Vacationception

This summer, I've realized, is like Vacationception. We took a vacation to Iceland. During that vacation to Iceland we took a camping vacation to California. During that vacation to California we took a family visiting vacation up to the Nevada side of Tahoe. During our Tahoe vacation I spent last week in Perrysburg. While it was a work trip and thus not technically vacation, I've been working everywhere along the way anyway. And working out of an actual office is kind of a vacation from the norm. Plus we had a karoake night - one of my favorite social activities - and summer picnic complete with a lawn game competition.

Now we're popping vactions off the stack one at a time. Friday I came home from Perrysburg. Today we left Tahoe to head back to California. Next Saturday it'll be back to Iceland for a week. Then we'll be home to Norway just in time for Maxwell's birthday.

The time we spent at Dell's was very special with Kristen getting married and all the family here. They put us up with parents and my sister's family in a spacious condo for the weeks my family was here. I'm not always great at reading people, so I was really worried about overstaying our welcome. My cousins told me how much their mother enjoyed having us for so long though. It kind felt like that year we lived in California again; that year when we came up all the time to visit. Dell and Bob have been important people in my life and positive examples for everyone in my family. I love them very much and was sad to say goodbye today.

So yeah, today was like many days on this trip. I got up at 5 and started working - coding, meetings and such. Cara got up at 9:30 and headed down to Carson City to pick up her new glasses. (We have good vision insurance through my work and there just isn't any in Norway. Eyes and teeth are things the state sponsored healthcare doesn't seem to care about.) She got back with Maxwell around 2 and I quick work a little after 3, getting us out of the house by 4. Then went up to say goodbye to Dell and Bob and head around the Lake to California. Our home for the next two nights is the Lassen Volcano. I know my Brittan is jealous. As soon as we got here there were fumeroles and mudpits to spectate on. The kids remembered Yellowstone from three summers back and seeing those things made camping by a volcano a little less scary.

After Lassen we're heading out toward the coast to drive through a redwood tree, see the glass beach, and take the kids out to Point Reyes lighthouse. And maybe we'll hit Sonoma on the way. Maybe. The kids saw a lot of viticulture last Fall in Greece, and wineries can be dreadfully boring for kiddoes. Maybe if we fit in the geyser in Calistoga before we see the THE Geyser in Iceland...