Towards the end of April I was going a little stir crazy. We had been taking on huge projects at home, I have been trying to work remotely, and keep up with the kids distance learning goals and expectations. It. was. a. lot.
Brent had suggested that I go home with my Dad for a week and just get a change of scenery. He had been working and only became furloughed a week prior to this, so he had been out. He was saying that I have been in the house for over a month and it would do me and the kids good to have a mini break. I was extremely hesitant. We were social distancing for a reason. I decided to go for it since my dad does live on 10 acres in the middle of nowhere, and I could hunker down there pretty easily and still get food deliveries.
On our way down I found out that my brother (Josh) and sister (Jen) were also headed down. So much for social distancing...but with a family as close as ours its kind of like we are all immediate family anyways...right? Ugh.
We drove over Shasta Lake, and it made me long to do a houseboat trip soon!
We were greeted by my brother Brandon and his fiance Ashley. We talked played games and played like siblings do. It was lovely.
The next day we went into town for some odds and ends.
I stayed in the car with my hand sanitizer and wipes.
We ended up buying a huge flat of strawberries by a grower on the side of the road. They were the best strawberries ever. These are things I miss about California sometimes..
My cousin Brian decided to host a BBQ while we were there. Brandon and Ashley were actually going to be moving to MY city (less than a mile from me) in less than 2 weeks. So this was a goodbye bbq for them. My step mom, whom I hadn't seen really, since I was 12 or so, also came up to say goodbye.
Since Jen, Lucy, and I still had to "work" while we were on vacation we were slightly dependent on wifi. My dad's wifi situation was less than ideal. Lucy rented a hotel room in town and offered it to Jen and us. She paid for it and let us keep it two days after she left too. It was nice to spend time with someone who was such a huge part of my childhood...and being in almost 90 degree weather next to a pool was fabulous too.
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| I sent frequent pictures to Brent to let him know how much I was missing him and the boys.... |
My dad's house was set up more like a bachelor pad. We had the pool table that doubled as a ping pong table.
And we had the cozy little tv viewing area.
During the week they were making a video for our students to let them know we miss them. I totally was last minute in my PJ's at the hotel making a sign out of a folder and post it notes...haha. It worked though.
I appreciated the elevator art a little too much.
Brent kept me apprised of the goings on at home too. He sent me sweet little photos and video calls...
Brandon and Ashley's ugly dog Prada.
Lucy brought some fun face masks that we got to indulge in.
We played a lot of board games too.
We went through a lot of things on the property. Including pictures that were all over the place. Some on the wall, some in cupboards...
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| Me at around 11 or so. |
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| Dad, such a stud carrying all three of us girls |
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| Brandon when he was cute...haha |
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| My Grandma Dorothy. Dad's mom. Jen looks a lot like her. |
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| Dad's parents |
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| One of Dad's police academy photos...with Spackle on it. So young |
Then Josh got it stuck in the fan....
We got up early and headed out. We made it to the "spot" my dad thought would be amazing for fish and hiked down to the river.
It was beautiful.
After a couple hours of no bites we decided to head back to Lake Shasta and try there...
Most of the roads to get down to the water were not suitable for Josh's car. So we decided to meet for food in Weed and then head our separate ways back to Oregon.
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| Mt. Shasta in the distance |
It was a lovely mini break, but nothing can beat being home with my boys. I was so happy to come home and hug them and smother them. (after I sanitized myself). Crazy times we live in, eh?!
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