More fun from our summer:

California: Episode 1

Nick flew straight from Virginia to California, and I went home to go to a family reunion and pick up a car for us to have out there. My mom was nice enough to drive with me, so that I didn't have to drive alone. We had a great time. The drive actually went quickly and we got to talk and listen to music together!

Of course, our road trip wouldn't have been complete without Bunny. He thought Nevada was actually quite pretty--silly Bunny!

Mom and me at the Jepsen's house. Not looking too pretty after the long drive, but happy to be there!

Nick's family has a tradition of making signs for those who come to visit, or come back from a trip. They are very creative--they included a dino for Price, and a snake in mom's name 'cuz she's scared of them!

We had a wonderful trip. We relaxed, shopped a bit, and went to see fireworks on the 4th. I wish I had pictures, but I think they're all on mom's camera. Before we knew it, it was time for mom to fly back, and Nick and I to move over to the neighbor's house for the rest of the summer.

I include this picture to show what a cute mom I have. While we were gone for the summer, she babysat the giraffes for us. (Yes, I have always bonded with my stuffed animals. I treat them like real people, and will probably have one until I am a very old lady!) When she was making 'dog bone' pillows for girls camp, she made miniature sized ones for the giraffes. Not wanting Bunny to feel left out, she made one for him. She came up to Provo before Nick and I got home, made sure our house was clean, and left a really cute welcome home sign and note for Bunny, along with his very own pillow. He was a very happy bunny! The animals still sleep with their pillows and think they are wonderful! (Next they want mini sleeping bags!)

Okay, back to California:

This is the house Nick and I lived in. It was nice to be close to Nick's family as well as Nick's work. It was a little strange to be in someone else's house and using their things, but they were so kind and generous to us. The only down side was no air conditioning :( We survived, though!

While we were at the house, we got to tend their two cats, Bob and Misty. Neither of us are cat people, so we weren't sure how it would go, but we ended up liking them a lot. Once they warmed up to us and we got to know some of their quirks, we ended up enjoying their company (especially me since Nick was working all day).

Nick spending some rare time with Bob
(he usually only came home to eat).

Here is Misty. Isn't she a pretty cat?

Misty was definitely our favorite. It was actually sad to leave her at the end of the summer. By the time we left, she was wanting to sleep downstairs with us so she wouldn't be so lonely upstairs.

Here is what you would see if you looked in the backyard most afternoons. There was Bob the cat, Scary cat (a stray that hung around a lot), and Casper, the neighbor's cat, lounging in the grass.