Last weekend we tested Laurel to determine if she had inherited a unique Klinger/Dease trait that presents itself as an intense love of travel. I am happy to report that she passed our litmus test with FLYING colors when she embarked on her first flight. We started with a short trip to our favorite city by the bay, and despite the two hour Air Traffic Control delay leaving John Wayne, Laurel acted as if this was her 12th flight instead of her first.
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| The old pro |
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| The Newbie |
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| A proud papa with his traveling girls |
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| Excited to be at the "airplane port" |
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| Taking it all in |
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| The cutest miniature traveler |
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| Laurel decided to catch up on her zzz's during the flight |
We had the great fortune of staying with my cousin and his family in their new home in the Laurel Heights area of the city. Despite being in the throws of moving in following a lengthy remodel, our hosts were beyond hospitable and welcoming. They even invited us to join them and their family (Michael and Nell) an Englishman and Netherlander, respectively, who now reside in Tazmania for dinner. Did I mention that Birgitte is Danish and her dad, Leslie, Hungarian? Dinner with this group was like being at the United Nations. Jonathan and I were in pure bliss!
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| Walking around Laurel Heights |
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| Our own personal UN crew - Leslie, Nell, Michael, Art and Birgitte |
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| Birgitte, Alex, Charlotte, Clare, myself and Laurel, of course |
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| The kids |
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| Laurel made herself right at home |
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| A view of the house from the backyard. Each floor has a wonderful deck |
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| Clare and Birgitte spent some good time catching up. |
We saw Uncle James and Vicki too. We met for lunch and then Vicki introduced us to a park we'd never enjoyed before where we had the most amazing views of the city. Of course, we had to get some ice cream and coffee after our hike up the mosaic steps, so Clare escorted our friends to a new spot she thought they should try. Our day with James and Vicki was terrific!
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| Waiting for Ice Cream |
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| A view of the city |
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| Clare jumping over the city |
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| Offering James some snacks |
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| Clare loved her ice cream! |
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| The family |
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| Clare with Uncle James and Vicki |
It's been a while since we've been able to spend some quality family time together. Between work events for Jonathan and Grammy's surgery, being together seems to have taken a back seat. So, we took advantage of our time away and explored our favorite West Coast city together.
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| Made to travel |
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| The Dease Ladies |
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| Happy Laurel |
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| Our Content Traveler |
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| Smothering our girl with kisses |
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| Enjoying our time together |
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| Happy Daddy! |
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| A perfect day at the Palace of Fine Arts |
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| Jonathan captured the bridge beautifully |
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| Feeding some hungry swans |
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| My little sweetie |
When we got home we learned that our neighbors once again proved themselves to be the best by saving our dog who decided to get a little fresh air from the top floor, and determined that screen really got in the way. Apparently she was enjoying the fresh air a tad too much for anyone's comfort, so the neighbors acted quickly and got her outside....but not before taking some pictures of the whole fiasco.
As you can see, all this travel left us with two very tired, content girls.
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| Tired sisters |
Great Post...., great flight, wonderful city, adorable kids, incredible place to stay, lovely people to share your trip with and a sweet dog to welcome you home. Sounds perfect....'cept the part about the new screen (G)!!!! XXXX
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