Cali Trip: Jared & Courtney Get Married

Jared & Courtney. Chicago 2007.

Jared & Courtney. Chicago 2007.

A relatively quick road trip to Sonoma put us into the wine country by Thursday afternoon. We were one of the first people to arrive in town. Once we got all settled into our hotel, we marveled again at how great Sonoma is for a wedding. The town’s organized around a great little park, has lots of choices for food, and generally it’s just a nice place to hang around. Continue reading

Cali Trip: The Long Haul North

Road Trip

Road Trip

Siam (the newly gifted plush beanie baby cat) was no charm when it came to the long car ride. Eventually, we needed to make our big move up the Northern California, after the Camarillo lunch was over and we’d done a little bit more visiting. Ryder had a little nap on the way out of town, but by the time he woke up in the car (not too long after departure) he really wasn’t excited to be on a family road trip, or cooped up in the car seat. Continue reading

Cali Trip: Camarillo is Swell-o

Grandma, Grandpa, Ryan, Maisy

Grandma, Grandpa, Ryan, Maisy

On the morning of the visit to Grandma and Grandpa Ruble’s house, we could tell we might have some problems. A simple attempt for Caitlin to actually see and briefly enjoy the beach three blocks away turned into a major ordeal when Ryder started throwing a series of vigorous tantrums. We got things under control and formed a road-caravan with Amy on the way over there. It was absolutely wonderful for us to introduce Maisy to Grandma and Grandpa Ruble. They loved her all up, and were so happy (and perhaps surprised) to see how big Ryder’s gotten. Grancie (my mom’s chosen grandmotherly moniker) got to see Maisy and Ryder for the first time in a few months as well. Continue reading