Home with da Homies

San Diego: October 10-24, 2018

Now that we’re caught up on 2018 in Mexico, here’s a little glimpse into our visits home to hang with our homies. The first fall trip was all about Courtney and Spencer’s wedding, and it was a whirlwind. They arrived SD the Friday morning before the Saturday wedding (after having their flight canceled in the wee hours of the morning, and Courtney crying until the agent put them on a different carrier – whew!). I whisked them over to the courthouse so they could pick up their marriage license. Done! We met Rand on Harbor Island so he could entertain Spencer while Court and I jammed up to Murr-town (70 miles north of SD on Friday afternoon – read: traffic) to have her final dress fitting. However, it wasn’t final-final – I would have to drive up the morning of the wedding to pick it up because it still needed to be hemmed. Oy. Fitting done! Next was helping Jer and Mary load up their rental van with all of the wedding venue decorations and what-not. Then it was back down to Coronado for the rehearsal dinner at the Mexican Village. There was no actual rehearsal, but there were chips and salsa, tasty noms, and family mingling.

Wedding day arrived and I drove to Murrieta to grab the dress, then to the hotel in Coronado to drop off the dress with Courtney, then back to Chula Vista to get Randy, then back to the hotel to discuss venue decor, then to the venue to decorate. Then it was time. It was a beautiful, loving, perfect day. Tropical Storm Sergio threatened to drop some rain on the outdoor ceremony, but luckily, all we had to contend with were dark, puffy clouds and a glorious sunset. They were married.

After the wedding, it was back to our usual – running around, trying to visit everyone. The most important visit was to our “brother,” Jeff, who had been laid up in the hospital and was forced to miss the wedding. So, seeing him was a must. Incidentally, he’s doing great now! Tannika was in town, too, so we made a run out to the Resort in Cat City to hang with Flea and bunch of other buds; got to spend time with former cruiser, Vicki, and Triple J (Jes, Jon, and Jack, our guide-baby) at Pizza Port; partied with some former workmates; had a quick coffee with Sharisse; and of course, there was the family golf outing. Oh, and we celebrated Pop’s 86th! Fun, fun!!

Then it was back to Mexico for a couple of months before returning to home once again for the holidays.

San Diego and Florida: December 15-29, 2018

Initially, we weren’t planning on going home for the holidays, but we couldn’t resist. It was a quick stop in SD on the front end, then we zoomed off to Florida for a week to visit Jeff, Betsy, and Sophie, and to officially disassociate from California by becoming Florida residents, which was a breeze, thankfully. It was a super fun trip, and our first visit in too many years. We essentially just plopped ourselves in the middle of J/B/S’s lives and got to experience Sophie’s last week of school before Christmas; saw her boyfriend, Hayden, through signing (football – QB) with Old Dominion University and shoulder surgery; partook in birthday and Christmas Eve dinners; played at the beach with Jeff and Bets, AND Thad and Kristin, who came over from K’s mom’s in their new rolling home (a 19-ft Sprinter van); and experienced a freak winter storm that caused many downed palm fronds and extensive flooding in the region. Crazy, but fun to walk in the rain and wind.

We headed back to SD for Christmas with my family in Murrieta, visited more friends and family, and of course, played another round of golf. It’s amazing that another year has sped by, and we’re into our third year of sailing. We are so lucky to be living this life and still make it home for important events and family love. Thanks to all (27) of you who follow us on YouTube and here on our blog. It means a lot to us to know you’re out there, thinking about us as we think about all of you. Ok, then, back to Mexico!

A Few October-in-San Diego Wedding Pics

The Non-wedding Pics from the October Visit

The December-in-San Diego-and-Florida Gallery