Road Trip to Etna and Back

We capped off 2022 with one more unforgettable trip. Josi and Matt bought a house up in Etna last month and we couldn't wait to come see it!

We left bright and early on Monday morning and it took us 13.5 hours to get up there. The 5 was stop and go in a weird way and super frustrating to drive. We stopped in LOS BANOS for lunch at Wendy's and I was done with driving. Tanner took over and before we knew it, traffic was flowing nicely. But after the sun went down and we got above Sacramento, it started raining and then it got pretty windy! The weather was nuts!

We arrived around 11pm to our cute little AirBnB and Josi had picked up a few things from the store for us and set up twinkle lights and a little Christmas Tree with gifts for the kids! She is so sweet! It made the whole experience so enchanting. The kids finally went to bed around midnight and we all slept so soundly.

The next day we woke up slowly, made a yummy breakfast, and then visited Josi in her new home. They have worked so hard to renovate it and it looks amazing! They live right across the street from a school so the kids went out to play for a long time while we chatted and she showed me around. We took the boys to lunch and Josi prepared us a little dinner which was so good and super thoughtful.

On Wednesday, we met Josi, Matt, and the boys at the ice skating rink! We played in the snow and the kids sledded for a bit before we started skating. It was cold but a gorgeous day. We then took our kids up to Snowman's Hill to sled and it was epic. Jack went up and down probably more than 20 times, and Ella hung in there too! Rayleigh crashed a few times and was DONE. Parker sat in the car. ha ha But it was beautiful up near Mt Shasta and we were so stoked to be there! That night, we met Matt and James and Wyatt at this amazing restaurant called 5 Mary's. The whole vibe was primo. There was a little game room where the kids could play, the music was chill, and the food was delicious! We loved it there and can't wait to go back!

Thursday, Matt also had the day off so we went to their house for lunch and the kids played and played. We chatted and went for a walk to the park up the street which was so pretty. The kids could have stayed there all day using their imaginations and building forts. We had dinner that Matt prepared and played Uno before calling it a night. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Josi and her family and the future is so bright for them! I can't wait to visit again and see all of the projects that they complete!

We decided to take 2 days to drive home and take the scenic route. Tanner and I spent a long time charting our way and booking the perfect hotel. We left as early as we could (7am)  and it was raining. We started up a deserted 2 lane road up the mountain pass and the rain quickly turned to snow... a LOT of snow. I started to panic. I don't think I've ever been that scared. There were no cars or homes in sight and we had NO cell phone service. I didn't know how long this storm would last or how we could get off the mountain. I was shaking and felt sick. I've seriously never been that terrified. The kids were great and Tanner was intense but confident. He reminded me that as soon as we got to the summit, it was all downhill from there and as soon as we got to a lower elevation, the snow would turn back into rain. I prayed and prayed (especially when there was NO road to be seen in front of us and we were slipping and sliding at 2 miles an hour down the mountain). But we made it! When we could finally drive a little faster it was another 3 hours of windy roads until we got to the coast and poor Ella was so car sick. She threw up over and over again and we just kept handing her bags. Poor thing. She was still so darling and had the best attitude- never complaining. 

We finally found civilization and celebrated by buying treat and snacks galore at the gas station. We drove down the coast to the Avenue of the Giants to experience the Redwood Trees and it was spectacular! Even though it was pouring rain, we got out and hiked around a little bit and it was pure magic. We loved it!!!! I am a sucker for a good tree, that's for sure. We even DROVE through a tree! Can you believe that?

We drove another few hours to San Fransisco and it rained the entire time. The car was slipping on the road but other than that, it was a breathtaking view out the window with waterfalls cascading down into the river all along the way. Everything was so lush and green, so different from the snowcapped forests we saw earlier in the day. 

Our goal was to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset but we were a little late due to snow storms and traffic (and barfing). But it was raining and foggy anyway and the kids were still excited about it, no matter what. We drove through San Fransisco and over the Bay Bridge before stopping in Pleasanton for the night. We ate dinner at a nice PF Chang's and even though Jack was beyond tired, it was a good dinner and we were happy. 

We all slept well in the hotel- Rayleigh in bed with me and Ella smooshed in a pack n play. Jack was with Tanner and complained about his snoring (see what I'm saying, kids?!). Parker took the couch and in the morning, we all got ready and enjoyed a super great breakfast. 

We drove home and stopped half way at the busiest In N Out ever for lunch. When we arrived home (yay!!!) we quickly changed and headed to Jill's to join our friends for a NYE party to ring in the New Year (with New York). Rayleigh loved playing the Minute to Win It games and pulled me aside to let me know that the girls were "actually being really nice"! It was great being with friends and Parker was happy to hang out with Kaelyn (I was sad he didn't make it to a dance but maybe next year...). It continued to rain and we came home after the ball dropped and read to the kids  (We finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Etna!) and then Tanner and I watched a movie. I fell asleep but woke up right at midnight and mumbled Happy New Year to Tanner before rolling over and falling back asleep. Maybe someday we'l ring in the New Year with a bit more energy.

This year will go down in history. We traveled so much and made so many happy memories. I started a job which I love and I feel like we are all in a good place this year to make some really good progress on our goals.

Here's a little travel recap:

In January, Tanner and I took a 7 day cruise and visited St. Marteen and St. Thomas, in February we drove up to Idaho for Tanner's Grandpa's funeral and to play in the snow, we also went beach camping in San Clemente for Tanner's 40th birthday, Tanner and I attended his work conference in Newport Beach in March, and we left for XCaret in Mexico to celebrate our 18th anniversary, we went to Costa Rica in May and Parker participated in the MCO Youth Tour, we met up with the Peterson's in St. George for a fun family reunion in June, and Parker went on a Church History Tour on the East Coast with the ward. I took the littles up to Sundance at the end of June, and Parker attended Youth Conference and EFY in July. We took the littles to Hawaii in August and then they participated in 2 weeks of Junior Life Guards at Salt Creek and the Back Bay. Tanner took a guy's trip to Arizona in September and I took a sisters in law trip to St George. I visited St. Charles with my Mom and Parker went to Youth Conference in Big Bear. We went to Hawaii again in October with work and stayed in Kauai for a few days, and to cap it all off, an epic road trip to Northern California. 

Wow. What a year. We are looking forward to improvement and progression this year.

Happy New Year!