice to come home. I need a vacation from my vacation! And as we were driving home through Idaho/northern Utah I was reminded of my one and only speeding ticket that I had received last year. And I decided there was a very good reason for speeding there - it felt like we weren't ever going to get home!! Fortunately, no speeding tickets this time :)