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(Image Information: personal photo of Baxter, Xena,
and "Babyman". photo taken December 2013)
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One reason I truly am in love with this place is that it is home to my new family. I love being around my husband's relatives and hearing stories about his childhood. I also loved that his family rescues animals and their home is filled with four amazing pups that my husband considers his adopted brothers and sisters.
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| (Image Information: personal photo of Avila. photo taken December 2013) |
This place is the perfect location for day trips. It's situated between the Sierra-Nevada mountains and the Pacific Coast, both being accessible within a two hour drive. The first time I went to meet his parents, we all drove to the coast since they knew this "Okie" had never seen the ocean before. We spent the day driving down the coast, visiting many different cities each known for their own attributes: Morro Bay has the best taffy, Pismo Beach has the best clam chowder, and Avila is the perfect spot to watch the sun set over the ocean. I do regret going in the winter, however, because I was never able to get in the water. Hopefully once I graduate in December we will have a lot of time to spend visiting our family and the ocean.
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Image Information: personal photo of Pismo Beach taken
from the boardwalk. photo taken December 2013)
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During the summer of 2014, my husband and I drove all the way to Visalia so that we could bring our dog to meet the family. During this trip is when we went to the Sequoia National Forest. Seeing these huge trees that have been around for hundreds of years was breathtaking. I absolutely loved the wandering trails that made up the national park. I was able to walk around and see the lesser visited areas in the park and how these areas differed in the ways nature presented itself when there was not a constant stream of tourists.
As I said before, Visalia is my second home now. I fell in love with it just as soon as I arrived. I cannot wait to go back soon.
Oh, reading your post made me miss California so badly, Heather! I lived for a long time in the Bay area... and I love both the coast (that drive down from San Francisco to Monterey is one of my favorites in the whole world), and also the sequoias. I know you will be excited to go back to enjoy all that California beauty! Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThere is another girl in this class that is from California and I just commented on her post before reading yours. I believe it was Haley, so you will have to go check out her introduction too. I have only been to Long Beach in California, but it was a great place and the food was AWESOME! My husband and I were going on our 5 year anniversary cruise and were leaving from the dock located next to the Queen Mary, which we weren't able to see :( We didn't get to sight see much around there before we left but I have always wanted to go to the Sequoia National Forest. Just to be in the presence of all that history has to be breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteIt's so beautiful that you made your husband's home your second home! I like to see that type of unity in a marriage (I come from a divorced household). I lived in California for the majority of my life, and reading your post makes me want to go back! I miss the ocean and the CA nightlife. Most of all, I miss my family back home. Although, I must admit that Oklahoma really grew on me and became my home. So in other words, CA is my second home too! I hope you head back to your second home soon!
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteYour husband’s home sounds AMAZING! The roads being lined with fruit trees is definitely what I would want to see if I were to visit! I think that it is so great that you get along so well with your husband’s family because not everyone has that so that is truly a wonderful thing to cherish! I hope you get to visit many more times so you can see all of the beauty that Visalia has to offer!