Delighted in Davis

Gavin and I had a great time last weekend in California. Many, many thanks to my sweet mom who came to stay with the kids. She even brought uncle Andy--everyone's favorite teddy bear--and the kids had a blast.

Many thanks also to the Army for sending Gav to the Physics Conference. This trip opened my eyes to the world of accompanied business travel (i.e. Gav's airfare, hotel, and food were already paid for--I was just along for the ride). You better believe we'll be doing that again. In fact, a couple of months ago we received a brochure for various Radiology Conferences sponsored by the Mayo Clinic. One of them was a cruise from Rome to Venice. Hel-lo. Count me in on that one in a few years.

A Venetian mask in a costume shop in Old Town. You know--for when I go to Venice.

It was so fun. Davis is a great little town--trendy shops, quaint restaurants, and friendly people. Gavin spent the days at lecture or studying, and I entertained myself. So what did I do? I worked out (and didn't have to stop to change a poopy diaper), shopped, and relaxed. I got a manicure and pedicure while reading my book. I ate ice cream every day (which now the scale shows--oops). I found a great little farmer's market on Saturday with lots of fresh fruit samples. Basically, I completely enjoyed myself and rejuvenated.

And when Gav was done, I got to spend time with him. Perfect. We went to Old Town Sacramento, toured a few million dollar homes (they were having open houses--so fun), and saw the Sacramento temple.

We also got together with friends from med school who are in the Radiology program at Travis AFB. We were so busy catching up that I forgot to take a picture, but it was great to see you Edmonds and Odones--start saving your pennies for that Italian cruise.

A couple of other things I'll remember about Davis--bicycles everywhere! This was the line-up outside a bicycle shop, but a similar scene could be seen by the farmer's market, near the University, outside restaurants, etc. Look closely--as far as you can see in the picture, those are bikes!

And I loved this Arboretum near one of the shopping areas--it's maintained by UC Davis. It was so peaceful to sit there and hear the sounds of the waterfalls. There were several waterfalls surrounding this tree in front, and a larger waterfall on the wall in the back. All of the plants were marked with species name, and there were flowers and vines everywhere. It was gorgeous.

So all in all, a great trip. And I couldn't have done it without my mom. Thanks for taking such good care of my kiddos, and thanks for showing me again the value of patience--I love you.