About: A little California Thanksgiving

We stayed a day and a half with our friends in sunny SoCal (once the insane rain stopped)... the view from their backyard is just so relaxing. It was warm enough to lay by the pool in a bathing suit, but not to get into it - however the hot tub was just right!

Tuesday we packed up the car for a 4th time in 5 days and drove to Bakersfield - it was much chillier and overcast there - but then, it did make it feel a little more Thanksgiving-y. Our time there was so much fun. We enjoyed checking out Lonnie & Jeran's beautiful new/old house, having a double date with them around Downtown, and watching the cousins play and have fun together. It was essentially the Carolina and Olivia show. They are just too cute - we had some family pictures taken by Ally Swen Photography.

Ready for Thanksgiving dinner...

I mean they did their fair share of fighting, but mostly it was, just doing every last thing together.

They took us on a hike through some place in the Sequoia national Forest... I'm not sure, but there were no Sequoias... you apparently had to keep driving quite a ways to get there... and it was already the windiest road I had ever been on, so I'm glad we stopped when we did! It was cool in the shade, warm in the sun, and there were lots of logs and rocks to climb up and things to pick up and throw. 

And we worked up an appetite, so...

On Saturday the McConnel men + Liam went to L.A. to see the Notre Dame vs. USC football game. It was pricey, and therefore his Christmas present. They first went to the California Science Center to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor - which he said was super cool.

Then they did some tailgating before the game...

The first half was apparently really fun, but wouldn't know you know that it rained in L.A.... a lot. So much that they were completely soaked and freezing. They decided to leave and find shelter to dry out a bit and return when the rain let up, only to find out that they weren't allowed back in to finish the game. It was a pretty bummer experience for them really. Not much could be done to save it :-(

We were NOT ready to go, although they may have been ready for us to leave ;-) If only so they could sleep in their own beds again. It rained and snowed half the way home, but we did get this beautiful huge rainbow as a reward. Our drive was safe and that's what matters.
 It was a beautiful Thanksgiving vacation, and one that we were all very thankful for I think!