California, you treated us so good.

Hard to believe our time in California has come and gone. Like my mom said, when we arrived in January it felt like we had so much time but in the end it just didn't feel that way. 

All in all, it was a great few months filled with sunshine, beaches, shopping, playing, swimming and family. 

Just a few of my favorite things.

So in an effort to consolidate all things California to make room for all things Asia... here is...

California (in a nutshell). 

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Monterey Dunes

 

Carmel

 

Casa De Fruita 

 

Easter in Manteca

 

Half Moon Bay

 

Harley Goat Farm

 

Short break from California on the east coast to visit Chad.

 

New York City

 

Richmond, Virginia

 

Old Town Sacramento, California

 

Stockton, California

 

San Francisco, California

 

Stockton (again)

 

Manteca 

Stockton (wondering if this system of labeling is even worth it...)

Santa Cruz

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 So there you have it.... I'm sorry I don't have time for all the wonderful things in between but we are ready to move on and begin a new story... which conveniently always starts in the same darn place... 

San Francisco International Airport.

한국 안녕하세요!

(Hello from Korea!)

If you're 22, physically fit and hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel- as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live, eat and cook. Learn from them- wherever you go. 

- Anthony Bourdain

Germany, we love you, we miss you BUT...

we're so over the fact that it took you six months to bill us for our electricity in 2012 and your freaken' freezing winter.
----

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Did I mention we miss you?

Photos from our last 2 days in Germany, 01/2013

If a tree falls in the forest...

and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

If I traveled the world and never shared what I saw, did it really happen?

I think the obvious answer to this question would be... of course it did, stupid.

 I fear that if I don't post about my last few months in Europe I could lose some of my travel blog cred. And that wouldn't be right. So here we go.

Ribeauville, France. Go there. Drink the local wine. Eat an Alsatian onion tart. Be surrounded by vineyards. Buy pottery. Enjoy then repeat (if you know what is good for you).

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Stay here: Le Close Saint Vincent  

Dogs allowed. Babies allowed. Very pregnant women allowed.

To catch up, or not to catch up

Blog Boycott.
Officially over.
....
I am not positive as to what started it all. I just suddenly lost all motivation to take pictures, upload pictures, post pictures and b.s. about the said pictures. Looking back, something was terribly wrong. It's not like me at all. Well, it is like me to not want to b.s. but the taking picture part seriously baffles me.
If having a baby doesn't warrant some blog posts, I don't know what does.
....
So now I'm left with the challenge of playing catch up... you know... delving back into my iphoto library and rounding up the best of the last three months...
or....
sum it up as a blog loss and start anew. Dang.
For now I'll settle on indecision and just give a little update until I get back into the swing of things.
....
Since my last post about Spain... life went a little bit like this:

- Snow melted
-Went to France with friends
-Went pregnant swimming (awesome)
-French waitress says baby is girl
-Work
-Snow & freezing temperatures
-Cry in front of everyone at going away party
-Do AWC version of Gangnam style at 37 weeks pregnant
-Sit around the house until 39 weeks pregnant when doctor threatens to induce
-Admitted to hospital for "monitoring"
-Go into labor next morning (funny how that happens) and give birth to our Ava on 12.12.2012
-Still can't believe we had a baby on 12.12.2012
-In-laws arrive on 12.12.2012
-Love on my newborn and her big brother
-Snow melted
-Christmas
-New Years
-Say goodbye to our friends
-In-laws leave, my parents visit begins
-Pack
-Cry
-Pack
-Cry
-Snows
-Move out of only home our son has ever known
-Cry
-Life packed into five suitcases and seven shipping crates
-Say goodbye to Chad
-Leave Germany (four years and fifteen days after initially arriving)
-California
-Jet lag
-Sit in the sun daily, play outside, facetime with Chad
-To be continued...

In case you didn't notice, that was a lot of stuff to squeeze into a couple of months. I left out a couple meltdowns, Christmas markets and crying. Best to spare you.
I pledge to do better with this blogging bit but I promised myself that I would spend the next couple of months intensely focused on my children, being a tourist in the town I grew up in, catching up with old friends, playing outside everyday, eat gobs of local almond butter and enjoy this little vacation in California. Blogging comes second to that.




Ava Analise 
December 12, 2012
8 lbs. 2 oz.
20 inches
(currently weighs 13 lbs. 6 oz. at 2 months)