November!

Well, my favorite month came and went all too quickly!  It was a busy and fun one with lots of beautiful weather as well.  Bob spent the first week of the month in California for work.  The girls were off school on Monday and Tuesday for teacher conference days, so that was a nice way to recover from Halloween!  I got a haircut on Tuesday which I enjoyed very much.  The rest of the week was fairly routine.  Our laundry room renovation by Turnkey (neighbor friend John's handyman company) began on Friday the 4th and was quickly completed in just a couple of weeks!  We love how it turned out!  

We had a fun photo shoot on the morning of the 6th with neighbor friend Karen.  She did such a great job as always, and she even got great pictures of Finley, too!  

Sunday the 7th we visited the Cardinal Gibbons annual open house.  It was great and we got to see a lot of the school.  We have not yet decided where they'll go to high school, but it was good to get some research started! 

Anna tried something new on the 8th - basketball!  She had actually been to 2 open gym sessions prior to that and liked it enough to try out for the team.  She made the girls' JV team and has been enjoying it so far.  They've only had one game so far after just one practice as a team, and it didn't go their way, but the season is young!  Her team is made up of about 16 5th-7th graders, and she is having fun so far.  

We enjoyed Olivia being here from the 9th-17th while her parents were in Switzerland.  Bob took a quick trip to Dallas on the 9th-10th for a presentation.  Erin, Olivia, and I had fun volunteering at the Mother-Son event on Saturday the 13th.  I got a workout in chasing runaway wiffle balls!  Olivia got to watch both Erin and Anna altar serve on Sunday the 14th.  I enjoyed helping Anna's social studies class with their version of the Ancient Greek Olympics on the 15th, and also had a really fun Moms' Night Out with the school that evening.  

Thursday the 18th was the ever-popular Thanksgiving feast in the cafeteria.  It was a wild time, but lots of fun, too!  Friday the 19th I got to help with a teacher breakfast at school.  This PSO gig this year has been keeping me hopping!  Bob got to catch back up with his OFTN buddies on the morning of the 20th while they passed out turkeys to the community that they had served from March 2020-July 2021.  We girls had a fun afternoon at Megan's pottery sale and checking out the new Costco by our house.  

The 22nd-23rd was a short week of school, which the kids appreciated.  We had a fun carpool lunch at Moes after the early release on Tuesday.  Our project that afternoon was moving the hot tub in preparation for the porch project to start the first week of December (!!), so with lots of planning and careful engineering by Bob, we 4 Callaways got it moved! 

Wednesday, we met up with Jimmy and Danny and their parents at Crowder Park and had a blast playing on the playground, walking, and playing Spud!  Bob and I enjoyed a dinner out at the Mason Jar Tavern that evening as well, and we also got our Christmas tree...probably a record earliest date for us!

Finley went to the Pooch Pad on Wednesday evening, and the rest of us headed to Concord on Thursday morning for Thanksgiving fun!  We had a great time with everyone there, including a taco lunch with pie taste-testing, hiking in the woods, a trip to the park, cooking, eating, a fun game of LCR, and girl sleepover!  Friday, we ladies all went to the beauty supply store in downtown Concord, where they had fun trying on wigs and browsing.  

Then it was Ben's early birthday party at his house, which was lots of fun, too!  We got back in time to pick Finley up that evening and then watched a VERY exciting NCSU/UNC football game!  The Wolfpack managed a win, but Wake Forest also won the next day, so we did not clench the ACC title.  Oh well, it's still been a pretty awesome year for us!

Saturday morning, Bob set up the nativity at church with the Knights while the rest of us got the Christmas decorations out and started setting them up.  Anna also got her first covid vaccine that morning and did well with it.  

Sunday was church and then a fun and yummy lunch with Grandma and Grandpa F. at PF Chang's!  After that, we set up our Christmas tree, which was a joint effort and lots of fun! 

The girls were off school on Monday for the extended Thanksgiving holiday. Sarah came over for a little while and then Anna had an appointment at the eye doctor to get contacts.  She had her first "training" session and goes back to finish on the 17th.  And today was back to the grind, but just for a few short weeks before Christmas!  Ready or not, it is coming! 

