INOKWACA: Westward Whirlwind

It took a bit of planning to coordinate all of the Smith Family 2012 vacation travel plans, but we did it. Here's a rough outline of our itinerary:

June 28 -- #1 daughter flies from DFW to Indianapolis to meet up with Grandpa
June 29 -- The remaining Smith Family members fly from Love Field to Portland, Oregon
June 30 -- Grandpa and his granddaughter fly from Indy to Portland
July 1 --50th B-day celebration
July 2 -- TillaMOOk, OR -- ice cream, cheese, and the beach/Other family members roll into the Pacific Northwest
July 3 -- Mani/Pedi outing
July 4 -- Barbecue and fireworks with friends and family
July 5 -- 5 Smiths get rental car and drive down Oregon and Northern CA coast
July 6 -- Highly-anticipated breakfast at Arrigoni's Cafe in Santa Rosa, CA; drive through Sonoma and Napa Valley (being certain to stop at V. Sattui for shopping); arrive in Roseville
July 7 -- Lunch with Roseville friends/ Evening gathering with Raleigh Court Family
July 8 -- Put #1 and #2 Smithlings on flight from Sacramento to DFW, as both have work commitments to fulfill; "kidnap" Syd from Roseville; drive to SLC with two thirteen-year-old girlies and "One Direction"
July 9 -- Make a wrong turn as we travel from UT to CO
July 9-12 -- Mountaintop retreat in Colorado with the Starkeys
July 13 -- Drive HOME to Keller/Return rental car
July 14 -- Sort mail and dirty laundry... go shopping for foodstuff
July 18 -- Deliver Sydney to Love Field for her return trek to CA (Vacation is now officially over.) Sort through vacation pics. Write blog entry. Do even more dirty laundry.

Yep, things went pretty much according to plan -- including the wrong turn. HA! It's a good thing we planned for it. :-) I even managed to have a two-day bout with food poisoning, which was NOT on the schedule. Ugh! Although there are no photos of me being ill, there are plenty of other pictures to share. Ready?

June 30

July 1st -- Vancouver, WA

Belated b-day fun

My seester and the Smithlings teamed up to inflate 100+ balloons to surprise me. There were blue and white balloons just about everywhere -- inside and oustide.

I was treated to some very nice gifts, to boot -- gift cards, beautiful baubles from my papa, and a "pair" o' boots!

It's a perfect fit!

July 2 -- Silliness

Who's behind those Foster Grants?

Grandpa and grandson? These two are oh, so patriotic.

July 2 -- Tillamook, OR

Say, "Cheese!" or "Ice cream!" or "Moo!"

Oceanside, OR

July 3

All six "girls" enjoyed a little pampering.

Independence Day Celebration

It's not because of the taste... It's tradition, that's why. ;-)

Liesey and Glitter

Despite thousands of miles of distance between them, these two have been friends for many years -- they're the same age and share the same name. ;-)

The Smithlings posed with their "Portlandia" friend, Robby.

Let FREEDOM ring!

July 5th -- Road trippin' to California

We so very much enjoyed the drive down the coast from Oregon into Northern CA. It was well worth taking the extra time to tool along the Smith River Scenic Byway to see the old-growth forests.

July 6 -- Trek from Santa Rosa to Roseville with a "refreshment" stop in the Napa Valley

Two of the five Smiths sampled the fruit of the vine while at V. Sattui. We stocked up on a few old favorites while in St. Helena. Yum!

Roseville, CA

Oh, how we've missed you, Jericho! And Mitchell.

Lunch at Cool River with cool friends

It was a much-too-quick visit in Roseville, but at least we got to see some familiar faces. And we collected lots of hugs!

I must've been too busy visiting with our old neighbors during the Raleigh Ct. gathering, because I didn't take a single picture of our dear friends from the court. :-( It was WONDERFUL to see everyone after 2-1/2 years. We picked up right where we left off, but it was really hard to say good-bye again.

July 8 -- On the road again! Destination: Salt Lake City

What was on the lunch menu in Nevada? I Double-Double dare you to try to guess.

11:30 PM and all is well in SLC.

July 9 -- UT to CO

These girlies only move in One Direction, or so it seems.

I had never, ever, EVER in my 50 years of life purchased one of these types of magazines -- until now. The girls were shocked (but VERY happy) that I agreed to spend money on this glossy form of "entertainment," so I thought it called for a photo. (The posters included inside the mags will NOT be going up on any bedroom walls once we get home. I'm going to stand firm on that one.)

It was a L-O-N-G car ride. Really long. Boredom set in, and in an attempt to keep entertained, the girls doodled the likenesses of the Fab Five on each other's tootsies. Creative, huh? Don't ask me who's who -- Harry, Louis, Liam, and the other two. I've only heard their names 100 times, but I still can't remember who's who. This little piggy went to market...