Our AWESOME trip to California...kinda late I KNOW *super long post*

Where in the world do I start?? I have been super busy...but, I wanted to be sure to show you all some pictures from our CA trip we took the end of May. We were told in April that Shannon was being laid off in July. We had already paid for a summer trip the December prior, so, we decided that come May 27th...lay off or not, we were outta here, and we made good on that promise!

The whole trip was based on the Annual Bot Con that we so LOVE to attend *note the sarcasm* Shannon, LOVES to attend...Trinity enjoys it a bunch too, me and bubbub, not so much. BUT, we are there for support and because we have no where else to go.

BotCon is this HUGE dork convention...er, I mean, it's an awesome gathering of Transformers Collectors world wide that come together to gawk at tons of toys that they had when they were little and have to have again. No, I am being silly, really, it's pretty cool. There are a ton of booths set up all over the place, oodles of toys for sale, and bunches of fun stuff for parents and kids alike to partake in.

We have been going since Trinity was born. I will include previous pictures for your viewing pleasure now....




This year, it was PACKED...and I mean, "we are all sardines in this overgrown tin can" kinda packed. I will say, they had some really cool costumes this year though, Bumblebee was the alltime favorite of course, and then there were a few others.





After the convention we walked along the streets of Old Town Pasadena, what a photographers wonderland. TONS of greenery, trees, old brick buildings, awesome for sure. We played at a great park and just had fun, nice, slow...no time constraints kinda fun.

I visited one of my all time favorite natural cosmetics store. They carry the BEST smelling soaps, perfumes, bath fun stuff...it's called LUSH, and if you go there once, you will be addicted *just ask my cousin Shawna*. While we were there on our final day, I met an amazing sales person, she was so sweet, and had an awesome tattoo in the works, she was kind enough to let me take a few pictures.

We then began our 7 hour journey to Grass Valley to see my cousin from whom I haven't seen since I was 4!!!
We really get along well though, she is a concious thinker and we are very like minded when it comes to many things. I love her immensly, and I can't tell you the amount of fun we had visiting. Her kiddos are so well mannered, welcoming, accomodating, super rad and really sweet to Trinity and Tristan. Their girls are the most giving and loving of any children I have met in a long while, and their personalities are reflective of great parenting.
The first night there we stayed up until about 3AM just chatting and getting caught up..it was funny, it seemed like we were all old friends, and that was a wonderful feeling, like your favorite t-shirt...it doesn't care what you look like, what you drive, it's always there for you, no matter where you are in your life...it just loves you unconditionally and it's so familiar, that is exactly how she and her family made us feel.

They live in an idyllic setting..nestled in the woods off the beaten path at the top of a scenic ridge, beautifully breathtaking and simple. No microwave, TV wasn't on, we just played in nature and spent time together.
I think during this visit I realized what true friendship really meant...that no matter how much time you have spent apart, when you are together, that's what really matters. We made the most of our time together, and we appreciated one another. Shawna was awesome, and fell in love with Tristan the day we arrived, I appreciated how she would sneek into our room in the wee hours of the morning, scoop him up and play with him letting us sleep in...something that hasn't happened in 3 years.

We went to town and they had this AWESOME face painter, it really was amazing how fast she could make a normal face into something so much more.



Thank you Shawna and Steve for being so open with your home and welcoming us into your family. We love you guys so much!

Thank you Ella for sharing your room, your beloved Strawberry Shortcake toys, and your time with Trinity...she just adores you.
Thank you Amanda for taking the time to spend with the kiddos, you are an amazingly giving, loving and rad girl!
Thank you Ciana, you took the time to show Trinity around and even though you got me super lost, you were a trooper and maintained your awesome personality through it all!
This trip was so needed, and it truly showed us what was/is important in our lives, family. We had an awesome time and really can't wait to go back. Here are some more pictures from the trip...ENJOY!