Christmas on the Coast

What to say…

Two weeks of holidays passed in a blur. It’s already Jan 5^th and I really don’t know what to say about Christmas. It feels too personal.

All in all, it was a pretty quiet trip to an area famous for things to do. We didn't really go and see the sights of the bay area. But that wasn't what we were there for.We didn't do anything special or exciting, except spend time with family. 

Which is perhaps the most special thing anyone can do.

I am so thankful that I (and we all) got to spend time with my grandma & aunts & uncles & cousins, whom I don’t see nearly enough of, and whom I miss more than they could imagine. I am thankful that our traveling has allowed us to visit, and a bit annoyed at myself & my dental appointments which also made it necessary to depart again before I felt completely ready. 

I just want to say thank you again to them all (since I know they’re reading, and too often I forget to say thank you) for the meals, conversations, outings, babysitting, laundry help & everything thing else. You all make us feel so loved & welcome. Miss you all already!

We took nearly no pictures, even though the camera was packed with us.  So, I have no pictures of family to share, except for a few of the kids on the jetty near the RV park in Half Moon Bay (lovely place, even if you do have to listen to the harbor horn every 10 seconds day and night). I will have to make do with memories.

Just a few of my favorite ones of our time there are:   

Lily charming her aunt & Grandma as they sat around my Grandma’s table playing princesses and making bead necklaces. 

Lily charming her cousins while playing on their skateboard ramp. Morgan wasn't as animated, but he also loved playing in his cousin’s skateboard ramp on the bottom level of their house (how cool is it that they have their own skateboard ramp!?) I heard repeated requests after Christmas for a return visit.

Morgan driving his remote control truck that he got for Christmas down the beach while his anxious mother kept watch on the waves. He delighted in digging holes in the sand with the wheels & walking on the edge of the surf.

Time tunnel! Well, not really, but there is a large, long, well lit brand new tunnel on the highway between Half-Moon Bay and Pacifica that we passed through repeatedly which never failed to grab the kid’s full attention. 

Watching my children enjoy their time at the museum at Coyote Point, and watching my aunt sharing in that enjoyment. 

Along the Pillar Point jetty, with the RV park in the background

The weather was absolutely beautiful, with blue skies, sun & welcome warmth. Often this time of year is marked by cool, windy weather, so it was an extra treat to be able to go out in short sleeves and watch the waves roll in. There’s something so serene about watching the ocean waves break against the shore, whether it be in gentle swells on a sand covered beach, or great crashes onto a rocky jetty. 

Some of the time there wasn't so great, as I spent a few days in bed with a vengeful tummy. (It happens sometimes when I've eaten something I shouldn't & then I must suffer the consequences until my insides have returned to normal). It definitely put a bit of a damper on my overall enjoyment of the holiday, though. Bob didn't seem particularly keen on taking the kids too far on his own, but they were pretty happy just playing in the sand on the beach or rock hopping on the jetty. They also made a friend in the campground and they all spent a fair bit of time playing the Wii, or playing outside. When it was time to leave, Lily was rather unhappy to be saying goodbye to another friend.   

It seems we’re always saying goodbye to someone. Maybe that’s why I don’t know what to say. This happy pause, where I have felt more included, loved and whole than I have in a while, had to end. I was already feeling a bit lost and homesick when we headed to the Bay area, and now I feel it even more so. Not necessarily homesick for “home” as a specific place, but “home” as a feeling of familiarity. After all, home is where your heart is. And I feel a bit like I've left a part of my heart behind in San Francisco… wait… isn't that a song already?