wherever life takes us: California

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hello California

So, I thought I'd take a little break from the boxes and give a little update on our week as newly reinstated Californians.

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With just the belongings we brought on the airplane (which filled 7 suitcases and 4 carry-ons, by the way) we moved into our house. That was last Thursday and our movers came today to deliver our belongings.

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For those of you not doing the math, that's 5 days in an empty house. It was great. With a few trips to Target and some borrowed bedding and linens (thanks, Maressa!), we managed just fine and are basking in the enjoyment of living in a house! We keep having these "how did we ever live in that apartment for so long" moments. Like when we run the garbage disposal or the dishwasher, open the garage door, or send the kids out to play in the backyard. It doesn't take much to please us and it's better than I could have ever imagined. The kids have been getting the biggest thrill out of calling to each other from upstairs/downstairs and hiding in the walk-in closets.

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We were all a little sick the first few days but once we started feeling better we found plenty of things to keep us busy while we waited for the moving van to arrive. We attended Mason and Mala Harrell's sealing in the Oakland Temple on Friday, which was beautiful. We also had Grandma here for a few days which always makes things more fun.

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I only have a few pictures from the last week because I can't find my camera charger (no doubt buried in or beneath the boxes somewhere). But here's just a glimpse:

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Garrett finally got his bike we promised him for his birthday and has been riding it pretty much non-stop ever since.

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Ethan's favorite thing to do has been to go to the really cool park down the street from us and dig in the sand.

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Lydia has found all kinds of fun things to do. She took off running when she realized that I saw the bottle of rootbeer she had in hand!

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The movers came today so we now find ourselves in the middle of boxes and chaos. I have this urge to just stay up all night and get it all put away. Then again, it feels really nice to just lay here in bed as I type. I think I'll just go to sleep now. It'll all still be there tomorrow...

goodbye New Jersey

We finished our East Coast touring and travelled back to Newark on Tuesday. We spent the night there as we prepared to bid our final farewell to the state of New Jersey. We flew from Newark to Oakland, California yesterday. It was a LONG day of travelling, but we arrived safe and sound, and mostly sane.

I have to admit, we won't miss our New Jersey apartment one bit, but here's one last family photo outside, just for the sake of documentation.

We will, however, miss our New Jersey friends terribly. We have made some wonderful friends even in the short time we had. We really feel like we're leaving family behind.

(Photos of our New Jersey goodbyes to come. They're saved on my desktop computer which is in the moving van, still en route.)

4th and 5th stops: Cape Cod and Boston

By Friday afternoon the movers had come and gone and we had the entire place cleared out and cleaned. We loaded the van, said goodbye to our New Jersey apartment and left for our last east coast trip. We first went to Cape Cod for a couple of days.

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Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Unfortunately, the weather was cold and rainy the whole time. It was just as well, because the kids all ended up being sick so we spent most of the time in the hotel resting and recuperating. When the kids were up to it and there was a break in the weather, we ventured out just long enough to see the water and photograph this tender moment:

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We enjoyed a scenic drive around the Cape on Sunday afternoon as we made the short journey up to Boston. We stopped in Plymouth along the way. Plymouth was interesting and historical. The rain had stopped and left everything damp and really beautiful making the drive indeed, very scenic. Cape Cod is very charming, and probably really fun when it's sunny and warm!

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Boston, Massachusetts

Sunday Evening we enjoyed dinner with our friends, Lindsay and Tyler Hull, at their house in Boston who were great hosts for these somewhat ill, weary travellers!

Monday, we visited Boston and saw a few of the city's highlights. The kids were feeling a little better, but we kept the day low-key and limited the sightseeing to a leisurely stroll around Boston Common and the Botanical Garden, a ride on the Swan Boat and whatever historical sites we could see from inside the van.

I'd love to go back again someday when we have more time and are all healthy and completely submerge myself in the history of the place. It's really fascinating to me. I think that's part of why I love the east coast so much. There is so much history here. It was nice to be here, even for a short time, and we got a nice glimpse of this really beautiful city.

Turning 5

Garrett celebrated his 5th birthday with 3 parties, the lucky kid!

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First, last Monday his preschool had a party for all the kids with summer birthdays.

Then, that afternoon we had his CARS birthday party at the park..

