Once again it's been forever since this poor blog was last updated....poor blog, I bet it's feeling kinda neglected :(....that's why I have decided to go ahead and give you all the updates in one big blog...then I PROMISE I'll do better about updating more frequently :).
When I last blogged in Dec we were getting ready to head out for Christmas...in case we didn't see you, haven't talked to you since then or maybe you just want to hear it all again...we had an EXCELLENT trip!!! We left here early...I'm talking...the sun wasn't up yet EARLY...on Sat. Dec. 18th. We drove for 14 hours and arrived in Tucson the night of the 18th...stayed overnight there and got some much needed rest then left out of Tucson on Sunday morning, Dec. 19th and finished our next part of the trip. We stayed with my grandparents in Southern California for a couple days then headed out again to go up the CA coast.
Once we left grandma's the first stop was Hollywood. It had been raining for several days there in CA and being Dec it was a bit cooler and wet...that worked in our favor though because there really weren't a lot of people out and about. We walked the Walk of Fame with the kiddos...they loved getting to see names in stars on the street. We were going to look for Mickey Mouse but the rain picked back up and the wind starting getting pretty gusty again, so we had to call it quits for the day and get back out on the road, but the kids loved it either way. From there we drove the Sunset Strip and Beverly Hills to check out Rodeo Dr and all the big houses....yes it was VERY VERY NICE...I can't believe people spend sooooo much money for material stuff!!!
Well from Hollywood we traveled up the 101...it was too wet and rainy to travel Hwy 1 and see all the gorgeous coastline so we opted for the 101 instead and it was a very pretty drive. Once the 101 finally met up with the Pacific Ocean it was AWESOME!! You have to remember growing up in TX all we usually get to see is the Gulf of Mexico and that doesn't even compare to a whole ocean!!!! We stopped off at Pismo Beach and let the kids get out of the car and go run in the sand and play for a bit. I don't know who enjoyed it more...the kids or us adults! :) Once we finally got everyone back to the car we took off for our last part of the journey and finished our drive up the 101 to San Jose where we stopped for the night. For those who have ever been to, lived in CA or driven the 101 you know that we took a LONG TRIP taking the 101 from Hollywood up to San Jose...I can assure you by the time we got to San Jose we were ALL ready to be out of the car for a while!!! Although the car ride was very, very long, we loved every minute of it...we got to see cities, small towns, the ocean and wine country. What beautiful land our God has created!!!
We spent the night in San Jose and got up the next day...Dec. 23rd and drove up to San Francisco!! I had our whole...I mean the WHOLE day in SF already mapped out...needless to say I failed to mention to Travis (the driver that day) that the SF streets go either straight up or straight down...HAHAHA...the look on his face once we hit them was priceless!!!! One of the first things we did was go down Lombard St....I LOVED IT...the kids LOVED IT...the driver....ummmmm not so much...maybe because he was having to drive it! After coming off this crooked street we hit the up& down streets and all I kept hearing from Travis was..."please quit laughing and help me find a parking garage so we can get out of this car and off these streets!!" Once we found a parking garage...for a very reasonable rate mind you which is hard to do in SF....we took off on a walk to the cable cars. Once we realized after 3 cable cars stopped that they were all filling up down the hill from us, we took off walking to see where the beginning of the line was. I'm so glad we did...we got to stop in Union Square and take pictures with the HUGE Christmas tree, see the stores and then go down to where the cars start their trip. It's a great place to go because we got to see them turn the cars around...Emily LOVED watching them turn the cars around and to this day if I ask her what her favorite part of SF was that's what she still tells me. We bought our tickets...rode on the cable cars...aka trolleys to the tourists....went to Fisherman's Wharf, China Town, saw Alcatraz, went out on the Pier and had a wonderful time while there. From SF our next stop would be at my dad's house in Folsom...well of course we had to see the Golden Gate Bridge before we left SF. This was another site that the kids loved...they called it the Golden Bridge. We finished out our trip that day by getting to my dad's house by about 6:15ish that night and just spent time visiting and relaxing. We got to stay with my dad and his fiance (Patti) till Dec. 30th...so for next week we were able to relax...meet new friends (Patti's family)...go shopping...see Sacramento...have Christmas with them, be with dad on his birthday, watch movies, eat, eat and eat some more!!! One day we even took the kids up towards Tahoe because it had been snowing...we didn't make it all the way to Tahoe but we did manage to find a spot near there where we could get out and play in the snow. The girls even got to take pictures on their cameras I got them before we left. The time the girls got to spend with Grandpa and I got to spend with my dad was WONDERFUL!! We don't get to see him very much seeing as how we live so far away from each other, but I cherish the times we do get to hang out and visit together and I hope they get to come to TX next and visit us. I know that the girls LOVED spending a whole week with Grandpa and Patti and I had an amazing time just getting to hang out with my dad!
Unfortunately as with all vacations we had to come home at some point in time, so on the morning of the 30th we began our journey back home. We were going to stop at the Grand Canyon on the way home but a massive and sudden snowstorm had the road going into northern AZ closed so unfortunately we had to bypass the Grand Canyon on this trip, so we detoured back to southern AZ and stayed the night in Phoenix. On Dec 31st...New Year's Eve....we drove and drove and drove till we made it to Travis' parents house in Anson....man that was a LONG trip from Phoenix to their house but we made it (even with the time changes) before midnight, so we were able to ring in the New Year with family! Our time with his parents was even sweeter because his brother and our sis-in-law and their kiddos had been stationed in Italy for the past 3 years and they had just gotten back to TX the day we left for CA...we managed to make it back to TX in time to see them before they left to go to Virginia where they are stationed now...we didn't think we would make it in time to see them, but due to the snowstorm in AZ we did! It was great!!
Our trip finally ended on Sunday, Jan. 2nd when we returned back home! It was a wonderful trip...we made lots of memories, saw TONS of country, got to visit with family...which was PRICELESS...and had lots of laughter and fun in the car all along the way! We LOVE road trips and can't wait till we are able to take another one!
Well, this brings us into 2011....and things are going great! The girls and I picked our homeschooling back up (I only have them now) and Haley is learning to read!!! Emily has learned how to spell and write her name and is learning her seasons, days of the week and so much more! They are two very smart little girls and they are only in pre-school. Haley doesn't officially start Kindergarten till August!
January was also a busy month for us because the girls turned 4&5!! Oh my I can't believe they are that old already...time just seems to fly by!! This year they voted to have their birthday party at the Hoppin' Hippo...which is an indoor inflatable jumping place...them and all their friends had a wonderful time and they got TONS of gifts! I was able to make their b-day cake...they wanted Tinkerbell so we made a green cake to represent the fairy forest and put Tink and all her friends all over the cake. I made the cake half chocolate, half white w/rainbow sprinkles...it was a HIT!! In February we celebrated our god-daughters bday party her at our house with a cake and dinner. The girls all loved playing together and helping Jubilee celebrate her birthday.
In January the girls started their dance & gymnastics classes back up again and once again they are loving it. Haley is learning more and more dance techniques and in Emily's class they will be learning how to do handstands and cartwheels soon. They already finished their 1st session of the year and just started on their 2nd session this past week. Next up for them will be their year end recital in May. They LOVE their performances...not sure if it's the performance or the fun costumes they love more!
Well, that's about it for the Greenwood's...we had a great holiday and enjoyed the girls' birthdays, now we are just enjoying the day-to-day of life before our busy summertime!!
Have a super day!!!
Jessica
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