So, it was a fun and busy month.  Recent covid developments include a new variant, "omicron".  This has affected the grocery stores and masking strictness around here, but I am hopeful that it will be short-lived.  Kids continue to wear masks in school, but that's about it for us other than medical/dental offices and airplanes.  It's still not fun, and we still have the kids eating in the classrooms at school, but other things are slowly returning to normal...very slowly!  Hoping and praying for continued improvements!

October!

Whew, we made it through October!  It, along with December, and May, always seems to be the most busy months for us.  However, we are all so happy that this October was much more "normal" than last October, so we embraced crazy, as they say.  We jumped right in to the month with a fun parent Oktoberfest social at school on the evening of the 1st.  It was a blast!  Bob ended up grilling with the Knights, but I think he even enjoyed that!  I helped clean up Saturday morning and then Anna had an away soccer game.  Sunday we took Finley for a pet blessing at church.  The jury is still out on its effectiveness. 

 Erin got a day at home on Monday the 4th due to a covid case in her grade late Friday night and the school needing to contact the health department on Monday.  The following week was fun and busy with my book club, 2 volleyball games, and the other usual activities.  Friday the 8th, we ventured to our first official Cardinal Gibbons event - feeder school tailgate night.  It was lots of fun!

Saturday the 9th was a fun day - soccer got rained out, but Anna went to Addie's birthday party, and I got to go to dinner with friends and see Jenny's play in Apex.  Sunday, Erin altar served at 9am and Bob left that afternoon for a week in Los Angeles for work.  The following week was more of the same, plus observation week at dance, where I got to sit in on Erin's classes and observe. 

 Erin's chorus elective sang at mass on Thursday, and they did a beautiful job!

Saturday the 16th was another soccer game, some shopping fun for us girls, and Bob went to his Knights friend's wedding.  Sunday, we ladies helped give tours at an open house at school.  The next week was Anna's last 2 volleyball games, including an ice cream party after the last game!

  We had a super fun trunk or treat and movie night at school on Friday evening!

  Saturday was Erin's 13th birthday!  She had a great day from beginning to end and continuing on Sunday, post HERE.  

The last week of the month was more fun, including Anna's last 2 soccer games and party, picking out a new sink and counter for our laundry room, Halloween costume day at school, Buddy Walk in Charlotte with Elliott and family (plus a Cici's pizza lunch and stop at their house to see their new front door and carpet!), and adult dinner out with Liz and David! 

 Sunday was Anna's first time altar serving, and she did a wonderful job!  Then we had some fun Halloween pumpkin carving and prep for a neighbor party and then trick or treating!  Anna went with Addie this year, the first time they haven't both stayed around here for Halloween.  They are growing up!

So, it was a super fun and extra-busy month, partly due to the 3 school events that I had to help with and attend for the PSO.  But we got it all done, everyone stayed healthy, and we can't complain!  Now, November - my favorite month!

Erin is 13!

Our sweet little baby Erin is now 13 years old!  We have a teenager in the house!  While we expect her to not be very difficult as a teenager, it is still a scary thought.  Erin had a great weekend celebrating her birthday!  It started out on Friday when she was able to dress down at school in honor of her birthday.  She enjoyed that and then had a relaxing afternoon at home after their early release day at the end of the first quarter.  We had a blast at the school Trunk or Treat that night, but that was not birthday-related.

Saturday, she was up bright and early and opened her presents before 7am.  Some things about Erin never change!  

While Bob went to school to clean up from the trunk or treat, we girls and Finley walked up to Dunkin Donuts per Erin's request.  It was a beautiful morning and we enjoyed sitting outside there and eating breakfast.  

Then she had some down time while we got ready for her party, Moes takeout for lunch, and then her friends came over at 4pm for a little party.  Erin, Olivia, Carson, and Vera went to get pedicures and made Mod Podge initials here, and also had chicken parmesan, salad, fruit, and cake for dinner.  It was a very quiet and tame birthday party, but I think they all had fun!

Olivia spent the night, and then we dropped her off at home on our way to Hagan Stone Park in Greensboro on Sunday morning.  There, we had a fun pizza lunch with the family!  The kids also got to warm up for trick or treating a little bit.  Then it was back home to unload, go to Anna's soccer game, and church that evening.  It was a very busy but fun weekend!

