Jenner & Yosemite & Meg's Bday.....oh my!

Well, I should have updated this blog a couple of weeks ago, but things have been so busy! I am way overdue writing about my Mom and Dad's visit out to Cali from April 30-May 10. Hopefully I can remember things accurately....if not, I'll just fill in the gaps with whatever comes to mind :)

Mom and Dad arrived on a thurs, and the very next day Jasen and my Dad headed up North for the annual "Fishin Mission." Now, the title of this excursion leads one to believe that fishing goes on....en contraire.....it should be called the Drinking Mission! As Uncle Tom says, it sounds like they might catch a few fish to go with a lot of beer :) - Good one! But seriously, they are supposed to catch some fish, but to my knowledge this rarely happens. Instead, about 80 guys gather for 3 days of eating, drinking, and recreation (darts, washers, etc.) On this particular weekend, it rained.....and rained.....and rained..... Jasen said the lake rose 7 inches in three days!

Meanwhile, in another rainy part of the state, Mom, Meghan, and I headed North up the coast to a little town named Jenner. "Little" may be an understatement, as the population of Jenner is 107. It was a really cute bed and breakfast, and we had our own cottage near the ocean. We could, however, barely see the ocean because of the rain and fog. But, we made the best of it, and drove down to Point Reyes, which is a national seashore. Also, allegedly one of the best beachcombing spots in the world.....I couldn't tell you though, since we barely saw the beach. But, like I said, we made the best of it! We did see some beautiful Eucalyptus trees, some quirky birds, and we had some good laughs. All in all it was a fun trip, but we were glad to get back, and be out of the rain!

After a few days of drying out, we decided to travel to Yosemite for three days. It was Dad's first strip to Yosemite, and it was a beautiful time of year to see the park! The scenery was breathtaking, with all of the waterfall in full force, and we got a lot of exercise! The hikes were more difficult than we expected some of them to be, but they were always worth it in the end, as the scenery was just like a postcard. Glacier Point opened up the day we entered the park, and I highly recommend making the drive for the view! We stayed at the Tanaya Lodge just outside of the Mariposa Grove Park entrance. After some clever manipulation of the reservation system, we were upgraded to a cute little cabin with a deck - we really enjoyed it!

The end of Mom and Dad's say concluded with a bar-b-que and a celebration of Meg's birthday. She's an old lady at the age of 24 :) (This is a correction, as I had previously stated she was 25 -sorry Meggo!) We had a few friends and family over and just enjoyed the wonderful (dry) weather! It was a nice last few days, and as always, it felt like the time went too fast! With Matt and Meghan here too, it was nice having a house full of family! We hope you come back soon, Mom and Dad! :)