Christmas in California

I've finally worked at Myriad long enough to earn holiday pay between Christmas and New Years so for the first time in years I was able to spend a significant time at home for the holidays. Jailynn's family and Nate's family were both there and we had a lot of fun. Mostly playing at the beach, eating lots of really good food, geocaching, hiking, along with some other fun things thrown in... as well as Katrina's baptism which I managed to take no pictures of. I guess I was too busy writing my talk for it.

Christmas Eve

Clam chowder at the end of the pier

Geocaching in Santa Cruz till mom said no more!

Fresh Delicious Yummy Mouthwatering Crab for dinner. Katrina didn't agree...

but everyone else did and we ate it all up...

Dad pulled out the banjo and sang the grand kids some of the old songs he sang us when we were kids....

...including this one....wait what? That's a song you sing to kids?

Nate jumped in with some John Denver songs on his guitar and got us back on track.

Christmas

All the old stockings from when we were kids...plus a few

Jailynn's birthday in Carmel and Monterey.

The Tolls were late getting there due to this incident...

Carrie and Simon on Carmel Beach

Kris and Josh on Carmel Beach

Kjirsten and Katrina on Carmel Beach

Fish tacos at Phils in Moss Landing

...and calamari for Harrison

And of course a mint chip roll cake from Baskin Robbins! It wouldn't be a birthday without one of those!

I believe there was some geocaching thrown in there along with afternoon tea and scones at The Tuck Box in Carmel and a mad dash for Dippin Dots on Cannery Row.

Another Beach Trip with the Tolls in Santa Cruz

Kjirsten and Katrina not making faces. What's going on?

While geocaching at the beach we saw a million raccoon prints. It looked like a herd of monkeys.

Ice Cream at Mariannes after a tasty dinner across the street at the Santa Cruz Diner

Geocaching with Jailynn along Westcliff (this is Jailynn not me, I know it's hard to tell from behind)

look close for the beach chair on the rocks...how would it be to live there...

One of my favorite houses along Westcliff Hiking in the Redwoods

The old lyme kilns were cool. We climbed all over them and inside too.

There were roots growing through the rocks inside and it looked really neat

Can't go anywhere without a little geocaching too...dad signing the log

Other entertainment by Simon: He got in my room and stole my shoes... Maybe it was Simon who stole my car too...