So, what's new with Erin now that she's 13?  She continues to be a very hardworking, serious, devoted girl.  She takes everything she does very seriously and does not rush through schoolwork, piano, or ballet.  She is taking 2 ballet classes this year for the first time in preparation for maybe going "en pointe" next year.  She still loves ballet and is also talking about maybe auditioning for the ballet company and/or the dance theater show that she did last year.  She continues to progress in piano, this being her 6th year with Margaret!  We rarely have to remind her to practice and she does a great job in piano!

Erin is very helpful at home and likes to jump in to make dinner, wash dishes, and walk Finley.  She's been watching the latest season of Dancing With the Stars and keeps up with music.  Erin has a great sense of style and is really good with picking colors and clothes that go together.  She is definitely way ahead of me in those areas!

Erin likes to look to the future, which is great, until she starts talking about things like high school and driving!  Her parents aren't quite as ready to talk about those things!  But really, she is such an awesome kid and is a great example of working hard and doing her best every day.  We are so very proud of her and love watching her become a wonderful young lady!

September

We had a good and busy month of September!  We started out with Anna's first ever volleyball game on Thursday the 2nd at home.  It, and all of her other games, have been so much fun!  She has really enjoyed learning and playing volleyball.  Who knew?!  Also, she has apparently signed up to try out for basketball.  We have an athlete!

Erin had a fun day at friend Carson's pool on the 3rd, and I enjoyed a nice girls' dinner out with neighbor friends at Osteria G that evening.  Sunday was some pool time and a family walk/frisbee golf at Middle Creek Park.  It was nice to have an extra day off for Labor Day on Monday, which Anna spent at Sarah's pool!  I had a fun book club evening on the 7th, and we all continued to adjust to the new school routine, plus 2 more volleyball games.  Bob worked at the Peak Fest in Apex on Saturday, and Anna slept over at Addie's.  When the cats are away, the mice will eat dinner at Cristo's!

The following week was the usual busy-ness of school, work, piano, soccer, volleyball, and dance.  Whew!  Anna stayed home with a cold on Friday and had to miss her soccer game the next day, but she was much better by Sunday.  Bob and I had a blast at the NCSU football game on the evening of the 18th!  Erin altar served on the 19th, and she also auditioned for the Christmas dance show, but sadly did not get cast this time around.

The next week was more of the same except for no school on Friday for a teacher workday.  Erin altar served for her first school mass on the 22nd, and Anna is also on the schedule now, too! 

Erin and I went bright and early to the dermatologist on Friday and got some input on her itchy spots, as well as a bonus freezing of a wart.  We finally were able to visit our neighbors' condo at Indian Beach in exchange for our dog-sitting services.  We had a great weekend there with beautiful weather!  We biked, swam in the pool and ocean, played mini golf, and enjoyed some yummy food.  It was wonderful!  

We left and headed straight to Clayton for Anna's soccer game on Sunday.  Whew!  Bob got called in to ref at the last minute and did a great job!

The last week of the month was a little cooler, thank goodness!  It's starting to get dark earlier as well.  We are ready for a fun and very busy month ahead - lots of school activities, more volleyball, Halloween, and, of course...Erin's birthday!

August!

Well, August was a hot one around here!  We had a great and very busy month, beginning with our super fun and exciting trip out west from the 1st to the 8th.  The blog post for that awesome adventure can be found HERE.  Upon returning and being reunited with Finley (who did surprisingly well at the Pooch Pad all week), we spent the next week getting back to normal and preparing for the beginning of the school year.  I enjoyed book club on the 9th, and Erin started piano lessons back up and Anna soccer on the 10th.  I got back into the school cafeteria on the 11th by helping with a baked potato and salad lunch for the teachers, which was a lot of fun!  We girls were back at school on the 12th selling used uniforms.  Saturday the 14th was a fun and hot day rebuilding 5 picnic tables at StMM, as well as Anna's soccer practice!  Bob and 7 other guys did the building and assembling 2 basketball hoops.  I was just the lunch delivery service and clean-up crew.

Sunday the 15th was the annual (except for last year) back-to-school Mass and picnic.  Due to covid, we could not enter the school building to drop off supplies or meet teachers, but we were grateful that we were at least able to attend Mass, meet some teachers, and have a yummy Knights dinner outside (until it stormed!).  Monday, Erin and I were back at school assembling bags of balls and recess equipment for the classes and organizing the storage hallway.  I have agreed to help with the school PSO this year, so that has been busy as the year gets started!  Monday evening was a fun 7th grade gathering at a park nearby.  Tuesday was Anna's 6th grade social before soccer practice, as well as Erin's piano lesson.  Wednesday, I was back at school bright and early to help make breakfast for the teachers.  

