you guys look SO cute!

Jennie, that's a beautiful photo. You and your daughter could almost pass for twins. Welcome back, and glad you had a nice time.

Jennie,

Vacation was a dream this year for me!!!  One week I went home to WIS to my nieces wedding she got married out in the country in an old barn.  The wedding was outside overlooking hills and a pond it was beauiful.  (did I mention I got to help decorate).  The second week my boyfriend and I rented a cabin in the Smokie Mountains.  It was very hot, but the view was breathtaking, the haze on the mountains changed the view daily, and the sunsets took your breath away.  But the dream came when one night during one of those sunset her proposed to me!!!!!!!!!  I will never forget this vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh yea and I said yes!!! 

Becky Raike soon to be Becky Gardiner 

Hi Jennie, My stepdaughter lived in Santa Cruz for two years while she went to Cabrio College.  We went there a couple of times to visit her.  It's a great place.  Capitola was a cute little town too!  Now she's in Orange - can't wait to go there and visit.  It looks like you and your family had a great time! 

Shoot...I knew I forgot something this summer!  Glad you had a good one...and thanks for sharing the photos...what a beautiful family!

I'm getting away w/hubby to Portsmouth, NH this weekend sans the kids (can I hear a big "woo hoo?").  Better late than never, right?

ss

Cindy - Great to see you on the site as always. . .hope you are taking some time for R&R too!

Leon - I love my boys and am glad to have at least one girl - she helped me with my last class - could be a "Stager in training" . . . I love it!

Becky - How GREAT!  Congrats - it's a memory you will always have!  My husband proposed to me while we looked at fireworks in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. .  .

Charlene - I used to live in Aptos and our neighbor taught at Cabrillo College - Mr. Lundquist?  Ring a bell?

Susan - Enjoy your time off!  I find that it takes me about 2 days to get into the vacation groove . . . then it's fabulous!  Business will still there when you get back!

Yea...don't think a weekend will do it...but you take what you can get! 

Congrats Becky!  Time to stage a wedding! You know we'll want pictures! :)

"pepino" - small pepperoni pizza that comes with a juice box and a toy.

Susan - we take what we can get - and since you are going sans children, hopefully you can catch up on rest and other stuff . . .

Hilama - A Llama that lives in the hills.

Hi Jennie, I'm not sure what my stepdaughter's teachers names were.  It would be funny if he was one of them.  It sure is a small world.

Yeah - he taught English at the junior college there . . . his daughter was one my childhood best friends!

"litchi" - A Little Itch-i

Jennie - Welcome back. From the family picture I can tell everyone had a great time.  Living in S. Cal I have yet to visit Santa Cruz.  Looks like a fabulous place to vaca.  Thanks for sharing.

Hi Jennie!  Love those ferris wheels and roller coasters!  Your family is so darn cute!  We work hard - we have to party harder!  Thanks for sharing your pix!

Jennie,

Since I was born and raised in Carmel, we made many trips to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz and it was one of my favorite childhood spots.  I rode that scary old Big Dipper dozens of times and can still hear the "clanketty-clank" on the wood during the slow rise to the top.....makes me nervous just thinking about it!  They also had some fun indoor wood slides you could slide down on burlap sacks.  Santa Cruz is no longer a sleepy little town though....my last visit about 2 years ago revealed some of the highest greater Bay Area real estate prices.

Maureen - the Boardwalk has been completely redone - some of the old treasure rides are there, but they got rid of the little autopia cars - my FAVORITE when I was little.  I have slides of my twin sister and me riding in the cars - loved it!  I totally forgot about the burlap sacks!  I also remember the "Cave Train" - which has been redone - at least they kept it for nostalgia.  I have a lot of great childhood memories of that place - Santa Cruz and all surrounding communities have that funky flair.

A reporter I work with wrote it best when he said, "I love the Boardwalk - it is sweaty and smelly and wonderful!"  We saw the singer from 3 Dog Night when we were there - "Geremia was a Bullfrog . . . was a good friend of mine...." it was great!