part 1

i barely recovered from the 2 hour time difference from ohio to utah and jumped an hour back in california. my body needs a week to recover. here's the first of many spring break photos. we took the kids and left sunday morning. we made it clear to tooele before we needed to stop and get some cough medicine for max - i couldn't bear to listen to him cough the entire way. the boys were champions the entire drive. seriously. they were amazing. like, i was surprised at how good they really were. i was prepared for time outs, sitting between, threats, you know, all those terrible things. not a once. they did great. it took 11 hours, but we finally made it to yuba city. we got unloaded and put the boys in bed.

monday was absolutely beautiful. it got to 80 degrees. coming from snowy utah it was fabulous! we went over to a pond to feed the ducks. enter photos.
after our play date with the ducks we went for a ride in pat & cliff's new boat. it took a few hours to finally get on the water, but once we were there it was great. as you know, i hate the wind. the only wind i really enjoy is that created by riding on a boat. (on calm water when it's warm outside, otherwise i get seasick. i know, i'm picky.) luke loved the boat. it was so fun to be outside in the sunshine. very good for my soul. sorry, no boat pics. but i'll share a few more duck pics instead.

tuesday the rain decided to roll in and it was a bit chilly. we decided to head to sacramento, and if the rain let up we'd visit the zoo. well, the rain only got worse the closer we got. so, with a little direction from my sis via cell phone, we found our way to the blue diamond almond factory. wow. who would have known mike was so fond of almonds? well, i think i knew, but i was able to really witness it while at the gift shop. mike finally told me we had to leave so he wouldn't go back in the shop and buy more. seriously. he kept going back for more. we have lots of almonds.

once back to yuba city we took the boys to see monsters vs. aliens. they loved it! (well, luke didn't quite make it through the show and chilled in the car with mike for the last 30 minutes or so.)

wednesday....oh ya. the boys went to shoot guns for a while and i took mike's mom to run a few errands around town. pretty lazy day. i was able to have a stories by me class with a group of ladies from pat's ward. that made for a fun evening! always a good time.

part 2 will be coming.

ohio

have you ever known one of those people who deserves the very best but it seems as though things in their life continue to go wrong? they try so hard to do what they know, what they feel, is right, but somehow never get the end result they are searching for? well, i do. and she finally got what she deserved after all these years.
my dear friend melnee hasn't had the easiest life. in fact, she has faced challenges that i hope and pray i never have to face. i'm not sure i would survive as gracefully as she has. melnee moved to ohio 12 years ago. inspired to move. she has lived an extremely full life and has exercised her faith in so many ways. while on her own personal rollercoaster, she recently met dave and fell in love. they are perfect. he adores her like no other and she is smitten. and finally has what she deserves.
i was able to travel back to ohio and attend their sealing. what an amazing experience. i wouldn't have missed it for anything. you see, melnee was like a second mom to me while i was serving my mission. i was in the ashland branch for 9 months - that's 1/2 of my entire mission. she fed me, drove me places, let me cry to her about my companion(s) and helped me laugh. i absolutely love this woman! when i got the news of her wedding i immediately began trying to figure out what it would take to get me there. another dear friend gave me an amazing offer - and made my travel possible. (thank you lauri and kevin!!!)

other sweet friends allowed me to stay at their house. they even drove the 1 1/2 hours to the airport to pick me up. (and drop me off.) now that's a real friend! mike and brooke are fabulous - and it was so fun spending time with brooke and her busy schedule. i enjoyed every minute!! thank you guys!!
while i was away my sweet husband really outdid himself. and i came home loving him even more than ever. (and not only because of what he had done while i was gone...) he moved luke into max's room and moved jake into a space of his own. in the process, converted luke's crib into a toddler bed and has luke sleeping like a champ! (no go on the binky weaning, but that can wait.) he built a new fort for the boys in the backyard. he did loads and loads of laundry. he cooked dinner. he took time off work to help with the boys. oh, and in his spare time he managed to surprise me and laid the tile in our basement bathroom never-ending project. seriously, does it get any better than that? i have the greatest man alive.

it was a fabulous trip and i am thrilled i was able to share the day with melnee. she is amazing.

and it's good to be home with my own busy schedule and crazy boys and even more laundry.

i have so so so much to catch up on...but, before i forget. i just found this fabulous idea. i think we will be giving this a try this year. that is, if we make it home from california with enough time to spare saturday night!