Leaving CA

$5 a gallon gas, a five year old that still hasn't had a soft serve and has not ceased asking for one and this view. It also feels like we are driving on the road that feels like the one that Lightning McQueen wrecked up.

Platinum Friendships

Until today it kind of felt like we were just messing around in So Cal with friends. The Hollingsworths were kind enough to open their home & their teenage daughter gave up her suite without so much as a grumble. I personally think that that act speaks volumes about the young lady she has grown to be and also the type of parents that she has. Staying with Nat for me, though, was like a safety zone on the road of life. I do not remember a time when I didn't know her and many of my childhood memories include her. I love both of her parents and have always felt that the Barkers are all extended members of the Matson clan (and probably the reverse is also true). Though we have not always kept up with each other as our grown up lives have taken the inevitable twists and turns, I have always felt that she is an integral part of me. It's one of those friendships that you can pick up after a length of time and just keep rollin'. I'm so happy that our kids got the chance to hang out. And in a time of change and stress Nat and Greg certainly provided me with a safe zone. Grateful really doesn't cover the feeling. Leaving the emotional safety of their house and the state of CA is making the road trip seem a little more real. We are in for a long drive today but I'm starting it out with gratitude for the blessing of a friendship forged by the Matsons and the Barkers over 30 years ago and for both sets of parents examples of what friends do for each other in good times and bad. Also hoping that Tim was smiling down on us while we reconnected.

We made it through the zoo!

The San Diego Zoo which Kaleb has googled and told us is 'the biggest zoo in the world' kicked our butts today. Of course it was fun. Tate was excited to see the polar bear (which was sleeping the first time but swimming the second time). He was emphatic that we see an Arctic Fox. Kaleb wanted to see the African section but by the time we got over there, the elephants were not quite what he had built them up to be. They have a very cool area that shows what animals were in southern California before the tar pits swallowed them up. Tate found the 'bones' gross but the size of the lions and mammoths that once lived in this area were pretty amazing. Chase seemed perturbed that there were no koalas (or we couldn't find them). Otherwise I think we saw everything. It was a beautiful day in San Diego and we got a ton of exercise. SD Zoo is not flat. Tate's meltdown was due to the fact that I would not spend $3.99 on a soft serve ice cream cone at the zoo. We didn't buy any food at the zoo. I told him that I could get him one when we left the zoo if he stopped the pouting/fit throwing/sulking. He didn't stop so I didn't stop at a Mc Donald's. He was asleep within 14 minutes of getting in the car after we left. Everyone felt better after inhaling 4 large pizzas. Here's my summary - pandas are cute, camels are stinky & pretty ugly, hippos are huge, little boys are a handful when they are told 'no' and girls wearing 4 inch stilettos to the zoo freak me out.

Hopefully we can get enough rest to pack up our stuff tomorrow because if we do maybe we can hit the so cal beach one more time before we head for the (freezing cold) Grand Canyon early Saturday morning.

SD Zoo

After a night of no sleep to speak of and a morning of grumping, we are headed to the Zoo. Hoping a day at a world class zoo will cure us all. Stroller, snacks, lunch food & first aid kit on board. Maybe we should try to find some luck to pack along the way.

Riding around with no destination

I do not recommend this. Jake does it. We will figure it out. And then gets irritated when we are driving around wasting time. Currently driving to somewhere so Tanner can buy a Craigslist phone & none of us have eaten dinner. This is bad & is a car full of grumpy.

USS Midway - San Diego

Lots of military down here reminding us to be thankful for our freedom & for those who have preserved it.