Summer in California, Part I

Our first week in California carried with it a little bit of stress as we ran around Salinas taking care of fingerprints and doctor letters for our third attempt at getting a visa for Spain. We felt pretty good about everything this time, especially because our appointment wasn't on the day that we were flying out of the SF airport back to Spain. We planned to spend the day in SF so that after the appointment we could either celebrate a successful trip or just to make the drive worthwhile and enjoy the city.

After getting bad news from the consulate once again.....grrrr......we treated ourselves to a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory on top of the Macys in Union Square. We weren't going to let visas ruin our day.

The next day we headed to Hanford to say hello to family and spend one night our big @$$ bed. Before we moved to Spain we managed to get our whole bedroom set in my old bedroom at my mom's. We REALLY miss the bed.

Then we headed down to Big Bear to spend the weekend with our friend's The Edens. They recently bought a sweet cabin by the lake and invited us to enjoy the weekend with them. It was great to be able to relax after the intense week before. We enjoyed "just sitting on the porch and watching the lake go by."

We ate lots of amazing food. Blake did the BBQ'n

They had kayaks that were once used for the show "Biggest Loser"

The weather was amazing.

On our way back north we stopped at our friends The Wiesmans. Sarah used to babysit for them when she went to school at Azusa and the boys Jason and Andrew were the candle lighters in our wedding. We ended up having so much fun swimming and making smores that we spent the night. Jason made us pancakes in the morning.

Back in Hanford we cooked up some amazing Tri-Tip. a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

I missed my mom and dog.

We wanted to make sure our old patio set was getting some use.
After a year in Spain it just feels right to eat dinner outside.

Then we head up near Dinkey Creek for some camping with my dad and step-mom. We were excited to bring out our old tent and air matress.

It was nice to have my dad's big trailer around for the kitchen and bathroom.
My sister Ashley and brother-in-law Scott brought their two dogs along for some extra entertainment.

Charlie really enjoyed the water.

We passed the days relaxing and exploring.
Sarah and I went on a couple adventurous bike rides.

Dinkey Creek

Parts of the river were way too crowded for us.

Rummikub!

For cousin Grace's birthday we went out to La Fiesta.

Man did I miss Mexican food. A beef taco, enchilada, and a tamale with rice and beans.
Heaven on a hot plate.

We have really enjoyed catching up with all of our old friends in Hanford.
Adam and Tiffany's kids are getting so big!

Adam made some amazing BBQ chicken for us.

Moira taught me how to take better pictures.

Grandma Duyst's project for the summer is to re-do her bedroom

It took forever to get all the wallpaper off!

Almost there! New furniture coming soon. Check out the wood floor.

We invited Alex (aka The German) over to swim and my dad's house.
We had to try out our new floater that we were going to use later on the river.

Then some of Sarah's friends came over for a Spanish craft. Alex joined in and we all painted some Spanish fans to battle the summer heat.

That night we headed to the Hanford Civic Auditorium to see the second part of Murder at Four Deuces. Lots of people from our church were part of the production so it was fun to see them in action. All of the proceeds went to help The Wish Project International bring water wells and health clinics to Uganda. Our friend Tim Harrison and his wife Kim started the organization after we returned home from a powerful trip to Uganda last year. The show was a lot of fun!

After church on Sunday we did a nice relaxing float down the Kings River.
Our floater that we had bought was called the Tropical Turtle Island.
It was perfect for the two of us.

Friends Jason and Lyndsie joined us. Lyndsie is somehow related to me.
Both are a lot of fun.

The German also had a great time.

Jason let us try out his scooter that he was getting ready to sell. Sarah and I would really like to buy one in Spain but we don't reeeaaaaallllyy need it. They are a lot of fun. Maybe in a year when we move back to Hanford.

That's about it for now. Look out for Summer in California, Part II!