Homecoming Week (Nor-Cal Version)

Nine months without stepping a foot in California was a long damn time, so you can imagine Jen and I's excitement that we were able to come home for a week and a half. It was really fun to get to see everybody and we had an action packed 11 days.

Friday the 16th was, without a doubt, the longest day ever..but it was a ton of fun. We were up early and on a plane to SF (with Cooper in the cabin underneath the seat in front of us of course) and got in around noon. Bec picked us up, and we immediately couldn't believe the weather. 95 degrees in the FRICKIN city!! We were sweating buckets! I came home for this??

Roasting aside, we had a good time hanging out in the city. Had lunch at a place across from Bec's home, then the girls went or manicures and pedicures while Cooper and I rested. Soon we were headed to Sister Jen's graduation, where we met up with Mom and Dad.

I can't say enough how proud I am of my sister for getting her master's. I remember when my Dad asked me if I thought I was interested in getting a master's in something, I just laughed. But Sister Jen (should we now call her Master Jen?) worked hard for several years and gave up her Saturdays to get her masters in theology. She's a better person than I. Now if we could just figure out what she plans to do with it... =)

Here's a picture of the happy grad and her family.


Following graduation, and a celebratory dinner at a seafood restaurant at Pier 39, we picked up Cooper from Brian and Katie's house (Katie had graciously baby-sat the Coop while we were at the graduation...see her blog for details. How's that for cross-promotion?) and then headed with Mom and Dad back to Roseville. We got in at 1:30 a.m....and realized we had been up for 24 hours. Long day...

Saturday we were up and after a quick trip to Peets (YAY Peets iced non-fat vanilla lattes!!) we were preparing for the party.

The party at Mom and Dad's house I have since compared to our wedding reception, only because we felt like we only had a few minutes with everyone. Thanks so much to everyone who came out. It was great to see everyone, and we really appreciate those who were able to make it.

It's always especially fun to see all the young ones, from little Anisa Huthman, to Gabby Palamadessi, to Brooklyn Pebbles and Emily Mae Martin. I can't believe how much all of those kids have grown in just the last nine months.

THe rest of the time in Sacramento/Roseville was filled with catching up with friends. I was able to grab lunch with Dave one day while Jen was getting her hair done. Jen was able to go have dinner with Kelli and Megan in honor of Megs turning the big 30. We were able to get up to El Dorado Hills and meet Jason and Michele's little boy Dylan Smith.

There's actually an amusing story tied to getting to see Michele and her son. So we're at Target and I'm trying to pick out a toy to bring to Dylan, and I'm showing Jen the two I'm trying to decide between, and some woman comes up from behind us. She's five feet away MAYBE...and she says, "You must be a nice Grandpa..."

WHAT?!?!?!?

So I turned around and faced this woman, who IMMEDIATELY saw that I was nowhere near Grandpa status, and she started backpedaling big time..."or..a nice dad, or uncle"

I was able to smile weakly and say, "actually none of those things"

What I wanted to do was slug her. I mean, are you kidding? Do I look THAT OLD??! Granted I hadn't shaved in 3-4 days but still...

Needless to say, Jen thought this whole situation was HILARIOUS, and she's still laughing about it and calling me "Grandpa"...

Wednesday morning Jen & Cooper went to News10 for a few hours andvisited with all the old coworkers.

We also got to have lunch with Kelly and Chris and check out their home in progress. It's amazing. I can't wait to come home for their house warming party next summer!!

When we were planning to come home, my co-workers here in NYC asked me what I wanted to do most while home. Of course, my answer revolved around food. I wanted good Mexican food and In-N-Out Burger. We were able to get both, thank God. There is no good Mexican food out here. You need to have at least a couple of illegals in the kitchen before you know its good Mexican, and you'll only find that in California. And that's probably the most politically incorrect thing I've EVER said, but hey, it's true...

The evenings during the rest of the week were spent having dinner with Mom and Dad and catching up. It was great to be able to stay with them and we had a fabulous time.

All in all, a great trip home to Northern California. I'll let Jen tell the So-Cal part of the trip, as that had its moments of hilarity as well, including Jen injuring her hip on the dance floor at her cousin's wedding. Apparently I married a Golden Girl... =)

Thanks again to everyone who we got to see when we were home, and we can't wait for everyone to visit us here!!

Mike