The Golden State

Sorry for my absence but we've been hanging out in sunny SoCal for the past week, and believe it or not, we've been enjoying it. This is especially surprising given that the main reason we came out was to spend time and help out my mom. It has been very pleasant, and I think my mom gets a huge kick out of R and the kids, as well she should. It's definitely a refreshing change from dealing with her rotten son, as she would say.

We were originally concerned that the kids (and parents) would be bored with nothing to do all day, but that hasn't been the case... sort of. We even planned on going up to NoCal to visit friends and maybe even look at colleges, but we nixed that plan because it's been fun just hanging out in LA and checking out the sights, which the kids had never seen. For R and I it's been nice because it's very relaxing and the weather has been pretty darn nice - low 80s and sunny all the time. At night it cools down to the low 60s so sleep comes easy.

It's been fun showing the kids places I used to go when I was growing up, and it's been a fun experience for them to see what life is like on the west coast. Definitely a different beast. My mom has been fairly tactful and cordial, and again, I think she really enjoys seeing her grandkids. Who wouldn't? She gets to make up for lost time by showering them with gifts, which is not how we live but if it makes her happy then we'll go along with it.

All in all it's been a nice trip. I've been stuck in traffic a few times and it reminds me of what a soul-draining experience this city can be. Plus, the distances you have to travel just to get to where you want to be is a pain in the neck, but people don't blink an eye having to drive an hour just to get a meal or go to the gym. Let's forget all that traffic, as well. Not for me, thank you, but okay for just a visit.

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More details to come. For now, thanks for reading, and thanks to MissMae for the pic.