Thursday was the big first day of school!  It was HOT (as well as the two weeks after), but everyone had a great day.  Things this year so far are somewhat improved on last year in that the kids have lockers again (no more clear bins at their desks), can switch classes (instead of the teachers rotating and kids being stuck in one seat all day), and mix amongst other classes in their grade at recess.  All of these have been huge improvements for them over last year.  On the flip side, they still have to wear masks all day, though not outdoors, and they still have to eat in the classrooms.  There is still definitely the stress and anxiety related to all of this, but I guess, sadly, we are used to it.

That Saturday was finishing up the table and bridge projects at school, as well as soccer for Anna, Sawyer Mattingly's first birthday party, and the girls completed altar server training ahead of the new and improved altar server responsibilities coming up in September.  Anna is going to try serving as well!  Sunday the 22nd, Anna went to Addie's house and Erin had a fun adventure at Margaret's birthday party when a huge storm blew up while they were at the pool.  All ended up well, though.

The next week was their first full week of school, and it was spent getting acclimated to the school routine.  Additionally, Anna tried out for the school volleyball team and made the JV team!  We are so excited and proud of her!  Volleyball is a short but intense season with practice or games 4 days per week for 8-9 weeks.  Her first game is tomorrow (9/2) and we are all very excited about it!  Erin also started up dance classes this week; she is taking 2 ballet classes this year in preparation to possibly go en pointe next year.  

Anna's first soccer game of the season was on Saturday the 28th, and it was HOT!!  Temps were around 95 degrees.  The girls were real troopers and played really well; they beat the Wave, who they had lost to twice last year.  Go Breakers!  Monday and Tuesday were busy with school, cafeteria, piano, volleyball, soccer, and back-to-school parent meetings for each kid.  We are just thankful that all of these things can happen this year.  The news continues to try to scare people about the "delta variant" of the covid virus, but the fine print is that people who are vaccinated most likely will not get sick, or will get very mildly sick.  We don't know what to believe other than we just want it over!  The good news, however, is that many more events can happen, such as sporting events, gatherings, etc.  We hope and pray that this will end eventually!

Utah/California Trip!

We just got back from our big adventure out west!  Here's the recap for future reference:

Our flight on Sunday, August 1st, left out of Raleigh on time at 6am to Denver.  We left our house around 4:15am!  Whew!  We had a long layover in Denver because we were switching from Southwest to United to fly to St. George, Utah.  So, we just hung out and got sandwiches for lunch at the airport before the short flight on a small plane to St. George.  We liked the "retro" airport in St. George that only has one gate!  After getting our Nissan Maxima rental car, we drove about 20 minutes to the Walmart in Hurricane, Utah, and picked up our groceries that we had pre-ordered.  We then continued the remaining 20 or so minutes to our Springhill Suites in Springdale.  We got there around 3:00pm MST and our room was ready, so we unloaded and set everything up and rested for a little while before walking to our 5:15pm dinner reservation across the street at Bit and Spur (Tex-Mex), which came highly recommended.  

It was the fastest sit-down dinner we have had in a long time, and it was really good!  After dinner, we swam in the hotel pool after a short delay due to thunder (during which we checked out the lobby and played pool).  We then showered and went to bed.  That was a long day, considering that we were up before 2am MST.

Monday, we were all wide awake around 5am or so (7am EST), so we got ready and packed our lunch for Zion day!  We had breakfast at the hotel when it opened at 6am and then were able to drive in to the park since we were so early.  We had heard that the one parking area in Zion fills up before 7am most days, but we were there before 6:45am.  Thanks to Anna, we got free park admission since they extended the 4th grader program to 5th grade due to Covid.  We took a quick peek in the visitor center and then hopped on the park shuttle to the other end of the shuttle line, Temple of Sinawava, during which we enjoyed a little guided tour from the shuttle driver and a peek at the hikers at Angels Landing.  

