Spring Break - Days 10 and 11: Benicia and Sacramento

We drove the six hours or so from Laguna Beach all the way up to Benicia (in the Bay Area) on Saturday. The kids watched a few movies in the back seat while Eben drove and I worked on the blog and looked out the window and marveled at all the orchards and cows. Benicia was a cute little town and one that Eben spent a lot of weeks working in while the Polar Star was in dry dock at Mare Island Ship Yard. We were lucky to be able to meet up with my former colleague, Sara Clarke, from Shorecrest, that afternoon. She lives in the area and was able to stop by our hotel. We chatted while the kids played in the pool. It was so wonderful to catch up and she has created a really great life for her and her two boys: Oliver and Charlie. I'm so proud of her and the fact that she is a super capable Assistant Principal. After seeing Sara, we had a yummy Thai food dinner followed by Saturday night black light bowling at Travis Air Force Base. That was quite an experience for sure. The kids loved it.

 

Sunday morning the kids and I were all set to fly home to Seattle. On our way to the airport, we were able to meet up with Steve Casey and his daughter Liv who were in the area for a soccer game (their home base is up in Truckee). Steve and Eben went to the Coast Guard Academy together. Steve is now running his own construction company and he really enjoys it. Liv is a soccer and cross country phenom in middle school! Crazy! It was really great to see them both again and catch up.

After that, the kids and I returned to Seattle, did a ton of laundry, and got ready to return to the normal routine. Eben stayed in the Bay Area for work for a few days before driving back to Seattle later in the week. The trip was a whirlwind, but we are so thankful we were able to spend this time with our children and have these great adventures and experiences!