Earlier this month, I spent 13 days in California! I was born and raised in southern California. Riverside, to be exact. And though I’ve lived in Dallas for twenty-eight years, I return to CA frequently to spend time with my family there.
This trip had a dual purpose. I went to celebrate my mom’s birthday and to enjoy my daughter’s spring break.
The birthday party came first. To mark my mom’s big occasion, our original family of 5 (which has now grown to 18 when you count our husbands and kids) gathered in the picturesque winery town of Temecula for an overnight hotel stay followed by lunch with additional family members.
My 15 year old’s spring break began just a few days after my mom’s lunch. So I remained in California and then flew her out so that we could both spend time with my oldest daughter in San Diego, where she lives.
Then my daughters and I headed to Disneyland. Two of my nieces joined us there!
After finishing my Sons of Scandal series with the release of Uneasy Street, I’ve been taking a breather from writing new pages to take this California trip and attend to other areas of my life. Which has been a luxury. Now that I publish my books myself, I no longer have deadlines. That’s enabled me to bring more ease and space to my work–which I find I really value at this stage of my life and career. Less pressure! More freedom.
Before I go, two things to note! One, the audiobooks for Memory Lane and Rocky Road are currently on sale HERE. You can snag both audiobooks for less than $6. Amazing sale for a limited time! If you haven’t listened to these books yet, I recommend giving yourself the gift of my male narrator’s voice. 🙂 Two, I will soon be setting out on a “Books and Boots Tour” of Texas. I’d love to see you at one of the bookish stops. You can find information on the tour HERE.
Happy spring, everyone!
Becky Wade
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What a wonderful trip! Love the pictures. With my daughter in California for 30 years, I have visited all of the places you mentioned. She started out in San Diego and used to jog along Sunset Cliffs. Her dream house was there, and we actually got a tour once. Having lived in Anaheim and Long Beach for over 15 years, I’ve visited Disneyland several times. When I was a child (10) my Dad had a business trip to LA, so he took vacation with it and our family drove to CA from Virginia and visited Disneyland the second year it was open. We were the envy of our classmates. Now my daughter lives in Riverside County – East Vale, and it’s a very pleasant community compared to the coast. I remember that my grandson is the age of your youngest, 15, soon to be 16 and in 10th grade.
Happy birthday to your Mom. I enjoyed this post so much!
Betty, I love that we have so many overlapping California experiences! I was talking to my mom and dad (who both grew up in southern CA) about their memories of Disneyland and both of them were also able to go soon after it opened. 🙂
What a fun trip! So glad you could set work aside and enjoy your family.
Yes! It was a joy to have such an extended period of time with family.
Hi, Becky! You were in my old stomping grounds on your trip. What a great time for you and your family. Happy birthday to your mom, and wow, you and your sisters certainly resemble one another! We lived in Riverside early in our marriage and our oldest daughter was dedicated at Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church. Jim ministered for a while in Hemet, and we pondered buying a house in Temecula. Good times. Please tell your daughter who lives in San Diego to watch out for Jackson Merrill, #3 on the San Diego Padres’ roster. He’s Jim’s cousin’s son, and the game attendees tonight get his bobblehead, lol. That’s when you KNOW you’ve arrived. Say hi to Dallas for me, too, please (where I met Jim).
JoAnn — Magnolia Avenue Baptist is the church where I grew up! My mom still attends and she and I went to services there together recently. Wow! How wonderful that we have that in common. And I’m delighted to learn that you’re related to one of the Padres. 🙂