On Sunday we got back from our California/ Graduation trip. We left on May 7th and drove through Death Valley on our way up to Yosemite. It wasn't as hot as I had expected, but it was still in the high 90's. We also made a quick stop at the Badwater Basin.
Our trip took an unexpected turn when we got to the back entrance of Yosemite National Park... We had planned to camp in Upper Pines inside the park that night, but our plans changed when we found out that the back entrance isn't open until July! This added 5 & 1/2 hours more to our drive! We ended up getting a motel that night because after 13 hours of driving we couldn't take anymore. It would have been hard to set up camp that late anyway. (We would have arrived after midnight had we kept going).
We arrrived at the park on Friday the 8th and had such a great time wandering around and seeing all of the beautiful places. We saw Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, the huge Sequoias, and many more places.
After our day trip to Yosemite, we had reservations to camp at the KOA in Mariposa. As a kid, my family only went on one vacation that I can remember, and it was to this exact KOA after we had visited Yosemite. It was so fun to compare my memories from my childhood to what I was seeing as an adult. Everything looked so small! I remembered the red caboose, and the lake behind it.. well more like a large pond. I also remembered how the general store sold atomic fire balls that I pretended to like so my brothers wouldn't think I was a chicken!
The night we set up camp, we got pizza for dinner, at the "Pizza Factory" that my cousin Stephen works at. His sister Kacy met us there with her husband, Karim.
We left the next morning and spent the afternoon in Santa Cruz and Capitola. We walked on the beach and the boardwalk and got lunch before we drove to Monterey to check into our hotel. On Sunday the 10th we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I LOVED it!!
The next day we drove up to San Francisco. I love San Francisco! That is where Stu and I got engaged. We did some of the tourist things.. The Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, the Japanese Tea Gardens, Ghirardelli Square, and China Town. We've been there several times together before. When we lived in Reno, it was only 4 hours away.
The next day we drove to Reno. Stu golfed on Wednesday with his classmates, and he got SO sunburned! I felt so bad!
On Thursday we went to the Dean's Dinner. This is Stu and Me with Bryan and Julie Noorda at the dinner. Bryan is in Stu's class, and we met them when we lived in Reno. Stu and Bryan were roommates when we got engaged, and when I'd come to visit him, I'd stay with Julie.
Friday was the big day!! Stu graduated from medical school on May 15, 2009. I am so proud of him. He has worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get to this point, and I love him so much for it. His brother, John was his "hooder" in the ceremony, and all of his sisters came out for the occasion. It was so nice to see them all.
After the ceremony, we went to Olive Garden for lunch and were able to catch up on everyone's lives. We had a great time. After lunch, everyone but John had to start their drive back home. On Saturday, Stu, John, and I went to Lake Tahoe for the afternoon and visited Emerald Bay.
On Sunday John flew home and Stu and I made the 8 hour drive back to Las Vegas. We had such a fun trip. It was really fun to see all of our favorite places in California before we move to Texas.
We are very excited. Today was my last day at my job in Las Vegas. I will really miss the people I work with. They are so awesome and have been so good to me. Tomorrow they are having a going away party for me at South Point Casino's bowling alley. The day after tomorrow, we leave for our very belated honeymoon/ graduation present - OUR CRUISE!! We're going on a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise. We're going to the Cayman Islands, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. We're going to snorkel and see Stingray city, and swim with dolphins! I can't wait!! All of this vacation, and then the day after we get back we pick up the Uhaul and my sister, Karynne, and we start the move! Wow, so much all at once!! Can't wait!
