Journal Entry

Can anyone really believe it is the middle of December? Time flies... Matt is our countdown man for how many days left until Christmas. The kids are very excited for Christmas this year...it will be interesting to see how the day unfolds for us.

We had a busy weekend as we moved to a new location in California called Newport Beach. It is amazing to me how we managed to get to Cali in 6 days when I see how we could spread out a one and a half hour drive over the bulk of a day! Newport Beach is about an hour and a half north of Santee. Check-out time at Santee Lakes was noon and check-in at Newport Dunes was 2, so we weren't really in a rush. But, doing the last minute tidying, showering, putting stuff away so it wouldn't fly all over the trailer, bringing in the slides, dealing with the hook-ups, attaching the vehicle to the trailer, moving the trailer so that it didn't hit a big tree branch, getting on the road and following our beloved GPS which took us toward a toll route, which Jeff wanted to avoid, so we went on the Pacific Coast Highway instead-adding an extra half hour, getting to our site, Jeff backing into a smaller site for the first time (which he did very well I may add) and hooking back up, sorting and eating- well all that took a whole day... phew... so, we'll have to take this into account for future moves... the lesson being, things always take longer than you think they will so, take extra time!

So, our site is much smaller here and we don't have the immediate view we had had at Santee, but the beach is very close as are the amenities and the staff have been very professional so far. The park is well lit and has a secure entry/exit point, accessed by a card. The place is lit up and night with beautiful white lights and the other RV'ers have decorated their homes like crazy for the holidays. Plus, the pool here is heated as is the hot tub! Yay!

On Sunday, we went off in search of a leash-free dog beach for Willow. Willow gets several on-leash walks everyday, but it's not the same as having a good, free run. We discovered that this area does not have an abundance of leash-free beaches as there were in San Diego. So, we drove to Huntington State Beach for her. She enjoyed it very much and again made new doggie friends. Later, we went to Coronado and saw some beautiful views and spectacular homes and shops along the way. Shopping here is a woman's dream-boutiques and specialty shops galore ... along the Pacific Highway and tucked into the towns and cities. There are multiple yacht stores, upscale car dealerships and restaurants... it's quite a fancy place... People live in some smaller and some larger homes close together; by the water with their boats at their beck and call. 

It is and will be cooler here than in Santee ... but that's all relative isn't it ? :) We have had a lot of rain yesterday and will continue to get more today and tomorrow, but later this week the sun will be out and that's all that matters!

Jeff is working from Cali, super close to home which we love and look forward to him having some holidays soon. The kids love the park here and are having a blast with their friends.

So, all is well...we continue to hope everyone at home is healthy, happy and warm. 

Thinking of you all!