After getting off the shuttle, we started hiking on the Riverside Walk, an easy paved path about 1.1 miles long to the Virgin River.  At the river, many people hike across and continue on to The Narrows trail, but we did not have proper equipment for that (we learned there that the park rents out waterproof boots and hiking sticks).  So, we watched people cross until Anna decided that she wanted to cross.  We didn't want her to get her shoes and socks all wet, so she crossed the river barefoot!  Bob went as far as his boots would take him without getting water inside them.  

After that, we hiked the 1.1 miles back to the shuttle stop, hopped on the shuttle, and rode it to The Grotto stop, had a bathroom break, and then hiked a combination loop of about 4 miles including the Kayenta Trail, Upper, Lower, and Middle Emerald pools trails and ended up at the Zion Lodge area.  

From there, we took the shuttle back to the visitor center, got our lunch out of the car (much to the chagrin of all the cars circling the lot looking for a spot), and had a picnic at a table there.  

The 3 girls were all pretty tired after our early morning hiking and the heat, so we convinced poor Bob to head back to the hotel for a short rest and then spent 2 hours or so at the hotel pool, which was wonderful!  After showers, we walked to Zion Pizza and Noodle in town and had a really yummy pizza (plus chicken parm for Erin) dinner.  We also enjoyed shopping at a gift shop next door after dinner before walking back to the hotel.  

Tuesday we were up early again, packed up, and to breakfast just after 6am.  After another yummy breakfast, we hit the road to Bryce Canyon.  It was about an hour and 45 minutes away, including a really pretty drive through the eastern part of Zion and the really cool (very dark) Zion-Mount Carmel tunnel that was built in the 1920s!  Vehicles over a certain size can only pass through the tunnel during certain times when traffic can be stopped by a ranger, which we witnessed coming back that afternoon.  We stopped for a photo op at the Zion sign at the park boundary.  

We then arrived at Bryce Canyon and got right in to the park.  

After a quick visit to the Visitor Center, we hopped back in the car and drove a short distance to Bryce Point.  What a view!  We could see why this was Logan and Ben's favorite spot in Bryce Canyon during their visit 2 years ago.  The cooler weather at this higher elevation was also much appreciated.  From there, we drove to Inspiration Point, another lookout spot and admired the view from above.  Bryce Canyon is incredible.  It is unlike anything we had ever seen before...the hoodoos (rock formations carved out by the river over millions of years) are just amazing, coupled with the vivid colors, wildlife, and mountains.  It is truly gorgeous, and we loved it! 

From Inspiration Point, we drove to Sunset Point (had no issues parking at any of the 4 places) and prepared to hike down into the canyon.  We followed the Navajo/Queen's Garden combination loop which was a total of about 3 miles.  The descent into the canyon took us by an area known as "Wall Street" where huge rocks nearly touch each other.  It was amazing!  We then continued the rest of the way down the canyon, and then had a nice flat hike along the bottom where we saw more plants and animals (birds and squirrels mostly).  We saw a rock that was named after Queen Victoria because it looks like her!  After enjoying this hike, we began the trek back up the canyon, which seemed more gradual than the way down (but longer).  We made it back up (really, we had no choice) and walked the path along the top of the canyon from Sunrise Point back to Sunset Point, where we had lunch and admired the views. 

After lunch, we felt like we had seen most of the main areas of the park, so we hopped in the car and headed back to Springdale in the same way that we entered.  After getting back around 3:30pm, we hit the pool one last time and then walked to Oscar's Cafe (Mexican) for dinner.  It was really good, but we sat outside to have a shorter wait and it was hot.  From there, we walked back to the hotel and packed for the next day's road trip!

Wednesday, we got packed up, car loaded, breakfast eaten, and on the road just before 7am (MST).  We had a quick trip through northwest Arizona, then into Nevada.  We got to the Hoover Dam around 9am, and it was already almost 100 degrees!  The museum was closed due to Covid, but we walked around and saw the main sites.  It is definitely an engineering marvel.  

Then, back in the car until lunch at a gas station Jersey Mike's in Baker, CA.  The highest temp we saw on the car thermometer was 115F!  Crazy!  We admired the desert views and what we think are Joshua trees, as well as some mountains, before arriving at Dale and Maria's house around 2:30pm (PST).

We had so much fun checking out their house and neighborhood, jumped in the pool literally across the street from their house, and had a yummy dinner at their house.  What a fun and busy day!  After dinner and some playing outside, we drove the 15 minutes to our Airbnb house, unpacked there, and hit the grocery store (Ralph's).  It was a really nice house with some interstate noise, but we got used to it.  There was some excitement the first night when we had a partial (?) power outage due to a line being down across the street.  Luckily, the a/c and lights still worked, so we were fine until it was restored around 4-5am. 

