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Our Summer 2016 CA Trip

From Yosemite to the San Diego Coast

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So this is what happened… ever since Emy and Joe got married, we talked about going on a trip together! Well, it’s been over two years and we still hadn’t done it! (shame on us!) So we planned a cruise with them for this August! We all LOVE cruises and how EASY and affordable they are. Well, fast forward to March and we find find out that Emy is pregnant!

Then fast forward to June and we find out that I’M PREGNANT!! My doctor is really strict about Zika (as she should be) because there really isn’t a cure and it’s silly to put a pregnant woman at risk if she doesn’t HAVE to be. So, we had to cancel our cruise. It was a sad day. We had been looking forward to this for months and months. Now we had to find a new ZIKA-FREE vacation plan that wouldn’t cost more than the cruise! We decided to head to CA!!!

We flew to CA and our journey getting there was interesting. Michael and I got delayed and lost a bag. Emily and Joe were delayed and then put on a weird plane without air conditioning controls! Not good for a pregnant lady! 😃 We finally made it to LA and then we went to get our rental car and found a dirty diaper under the seat and promptly switched to another car! We ended up getting settled in a car that wasn’t usable and then we moved to ANOTHER CAR…. and it was a MINI-VAN!!!! Cheers for a MINI-VAN! Us pregnant ladies had so much LEG ROOM and we had constant access to our snack bag and our own AC controls! What a dream! (Ps. I NEVER thought I would say that about a mini-van… ever!)

We drove north for several hours (SEVERAL) and made it to BASS LAKE for the night! We stayed in a little cabin and rented a little pontoon boat for a morning cruise before heading to YOSEMITE! Michael and I had been to Yosemite but we went in March when “Glacier Point” wasn’t open! So we got to see a new view and it was UNBELIEVABLE! Just wait until you see the pictures!! Then we found out that the giant Sequoias that were most visited in Yosemite were closed for restoration! What?! NOOOOoooooo!! So we heard about a more hidden location off the beaten path and we decided the mini-van could handle it!! We were all covered in DUST by the time we made this journey to the trees but it was worth it!!!

Then we drove to the coast and stayed at a cute little beach-front hotel, Avila Lighthouse Suites, where one of Joe’s high school friend’s is a sales manager! We spent the next morning sitting by the pool and dipping in the hot tub for like 3 minutes because…. pregnancy problems. Then we had an awesome lunch (our favorite of the trip) on a pier overlooking a little harbor! And then it was time to get back on the road again! You’re probably thinking “wasn’t that a lot of road time?” Yes. It was a crazy fast-paced trip. Our NEXT trip will definitely be on a cruise ship without hours of mini-van time!

After we left lunch we hit the road for San Diego to visit some dear friends of our! We have been wanting to get down to San Diego for the longest time to visit them and we finally had a chance to make it happen!! This was probably our favorite part of the trip. Yosemite is breathtaking but hanging by your friend’s pool and just relaxing after a crazy few days is just what we needed! Cole and Nicole were the most amazing hosts in their new home. They made all FOUR of us feel like we were at home from the moment we walked in the door! They dropped everything just to hangout with us and spend some quality time together! From pool time to fireside chats, Mexican food, a beach day and finding an amazing ice cream shop… it’s easy to see why we loved these two days!! We’re so thankful for not only their willingness to have us visit but also for their sweet friendship!

traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3187 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3188

They were so excited about this drink…. and then it was pretty much just straight sugar! ha!

traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3190 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3191 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3192

Cute! All THREE of them! :)

traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3193 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3194 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3195 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3196 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3197 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3198 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3199

Our beloved mini-van!

traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3200 Bahaha! Way to go Joe!traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3201 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3202 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3209 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3204 This view tho….traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3205 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3206 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3207 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3210 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3211 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3212 Ice cream for the win! traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3213 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3214traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3216 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3217 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3218 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3219 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3220 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3221 LOOK at the SIZE of that TREE!!!!traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3222 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3223 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3224 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3225 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3226 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3227 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3228 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3229 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3230traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3232 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3233traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3236 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3234 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3235  traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3237 Eww… They were bringing in a shipload of EEL! GROSS!!!traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3238 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3239 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3240 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3241 Then we headed down to meet up with Cole and Nicole!!! traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3242traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3244 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3243  traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3245 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3246 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3247 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3248 And Michael got TAR stuck on his foot! traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3249 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3250 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3251 Look at their POOL! Amazing! traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3252 Sweet Chloe! She made us miss Bokeh Boy! traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3253traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3254 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3255 traveling-from-yosemite-to-the-san-diego-coast_3256

Our Other Travel Posts! 

Hawaii with our Parents! 

Our cheapest CRUISE to date! 

Switzerland, Italy, & France

Thanks for reading!

— Katelyn

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