This three day weekend was another opportunity to savor some of our last days in California. Brian left for Panama on Sunday night. He is going to be gone for three weeks and will spend that time completing the business transaction to take over our new property. He really wanted to take advantage of his time with the boys before he left.
We kicked off the weekend by having our final church group party. We met at a local park that was having a food truck event. Our pack of kids pretty much took over the place. I feel so blessed that we found such a strong community of families in our church. They have been a huge support to us, and the kids have been such a solid group of friends to the boys.
We started Saturday at one of our favorite beaches, Año Nuevo. It’s a long drive up the Slow Coast and a small hike to get to the beach, but once you make it to the small cove, you are greeted by untouched and rugged beauty. It was pretty cold and windy so instead of playing in the waves, we spent most of the time picking unique rocks and spotting beached jelly fish.
On Saturday night, Brian got to fulfill his biggest bucket list item yet. He took Asher to game 5 of a Warriors playoffs. He sat 7 rows up, and seriously could have paid for a family vacation for the cost. He said it was worth every penny to experience the atmosphere, which he described as extremely loud and hot (not sure why that’s so awesome). Asher was in awe and did remarkably well considering the sensory overload. Brian says he’ll never get an opportunity like that again (thank goodness).
On Sunday morning, Brian spent some last hours with the boys taking them to their favorite- the Santa Cruz Boardwalk- to play arcade games and ride the rides. Sunday night Brian flew out with an extremely heavy surf board bag (which cost $200 I’m overweight charges), the biggest suitcase I’ve ever owned, and our dog Koji. This was Koji’s first time flying and we were all super anxious about it. Getting the medical paperwork to fly him to Panama was more complicated than getting our kids’ passports. Brian did get a doctors note approving him as an emotional support animal so he was able to ride in cabin with Brian. They even got a row in first class all got themselves- Koji’s such a baller. Brian said he did awesome.
It is so weird to not have Koji in the house. I even filled up his water bowl this morning. I also realized how much of a vacuum cleaner he is when I actually had to sweep the floor after my kid’s meals. The house feels so empty without his little presence.
Brian ran into some trouble when he arrived to Panama. Luckily they let Koji right in, but they lost his surf board bag (the one we paid extra for) and the car rental he arranged didn’t work out. After hours of delay at the airport, he finally got Koji to Lita’s house where I know he’ll be spoiled. Can’t wait to see him again.
Brian’s trip there is making the move feel very real. It’s setting everything in motion and now we need to continue here with packing, purging , and selling. It’s a big job now that I’m still working and juggling the kids on my own. Luckily Mama Shelly is on her way here next weekend. I’m sure she’ll get this ship and crew in order.
Family Stoke 