Thursday was fun in the Rancho Mission Viejo area day!  We all met up at the beach near the San Clemente pier/T-Street Beach and had a blast in the water (cold!) and on the sand.  It was so nice to not be scorching hot on the beach in August!  We also all took turns walking through the pedestrian tunnel across the street and getting coffee/drinks at Bear Roast Coffee.  There is a train track right along the coast, but we only saw 2-3 trains pass during the time we were there.  

The seaweed there is much different from here, with pods that were fun to pop, and larger leaves/vines than what we usually see here.  

After the beach, we went all drove to Habit Burger nearby and had a yummy lunch.  Then it was back to the respective houses for quiet time/showers/grocery run (I loved Ralph's) until dinner, which we had spaghetti and meatballs, salad, and bread at our house.  After dinner was a visit to Dana Point, where we saw lots of boats/yachts, stores, restaurants, fish, and sea lions!  We also had some ice cream, yum!  Then it was back to the houses for bed.

Friday, Erin and Ansley made us some pancakes for breakfast.  Then we all met up at the Ambrosini house before dispersing to the mission (all girls minus Aunt Maria) and the guys helped Ben and Cole set up their lemonade stand and then took a long walk around the neighborhood.  We girls had a really great time seeing the San Juan Capistrano mission, founded in 1776 by St. Junipero Serra.  It was beautiful and we learned a lot!  

After that visit, we went back to the house for leftovers for lunch, then for a visit to the dog park and a playground in their neighborhood.  Then we went to the Hilltop pool in their neighborhood, which was beautiful!  

After the pool, we all went to In-N-Out burger near their house for dinner, which was a huge hit.  

Then it was back to the neighborhood to visit a really fun playground complete with an astroturf sledding hill, then had a fun family kickball game in an open field and s'mores for dessert!  

What a great day!  Cole's family has an electric bike that 2 people can ride, and the kids LOVED riding that...turns out that the electric assist really makes riding uphill easier ;) They also have a super cool Madsen bicycle that can hold up to 5 people, also with an electric assist.  That one was more tricky to drive for us newbies, but Bob did get the hang of it.

Saturday after breakfast, we decided to try another beach and headed to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point.  It was really pretty and had a lot of amenities like beach volleyball courts (which we used), restrooms, a path, and convenient parking.  We spent a couple of hours there (the water was still cold), then went back to our house and had local pizza for lunch.  Yum!  After that was showers and then meeting back up at the cousins' house for the guys and kids over 4 to head to the Padres baseball game.  We girls took a vote and the majority decided to bike/drive to Starbucks and then to a park nearby.  That was a lot of fun!  

After that, we went to 5:30pm mass at St. Edward's in Dana Point, which was a really pretty church with awesome views of the ocean.  

Then it was on to El Torito for dinner, and that was really good!  We had a quick photo op after dinner, then back to the house to finish packing before heading out.

Our flight out of John Wayne airport was delayed a little bit on Sunday from 7:45am to 8:15am, but we still had no issue making it to Denver and on to our connection to Raleigh.  We even had time for a pizza/pasta/McDonalds lunch in Denver.  Both flights went smoothly, and we stopped for a Moe's dinner on the way home.  We were so happy to see Finley when we got home!

So, it was an action-packed trip, but everything went really smoothly and we had an absolute blast each day!  It was so wonderful to see Dale and Maria and family and get to check out their beautiful neighborhood and surrounding area.  We loved seeing the parks and had a taste of a road trip the one day.  The Summer family had a bigger adventure beginning in Denver with 4 days of travel and 3 parks before we all met up in California on Wednesday.  They logged about 2,000 miles!

We really didn't miss out on anything that we would have wanted to do due to Covid - we had to wear masks in all airports, planes, and park shuttles, but that was about it.  Orange County is really beautiful...weather was perfect, the beaches were amazing, and the hills/mountains were so pretty.  The traffic was not so pretty, but it isn't as bad where they live - near the beaches and the interstate were the most busy.  We had the best time and would love to go back and do more (San Diego, Disney, Hollywood, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon...the list goes on and on)!!