california trip part 3

On Sunday afternoon, we drove from Camp Alta back to Oakland to visit our friends, Tom & Lauren. Lauren & I were roommates during our first two years at Oregon State University & Kenton & Tom were friends in high school in Alaska. They both ended up going to OSU & Lauren, Tom & I all lived on the same floor in our dorm. Tom introduced us to Kenton & we all became friends. Fast forward a few years, Kenton & I got married & a few years later Tom & Lauren got married. So there's a little history for you all! :)


Tom & Lauren live in a cute home with their dog Neko in Oakland, CA.

We walked to the park to get some energy out before dinner.

Tom met us there & the boys warmed right up to him! :)

After dinner, Tom helped the boys make super hero capes out of their blankets.

Super Cedar!

Lauren showed Finn some Where's Waldo books that he hadn't seen before!

Super Finley!

Monday was the 4th of July, so Lauren & Tom took us to the Marina where they were having a kite festival & Independence day celebration. We could barely make out San Francisco across the bay through the fog.

The huge octopus kites were blowing in the strong wind!

Climbing the hill.

It was much cooler than we expected with the wind, so Finn wore Cedar's coat & we covered Cedar with his blanket. :P

We walked the path at the Marina before heading over to the rest of the festival.

The boys were super excited to see the bouncy house-type things & Tom & Lauren bought them each a ticket to try one out.

Finn chose an obstacle course that ended with a huge slide!


Cedar only had one choice because of his size, but it was pretty cool!


He loved the cool bouncy jungle!

Mr. & Mrs. Sharpton
So cute! :)
Side story: Kenton & I had to miss their wedding because it was on the day after Cedar was born. Still breaks my heart a bit, but I'll never forget their anniversary! Also, they were both in our wedding, we were sad to miss theirs!

We went home for Cedar's nap & were able to get in a game of Settler's of Catan. Cedar woke up before we were done, but we managed to finish before he became too alert. :P

Tom, Lauren & Katrina


Lauren made yummy M&M cookies for dessert!

Their backyard is so neat! They have fruit trees, a pond & a garden. Their fence is also covered with passion flowers! So pretty!

Tom showed Finn how to give Neko treats.


The grill master & his sidekick. :)

Huge cookies!

Lucky kids!

We had a low key Independence Day celebration & didn't go out to see fireworks. The kids went to bed & the adults played more board games. It was perfect!

The next morning (Tuesday), we all woke up bright & early & I made everyone take a group photo. :P We hit the road before breakfast & made our way back to Eugene, OR. The drive went as well as could be expected, though Cedar lost his cool during the last hour. But we made it, safe & sound...if not a little less sane than we started. :P Thanks for the great visit, friends & family! We had a wonderful adventure!