Southern California Christmas

After arriving in Southern California to celebrate the holiday with my family, I met my best friend from high school in Orange County for a little last minute shopping.

I love seeing Cheryl because no matter now much or how little time has passed since we last saw one another, we start right back up where we left off and it's like no time has passed. We communicate without saying anything and share everything. It's always fun.

We ran around like crazy for a few jam-packed hours of shopping, food and catching up before I headed south to see the family.

My parents and my brother-in-law's parents and brother all descended upon San Diego as well. As my sister already had a houseful of guests, my sister's brother-in-law and I opted to share a hotel room. Little did I know that such arrangements were going to result in a training-camp-like atmosphere!

I awoke, on vacation, to an alarm, yet I had not set an alarm! When I turned over to see what time it was I discovered that my roommate had set the alarm for the vacation-un-approved 5 am hour!!! He informed me we were going to the gym.

Needless to say my little vacation was filled with quality time with the family and provided an opportunity to get back in the gym, both long overdue. My mom and I had a particularly fun afternoon when we discovered hot air balloons taking off in the area. We both like to take pictures and a crazy car chase ensued in search of the perfect photo.

I managed to squeeze one long run in while in San Diego, and it was a tough one. My sister lives in a very hilly suburb of San Diego and my run involved a 3 mile run (or rather a very slow jog) up a mountain followed by a super-fast 3 mile descent back down to the house. I found the run entertaining, as I could feel the sun burning my skin -- not something I normally equate with December and Christmas.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner together as an extended family complete with an apple pie that didn't have to travel this time and was therefore consumed while the pie was in one piece.

My holiday in San Diego ended rather early on Christmas Day with a mad dash for a noonish flight out of Long Beach. While I know my family was disappointed that I was leaving early and I was sad to leave in the middle of the festivities, I love traveling on Christmas. The airports are empty and travel is a breeze. After a 14+ hour adventure one year to get from Seattle to Northern California, avoidance of heavily traveled days is a top priority.

I arrived in the Bay Area with heavy bags full of treats, a camera full of family photos and a tummy full of home baked treats. Upon my arrival I was greeted at the airport by a driver who gathered me and my luggage and headed north to the wine country for a unexpected Christmas adventure.