...with all his best friends. He's been anticipating a CARS birthday party ever since, oh, June '06 when he first watch the beloved movie. He was pleased with his last-minute-we're-trying-to-move-and-graduate-but-I-need-to-thow-a-birthday-cake-together-for-tomorrow CARS cake that I made. He had a great time playing with his friends again before we moved. He misses them already! And today, on his actual birthday, we completed the celebration with bowling and cupcakes. Lucky for us, next door to our Boston hotel is a bowling alley. It's really not all that fun for a 5 year old to be on vacation on his birthday, but 3 parties ought to make up for it! He's been wanting to go bowling for a while, so it was a great way to celebrate. Happy Birthday, Pal! What we love most about you:

~We love your curiousity and that you love to learn about everything

~We love that you are such a great big brother and that you are such a good helper to Ethan and Lydia

~We love that your sensitive, caring heart and that you are such a good friend to others

~We love you

graduation: preschool style

Garrett graduated from preschool on Friday. They all dressed up in their cute caps and gowns and walked down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance. . It was very cute- and maybe a little over the top for a bunch of 5-year-olds. Matt and I were both surprised to see all the parents coming in with balloons, flowers, and gifts for their "graduates". Should we feel bad that the thought never occurred to us? While I'm sure the kids will love the balloons and such, I doubt most of them can read the "Congratulations Grad" written on them. Still, it was pretty cute and a lot of fun.

Garrett said he was both happy and sad about preschool ending. Which, in my experience, is usually how it goes with graduations of any kind. He was happy that he got to wear a cap, just like Dad's. He's sad because he is really going to miss his preschool teachers and friends. His teacher, Mrs. Shafransky, was more than a little teary eyed at their goodbye. She's such a sweet teacher and just loves "her pal Garrett". That's what she calls him. They also call him "California Boy", because at the first sign of spring, he was wearing shorts and flip flops to school. He's had a really good experience at preschool this year.

status report

Well, who would have thought I could blog while I wait in the Las Vegas airport for two hours to catch my midnight flight back to New Jersey!

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You know you're asking for it when you take a trip across 3 time zones in which you are travelling for more hours than you are actually in your destination city! I arrived in Oakland at 11:30 last night and am scheduled to arrive in Newark at 8:00 tomorrow morning. I'm not really sure what time my exahusted body thinks it is.

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The trip proved to be worthwhile though, as I signed a lease for a house this afternoon! Pending approval from the owner, we will move in next week. We're hoping (and praying) that she's okay with us only staying until January. It's a cute little house in San Ramon. I took a lot of pictures to show Matt, none of which are very good. I attribute that to my half asleep mental state. I got a nice view of the garage though!

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The reports from Matt (holding down the fort in NewJersey with the kids) are positive. The movers came and cleared the place in a matter of hours. With the exception of a lost binky, the day went smoothly.

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Oh, hurray. They're boarding my flight. Over and out.

graduation

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"Love means sharing the same road wherever it leads. As long as I'm with you, I know I'm someplace wonderful." -6th Street Greetings Company

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Congratulations, Matt!

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third stop: Cape May, New Jersey

We just got home a little while ago from the ward going away party (pictures to come) that we went to a few hours after returning home from our Cape May getaway.

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Mom arrived on Thursday afternoon and spent 2 nights with the kids while we took a graduation trip to Cape May located at the southern tip of New Jersey.

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I think it might have been our best vacation ever. It was s0 beautiful and so relaxing! It was all that a perfect getaway vacation should be.

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We stayed at this quaint little bed and breakfast:

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Staying in a B&B is something we will definitely do again. It was so charming

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and with breakfast that looked like this:

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We sat on the beach and did a lot of this:

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and some of this:

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We climbed the 199 steps to the top of this lighthouse and back down again (all in 10 minutes because it was closing time):

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Our legs are still soar!

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We got up early one morning and rode bikes along the boardwalk.

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The other morning we slept in.

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I don't remember the last time we were both able to sleep in. It was wonderful.

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We really needed this trip. It's been a long journey (this graduation thing, I mean) and it was nice to take a relaxing break from everything else we have going on, enjoy being together, and celebrate the fact that Matt is finished with school!

And I wasn't worried for a minute about the kids, all of whom had a fantastic time with Grandma!

all 60 pages of it

Here it is:

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The official plans for the Glauser Family May Madness

Before we left for our trip last weekend, I compiled all our itineraries, flight plans, hotel and rental car reservations, driving directions, and the 3 page calendar and to-do list into one handy little notebook. It's over 60 pages.

I feel so much better.

second stop: Palmyra, New York

This is an incredible place. It has been such a neat experience to visit these hallowed sites of the history of the LDS church. I am so grateful we were able to make this trip and bring our family. I hope that Garrett, at least, is old enough to remember it and the spirit that exists here and understand what unfolded here as part of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth.

Outside the visitors' center with the Sacred Grove in the background

(we were hoping, since it's MAY that the trees would be greener and more spring-like. Oh well, it's still beautiful!)

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. The Hill Cumorah

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. Lydia admiring the flowers

first stop: Niaraga Falls

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*Preface: This begins a photographic travel log of our last chance trips around the East Coast. Provided I have time away from the unpacking/laundry/repacking between trips, I will post other happenings in our lives, lest you should tire of our various vacation photos. Enjoy.

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Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

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Pictures don't do justice to this place. We were in complete awe. That is a whole lot of water! It's really amazing.

buckle up, here we go!

Here's hoping we'll have a lot of these happy car seat moments

as we take off for our first destination: Niagara Falls and Palmyra, New York.