Our visit to Bake Town...

After a very refreshing and fun filled week in the Napa Valley with my dad and Ruth, Brian and I hopped on a train in Martinez, California for a "beautiful" five hour seneic ride down to Bakersfield where we were greeted by my mom at the station. It felt so good to get that first hug from my mom that I had been missing for the past year and a half. We were off to a great start for two week visit.

The fist night we arrived we were invited to a cocktail party with our friends David and Isabelle. We had wonderful night sipping on yummy drinks and mingling by a fire. I kept thinking what a different world we were in. I even ran into an old Spanish teacher at the party whom I´d had my during my first year in college. She is a wonderful teacher and it was a joy to see her again as well as get to practice conversing a little with her in Spanish.

Over the next couple of weeks we spent a lot of time with family. We had family dinners followed by games like Pictionary, Scattergories, and Guesstures. It blows me away how tiny I feel around my younger brothers. It's fun to give them a hard time, however I have to be a little more careful now! It was also such a joy for me to watch and interact with my niece and nephews as they are growing up so fast. We played with barbies, went to a soccer practice and played video games, and had lots of our own "hang out alone" times together.

One night Brian and I were treated to a fun filled night in Los Angeles by my friends Kristina and her husband Mike. They drove us to dinner and then to see Dancing with the Stars at the Staples Center in downtown. We had a blast! Another night they had us over to dinner at their new house where we ate Mike's delicious stuffed mushrooms, salmon, asparagus and Brian's amazing homemade canolis. Following dinner we played Taboo and Pictionary along with my mom and other friends that came for dinner . It was hilarious, especially after several of their raspberry martinies. Yumm!

Brian and I also joined my good friend Noel for her birthday celebration at a cozy Cuban resturant and then I later went for a second time for a girls night out. That same night Brian joined a couple of my guy friends, brothers and step-dad at a hockey game. Another night my mom hosted a warm, low key friends hang out night which felt so good to hear what everyone was up to, laugh and just... be at home. One morning Brian and I met up at a nice local diner with two of my good friends from high school Jessie and his brother Sergio. They are two of the most motivated and high energy friends I have. It can be so refreshing to be around such positive people.

As much fun as I had with everyone I must say at times I felt a little out of it. I felt I have been almost frozen in time for a while and then brought back. I am clueless when it comes to movies, music, fashion, technology or even politics, which makes conversation difficult sometimes.

My time in Northern and Southern California was amazing. I savored every moment I had with each person. Brian and I both came back feeling refreshed and ready to work hard, appreciate life here and learn what God has for us here in Panama during these final few months.